AU United Methodist Community

Rev. Mark Schaefer
Kay Spiritual Life Center
March 29, 2009
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:10-17; Mark 1:14-15

Jeremiah 31:31-34 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt–a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Mark 1:14-15 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

I. BEGINNING

You’re all sinners!

Repent! For the Kingdom of God is at hand! Cast off your sinful ways and turn once again to the Lord! For the Day of Judgment draws near–that great and terrible day when the Lord will separate the wheat from the chaff and burn the chaff in the fires that cannot be quenched!

Repent, O mortals! For the Lord’s anger burns bright on account of the sins of this generation and the Lord demands justice! Repent, or face the terrible sword of the Lord’s retribution!

Put on sackcloth and ashes! Beat your chests and wail for mercy! For the Lord of Hosts comes and comes soon. All who are unrepentant sinners will be cast out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

Is that what you think of when you hear the word “repentance”? I confess, that even when I hear the word, knowing all the things I’ve studied, I still have the image of a man in a sandwich board walking down the sidewalk with a message that says, “Repent: The End is Near.”

Is that the kind of thing that you think of when you hear the word repentance?

Is it for you part of that “fire and brimstone” portion of Christianity that you’d rather just be done with? Is it too strong an idea? Too discomforting?

Or perhaps is repentance something that holds little meaning for you? Is it perhaps too weak an idea? Has it become simply saying “I’m sorry”, getting forgiven, and then going right out and doing the same thing over again–and then saying “I’m sorry” and starting the whole cycle over again?

What is this concept of repentance that we hear about but never really stop to discuss? What does it mean to repent?

II. WHAT IS REPENTANCE: METANOIA

Well, repentance doesn’t really require a lot of screaming and wearing sackcloth and ashes. You’re free to do that if you want–but that’s not really the heart of repentance. In the New Testament, the word that is translated “repentance” is the Greek word ???????? metanoia , which means “a change of frame of mind or feeling”, “a change in principle and practice”.

Repentance is a change deep within. It is not simply saying “I’m sorry”, it is making deep changes within one’s inner most being. It’s not even really about giving up the behaviors that are problematic, but about amendment of those inner issues that impel us toward bad behavior.

I once had encounters with an individual who had a severe psychological disorder. This disorder would cause the person to behave in manners that were inappropriate and hurtful. Every time this person would get caught doing something wrong, they would later say how sorry they were. How they didn’t mean it. This was frustrating because the person seemed to have no clue that there were deeper, more serious mental issues that needed resolution and treatment. I remember saying to this person, “When an alcoholic flies into fits of rage and hits people, it’s one thing to apologize–it’s another to stop drinking.” Repentance, then is about more than being sorry–it is about committing oneself to true amendment of life. If we are doing something wrong and it’s hurting others, it’s one thing to be sorry. It’s another to seek to reform our character, our way of thinking, our feelings, and our behavior so that we do not do it again. That is at the heart of metanoia , that is at the heart of what “repentance” means.

Indeed, the system that the early Methodists used–classes and bands–those small group meetings to hold each other accountable, the ancestors of our “covenant discipleship” groups, were designed to do exactly that. They would meet once a week, to affirm each other’s growth in Christian love, to check in with each other, to hold each other accountable. These were an essential part of repentance, and amendment of life. These helped the early Methodists to change lives–to become different people.

III. THE PROBLEM OF GRACE

Now, some of you may be saying, “Wait a minute, Schaefer! I’ve actually been paying attention for the past few months or so, sitting in this pew, and I seem to recall you saying something about us being saved by God’s grace alone. That it’s not about what we do. What we do can’t save us. So, if that’s the case, why do we have to repent?”

A good question. Thank you for asking.

Indeed, it does seem strange, does it not, that we believe in a God of grace who saves us by grace, not on account of our merit, and yet who requires us to repent before we can be saved, doesn’t it? Isn’t that just salvation by works by a different name?

Because if we’re truly dealing with a God of grace, then I shouldn’t have to do anything to be saved. And if I have to do something–if I have to repent–then am I really dealing with a God of grace?

IV. WHAT IS REPENTANCE: TESHUVAH

I mentioned the New Testament word ???????? metanoia that is translated “repentance”. In the Old Testament, the word that is translated “repentance” is the Hebrew ????? teshuvah . Teshuvah comes from the Hebrew word shuv which means “to turn”.Teshuvah , means something like “turning around”. I think the idea of repentance as turning around is a fairly easy concept to understand. You’re going the wrong way–so you turn around and go the other way. But in reality, it’s not the meaning, but thecontext that’s the most important.

Imagine two people are in a relationship. Let’s call them Adam and Ella. Adam does something to hurt Ella. Adam is unfaithful or hurtful. Ella says to Adam, “How could you do this to me? What have you done?” Adam has been caught dead to rights. There’s no denying what he has done. He starts to walk away, heading further and further away from Ella. He cannot even contemplate going back because he is so afraid of her anger. So ashamed at what he has done. But then he hears Ella calling out: “Adam, come back. I forgive you. Turn around.”

That’s what repentance is.

Repentance is our turning around after God has forgiven us. It is not the same as groveling. It is not the same as hoops we have to jump through to get God to forgive us. It is not a series of works we have to perform to earn our salvation. It is not the same as cheap “I’m sorry”s. It is what we are now freed to do because of our salvation.

This is why Jesus proclaims “Repent and believe in the Good News”. The Good News is that God is already acting for our salvation. The Good News for us is not that we have to jump through hoops for God, but that God has already saved us through grace. God has already taken the initiative. All the brokenness that we have, all the wrongs we have committed. All the ways that we have separated ourselves from God–all of it has been forgiven.

God, like Ella, stands with her arms open wide saying “Come back, I forgive you. Turn around.”

And so we do.

And when we turn around, we commit ourselves to true repentance and amendment of life. We come back not to do the same things over and over again. But to commit ourselves to right living. To make amends. We do this, not to earn our way back in–that has already been done for us–but out of gratitude for the invitation. Like Adam coming back to Ella, he now seeks to demonstrate the depths of his conversion, his turning. By changing the way he has lived and living in a new way. This is what we mean when we talk about bearing fruit worthy of repentance.

V. END

This is the conclusion of a short sermon series on Christian essentials. We started with Forgiveness. Then we talked about Salvation. And now we talk about Repentance. Perhaps some of you thought those sermons were out of order. But that is exactly the order we understand them to be in. God forgives us, God saves us, God calls us to turn around, to repent.

Lent is a period of repentance. It is a period of turning around. There might be something in your life that you feel is separating you from God. Some brokenness that you cannot bear. Some sin you feel you cannot forgive yourself for. God has forgiven you. God invites you to leave all that behind, to turn around and come back.

Repentance is so often viewed as something required of cowering masses, culled into submission by fire breathing preachers intent on intimidation and manipulation. More like the kind of thing I started out this sermon with.

But repentance is something we do for our own healing, letting go of the things that have separated us from God. Repentance is our opportunity to respond, joyfully, to the free grace of God. A God who stands with arms open, letting us know we are forgiven, and calling out to us to turn around, and come back to a new life in God.