This week we have the opportunity to remember the great lengths our Redeemer went to demonstrate His love for us who did not deserve it.
Christmas came a week early for us in December 1992. There was the usual anticipation that came with the season, but that year we were anticipating the arrival of our third child. Our baby was due at the end of the month, but Noelle was born a couple of weeks early on December 18. Bringing our baby home from the hospital in an oversized Christmas stocking was the best gift ever! This time of year had an additional reason to look forward to each year.
Noelle quickly grew up. It didn’t take long to discover how much she loved music and theater. I’ll come back to that in a moment, but first, let me tell you about another gift.
After giving my wife a book written by Francine Rivers, she let on that she really enjoyed this author. Perfect! Since Francine had written dozens of books I was set for the next several years with sure to please gifts for my wife! Francine Rivers had a successful writing career publishing eleven books before she became a born-again Christian in 1986. Francine wrote Redeeming Love as her statement of faith. This story is a retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea set during the time of the California Gold Rush. Redeeming Love is now considered a classic work of Christian fiction and one of the Christian Booksellers Association’s top-selling titles.
Okay. Now back to Noelle. A few years ago Stained Glass Theatre in Joplin put on the stage version of Redeeming Love. Can you guess who had a leading role in this program? Yes, it was a proud dad moment. 🙂
As I watched the program, it was easy to see the source material from the book of Hosea. Gomer, a broken person, in need of Hosea, a redeemer, who would love her unconditionally and help her find her way back to healing and completeness.
Hosea 11:2 says “But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.”
It’s easy to see how this is something that Hosea could say to our generation today. Gomer illogically resisted and turned away from the one who could help her. But Hosea persistently pursued her. How often is this true in our own lives?
This week we have the opportunity to remember the great lengths our Redeemer went to demonstrate His love for us who did not deserve it. Jesus’ birth, Jesus’ humble humanity, Jesus’ life, Jesus’ death in our place for our sins all point to Jesus being Redeeming Love for us!
We still have the book Redeeming Love on our bookshelf. More importantly, we have the Redeemer’s Love dwelling in our hearts! Will you experience Redeeming Love this Christmas? Will you share that Redeeming Love this Christmas?
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
