There is something mysterious about repentance and forgiveness. John the Baptist shouted, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Once Jesus arrived, he preached the very same message.  And in Luke 24:44-49 ESV, we hear it again when Jesus says;

“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Death and Resurrection. Repentance and Forgiveness. 

When I was about 7 years old, my playmate next door and I got the bright idea to do something special for our moms. Sneaking into another neighbor’s yard, we picked her newly budding daffodils. All of them.

Later in the day, when my mom got home from work, she was so surprised to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on her kitchen table. Kindly, she said,  “Melissa…where did you find these lovely flowers?” Quickly I answered, “From Mrs. Smith’s yard next door. ” My mother sat down at the table and asked me to join her. As she peered into my eyes, I knew something was not right. “Honey,” she hesitated, “these flowers are beautiful and I sure do appreciate you thinking of me. But they are not ours. We are going to have to tell Mrs. Smith what you did.” All of my happy feelings instantly dove into the pit of my stomach.

Scared to death, we walked up to Mrs. Smith’s house and rang the doorbell. Hand in hand, we stood there waiting. When Mrs. Smith came to the door, my mom explained that I had something to tell her. I wondered why she didn’t just tell her for me.

Nervous, I looked up at Mrs. Smith and saw kindness and warmth. Blurting out that I had picked her flowers, I asked for her forgiveness. In a sweet, grandma kind of way, she replied, “Oh sweetie, it is okay. I was wondering what happened to them.”

Forgiveness was mine that day. A gracious, kind and unusually comforting forgiveness.  I guess I learned my lesson because I never took anything that wasn’t mine again.

The definition of repentance is; to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life, to feel regret or contrition, to change one’s mind.

Turn. Feel. Change. 

I think of it as a turning around. If you believe John and Jesus, then in the act of repentance, you turn toward God. Anytime we acknowledge our mistakes and admit them, we are turning to a power higher than our self. In these moments of confession, God is there, offering us the forgiveness we so desperately need.

In Luke 24:44-49,  Jesus links his death and resurrection to repentance and forgiveness. Could it be that through repentance we die to something? When we admit it and turn from it, forgiveness is ours. Forgiveness is the resurrection, the new life. Through forgiveness, we are now a new creation in Christ.

Alcoholics Anonymous’s 12 step program models repentance and forgiveness. From their program, and I am paraphrasing, first, admit that I am powerless and believe that there is a Power greater than myself that can restore me. Search myself often, do a moral inventory, admit to God, myself and others the exact nature of my wrongs. Then, ask God to remove that wrong from my life and turn.

It is in the turning, true repentance is found. But it is in forgiveness that we are restored. Death and resurrection. Repentance and forgiveness. Reconciliation and healing. This is our faith, our relationship with God and then with everyone else. Lucky for us, Jesus shows us the way.

Let us pray; God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, help me to see my faults and admit them to You, myself and anyone else. As I turn to You in my repentance, grant me forgiveness so that I may truly live. In Jesus’ name, Amen. – M

Wanna go deeper? Take an inventory of your life and begin listing anyone you may have harmed in word or deed. Prayerfully consider making amends to that person.