Plenteous Redemption

Post number 2 (I wonder how long it will be before the novelty of counting them wears off!).

I was enjoying a classical music CD in the car on Saturday, when I heard the choir sing: "in him is plenteous redemption" It's a phrase taken from Psalm 130: 7 "O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is mercy and loving-kindness, and with Him is plenteous redemption." I've never thought of redemption as having a measurable aspect to it before. Redemption is what Christ did for us on the cross. Psalm 103: 4 says "He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies." and Hebrews 9: 12 says “With his own blood – not the blood of goats and calves – he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.”

In its simplest form redemption is this: imagine you take something valuable to a pawn shop because you need the money. The pawn-broker lends you the money, and promises that you can buy back the object within a certain time-limit, for a particular price. A short time later you go back to the pawn-broker with the money, and redeem (ie, buy back) the object. It’s a one-time thing (though of course, you could re-pawn the item and re-redeem it again several times over). The word 'redeem' originated in the Greek markets and was about buying slaves. Jesus has bought us and set us free from slavery – we are redeemed!

But what we are offered is not just redemption, but plenteous redemption: plentiful, abundant, copious, overflowing, bounteous, ample, profuse, and lavish redemption. (Yes, sometimes a Thesaurus can be a wonderful thing!). “God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us (redeemed us) from the penalty for our sins.” (Romans 3:24)

May God bless you as you ponder these words.

A bit new to this blogging lark

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
— Isaiah 30:21

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
— Robert Frost (1874-1963) The Road Not Taken

This is my first blog, and in truth, I don't even know if I've got much to say. I'm mainly writing it for me, partly to help my brain sort out some ideas, partly to record my journey (sorry - cliché alert!) through life, and partly just to store some memories.

What can I tell you about me? I'm a Christian (47 years and counting!); I attend Park Fellowship church in Coventry, where I sometimes preach, sometimes lead worship, sometimes do projection, and sometimes just sit in the congregation. I'm not planning on retiring any time soon from work, where I do proofreading, and web layout (once upon a time, I'd have said desk-top publishing... but we don't do print any more!).

I love music; I sing, and play piano, guitar, and recorder (yes - it is a real musical instrument!); I love sharing the insights God gives me, through my preaching; but most of all I love to see people change as they are touched by the Holy Spirit, through music and the Word... and that is my hope with this blog - that if you should find it, you will be touched by the Holy Spirit.

May God bless you as you travel on.