Communion (St Peter’s)

7^th February 2010

Revelation 4 and Luke 8:22-25

INTRODUCTION:

This morning I want to ask two questions.

But before that, a look back fifty years to a Guide camp. I was still a student and was invited to assist at the camp and to give medical advice if required. 

The whole week had been extremely hot and the Thursday was a boiling hot day, so we had not done very much except try to keep in the shade. When bed time came, most of the girls were tired and, despite the heat, were soon asleep. All was calm ----then a sudden storm ---- flashes of lightening, claps of thunder and monsoon like rain. Everyone woke and there was a certain amount of fear, especially when the tents began to be flooded.

There was no need to be afraid because Captain had arranged a transfer to the barn, hot cocoa was provided by the farmer’s wife and all our fear subsided.

Imagine the panic if Captain had gone on sleeping and left us all to cope alone ---- but we were reassured because we knew we could trust her.

Luke 8: 22-25 The Disciples in a storm

It had been Jesus’ idea to go across the lake: - “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake”

All seemed calm as they set off--- Jesus even fell asleep, may be lulled by the gentle movement of the boat and the waves lapping against it.

Disciples were quite happy to let him sleep ---- they could manage, they were well used to handling boats (they were fishermen) --- there was no problem.

Suddenly ---- Everything changed!

“A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.”

Now they were not so bold --- not so sure that they could manage. They woke Jesus up, saying: -“Master, Master, we’re going to drown” or as Mark records the incident: -“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown”

Fear and panic took over ----- where was Jesus when they needed him?

How could he sleep when they were in such danger --- didn’t he know or worse still, didn’t he care?

Yes he did know and yes he did care. Jesus immediately took command of the situation: - “He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm”

All was calm --- you can almost feel the tension going --- the relief as fear subsided as Jesus took control.

But Jesus asked them an important question (the first of two questions in this passage)

“Where is your faith?”

Why the panic? Why could you not trust me? Why be afraid when I am in the boat with you?

??? !!! We can often be like those disciples.

When life is all plain sailing --- everything going well ----- so often we forget about Jesus and manage alone, relying on our own skills and abilities --- making our own plans ---- taking our own decisions..

We can manage ----- we can handle life.

Yes, we believe that Jesus is with us ---- and it’s good to have him on board ----- but ----- let him sleep

All is well until, suddenly, storms come ----- illness, bereavement, marriage breakdown, un-employment, money problems, rebellious teenagers.

Help! We feel swamped ------ going under – unable to cope --- in despair. Panic sets in.

That’s when we call out to Jesus, as the disciples did in the storm.  The wonderful thing is, he hears us.

He knows what we need because he has been with us all the time.

He is able to calm our fears and to bring us peace when we take our needs to him in prayer.

“Where is your faith? “Where is your faith?”

Jesus might ask that question of us today.

Are we in danger of letting our troubles drown us?

Are we afraid or sad, worried or despairing?

Jesus is saying: - I am with you ---- trust me --- I will keep you safe.

Second question.

Storm over, the disciples asked: -“Who is this man”

What kind of man can command the wind to cease and the waves to calm down?

Revelation 4 gives us the answer.

Here we see a glimpse of heaven

John has a wonderful vision of heaven ---- a door standing open to allow him to peep in and see the glory of God.

He saw God enthroned in glory and majesty, splendour and power ---- surrounded by many creatures who worshipped and adored Him.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. You are worthy to receive glory and honour and power; for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being.”

You created all things: - the whole vast universe was created and is sustained by God ----- and Jesus was with God in that work of creation.

John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made”

“Who is this man?” the disciples asked.

He is the Word --- he is with God ---- He is God ----and He created everything.

This man Jesus who calmed the storm on the lake is none other than the mighty, powerful God who made the whole of the world and therefore calming the wind and the waves was a small matter for him.

!!! ??? We too might ask: - “Who is Jesus? How can he deal with my problems?

Jesus, to whom we pray, is none other than the great and glorious God who John glimpsed in his vision.

With him all things are possible ---- even dealing with our problems.

At the guide camp we had no fear in the storm because we knew how capable and caring our captain was.

