A Baptism of Repentance

On this day in the church year, we remember Jesus' baptism by John, as recorded in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-22. 

The baptism John preached and practiced was a baptism of repentance. At Pentecost (later this year), we'll celebrate the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but for now, we will focus on this baptism that Jesus received. 

Repentance occurs when we experience deep sorrow or regret over our actions. It brings us to a place where we are willing to consider change: changing our attitudes, changing our hearts, changing our actions. 

It seems simple enough, but a crucial part of repentance is acknowledging the past sins and wrongs we have done or not stopped from happening. We can't repent of something that we deny is a problem. 

American culture is very individualistic, yet Jewish culture throughout Scripture is very collectivist. Acknowledging and repenting of personal sins (the bad things we have done and the good things we have neglected to do) is important, but we don't often delve into corporate acknowledgment and repentance of sin. That is corporate as in a collection of individuals in a group such as a church or a religion, not corporate as in a business. 

What is there to repent of corporately in our culture and lives? 

-We repent of dehumanizing people, based on their wealth, ethnicity, religion, or nationality. We have treated people as less valuable because they were poor, a different color, praying to a different god, or from another country. 

-We repent of disobeying clear commands in Scripture: to share the Good News with those we encounter, to visit prisoners, to welcome the stranger, to defend those who are oppressed. 

-We repent of neglecting to learn the ugly stories of American history. We have glossed over and ignored the stories of the rapes, lynchings, torture, and oppression that those in power did to those under their control. We have valued our comfort level more than seeking reconciliation by acknowledging this part of our history.

-We repent of our complicity in the sins of our country and world. We buy products produced through underpaying their workers, which makes us guilty of underpaying these workers as well. 

-We repent of judging and condemning those we view as wrong instead of showing them the love, mercy, and grace God offered to us.

-We repent of failing to take good care of our bodies. We eat cheap junk. We overeat. We suffer from diseases brought on by our poor diets. 

-We repent of wasting the time God has given us with things that don't matter. 

-We repent of seeking to safeguard our rights more than we have sought to defend the oppressed. We have looked to our own interests in explicit disregard to the Bible's commands to look out for others, especially those who are oppressed.

Challenge: Consider what things you have to repent of in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what changes you need to start making in your life. Ask to be shown what amends and reparations you should start to make. Ask to be shown how to reconcile with those you have hurt.