Who on earth wants to repent?

"From that time Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' " [Matt 4:17, NRSV]

We don't hear too much about Jesus calling for the people to repent.  Mostly we hear about the teachings that came as a result of this call to repentance; those teachings that tell us how to put that repentance into practice.  Such as love God and love one another; or if you see someone who is hungry give them food; or if you see someone who needs some clothes give them some of yours.  Then there are the teachings that are the hardest to follow where Jesus tells us to love our enemy; or to forgive not just 7 times but 7 times 70; or to take up our cross and follow him. 

So what does it mean to repent?  In our society we have all sorts of cultural baggage attached to that word.  For many it conjures up images of old tent revivals where the pulpit pounding preacher is yelling at the congregation to repent or end up in hell.  Most of us have seen these scenes portrayed in movies but there are many who have witnessed them in person.  Most of the people I know who've been first hand witnesses don't have very good feelings associated with those memories.  I'm not convinced that Jesus came preaching the 'Hell and brimstone' kind of repentance.

Repent!  Jesus did come preaching repentance.  I personally like the Greek word that is translated as to repent:  metanoia.  This word means to turn, to change, to change from one thing into a new thing.  It's the root word for the word metamorphosis.  This is probably more true to the meaning that Jesus came preaching rather than the 'Hell fire and brimstone' meaning that is seared into our collective memory. 

Jesus came preaching that we are to change, that we are to turn.  Throughout history Jesus has been referred to as the new Adam; the one who came to make right what Adam and Eve had done wrong.  Just what is it that they did?  Of course, they ate the fruit of the tree of Good and Evil.  But isn't it a story about more than that?  They defied God.  They chose to do what they wanted to do because they wanted to do it.  They chose to satisfy themselves over doing the will of God.  Hmmm ... essentially they are the first of a long list of Biblical characters who demonstrate the human propensity for self-centeredness over God-centeredness.  So, when Jesus comes preaching that we are to change, that we are to turn, he's telling us that we are to turn away from self for fulfillment and turn to God.  The changes that we make in our lives are to be changes that put God first rather than self first.  But that's not as easy as it sounds, is it?  Often words can be spoken and written a lot easier than they are to live out.

The first step in this change process, in this process of turning, is to acknowledge to yourself and to God those areas of your life where you haven't put God first.  No matter who you are these exist.  Is it your work, or play, or your family, or relationships, or finances?  It just might be worthwhile to make a written list of these things.  That makes it more concrete.  Ask yourself such questions as:  What are those things in my life that I keep for myself, that I don't want to give to God?  Where in my life am I defying God?  Once you've made that list, give these things over to God and ask for God's help in restoring your life so that God is first.  Here's the thing about repentance:  it's not just a one time thing and then all is right with the world.  We have to keep doing this process over and over again.  Maybe it's just best practice to go through this process on a daily basis to keep the proverbial house in order. 

There's no denying it, this is hard work.  But here's the thing:  Jesus tells us, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." [Matt. 11:28-30, NRSV]  If you're not an Amish farmer you might not get this idea of being yoked with Jesus.  A yoke is the apparatus that is used to bind two horses or oxen together when plowing a field or hauling a wagon. It enables the two animals to work together in unison so that that work of pulling the plow or hauling the load is shared between the them.  This is a wonderful image if you substitute yourself and Jesus for the animals and imagine you and Jesus together pulling the plow through the fields of life or hauling that heavy load up one of the steep hills of life that we have to traverse.

Repent!  Turn around!  Turn from self and turn to God!

Are you in or out?

There's lots of talk these days about who's a real Christian and who's not.  Fingers pointing at front running presidential candidates by those claiming to know if these are true followers of Jesus Christ or not based upon their religious affiliations.  Now clearly there are those about whom we can say with certainty that they are not followers of Jesus Christ because of their religious affiliation.  For example, those who are Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu, to name a few.  However, when it comes to shades of Christianity we should be careful in our finger pointing exercises regarding who's in and who's out.  Yes, before you go off and shout at me that there are clearly some theologies about Christ that have been rejected by the traditions of Christianity, I assure you this is true.  But, the question that remains to be answered is this:  when we come before God our maker will we be judged based upon our subscription to human theological understanding or will we be judged based upon the love of God that is in our hearts? 

There has been much wrangling and hand ringing throughout the ages over our theological understandings of God and Jesus Christ.  But has all this theological argument and discussion brought us any closer to God or closer to one another?  I'm inclined to poll negatively on this at this juncture but the final verdict is still out. 

Personally, I believe that those who are so certain that they've got it all figured out regarding who's in and who's out are just liable to be really surprised in the end.  I also think that Jesus would have had some harsh and critical words to say to these folks because often in their certitude they believe that they're in and the others are out; and this belief is often not held in such ways that are filled with the compassion and love of God.  In other words, it is often assumed that one ought not associate with those who are believed to be out for fear that they might tarnish one's image in the eyes of God, or some such thing.  It seems to me that it is this very attitude that Jesus sought to correct.  Most likely it was the correction of this attitude that was the root cause of his execution.  How many times does scripture record Jesus telling those who were on the fringes that they too were the beloved children of God.  Scripture is replete with evidence of Jesus' distaste of the self subscribed chosen of the religious establishment.  Many times he confronts the hardened hearts of those who believe they have it made; those who believe that they were in while all those other unclean ones were out.  I do believe that his message was quite the opposite.

For me Jesus was not just another man.  For me Jesus is the son of God and it is through my faith in Jesus that I know God.  I strive to follow him in all the dealings of my life.  I am far from perfect in living out my faith and for this reason I am wholly grateful that Jesus is also my redeemer and intercessor.  I decided long ago that it's not my job to decide who's in and who's out and for this I am also really grateful as it would be an overwhelming responsibility.  It is my job to bring to the world the message that Jesus Christ is the light of the world who shines the love of God into places where darkness abounds.  It is my job to allow the light of Christ to shine in me and through me, to the best of my ability.  This journey of following Jesus Christ while not without its challenges is one that I am grateful to be on and I invite you to join me.