| "Is Repentance Beyond Us?" Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - 12/5/1999 Psalm 85; Mark 1:1-8
He was telling people how to prepare for that new day. John's prophetic role appeared to fulfil the prophesy of Isaiah who wrote, "Get the road ready for the Lord; make a straight path for God to travel." Isaiah was telling his listeners that there was something they needed to do first in order to prepare themselves for this person's arrival. Wanting his people to understand, John translated Isaiah's words into, "Turn away from your sins; be baptized, and God will forgive your sins." This morning we are going to consider the meaning of these words. John was saying that if we turn away from our sins, God will liberate us from the consequences of such behavior. The trouble we have with John's preaching is that most of us believe his words do not apply to us. We are good people. We frequently say that ministers who deliver sermons to their congregations "are preaching to the choir." Most of us do not engage in activities that would humiliate us if such deeds became public knowledge. Yet when we think about how we live, some of us might express ourselves with the following statements: "No, I do not tithe my income to the church." "There is some behavior in people that I cannot forgive." "I am not as patient as I want to be." "I am not one who volunteers for extra projects after I come home from my job." "I guess I am not the best communicator when it comes to sharing with the members of my family." Most of us would not have to search that hard to find several areas where growth has not happened. We have behaved this way for years. We prefer to think, "This is just the way I am." And because we have maintained that belief, there has always been some issue with which we constantly wrestle, some conflict that preoccupies us, or some area in our life where the frequency of the same behavioral pattern is all too familiar. What John was asking his listeners to do was repent of their sins. Using more precise words, John was saying, "Change your thinking, and the way you live will change dramatically." Most of us would not have to search that hard to find several areas where growth has not happened. We have behaved this way for years. We prefer to think, "This is just the way I am." And because we have maintained that belief, there has always been some issue with which we constantly wrestle, some conflict that preoccupies us, or some area in our life where the frequency of the same behavioral pattern is all too familiar. What John was asking his listeners to do was repent of their sins. Using more precise words, John was saying, "Change your thinking, and the way you live will change dramatically." Think of it this way. During the Summer months we could waste a lot of time hoping and wishing that we could have garden-fresh vegetables on our supper tables every night. For one hundred years we could pray for them to come, and no crops would ever arrive. However, if we put squash and tomato plants in the ground, or sow seeds for carrots and beets, conceivably we could have all the vegetables we want, and more than enough to share with others. We have to change how we think. If we wanted deliverance from our fault-finding or our blaming others for how we feel, we could pray for an additional one hundred years, and such a change would never come. If, however, we decided to take responsibility for creating the thoughts and feelings that heal our minds and spirits, our desire would be granted instantly. Again, we have to change how we think. The point is that nothing will ever happen to us until we change the thought pattern that keeps us believing, "This is just who I am. World, get over it! Accept me as I am." We could pray for God to forgive us every day and never experience a thing. Why is that? God has already wiped our slates clean; it is we who will not let go of our past. It is we who will not stop worrying. It is we who will not stop thinking the thoughts that keep our growth seemingly beyond our reach. The word "repentance" translated from the Greek language means, "to have a change of mind." How can God enter our consciousness and convince us that our slates have been wiped clean when we remain preoccupied with the limited images we use to define ourselves? To grow beyond such images, we have to repent of how we have been thinking. One of the most beloved stories is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge would not give up clinging to all the thoughts that made him a miserable person. His spirit had grown so accustomed to believing "This is who I am" that the only people who knew he was miserable were those who had lived around him. As the story progressed, three spirits from Christmas past, present, and future visited Ebenezer with a vision of who he was, who he is and who he will be. At the end of the story, Ebenezer was filled with joy as he threw money from his upper-story window to a young boy below. He yelled to him, "Go buy the biggest turkey you can find and take it to the Cratchet family! Oh, and keep the change." All Ebenezer did was change his thinking once he realized he still had time to change his future. How curious. Isn't this the theme of salvation? We all have time to change our future. How clever of Charles Dickens to weave this central message of Jesus into the tapestry of his beautiful Christmas story! This is what repentance is. It is "making a straight path for God to travel." Without deliberately engaging in repentance, our behavior will remain locked into the same seemingly changeless patterns we have known for years. Always remember that without changing how we think, we could be on our knees praying for happiness, joy, and peace until the day we die and never receive a thing. Those who refuse to change how they think, will continue to inherit what their thoughts produce. John was pleading for his listeners to turn away from how they reason. When we refuse to settle for "This is just the way I am," and begin thinking of grander images of ourselves that are filled with endless possibilities, peace will enter our experience and our lives will change. The power to make such dramatic changes has already been given to us by God. When we use the power of repentance, we will grow into the spiritual art form God created us to be. Amen. THE PASTORAL PRAYER Loving God, how quickly our week has gone by, and we find ourselves having lighted a second Advent candle, drawing us ever closer to the day we celebrate Jesus' birth. We enter worship with the hope that our rushing thoughts might be slowed to a snail's pace. How little time we allow ourselves to sit peacefully and allow our minds to be open to the movement of your Spirit. If we will not grant ourselves such peace during this one hour, who will? During the Genesis account of creation, you gave us an entire day to rest. Few of us do that. In our desire to accomplish more of our goals, we would much prefer our own strategies for living. And then we wonder why our spirits are so often undernourished. In all honesty, O God, we do not have to look too far to discover why. During the days that lie ahead may we desire less of what this world offers and more of what would teach us understanding. May we think less of what people believe about us and more of how we might help others to feel more loved. May we dwell less on the imperfections in other people and more on brightening the corner of the world where we live. May we hope less about what may surprise us in our future and more on how we might inspire others to look forward eagerly to their destiny. During this Advent season, enable us to be less self-absorbed with our wants and needs so that we can truly represent the disciples your Son invited us to be. Thank you, God, for offering us with each new day, a fresh opportunity to change our future. We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus who taught us to say when we pray . . . |