Today I’m writing again about church and community. And also about one of the many names of Jesus. This will be long, but that’s my trademark. Or at least that’s the excuse I’m using today.

So Jesus has many names for each of his roles in our life–more names even than Dismarum a.k.a. Watson a.k.a. Little Eggroll a.k.a. Little Asian Girl a.k.a. …well, you get the picture. One of the ones I’ve always known but never really given much thought was his role as Christ the Redeemer. I’ve always thought of Redeemer in terms of Savior (or Saviour, if you prefer) which, of course, brings questions such as “What did he save you from?” The answer to that is “from myself, from my self-destructive tendencies, from an addition to alcohol, from suicide, from rape, from eternal damnation, etc. etc.” You know, just the small things.

Many of you know I’ve been volunteering as a leader in our youth group, and it’s a role I take very seriously and also very immaturely (but only in silly actions, like sitting on the kids if they don’t stop talking or threatening to throw them out the window). Most of the kids in our youth group know I am an alcoholic, and a couple of them know about my relationship with my family, my depression, and my attempted suicide at one point. I haven’t told them the extent of certain problems, mainly because I don’t try to scare them. I do, however, want them to be aware of what can and does happen when we are left to our own devices. On the way back from our youth road trip last month, I had the opportunity to counsel one of our young boys in matters of his family. His parents are divorced and his mom has wounded him repeatedly by her actions and words. I could empathize to a point and I felt God speaking through me as I told him about what I’ve learned in my life.

At church the following Sunday, a lady in my church family came to thank me for helping with the youth. I told her how I’d been feeling lately, like finally all the really screwed-up things in my life have the potential to bring about good because I can talk to the kids about them. And if that talk can ease the pain or aid in the understanding and comfort of just one kid, it will have been worth it. And as much as things have sucked, I wouldn’t trade any of it for what I have now in my relationship with God. She replied, “Well, He’s the Redeemer.” And I didn’t get it at first, but it stuck with me for several days until I finally had that epiphanic moment where it all became clear.

This time last year when I recommitted my life to God and began attending the church home I have now, I struggled with a lot of guilt. I felt so ashamed, as if I’d wasted so much time over the past several years following my own wants and completely neglecting God. And now I understand that not only did God save me from all that crap, He’s also redeeming me from all of it as well. He’s using it to good, so that no single, horrible, nightmarish moment in my life will ever go to waste as just another hardship to be struggled and suffered through. Nothing was for naught. Learning this, understanding this–it’s not only comforting, but it’s also a source of overwhelming joy. It’s a joy that I could never have achieved or experienced anywhere else.

One more thing and then I’m done. I’ve written before about embracing church and the community, and it’s a theme I see recurring in my life. Those of you TD&Co.-ers who I know, I pray for daily. I pray that if you don’t know God personally, that you will open your hearts and minds to experience Him. And if you do already know Him, I pray that you will open your hearts and your minds to experience the level of church and community that He’s intended all of us to have. I know there are churches out there who have lost focus on God and I know there are church people who are not what they claim to be. I know there are people who have had bad experiences with churches & those people who are so quick to call themselves Christians. If that’s you, please don’t let the actions of one person or one group darken your perspective of God. Because that’s not Him working in those people, not if it drives you away from His house.
So.
A couple passages worth mentioning:

Hebrews 10:25: “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

That is all for now.
Peace, love, and redemption.