Virtually everybody with something to sell is trying to get you to repent.  They are trying to get you to change your mind about their product so that you will spend your hard earned cash money on their product rather than something else.  The marketing world knows all about repentance.  They know that behavior always follows belief.  They know that core values are built upon beliefs.  We always act on what we believe to be true at any given moment.  If we believe an ice-cold Coca Cola will quench our thirst like nothing else we will buy it and drink it.  (Granted, it may be the only thing available but you get my point.)  The advertizing world wants to change the way we think...that is the concept of repentance.

I think a lot of church people presume that repentance means, "Stop having fun; whatever you are doing that makes you happy should cease, sooner rather than later." Repentance has a negative connotation for many people but it is a wonderful word and a wonderful idea.  Biblical repentance means we align our thinking with God's word and ways.  It means we believe that God loves us, that He is the Life-giver, that Jesus came to give us abundant life and that we can have it now!  Our repentance is not for God's smug satisfaction, it is for our good!  God the Father was satisfied with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  God doesn't need our repentance to be satisfied.  However, if we really want to live the life He intended, we're going to have to change our outlook on many things. 

The messages of John the Baptist, Jesus and the apostles could be summarized in that one word..."Repent."  I hope and pray that this Sunday you will see how wonderful a word this really is and that you will be perpetually eager to re-align your thinking with God's word and ways.

I don't like suffering.  I don't like it when others suffer.  Everywhere I look in my world I see someone with cancer, heart disease, dysfunction, addiction, unrest, financial hardship and other maladies too numerous to mention.  Is God good?  Yes.  Is God powerful?  Yes.  Then what in the world is going on?  If God is powerful enough to change our circumstances and good enough to use His power to make us happy then why are we suffering?  Of course these are questions people have been asking for thousands of years and we do not have answers to every situation.  God knows...and He's not telling. God's thoughts are above our thoughts and His ways are above our ways.  We know this for sure, we live in a broken world! We are often stuck in one type of bondage or another and we need help.  We need one greater than Moses to lead us out of the mess we're in.  We need one greater than Daniel or Ezra to deliver us from our exile.  The One who has come to do this was a "Nazarene."  What does this mean?  It means He didn't appear to have the kind of power to deliver people.  He was despised and rejected.  People thought him "smitten by God."  People turned their faces from Him.  How could someone like that possibly help us?  What we need is repentance.  We need to think differently about kings, kingdoms, exodus, exile and Jesus Christ!  We are fallen, and the good news is, there is Someone to help us up!