When we realise who Jesus truly is ------- the powerful creator God, who loves us and cares for us ------ then we can, with confidence, safely put our trust in him.

2 QUESTIONS

“Where is your faith?”

• Do we rely upon own ability to see us through life?

 Sadly, there are times when problems arise that are beyond our ability to cope.

• Is our faith in Jesus, who is with us always and promises to help us carry our burdens and to give us peace.

“Who is this man?”

• Just a figure in history, someone we heard of at school
• No, he is none other than Almighty God, the creator of this vast universe

With him nothing is impossible ----- not        even dealing with our problems.

A children’s chorus sums it all up

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty

There’s nothing that he can not do

The mountains are his, the rivers are his

The stars are his handiwork too

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty

There’s nothing that he can not do

Today the whole Anglican union is prevailed upon to pray for Zimbabwe.  We are called upon, as Christians of all denominations in all nations, to focus our prayers today on the critical situation in Zimbabwe, a nation in dire distress and teetering on the brink of human disaster.
In dedicating this sermon about the Holy Spirit to the people of Zimbabwe I pray:
God of glory and unquenchable spirit, may your Son direct us afresh to the fire of your presence where nothing may amaze us more than your love, nothing may inspire us more than your forgiveness and nothing dazzle us more than your beauty, disclosed to us in your world, your story and your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

This little box of tricks is called a ‘Satnav’.  A fair number of people here will have one and will use it on a regular basis.  It replaces maps and it audibly tells us how to get from one place to another in the car.  It’s amazing. By referencing itself to signals emitted from three satellites it can locate itself within 10 metres.  We call ours ‘Jimmy’ for no good reason.  More amazingly you can choose the voice it speaks with.  Margaret elects for Jimmy’s husky masculine drawl.  A colleague has the voice of John Cleese on his – just imagine!  I prefer the authoritative and romantic intones of Jemima who guides me effortlessly to obscure places in Oldham, Rochdale or Liverpool.  Unfortunately, I recently left it set on the ‘motorway route’ preference and when Margaret used it to get to an address in Corby she found herself routed via Northampton and Birmingham and then back on the M69 to Leicester. It was only when she was on the outskirts of Crewe that she realised she had been misled.  No, I jest. But it can mislead and literally take you up the garden path unless you give it very clear instructions.

