Dear Family at Christ Community,

As we conclude our Advent Series in Matthew 2:13-23, I am struck by the cost of redemption. I am even more struck by how lightly I take the cost of redemption (if I even consider it all). Part of the problem is rooted in the idea that permeates Western Christianity that “redemption (or salvation) is free.” The other part of the problem rises from radical individualism that divorces us from our historical and global community blinding us to how historically and globally connected we truly are. These problems result in our coming to the Lord’s Table without the weight of thankfulness and solemnity for which the sacrament is due. This also inhibits honest celebration as a result of our recognition of the cost of redemption.

Is redemption (or salvation) actually free in the fullest sense of the word? The idea finds its foundation in the fact that “for by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is free in the sense that the one being saved does nothing to earn it. It comes at no cost to them personally; however, there has been a significant historic cost to make it possible for them to hear, read, and receive the Gospel. Consider the vast historic and global persecution and suffering of the people of God along with the specific persecution and suffering of the prophets who fought to keep the truth alive in the people. Consider the martyrs over the centuries that lost their lives over translating Bibles into native tongues or trying to share the Gospel with various tongues, tribes, and nations. Consider the murder of the innocents in Bethlehem at the hands of Herod and the subsequent suffering of the families of those children. But most of all, consider the body-breaking, blood-shedding cost to Jesus the Christ who bore the totality of the sins of God’s children along with the full ferocity of God’s wrath toward those sins. Many throughout history and around the globe have paid the ultimate price to ensure the continuation of the Gospel over the ages. Jesus paid the highest price of all on the cross. No, redemption is not free in the fullest sense of the word.

There is quite a historic cost to redemption that we should remember as we come to the table this Sunday. Give thanks to the Lord for providing a faithful remnant and not allowing the light of the Gospel to go out. Praise God for Jesus being the ultimate payment for our sins purchasing for us newness of life and eternal joy and peace in His presence. Pray for those around the world in places like Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Iran, and so on who are being persecuted for their faith but are serving as the remnant for the future in those places. Confess any way in which you have taken the cost of redemption lightly. Ask the Spirit to help you have a healthy solemnity and more honest appreciation and celebration of the Lord’s Supper as a result of the cost of redemption.

In Christ,

Cameron