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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Repentance

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"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in  the good news."-Mark 1: 15

InsuranceWith these words in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus begins his public ministry. "The Kingdom of God has come near," he says, "now repent and believe." Well, my brothers and sisters, the time has drawn near again in the church's life when repentance takes center stage. Ash Wednesday is in one week and then it will be six weeks of Lent which lead us to the beauty of Easter Sunday. But before we get to Easter Sunday, we must spend some time in repentance. To repent literally means to turn around, and Jesus asks us to look at our lives and identify areas where we fall short of God and to spend some time making amends. As a symbol of our repentance we also undertake a discipline of some kind. This discipline can be taking something away, like TV or meat or sugar, or it can mean adding something, like extra prayer, Bible study or worship. Regardless the very structure of our daily lives should change during Lent.

Over the course of our lives we tend to forget that Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives and Lent is the time when we Christians are called back to him. We are reminded of his sacrifices and his teachings, and we are called to respond. That response should be earnest and sincere repentance. It should also be thoughtful and deliberate discipline. There is nothing in this world or in our lives more important that Jesus Christ. Lent is our annual reminder. Don't miss it!

[text from file received by Phil Blackburn, First Presbyterian Church]

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