On the face of it, that has nothing to do with today’s gospel reading from John, but I ask you just to park the idea of the Satnav somewhere in your mind for the next few minutes and then we’ll come back to it. Two phrases from this morning’s reading, and one from a few verses further on, characterise the poetry and majesty of John’s writing.  They are: (firstly) ‘I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever’; (secondly) ‘On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you’; (thirdly – later on) ’Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you’.  I don’t know about you but every time I hear those phrases it sends a little shiver through me and subsequently I feel a warm and comforting glow. The setting for these wonderful words is the conversation between Jesus and his disciples as they celebrated the feast of the Passover at an evening supper.  Known as the last supper it is a key event in the Jesus story, placed between the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the betrayal, trial and crucifixion.  John describes the conversation in considerable detail - much more so than in any of the other gospels.  This level of intimate detail, combined with the often complex, but beautiful, language and imagery the writer uses, strikes a big difference between John’s Gospel and those of Matthew, Mark and Luke.   It’s worth pausing for a moment to explore the reasons for this difference. The key point here is that John was an eye witness – he was actually there.  This is in contrast to the other Gospels written for distinctive audiences by folk who were steeped in the Jesus story but who received it second hand.  John was, I quote, ‘the disciple who Jesus loved’ and there are no less than five indications of this in the text.  Theologians think that the gospel was probably written a little later than the synoptic gospels and one of the purposes was to supplement or even possibly correct the writings of Matthew, Mark and Luke.  He aimed to appeal to Greek thinkers and his main purpose was expressed clearly in chapter 20: ‘These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’.. It must have been scary for the disciples, John included.  Here was Jesus foretelling of his own destruction and invoking a new piece of the jigsaw – the Holy Spirit.  He promised a friend, a counsellor, an advocate, a helper who would, as it says in verse 18, not leave them orphaned.  He was also telling them that this Spirit would live within them and that Jesus would be with the Father and that they were all one.  Here was the first indication of what we now happily and often uncritically accept as the Holy Trinity. Yes, the cross would separate those on earth from Jesus, whom they would not see again, but he would always be there for them – providing they loved him and followed his command.  Through this they would have life eternal. But remember, all this was said before the crucifixion, before the resurrection, before his recorded subsequent eleven appearances, before the ascension and before the Holy Spirit actually came to them, as described in Acts.  We have the benefit of knowing the whole story. For them this was complex, scary and subject to disbelief.  For them, accepting what Jesus said was the supreme act of faith and Jesus knew that.  In verse 27 (a bit later on) he empathises with them and prevails on them: ‘do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’.  I don’t know what you think, but if I’d been there I would have been, as my children would say, using today’s vernacular, ‘well scared’! From our frail human position it’s not surprising that Peter denied, that Thomas doubted and that Judas became irrational.  Ask yourself and reflect on what your reaction would have been.  Would you have happily accepted all this, stuck with Jesus to the bitter end and then gone out and preached his good news?  Or would you have done a runner and gone back to family, friends, central heating, home comforts and soap operas on TV? The great and good news is that they did stick with it, and that through them (the disciples) we have come to hear the goods news for ourselves.  And that is just what Jesus wanted.  He wanted his disciples to go forward in faith and comfort, guided and supported by this new third party, the Holy Spirit, to bring the Father’s love to us all.  He wanted us all to know, through his sacrifice on the cross and subsequent separation from us, that we could live in him and he in us. You know, it just doesn’t get much better than that and we should rejoice in knowing that the mighty counsellor, the friend and guide, the supporter and helper is here among us and in us forever.  All we need to do, as it says in verse 21, is know Jesus’ commands and obey them. The Holy Spirit that Jesus promised may have come to you with a bang and in a moment of cataclysmic revelation or it may have crept quietly upon you and be there without you knowing. But whichever way, if you seek it, it will be there.  That’s what Jesus promised his disciples and if we become a disciple too, it will be there for us. Now, back for a moment to Satnavs.  Have you seen the connection?  For me, it’s this.  The Satnav is akin to the Holy Spirit –there to guide and direct, support and provide.  The requirement for me is to a) set my linkage to it correctly so that b) I can here what it says in order to go to the right place. I can choose the voice through which I hear it and the options for this we have as Christians are the four gospels and the epistles that supplement them.  I said earlier that I prefer the intonation of Jemima on our car based Satnav.  But which of the gospel writers would I personally prefer to hear about the Holy Spirit from? That’s easy and that’s why it is a great joy to preach this morning from my favourite gospel – the one according to John.  I love the language, I love the poetry, the imagery, the detail and the by ways he takes me along.  If I wanted to go on the motorway I would choose Mark, breathless and fast paced.  If I wanted verification that I was on the right road I’d choose Matthew.  If I wanted detailed acquaintance with the map maker I would choose Luke. So there.  He we are.  Our first look in this year’s Christian calendar at the foretelling of the Holy Spirit.  Now, it’s time for me to set this week’s homework and here it is:  Three questions each to be written up neatly and handed in for marking next Sunday.

1.Are you still and quiet enough, often enough, to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in your life?

2.Can you take the same leap of faith that the scared disciples took in order to carry the good news onwards and outwards?
3. If we only ever had John’s gospel what would our Christian belief look like?

To answer the third question you need to read it.  Perhaps the best couple of hours you could invest.  Amen.

