Repentence is Good

Advent is a season of preparation. It is a season of expectation, of longing, of hope. But Scripture does not speak of preparation in vague spiritual terms, Advent preparation is concrete. It involves repentance. That is why John the Baptist stands so prominently in these Sundays before Christmas. John does not offer sentimentality. He does not point us toward nostalgia or warm feelings. He calls us to repent because the Lord is near.

Malachi foretold this: “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.” John is the messenger. Christ is the Lord who comes. And the way is prepared by repentance, a repentance that is not man-made or self-generated, but a repentance that is itself a gift of God.

Today we consider repentance not as something dreadful, but as something profoundly good, good for the soul, good for our relationships, good for our sanity, and good for our faith. And finally, we will see that repentance is never an end in itself. It aims at the Gospel. Repentance clears the rubble so Christ’s entrance and healing can be grabbed onto in Christian faith.

Find out more in this sermon for the Second Wednesday in Advent from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!