Day 8: Deep and True Repentance

  

February 25

by Michael Lovett

Readings:

Jonah 3:1-10

Luke 11:29-32

Reflection:

After reading the scriptures today, WATCH the video that goes with this devotional. 

Today, as we read in Jonah, we see a whole community hear the call to change, fast, sit, and make a sweeping change. And then we see God do exactly what he promised: to bless repentance.  Like a parent forgiving and restoring privileges to a teenager, God responds to communal repentance.

Jonah simply stood in the gap and said something.  The response to Jonah's call is a free will choice each person was empowered to make.  What we also see is the mob mentality (in a good way) or the sweeping of a trend moving through an entire ancient community.  Sometimes the bible is so understated it's comical.  What really happened?  In ten short Bible verses, we read of Jonah walking all over the city for three days, declaring a message. Likely, he talked with folks, too.  Word got out from the streets and made its way up to the highest seat of power. Sobriety was trending! 

This account should cause us to research on our own: What happened in Nineveh? We should pray for sweeping sobriety and repentance as a nation in our time, too!  Not politicians, preachers, and folks eating dinner and talking about societal change or what "those people" need to do, but let us pray for actual, communal, heart-level change.  

Bottom line, initially, Jonah resisted his vocation, then obeyed God's call to declare repentance to Nineveh (modern-day Iraq), and his simple obedience became part of a beautiful story.

Jesus leverages the simple story of the repentance of Nineveh (a non-Israelite group) to wake up and warn his Jewish community.  The city repented and changed after a 3-day lesson.  Jesus said, in effect, "Now that I'm here, the repentance should be even greater, because I am greater.  Wake up! Repent!"

Note that to "repent" is to grapple with our actions, intentions, and our impact in relation to God, others, and our own integrity.  It's deep and complex.  It is often explained as "making a 180º turn" or a simple mind change, but I would offer this:  our thinking changes after a scare, after we see our impact, after a realization, or after work. While we are not saved by work, there is work in growing and repenting, both before and after our sins are forgiven. God forgives, but we work in many ways to evermore bring our life into alignment with God's will (the Lord's prayer, "your will be done").  In Nineveh, the work was to stop eating and drinking, sit down, change clothes, reflect, and implore God for mercy (see today's song). 

Yes, we ought to repent in our thinking, but let us also beg for a whole-hearted (not just mental) change.

Jesus has come.  We have no excuse.  It's simply time to imitate, reflect, and repent based on the significance of the Jonah story.  Lent represents an annual opportunity to do exactly that.  It is a critical liturgy to practice to return and deepen our communal devotion to God.

Please pause and consider one area, habit, or sin of which you need to repent.  Then hit play on the song below.  May God grant us all a deep and true repentance.

Song:

Kyrie Elyeison, Chris Tomlin (featuring Matt Maher). I love this song because it is written from the "WE" perspective rather than an "I".

Content for wisdom and contentment at: urenuf.life