Oh, God, Take Us Back

It has been said that nothing in the entire Biblical Message is more thoroughly resisted and rejected by modern man than its insistence on the need for repentance. All the Biblical authors are agreed that repentance is the very first step into the fullness of our humanity. The Old Testament Prophets, without exception, preached repentance as the way of reestablishing the Covenant with God. As the New Testament begins, John the Baptist comes preaching repentance and the people flock to hear him. Then Jesus announces the Good News of God’s Kingdom and His first specific instruction to the people is contained in the one word, “Repent.” Jesus teaches us that our Heavenly Father values our repentance more than anything else we might do. He likens God’s joy over our repentance to that of the shepherd who finds a lost sheep that has strayed from the flock, and to that of the woman who finds her most treasured possession after a long and frantic search. “I…