Repent
No. 11: A New Compendium for the Journey with Jesus
“None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle.” -Jeremiah 8:6b
Randy’s Introduction
When I see the Christian who regularly stands on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave., I have strong, confused emotions. After all, they get some kind of credit for standing up for their faith in front of the Dolby Theater, site of “American Idol.” I wish more people in Los Angeles would be as confidently transparent about their relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, using a loudspeaker to project their message to tourists who have come to Grauman’s Chinese Theater in search of Jimmy Stewart’s handprints and footprints is just awkward. And shouting their message at the down-on-their-luck would-be actors who have to dress as smurfs and superheroes to make ends meet makes them just another part of the carnival atmosphere. Their message of sin, hell-fire and the end of the world misses the mark.
The Christian language of sin and repentance also misses the mark in our day. “Sin,” from the Hebrew word “chata,” originally meant to miss the mark. It assumes that we humans, like archers, have a target we aim for in our everyday lives; a target that we hit or miss. These two words are meant to help us when we miss our mark. Yet in our day these words have become sullied. They are now seen as guilt-laden words thrown out by sweaty fire and brimstone evangelists.
Originally the concepts were hopeful and even beautiful. They carry an underlying assumption that there is a way to get closer to the mark than we presently are. By speaking of our “sin” we acknowledge that we have missed the mark. By using the word “repentance,” or turning from one way of living to another, we take the next logical step. In a renewed effort to hit the bullseye, we commit ourselves to finding a better way.
The concepts behind these words remain central to the journey with Jesus. We will, eventually, find new words to convey the same meaning. For now, however, it’s most important to understand how we practice these concepts to hit as close to the bullseye as humanly possible.
re·pent v.a.
/rəˈpent/
Merriam-Webster, Contemporary.
intransitive1 verb
1: to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life
2a: to feel regret or contrition b: to change one's mind
transitive2 verb
1: to cause to feel regret or contrition
2: to feel sorrow, regret, or contrition for
Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary, 1773.
1. To remember with sorrow.
If Desdemona will return me my jewels, I will give over my suit, and repent my unlawful solicitation. -Shakesp.
2. To remember with pious sorrow.
Thou, like a contrite penitent, Charitably warn’d of thy sins, dost repent. These vanities and giddinesses, lo I shut my chamber-door; come, let us go. -Donne.
MakeGoodHappen Definition.
1. a most basic and necessary exercise in our relationship with God, which, when regularly practiced, enables us to grow in our ability to makegoodhappen in our lives, relationships, and community.
Etymology
“Repenten,” about 1300 from 11th century Old French “repentir,” re- “very much” + Vulgar Latin *penitire "to regret," which is itself from Latin poenitire "make sorry," from poena (see penal).
The distinction between regret (q.v.) and repent is made in many modern languages, but is absent in older periods. To repent is to regret so deeply as to change the mind or course of conduct and develop new mental and spiritual habits.
How It MakesGoodHappen
Almost every human being experiences guilt. We long to protect ourselves from the feeling. Even more, we want to escape the inevitable suffering that results from our ingrained habits of defeating ourselves and hurting others. It’s common in our day to deal with this very human struggle by taking up the cause of others. We believe we can override our guilt by sympathizing for people. We seek virtue by marching, arguing, and fighting for legislation for those we deem “downtrodden. ” But our ever-growing collection of placards, from the flashpoints of the last 60 years, gather dust in our garage as our problems continue. We have missed the first step from which goodness flows; the acknowledgment that we ourselves have missed the mark.
Acknowledging that we are not what we should be moves us out of the cul-de-sac of ineffective social action leading to self-hatred. It opens up a path by which we can experience deep forgiveness for missing the mark; a way that delivers us from the frustrations of our present way of life and helps us to become contagious in our deep happiness and gratitude.
The first step isn’t easy for us. We have learned to put so much trust in our will and emotions that it is difficult to acknowledge our shortcomings. But when we find the courage we will also find that the promise of the Scriptures is true:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
-I John 2:1-2
Intransitive: not taking a direct object, e.g. look in look at the sky.
Transitive: able to take a direct object (expressed or implied), e.g. saw in he saw the donkey.