Repentance; a sermon for the Third Sunday of Epiphany

Mark 1:14-20

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, ¹⁵and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ 

16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. ¹⁷And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ ¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
   be acceptable to you,
   O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

When I think about what the term implies, I’m not a big fan of being called an absent-minded person. I’m forgetful; I’m easily distracted; I’d lose my head if it weren’t screwed on tightly. Does that imply that my mind gets a failing grade because it’s been absent?

I don’t know. I frequently walk into rooms or open cabinets specifically looking for something, and then have to retrace my steps to remember exactly what it was I was looking for. Does that mean my mind is absent?

It means I have to pause, evaluate where I am and where I’ve just come from, and probably turn around and start over.

I’ve made a mistake and I have to change direction. I have to repent.

That might be taking the concept of repentance too far out of its context, but I think the image is helpful. There are a thousand things we do each day that, if we were reflecting on staying in relationship with Christ, would require us to pause, re-evaluate, and change directions: to repent.

You know that already. God has gifted you with conscience. That’s part of the work of grace that has been in you since the moment God imagined you. You know when you’ve hurt someone, when you made the wrong choice, when you should have chosen your words more carefully. And when you’re listening to grace, you repent of those sins.

You know it’s not all big stuff. Lord, I killed somebody, and I repent. Lord, I busted my spouse’s lip, and I repent. Lord, I just kicked my kid out of the house, and I repent.

Our character is defined far more by our mundane, everyday choices than by the crises we encounter. The way we react to crises is important, no doubt, but the way we live each day tells people who we really are.

Of course, the world tells us not to appreciate the practice of repentance. Have you noticed that? It’s all over the news in years like this one. It’s scarring the debate between Republican presidential nominees that has, at this point, turned into a mud-slinging competition.

And the most sharply barbed accusation? Flip-flopping. As though it’s a bad thing.

(1) Even if a politician’s motivation for a change of position is purely motivated by gaining popular support, at least that person is moving toward speaking for a majority. Of course, I’m not sure that’s actually happening in today’s murderously polarized political environment, but

(2) if a politician’s motivation is a sincere change of heart, why on earth would we denigrate that choice? Why would we heap blame on someone for repenting of an earlier opinion?

(Side note: I am NOT (NOT!) endorsing, directly addressing, or cutting down any particular candidate in the arena or out; I happen to think they’re all puffed-up rich old jerks.)

(Lord, I repent of my puffed-up, self-righteous jerkiness. Remind me that even Republicans and Democrats are people, just like me. Remind me that power often goes to my head, too. In your mercy, hear my prayer. Amen.)

Repentance is what happens when I realize that what’s getting my goat about someone else is typically something I’m afraid of in myself. Repentance is what happens when I realize that I have sacrificed my witness of the unconditional love of Christ to satiate the appetite of my own desire or of my own hateful vengeance.

Repentance is what happens when I look inside myself and recognize that something is amiss. Repentance requires self-reflection, and that’s a difficult practice. Really difficult. Because I don’t want to see in myself the things that make me less desirable, less likable, less wanted, less loved. I want to believe that I’m just right just the way I am. That I’m perfect just like this.

But I have to know that I’m not. Repentance requires self-reflection, and self-reflection requires humility. I am not who I should be. I am not who God is calling me to be. I am imperfect; clumsy and self-centered and rash.

I recognize in myself the need to repent, to turn around, to have a change of mind and heart and behavior.

I also recognize, because I take the text seriously, that I’m in really good company when I allow myself to repent.

God repents of making mankind and destroys all but one family in an epic flood

; God seeks to destroy the children of Israel when they make an idol, but Moses argues God into repentance

; God repents of making Saul king

; a Samaritan woman argues Jesus into compassion

.

It is just possible that, if we humble ourselves and seek God’s goodness and mercy, that God may repent. What else is the point of asking?

But in order to ask, I have to, myself, repent of my pride, of my idea that I can help myself, thank You very much. I have to recognize that I’m not enough to get me through, to forgive myself, to do whatever in the world is necessary to correct the situation I’m in. I have to have a change of mind about who I think I am so that I can recognize how God sees me.

The Hebrew Bible often speaks of repentance as returning to God. Sometimes we still use that language today. We co-opt the words of 2 Chronicles:

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The Chronicler recognizes the need of Israel to return to Torah, to return to the Lord who brought them out of Egypt.

What we pray for when we say those words here and now, today in America, is that God might return us to some imagined era half a century ago when the post-war economy was booming, when rock and roll was being born, when people came to church because it was the thing to do. But God doesn’t seek that we return to the good ol’ days. God seeks that we live today, where we are. This is where God has placed us, and God has gifted us with exactly what we need to share the good news of Jesus Christ in 2012, not in 1952.

The good ol’ days are gone, and they weren’t as good as you remember or as you’ve heard, anyway. Hindsight is not, it turns out, 20/20.

When Jonah went to Nineveh, God surprised him by inspiring the people to repentance. They didn’t return to some former long-lost glory. They sought to be holy where they were. The whole city turned and heard the word of the Lord.

When Jesus comes through Galilee, he doesn’t tell people to return to the golden age of David, even though that’s what most people really wanted. He tells them something new is about to happen, something unimaginable:

the kingdom of God has come near

And he tells people to turn from what they’re doing and check out the new thing that’s about to happen. Forget the fishing, forget all the other stuff you’re doing. Something amazing is going on right beside you. Come check it out!

Jesus is still calling people to repentance today. Jesus is still calling us to drop the junk that’s distracting us and turn and follow today.

I am not who I am called to be. You are not who you are called to be. Together, let us humble ourselves and repent, so that we might be all that God’s Spirit would inspire us to today.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.