Some Things I Learned during Lent:

Repentance as an Act of Faith

Psalm 25:1-10

Georgetown Presbyterian Church

Rev. Stephen H. Wilkins

March 5, 2006

Today is the first Sunday in the season of the church year known as Lent. Just as Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before embarking on his public ministry, so do we as believers in Christ set aside these 40 days as a special period of preparation for active discipleship. The season of Lent is an opportunity for us, as disciples of Jesus Christ, to journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem. In these weeks before Easter we are reminded that resurrection glory cannot take place unless there is death; therefore, we are invited to die to our old selves, so that we can be raised to new life with Christ.

Over the centuries in the life of the Christian Church, Lent has been a time of self-examination, a time of repentance, a time of anticipation of the glory of Easter. In the early Church Lent served as a time of study and reflection for people desiring to enter into the life of the church, culminating with baptism of new converts on the eve of Easter.

Lent is a time when we are invited to be intentional about engaging in various spiritual disciplines like prayer, Bible study, and fasting (which in our society has translated into "giving up something for Lent") --all of which can contribute to the spiritual renewal of the faithful. Our journey to Jerusalem, the cross, and the empty tomb began on Ash Wednesday. During our worship service Wednesday night, we were invited to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.

And so Lent is a period of learning and renewal, with a focus on what it means to be a follower of Christ. One of the ways we learn, of course, is through the study of God’s word. I hope that you’ll join us on Wednesday evenings as we engage in a Lenten Bible study. And I also hope that you will join with me in Sunday worship during this special season, that through the gospel lessons assigned by the lectionary we might discover some of the critical components of our faith.

Today we begin a series of sermons that will take us through the season of Lent. My desire is for Lent to be a learning experience for all of us, and I would like to contribute to that experience by sharing with you "Some Things I Learned during Lent." Looking down the road at the texts that accompany us along the journey, I hope we will learn many things. We will discover something of the meaning of repentance, which we will touch on today. In the weeks that follow, we will learn how dying to self is a necessary prerequisite to the new life in Christ; we will learn how critical the practice of our faith is in reflecting God to the world; we will explore Jesus as the object of our faith, and what it means to say that we believe in him; we will learn why it is that Jesus must die on the cross; and we will learn that Jesus is indeed King of kings and Lord of lords, albeit a king and a lord of a different sort.

It is my hope and prayer that each of us will be intentional about making Lent what it is: a season of reflection on our faith, our God, and our Savior.

We begin today by talking about repentance. After Jesus had spent 40 days in the wilderness tempted by Satan, surrounded by wild animals, and attended by angels, he began his public ministry with a simple message: "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News!" And so it is that as we begin the season of Lent repentance is a prominent theme.

Repent and believe the Good News.

I’m reminded of the story of a painter named Jack. Jack was interested in making a dollar, and so he would do things to cut corners and save expenses. Often he would thin his paint to make it go farther. And he got away with this for some time, until he did a job for the church.

It seems that the local church had a big restoration project going. Jack put in a painting bid, and because his price was so low, he got the job. So he set out to start painting. He set up the trestles and putting up the planks, and buying the paint, which he proceeded to thin with turpentine.

Well, Jack was up on the scaffolding, painting away, and he had nearly finished the job, when suddenly the sky opened up and the rain poured down, washing the thin paint from all over the church. All at once there was a bolt of lightning and a horrendous clap of thunder, and Jack was knocked off the scaffolding.

Now, Jack was no fool. He knew this was a judgment from God, so he fell to his knees and cried, "Oh, God! Forgive me! What should I do?" And from the clouds came a mighty voice that said, "Jack, you must repaint. Repaint! And thin no more!"

I’m sure some of you were hoping I’d give up bad jokes for Lent!

In all seriousness repentance (not repaintance) is the proper mindset with which to begin the season of Lent. It’s unfortunate that when most of us hear the word "repent", it carries a negative connotation. Some think repentance requires that we take on a morose mood. Some think repentance means that we have to walk around beating ourselves for something we have done wrong. People have this notion that repentance means we have to weep and gnash our teeth and moan and wail and grovel for mercy.

