Friday

“Unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Read Luke 13:3.

         When I was sixteen or so I went on a mission trip to Mexico. While on this trip, my group attended services at a local church. The experience was like nothing I was familiar with: the people were extremely demonstrative, loud, and charismatic; plus, I had the disadvantage of not speaking Spanish. One particular moment I remember clearly involved a number of women near me sobbing loudly and flinging their bodies onto the floor. The pastor hollered and waved his hands and the women sobbed harder. Our guide leaned over and said, “It’s a time to repent.”

         I’m still not totally sure what took place at that service, but it profoundly impacted the way I view repentance. I see it as including verbal confession of sin, but going much further to include spiritual rebirth and a transformation of word, deed, and action. A continual and repeated turning away from the prior life. James 5:16 tells us to “confess [our] sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” The tie between confession and prayer is powerful.

         Prayer after confession can put the emphasis on life transformation and healing, rather than confession just for its own sake. As I John tells us, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” So confession is important and necessary. But the subsequent and continual renouncing of sinful ways seems to be a key part of repentance. -AB

Lord, we confess our sin: both things done and things left undone. Thank you for forgiving sins; may we lead a life of repentance. Amen.