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  A Story of Redemption

Over the holiday a few friends and I stayed in Cape Town for a week. Cape Town is one of the biggest cities in South Africa. Located on the coast of the Western Cape, it’s a city full of history. Long before the European colonization of South Africa, native Africans had a culture all their own. When the Europeans “discovered” Africa they began imposing their own culture in this foreign land. In Cape Town I was reminded that for centuries South Africa has been ravaged by war and oppression, suffering through the pull and tug of different groups of people who each believe they alone have all the answers. In the 1970’s and 80’s South Africans decided to stand up for their people. There was a spirit of revolution against the way things had been done for so long. People were no longer satisfied with senseless oppression. There was passion and zeal in the voices that cried out in protest. The result was the end of Apartheid, thankfully.

Port Elizabeth, like Cape Town, has also carried the burdens of this broken country. Rich versus poor, black versus white, my way versus your way. Apartheid is over, but this country still has a long way to go.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this. I guess I was just thinking, South Africa’s unique history, in some ways, presents a unique challenge to this group of teenagers. Standing up for truth will have to look a little different on this side of the world. But, the truth is still the same, no matter what side of the world you are on. Our world in general has a broken history, beginning way in back in Genesis with the fall. Since then we’ve been screwing it and ourselves up in millions of different ways. And I know God hates it. God hates the evil in our world and he hates the evil inside us. And it’s hard to reconcile that with the fact that He is still sovereign. I guess the thing is, our brokenness has never been outside of His grasp. Our history is a story of redemption.

The Israelites were redeemed from oppressive Egypt. The sins of Joseph’s brothers were redeemed by the success of Joseph. The tragic death of Ruth’s husband was redeemed by Boaz. The sins of Rahab were redeemed when she risked her life for God’s people. The blood of God Himself has washed our screw-ups and the evil in our hearts away. God is in the business of redemption. Even now! A broken relationship provides an opportunity to serve God in Africa. A child from a broken family gets wrapped up in the arms of a new, loving family. A girl involved under the bondage of sex and drugs, falls to the bottom of the pit and lands in the arms of the Savior. It is so beautiful! Only God himself is capable of creating such beauty from such a mess.

So, South Africa, stand up in this generation. Don’t settle for less than the beauty of reconciliation and peace and equality. Strive to make it better.

I guess that goes for all of us. Let our eyes be open to the brokenness and our hearts to the certainty that all can and will be redeemed. It’s God’s business, and we are the vessels He chooses to use to get that business done.