And to be sure, there must be some measure of regret for repentance to take place, some degree of contrition. But only to the degree that we’re dissatisfied with the way things are, and we decide that we need to turn our lives in a new direction. That’s what the word "repent" literally means--to change direction, to turn around. Theologically speaking, repentance means turning away from an old way of life that isn’t working, and turning towards God. It’s a spiritual U-turn, so to speak.

And so instead of being something to dread, repentance becomes something that brings a profound sense of hope, for it is the acknowledgement that in God there is a better way. In that regard, repentance is an act of faith.

In the text from this morning’s psalm, we get a glimpse into the heart of David, as he reveals to us something about repentance. Without even using the word "repent " David reveals to us the critical components of repentance. The psalm is a lesson in repentance, because it comes from the heart of a repentant soul.

If there ever was anybody in the Bible who could appreciate repentance, it would be David. You know the story: the whole incident with Bathsheba and the way he had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed; then later in his life he went through tremendous turmoil and conflict with his son Absalom.

If ever in the Bible there was someone who realized that his way wasn’t working, and that he needed a new direction in his life, surely it would be David. And if you read the verses in the psalm, you get the idea that David reached a point when he was fed up with dealing with all the shame in his life. Shame is the open door through which David begins the process of repentance.

The biblical notion of shame is not the same as our contemporary understanding. Normally, we think of shame as embarrassment, or feeling foolish. The dictionary defines shame as a painful emotion excited by a consciousness of guilt, disgrace, or dishonor. But the Old Testament word translated as shame carries with it the idea of "disappointment, or being let down, or of having trusted in something that in the end proves unworthy of our trust." And so when David talks about the shame of his former life, he is saying that it has let him down, that his way of doing things apart from God has failed him miserably.

That’s when repentance begins, when you realize that the old way of doing things doesn’t work. You realize that you need a direction and a foundation in your life that won’t let you down, that won’t disappoint you.

And that’s when David points us to God. James Montgomery Boice describes this psalm as a "thoughtful prayer by one who knows that the only adequate foundation for any worthwhile life is God." Although we just read the first 10 verses of the psalm, the whole psalm contains affirmation after affirmation of the sufficiency of God and his trustworthy nature. The psalm alternates between David addressing God directly, and David turning to the congregation to declare God’s faithfulness and goodness. There can be no doubt in the psalm that the object of David’s faith is God, and God alone. Just in the verses we read this morning, as David addresses God, the words "you" or "your" appear ten times, which is an indication of how much David has decided to turn to God for direction in his life. The psalm is full of declarations of how God is worthy of our faith: David declares that God is faithful, because "no one whose hope is in God will be put to shame;" God is characterized as truth, because his paths are paths of truth; God is David’s Savior; God treats us according to his mercy and love; God is good and upright; God is loving and faithful… The list goes on.

Repentance begins with disappointment at your old, tired way of life. And then repentance starts to take shape when you turn toward God and recognize in God all those characteristics and traits that are missing from your life. Repentance begins to happen when you realize that God is the only one worthy of your faith, that God is the only one who will provide you with the guidance and direction that you need.

Does God have that kind of trust from you? When God hears your prayers, does he hear you saying, "To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God."? Do you know God well enough to make that kind of commitment in your life?

Finally, David shows us that repentance hasn’t really taken root until there is obedience. He says that "all the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful," but he doesn’t say that without a condition attached, for he continues: "all the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of the covenant."

Do you hear what David’s saying? He’s talking about obedience. He’s saying that repentance is nothing if all you do is stop and turn around; you have to start taking steps in the direction that God directs you. You have to listen to God’s instruction and guidance, and then you have to do it.

You may be disappointed in your old ways. You may see the folly of trying to do things on your own. You may even see the wisdom of turning toward God. But until you actually begin to live the way that God calls you to live, then you haven’t really committed yourself to his ways. You haven’t really repented.

Repentance is more than just being fed up with one way of life. It’s more than just turning around. Repentance must also include taking those steps in the new direction, the direction laid out by God.

And, my friends, as we begin this journey through the season of Lent, none of the other things that we might learn will mean a thing, unless repentance has first begun in us.

The kingdom of God is near. Repent, and believe the good news.

Amen.