I have always been fascinated by revolutionary figures; people who have caught the world’s imagination and changed the course of humanity, both for good and for ill. Jesus was and is the archetypical example. As a teenager, I was rivetted by Alan Bullock’s biography of Adolf Hitler, upon which I shall not dwell. A few months ago, I bought a copy of a biography of Che Guevara; and here it is. Like the Gospels, it contains a biography and a message. Jesus’ active ministry is said to have lasted two or three years. Guevara’s lasted ten; from 1957 until his death in 1967. In my Bible [NRSV], the Gospels take up 126 pages; roughly 76,000 words. This biography of Che Guevara contains 754 pages or roughly 302,000 words. I make no comment this morning on the contents; the truth is that I haven’t found time to read it yet. But my point is clear, I hope. It is the intensity, the concentrated nature of the Gospels that fascinates. This morning’s reading from St John’s Gospel exemplifies this. In just four verses it touches upon four theologically complex themes; Resurrection; God’s Peace or Shalom; the Holy Spirit; and Absolution. A separate sermon could be preached on each; indeed, much more can be said about each of them than can be packed into a sermon of tolerable length. So you’ll be relieved to learn that I am going to be selective. I have chosen to say a few words about the theme that has aroused and continues to arouse controversy within the ranks of the Christian faithful; namely Absolution. 

Apart from the Passion narrative, one struggles to discover points of similarity between John’s Gospel on the one hand; and the synoptic Gospels upon the other; but we find accounts of Jesus bestowing authority to absolve upon his apostles in Matthew’s Gospel. In our reading this morning, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into the disciples and says; ‘Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them”. In Matthew 16, Jesus announces that Simon Peter is the rock upon which his church will be built; and then, ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven’; and the declaration is repeated a little later in Matthew 18.

The authority bestowed by Jesus in these scenes is the authority to pardon offences or to forgive sins, whichever phrase you prefer. In other words, it is the power to reverse what God did to Adam and Eve when he expelled them from the Garden of Eden. Sin separates us from God; it causes a breakdown in our relationship with God. If I wrong my wife, my relationship with her is fractured. However, if I apologise to her and she accepts my apology, then our relationship is mended. But what about my relationship with God? I can say sorry to God, but how do I know whether my apology has been accepted? That’s what troubled the Jews. They never knew whether they were really at one with God; so they engaged in sacrifices and sent scapegoats off into the desert in the hope of appeasing God’s anger with them for their sinfulness. It was all a bit hit and miss. The difficulty was that only God could forgive sin. That’s what upset the Pharisees about Jesus. When he healed a paralytic with the words, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you’ [Luke 5:20]; the Pharisees complained; ‘Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ [ibid 5:21]. Christians believe that Jesus was and is God; so he had the power to forgive sins; but upon his departure from this world as a human being, this priceless benefit would be lost. Jesus resolved the dilemma that had faced the Jews by authorising his disciples to exercise his divine and exclusive power to forgive a person’s sins and to restore that person’s relationship with God. The power belonged to God and so its delegation was in his exclusive gift. A central truth of our Easter faith is that he did delegate it; and so enabled each one of us to be redeemed and to be re-assured that we are.

So when some folk, usually from a non-conformist tradition, argue that priests are unnecessary; rejecting their role as interveners in the relationship between God and the faithful, they expressly reject this central truth about Christianity. Today’s priest is vested with the same authority as the disciples in succession to whom he or she stands; the very same disciples to whom Jesus delegated his power to forgive sins on the very evening of the day of his Resurrection as we have heard this morning. The Christian priest is neither an obstacle nor an unwelcome interloper, but a bridge and a mediator between God and the faithful. Of course, I am not saying that, from time to time, the privilege of priesthood is not abused; priests, like the disciples, are only human; sinners like the rest of us. But to argue that they are unnecessary misunderstands the very nature of Jesus’ mission; and of the unique role of the Christian priest in his divine scheme. And, of course, the priest brings with him shalom, God’s peace, as Jesus did on that same evening to his troubled followers.

The streets have been packed. Jostling shouting pilgrims herding, dragging, carrying bleating lambs – pushing their way to the temple which yesterday was place of noise, commotion, blood and mess. The priests’ work seemingly never ending as they grasped the lambs they were handed – slit the throats and sprinkled the blood on the altar.

For this week the people celebrate the most important festival of the year. The feast of Passover when Jewish families up and down the land will sacrifice a lamb and sit down together for a meal and remember how centuries ago God rescued them from the Egyptians.

