Redemption

We find ourselves at the crossroads of Lent and Easter, the meeting place of suffering and rejoicing, the joining of death and life.

It's Holy Week.

It's also break up time in Alaska, the stores overflow with Easter candy and our economy keeps heading south.

In the midst of this, I heard the word "redemption" in a public radio broadcast today. I keep thinking about it. So here's the context. Perhaps in the story, there's a connection with our lives.

Private First Class David Sharrett, of Virginia's 101st Airborne Division, died in northern Iraq during a fire fight. His father, David Sharrett, senior, later discovered the whole truth: his son was accidentally shot and killed by a lieutenant from his own division. Even worse: after the gunfire, the lieutenant hopped on a chopper and left Sharrett behind. Since Sharrett wasn't wearing a locator beacon (the division leader didn't give the men time to put them on), he wasn't found until more than an hour later.

The army wasn't forthcoming on this portion of the story. Sharrett, a high school English teacher, had help from reporter and former student James Meek, who writes for the New York Daily News.

The story is compelling on its own. We remember how seconds matter, how the unexpected happens and how the fog of war turns the world upside down. We know that sometimes power doesn't speak the truth. We know people make mistakes.

What does Sharrett have to say about the lieutenant's behavior, now that some time has passed?

"I have compassion for him, I have compassion for his family," said David Sharrett, senior. "I want somewhere in the midst of all of this, for there to be redemption out of this."

What is redemption in this case? Perhaps it's that the elder Sharrett and reporter Meek found out the whole story. And now they can tell it. Sharrett said the reason for the research and publicity is to give his son a voice. Perhaps now he can rest in peace.

Where does this narrative meet our Holy Week world?

We know the resurrection redeems the horror of Jesus' crucifixion. It doesn't diminish the pain of Jesus' death but it makes something to rise from the ashes of tragedy.

It's a story, it's a narrative.

We are people of story, people of narrative. We need to keep telling our stories. Of course the Easter story, but perhaps our own stories of redemption too. There are other tales that need our voices. There are other powerful examples of ways God has redeemed a broken situation or person.

Perhaps this is our Holy Week invitation: tell the story of redemption.