eFollowingJesusJan3 - Repentance and Baptism (read Matthew 3:1-6 - printed below)

   Thirty years have passed since Jesus' birth.  Centuries have passed since the prophets envisioned the dawn of God's kingdom.  The silence is shattered when John the Baptist roars onto the scene.  He is rough, fiercely unsettling, lacking in manners, urgently hollering an in-your-face sermon:  REPENT!

   What is repentance?  Not feeling guilty.  The Hebrew, shûb, means to make a 180° turn:  you're going the wrong way!  Turn back to God!  The Greek, metanoia, means "change of mind."  Your thinking is wrong-headed; look at things from God's perspective.

   Repentance is something we need to do daily, constantly.  John baptized, pouring water from the Jordan river over people, symbolizing their spiritual cleansing.  We have dirtied ourselves, grime has built up; we need to be washed.  When we reflect on our Baptism, we invisibly get this desperately needed bath so we can again stand before God as clean.

   Repentance prepares us to meet Jesus; John Wesley said repentance is the porch, which leads us into the home of life with God.

   Lord, I have plunged off in the wrong direction; my thinking has been delusional.  Turn me around; change my mind; wash me so I can be clean.

James

james@mpumc.org

* Notice we read Matthew 1 and 2 during Advent and Christmas!  For the emails, click here.