Remember how they had been slaves – forced to make bricks – and to gather their own raw materials – forced to make bricks without being given the straw to put in them. Backbreaking slave labour – and they had cried out to God in their misery. And He had come to the rescue. "I have seen the misery of my people” He said to Moses, “I have heard them crying … so I have come down to rescue them. With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm I will redeem you.”¹

And rescue them He had. And in these days of jostling crowds and bleating lambs and commotion and mess - they celebrate that rescue. Eating again the Passover and recalling how centuries ago on the night of their escape they had sacrificed a lamb and painted its blood on the wooden beams before eating the hurried meal; recalling how a plague had swept the land but passed over all the houses where lamb’s blood had been painted; recalling how Pharoah had finally let God’s people go free. God had seen their misery, heard their cries and come down with a mighty hand and outstretched arm to lead them into freedom.

So Jerusalem is packed. The streets are full of jostling shouting Passover pilgrims. At the centre the chaos and excitement at the temple – but off to one side beyond the city walls a cruel and appalling spectacle is taking place. On a barren God-forsaken hill - called ‘Place of the Skull’ because of the shape of its rocky outcrops - stands a crowd – a crowd watching the execution of three men. Roman soldiers are stripping the third man of His clothes and holding down His outstretched arms they hammer nails through His wrists and ankles before hoisting Him on a beam of wood to hang between the other two.

Hear the screams that split the air; hear the jeers and the laughter and the weeping. Watch as mocking soldiers offer this thirsting man soured wine; watch as they squabble for His clothes – the spoils of execution. See the passers-by hurl abuse.

Who is He who hangs there – a barbed thorny crown pushed hard down over His head? Above His bloodied face they have fixed a sign, ‘This is the King of the Jews’. But few in this baying crowd want Him for a King. “All these powers He was supposed to have where are they now?” They say. “He was supposed to have healed people but He can’t even heal Himself. Look at Him there bleeding. Some King. Some Messiah. Whoever heard of an executed saviour – a crucified Messiah? If God was with Him He’d come right down off that cross.”

"I have seen the misery of My people … I have heard them crying … so I have come down to rescue them. With mighty outstretched arms I will redeem you.”

"I have seen the misery of My people … I have heard them crying…’

I wonder where you are this Good Friday. What is your misery? What causes you to cry? I wonder where you are standing this Good Friday?

Maybe you’re with Peter. He’s not standing at the cross this Good Friday. “The cock crowed a second time and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken to him. And he broke down and wept.”

No - Peter is not standing at the cross this Good Friday. He is torn apart by guilt. He has denied and deserted his Lord. So he hides alone. Broken and weeping. Unable to put right what he has done.

Are you with Peter this Good Friday?

If you’re honest you feel you’ve failed God and you’re carrying a weight of guilt. Unable to face your Lord you hide your face and feel alone. You can’t simply by yourself put it right. You don’t have the resources.

The Israelites couldn’t make bricks without straw – and in their slavery and misery they cried out to God and with a mighty outstretched arm He came to rescue them and give them freedom.

I wonder where you are this Good Friday. What causes you to cry?

‘The people stood watching and the rulers even sneered at Him, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah from God, the chosen one.” ’

Deep down of course they did long for God’s chosen one to come. Deep down they did want the Messiah to come – they did want a Saviour - but just not looking like this one. For hundreds of years they had been governed and ruled over by cruel foreign powers. For hundreds of years they had longed for God to break into their world and bring them justice and freedom. And now they are disillusioned. Hardened to the idea that He might ever turn up. So when a carpenter turns up towing a motley band of fishermen tax collectors and prostitutes in His wake claiming to be God’s Messiah – His chosen saviour – well the idea is simply insulting. Laughable. Especially now – as He hangs there with pierced hands, outstretched arms and barbed crown. Who ever heard of a crucified saviour? And realising the hopelessness of their ridiculous dreams they hurl the pent up disappointment and bitterness of years at this man on the cross. ‘They sneer at Him, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah from God, the chosen one.”

I wonder where you are this Good Friday. What is your misery? What causes you to cry?

