“Remember Your Redemption”
Text: Exodus 13:1-3a, 11-15
12-29-2024
In the name of our Blessed Redeemer, dear friends in Christ. The first time I ever lived in Iowa was 1995/96 when I was on Vicarage in the northeastern part of the state. To say the least, that year took a lot of getting used to. It was astounding to me to find people who seriously believed that the Hawkeyes and Cyclones were better at football teams than Nebraska! On the positive note, I had never seen so many pheasants before in my life! And then, there was the can and bottle deposits which was new to me. There was no way that I was going to shell out 5 cents per container and then lose that money by tossing the empties in the trash or out the car window. Well, imagine my astonishment when I discovered Iowegians who didn’t think the same way. My confirmation students were the worst at it. They’d drink a pop and toss the can out on someone’s lawn or in the street. It took me a while, but I figured out why it was so easy for them to let that money go. Most likely, their parents had been the ones who paid the price or, if the cash came out of their own pocket, it was such a small pittance that it was easy to throw it away.
Did you know that the redemption rate for cans and bottles in Iowa is only 49%? But in Michigan it’s much higher at 87%. Do you know the only difference between the two programs? Michigan has a 10-cent deposit and Iowa’s is 5 cents. Same cans and bottles, but they have a higher redemption value. So, I got to wondering; what if Iowa raised the deposit to $1.00? Or better yet, what if it was $10? You can bet people would remember the redemption value, regardless of whether they paid it or someone else did. And so, they wouldn’t toss those cans and bottles away.
Believe it or not there is a correlation here to our Old Testament and Gospel readings. In Luke 2 we heard how Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus to the Temple in order to perform two requirements of God’s law. First, a sacrifice was offered for Mary’s purification after childbirth. That’s what the turtledoves were for. And the other requirement {which wasn’t mentioned in the reading} was to pay a redemption price of 5 shekels for a firstborn son. It’s been estimated that this was worth about $25 in today’s money. But it really wasn’t about the money. This redemption price for the firstborn was supposed to be a reminder to the Israelites for all generations. They were to remember the reason why they had to redeem their firstborn sons, which is what the Old Testament reading spells out for us.
Before we go any further, what does it mean to “redeem” something? Well, it’s really the same as when we talk about the cans and bottles. When you go to a redemption center, they “buy back” those containers. That’s what the Israelites had to do. The firstborn male animals were to be sacrificed to God, but there was a way to “redeem” or buy back that animal if it was of particular value, like with a donkey. When it came to their firstborn sons, God wasn’t looking for a child sacrifice. Rather, those boys were to be dedicated to God’s service. However, since the tribe of Levi had been designated for this duty, the child could be bought back by paying the redemption price of 5 shekels.
Okay, so that was the rule. But it begs the question of why only the firstborn son had to be redeemed, and not the rest of their children. Ah, now we get to the whole remembering part. These redemption requirements were meant to open up a dialogue from generation to generation as to why God had given them this law. Verse 14 of our text says that years down the road when their children asked for the reason, the Israelites were to remember and retell God’s mighty act of redemption when He rescued them from their slavery in Egypt. But wait a minute. Do you remember what happened back then? Well, let’s review it and then you’ll see the significance of this redemption price.
Israel had been slaves in Egypt for nearly 400 years. God heard the cries of His people and so He sent Moses to Pharaoh with the demand that he let God’s people go. After 9 plagues that were increasingly devastating, Pharaoh still refused to comply. The 10th plague was the one to finally break him. In Exodus 4 God says to Moses that Israel is His “firstborn son” and since Pharaoh would not release His firstborn son, He would destroy all of Egypt’s firstborn sons. That’s exactly what happened. And that’s the reason why God gave them the law of redeeming the life of their firstborn sons. He wanted them to remember the enormous price that was paid for their rescue and to never forget it. Their “redemption value” was huge. Which tells you how highly God values His beloved people. The 5 shekels they had to give to redeem their own firstborn sons wasn’t much. But it was intended to remind them of the greater price which was paid when God redeemed them from their slavery.
Did the Israelites always remember that? Sadly, the answer is no. Kind of like that 5-cent deposit here in Iowa, it eventually became no big deal for them. They took it for granted, and even tossed it aside. Which really is a tragedy. Because Israel’s redemption from their Egyptian slavery was just a shadow of what God would do when it came to their redemption from the slavery of sin. And He wanted them to remember it and live as His redeemed people. Unfortunately, it isn’t only the Israelites who failed to remember God’s mighty act of redemption. You see, we also are God’s “firstborn sons.” The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross took place so that we could be redeemed. Through the death of His firstborn Son, God paid an enormous redemption price. God’s people were bought back from sin, death, and the devil with the innocent suffering and death of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19 tells us “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.” God paid the ultimate redemption price through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. And He wants us to remember it and live now as His redeemed people.
Since God paid the price and we didn’t have to, it’s awful easy to forget about it or treat it lightly. How often don’t we get out of bed and simply look at it as just another day; without remembering that we have been redeemed by God? In Luther’s morning prayer, he instructs us to make the sign of the cross upon ourselves as we begin the day. Do you know why? It reminds us of our Baptisms when we received God’s mark of redemption. As we witnessed this morning in the Baptismal rite, the Pastor makes the sign of the cross over the forehead and heart of the person, and says, “to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.” The parents don’t have to pay a 5-shekel redemption price, but each and every time you make that sign of the cross it’s supposed to help you remember the cost of your redemption which was applied to you in Baptism.
Really, our worship here in God’s House has the same purpose of not only helping us to remember our redemption from sin, but also to experience it over and over. Earlier in the service, after you confessed your sins, you heard Christ speaking to you through me. As your forgiveness was announced, you were pointed the cross where your redemption price was paid. All throughout the service and in the reading of Scripture as well as in the sermon you are once again directed to the cross. The message is: “This is how your God redeemed you and continues to redeem you by the enormous price He paid.” Do you receive that good news with relief and joy? Or is it just ho-hum? That’s the temptation that many have fallen into. You know how it goes. “Oh, I’ve heard that stuff in Church before. I know Jesus died for my sins. But I don’t need to be reminded of it every single week!” With that kind of mentality, we forget or trivialize or even despise the price that God paid for our redemption. Friends, that’s an insult to the Lord. The good news is God can redeem you from that sin also, if you will just confess it and receive His forgiveness.
That redemption price doesn’t get any more real than in the Lord’s Supper. In this holy meal, God places in your mouth the very body and blood of His firstborn Son. He places in your mouth the very means by which your redemption was purchased. Don’t despise it by forgetting the enormous price God paid in order to rescue you. Rather, approach it with the reverence and awe which it deserves. Let all these Means of Grace remind you of what God has done for you in Jesus Christ. As you are reminded of it and receive that grace once again, let it reassure you that you are indeed His redeemed sons and daughters whom He loves. May God empower us now to go forth and live as His redeemed people. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!