“You crown us with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:5
Dear Redeemer Family:
We are now in, what for many of us, including me, is the favorite time of the year. Spring is nice here,
sometimes both weeks of it. Summer and Winter can both be brutal. But Autumn is often just plain
glorious! As the trees shed their leaves in preparation for the arrival of winter, and after the baking heat
of summer, they put on a color display which is nothing short of glorious. The stunning reds of the blood
maples and some of the shrubs are beautiful to behold. Other trees show of magnificent displays of
yellows and a few with incredible shades of orange. Even the brown leaves of the oaks add a certain
foundation to the hues of the other trees’ leaves! The autumn display is beginning even now as I write
this. But October is when it hits its full glory. I believe that God gives us a little hint of His glory in the
wonders of creation. And this is the most beautiful to behold around here. God is so doing, honors the
creation.
That is creation’s glory. What about us? We too have been given glory and honor. When you consider
human life, its fragility, its capacity to get so many things wrong, its amazing ability towards destruction
of many things (including Creation itself) and also its capacity for great achievements. We are strange
creatures to have such wide possibilities! God seems to prefer the good, and the wonderful. And these
are gifts.
God’s desire to “crown us with glory and honor” is a wonder in itself. We are a “fallen race.” Sin has
tripped us up, and we can’t seem to be able to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps! But God has
intervened on our behalf. The “Redeemed Theory” of salvation is appropriate here. God’s Son, Jesus
Christ, has taken our fallenness, brokenness, and sinfulness upon himself. In exchange, Christ gives to us
his righteousness, and makes us to be children of God. This is sometimes called the “Happy Exchange.”
Or my doctor father liked to call it the “Sweet Swap.” We are now crowned with glory and honor, by
God through Christ’s merit!
This is a wonder that is marvelous to consider. It is a wonder which we cannot do for ourselves. It is
purely a gift from God. Praise be to God and His Son Jesus Christ!
In Christ,
Pastor Rose