Do you - deep down - stand with the disillusioned mockers? Oh you put a bright face towards the world – but actually inside you’re pretty disappointed. Justice, fairness – well you haven’t seen much of those in recent years. In fact you’ve long been waiting for God to turn up; to break in bringing a bit of justice and freedom. But it’s been a long wait – and to be honest you’re actually quite hardened to the idea that He ever will. Disappointment; hopelessness; bitterness; scorn.

Do you stand with the disillusioned mockers this Good Friday?

You’re trapped and you just don’t have the resources within yourself to make it right.

You can’t make bricks without straw. The Israelites cried out to God in their misery and with a mighty outstretched arm He came to rescue them.

Where do you stand this Good Friday?

‘Women followed who mourned and wailed… They stood watching these things. [Near the cross stood His mother.]' ²

Are you with Mary today?

She stands at the cross and her heart is breaking with pain. She is losing the one she loves. Broken and weeping she can do nothing to make it right. She can only stand and watch as He is taken from her. And it is a task too hard to bear.

This Good Friday are you with Mary? You have known a loss in your life and sometimes your heart still breaks with pain. And nothing you can do can make it right again - except cry out to God in your sadness.

‘I have seen the misery of My people’ says God ‘I have heard them crying’.

Peter weeping bitterly for guilt.

The disillusioned mocking crowd who’ve given up on a saviour.

Mary heart-broken at the cross.

Where do you stand today? What makes you cry out to God?

Guilt? Someone or something you can’t forgive? Bitterness and disappointment? Something that has made you angry? Loneliness? Pain? Grief? Loss?

And what does this cross – this message of a crucified Saviour - have to say to us in our misery?

First: God hears.

‘I have seen the misery of My people.’ God says ‘I have heard them crying.’

God knows your sadness. He knows your misery and He has heard your crying. ‘God is close to those whose hearts are breaking,’ says Psalm 34, ‘He saves those who are crushed in spirit.’

Peter weeps bitterly at his own failure – but a day will come when a risen Jesus will walk with Him by the sea of Galilee offering forgiveness and a new start. God hears.

Today Mary’s heart breaks – but a day is coming when her grief will be transformed to joy. God hears.

The disillusioned crowd cannot see a saviour – but He is there to be found even in the midst of what seems to be only weakness and defeat. ‘Remember me when you come into your Kingdom’ says the man crucified beside Him. ‘Today you will be with Me in paradise’ says Jesus. God hears.

What is the message of the cross?

God hears your cries.

But He doesn’t just hear our cries. He does more. ‘I have heard their crying’ says God, ‘And I have come down to rescue them.’

In Jesus God comes to us. He enters into our experience. He doesn’t just hear our crying. He shares our crying. Pain. Loneliness. Betrayal. Disappointment. Abandonment. We worship a God who knows our very bleakest places – for He has been to them and far beyond. ‘Surely’ writes Isaiah, ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.’

‘I have heard their crying’ says God, ‘And I have come down to rescue them.’

God hears.

In Jesus God comes to us.

And on the cross He rescues us.

‘He was pierced for our transgressions’ says Isaiah, ‘crushed for our iniquities; and the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.’

It’s alright to cry out to God. He’s close to those who cry out. To stand at the cross and cry out – to cry out feelings of guilt and failure; of disillusion and disappointment; anger; grief; loss.

The cross is a good place to bring those feelings and cry them out to God. For on the cross there are mighty outstretched arms that are ready to receive our tears and rage and sadness and failure.

Sorrow and tears for wrongdoing. Take them to the cross. God can use them to bring transformation. ‘He was pierced for our transgressions.’

Tears of rage and disappointment. Take them to the cross. God can use them to bring new hope. ‘The punishment that brought us peace was on Him.’

Tears of grief and sadness. Take them to the cross. God can use them to bring new life. ‘By His wounds’ says Isaiah ‘we are healed.’

God hears us; He comes to us and on the cross He rescues us

‘I have seen the misery of my people’ says God ‘I have heard them crying … and I have come to rescue them. With pierced hands and mighty outstretched arms I will redeem you’

 ***

1 Exodus 3:7; 6:6; Deuteronomy 5:15

2 John 19:25