I'm Sorry

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? (Joel 2:12-14 ESV). This past Wednesday, many Christians observed Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of Lent, which is a season of penitential preparation for Easter. Many will attend worship services marked by a solemn call to repentance, symbolized by the imposition of ashes upon the foreheads of the worshipers. This practice may seem strange to those raised in non-liturgical churches. But it can be a good reminder that worship is more than just a mental exercise. It should engage our bodies as well as our spirits. Recently I saw an illustration where the different types of marks were classified. It was meant to be a humorous look at the various marks received at the observance. I especially liked the one labeled “the Hipster.” It should be remembered that however we celebrate this day, God’s call to repentance is loud and clear in Scripture. Our culture has made sin so benign that repentance is all but lost to the modern church member. There really can be but one response to our sin. The prophet Joel tells us that this response to God’s judgment should be genuine repentance, which consists of two parts.  First, true repentance involves real sorrow for sin. In biblical culture grief was expressed by tearing one’s clothes, but the Lord tells his people to rend their hearts instead of their garments. The outward ritual is only meaningful if it signifies an inward reality.  Second, true repentance involves reorienting our lives. “Yet even now . . . return to me with all your heart. . . . Return to the Lord, your God” (vv. 12-13). Feeling broken-hearted about our sins is only the beginning. To fully repent, we must turn away from those sins, back to the living God. Many people assume God’s mercy is for everyone and hope his judgment isn’t real. We would do better to assume God’s judgment is for everyone and hope his mercy is real. Use this season before the celebration of Easter to meditate on the need you have to restore your relationship to God through His grace and the application of Christ’s work on your behalf.