It can be hard to pay attention to the news: Stories remind us that there are people working for poverty wages or losing their jobs right now because billionaires want to make more money. We might learn that hospitals are understaffed, education workers are expected to do more with less, and green spaces are available to be developed by the highest bidder. We can read about story times at libraries being disrupted by protests because some object to the performers who have volunteered their time to teach and entertain children. Then there are images of war: people bombed out of their homes, living without electricity, water, and food.
It is easy to see our world and despair. The ways people are exploited. The ways creation is undervalued. The ways biases, power and privilege distort our ability to treat others with respect and dignity. We may find ourselves wondering: where is the hope? Yet, at the heart of these stories is one simple truth: many of these challenges exist because of the choices people make in their relationships to God, each other, and creation.
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’
John the Baptist showed up some two millennia ago. He lived at a time when the Romans ruled it brutal ways. Crucifixion was a thing – people could be tortured to death for indiscretions. He lived in a time when there was inequality between temple elites and most of the population. He lived at a time when the poor, the sick, and the outcast were defined based on perceptions about their own failings and sinfulness.
There was much in the world for which he could despair. Yet, there is a common thread that can be woven from the reality of that time through to today: the challenges of life are influenced by choices made. Romans could have chosen compassion and understanding. Temple elites could have placed the wellbeing of all people ahead of their own power and privilege. Efforts to respect the dignity of every human being could have changed lives. Knowing these truths, acknowledging the struggles and imperfections of life, and the possibilities for something more, John says ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. What would it look like if we could say to those who put money before people – Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near? What would it be like if we could say to those who undervalue creation – Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near? What would it be like if we could say to the arbiters of war – Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near? Who might want to say to us – Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near?
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. The possibilities for transformation start with repentance. We need to acknowledge that there is a problem to work towards healing and wholeness. We need to identify the ways in which human choices have contributed to suffering and inequality. We need to own the extent to which we each have participated in and benefited from systems that marginalise others. We need to recognise the ways we can do better so that the world can be better.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. It starts with repentance because repentance asks us to consider a different perspective. Repentance invites us to engage in empathy and understanding. Repentance challenges us to look beyond ourselves and see others, see the world in a new way. Repentance invites us to individual transformation that can, in turn, lead to the beauty, wonder, and grace that is the Kingdom of God.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. Imagine what it would be like if the empathy and understanding of true repentance was embodied throughout the world. Imagine if the love revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus became the paradigm which consistently guided our choices every day in every way. Imagine what might happen if we collectively and continually saw the beauty and value of every living thing created in love by God. How might our world be different if we intentionally sought to repent, knowing, trusting that the kingdom of heaven has come near?
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. The message for this season hasn’t changed. The possibilities remain within our reach. This is the hope of the journey. For what will we repent this season? How will we choose to do better and be better? In what ways will we be a sign of hope for those who need it most? The choices are ours to make. As we become the prophetic voice today, let us pray singing together: (SNC) #38 Wild and Lone the Prophet’s Voice