Coupons, rainchecks and rebates were my dad’s way of saving money on groceries and other household items. Because of this, even as a young child I understood what “redeeming” meant.

Dad redeemed coupons a little like he played cards. He knew just what coupon to play, when to use it, and whether to request a raincheck or a rebate. Dad could get a box of cornflakes for 25 cents. He could buy a huge bunch of grapes for $1. And he might bring you along to go through the line separately, if two “Limit one” coupons were about to expire.

All of this didn’t just benefit our family. Sometimes Dad, who also served as a scoutmaster, would redeem aluminum cans for 5 cents each, helping to fund my brothers’ scout troop. Once he had two or three trash bags of crushed cans from the scouts’ (and our family’s) community cleanup efforts, off he’d go to the recycling center.

Later, when we went away to school, we would sometimes receive a thin envelope in the mail. Inside would be a rebate check that might amount to as little as $2 or as much as $20. Nowhere on those envelopes did Dad’s name or address appear. But we knew those gifts of love did not originate with Johnson & Johnson, Unilever or General Mills. Dad was thinking of us and having a little fun as well. (I’m sure he got a kick out of not having to pay postage to send us a little spending money.)

Like those recycled cans, we have been redeemed, taken away from a place where we were distant from God, made new, forgiven, and freed to follow Christ in loving all people. Christ, our Redeemer, like an “all are welcome” coupon, like a raincheck of love, reconciles us with God. As those who are reconciled in Christ, we recognize God’s grace for us and extend that grace to others.

As Bible study author the Rev. Heidi Haverkamp says, “The practice of grace is what keeps us strong, keeps us truly safe, and teaches us the peace and abundance of God, for ourselves and for all people.”

We all need grace. There is no earning our way into being enough. We are more than enough simply because we are made worthy through the dawn of redeeming grace—the birth of the Christ child.

Elizabeth Hunter serves as editor of Gather. She enjoys spending time with family, walking in the woods and kayaking along rivers where a quiet peace can be found.

This article appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Gather. To read more like it, subscribe to Gather.