Pastor's Corner

The Extreme Prison Exchange

(Jesus said) "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)

Do you know where you were on June 30, 2009? Most of us would be hard-pressed to answer that question. Not so for Bowe Bergdahl. That was the day, some five years ago, when the sergeant from Idaho disappeared from his base in southeast Afghanistan. For almost five years he had been held by the Taliban.

The day he was released Bowe Bergdahl got into the helicopter, but found it was too loud for him to hear what anyone was saying to him. Sergeant Bergdahl found a paper plate and wrote the letters "SF" on it. It was his way of asking if the soldiers who were sitting next to him were Special Forces. When they nodded yes, the sergeant broke down in tears.

President Obama broke the good news to the sergeant's parents. And if anyone wonders how it was that Sergeant Bergdahl has been freed, they will be told his release was part of a swap arranged by the country of Qatar. The sergeant was set free in exchange for five, high-ranking members of al-Qaeda whom the U.S. government had been holding at Guantanamo Bay since the invasion of Afghanistan. Almost since the beginning of armed conflict nations have been exchanging prisoners of war. Generally, every attempt is made to assure the exchange is an equal one. I say "generally" because that certainly was not the case when the Lord made an exchange to win our freedom from the powers of sin, Satan and death.

If we were to be set eternally free from those who had stolen us away from our Heavenly Father, it was necessary for an incredibly high price to be paid. That price was offered up in the Person of God's innocent Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. So that we might be freed of our sins and their condemnation, Jesus was born in Bethlehem for this very purpose. In the years which followed He fulfilled God's laws and turned down every temptation placed before Him. His life ended after an unfair trial when, on Calvary's cross the Innocent died for the guilty, oh yes for the guilty, the Perfect for the imperfect, and the Valuable for the valueless.

God in his infinite wisdom planned from the days of Adam and Eve to send Jesus to make things right again between himself and us. God closed the gap between us; has made us members of his family at our baptism; and reaffirms his relationship with us every time we go to the Lord’s table.

Now, because of what Jesus has done, all who are given faith in Him are assured they will be able to stand before the eternal Judge and be found innocent of any wrongdoing. Indeed, they can rejoice that they are going to the home in heaven, which is awaiting them. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." May God fill your heart with his blessed assurance.

Be blessed.

Your friend and pastor,
Pastor Samuel King-Kabu

Web Page prepared by:
Roger Kenner & Jette Blair.
Content-New Topics Last Updated: 2015/06/25
St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal