Now when they heard
this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles,
‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is
for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord
our God calls to him.’
Acts 2:37-39
Many of the biblical words for repentance have to do with
turning – turning our hearts and our minds back to God, turning away from the
distractions of this world. Sometimes these turns are dramatic, as when people
realize their lives are out of control and turn to Jesus in deep and desperate
need. That is the kind of repentance we see in our reading from Acts, and it is
a powerful thing.
Sometimes, though, such a turning happens more quietly. I
recently saw a group of teenagers turn around in a beautiful and lasting way.
They were making plans for the triennial Lutheran youth gathering in Houston.
Their talk was full of laughter and fun. Then an adult said, “This trip will be
different now that Houston has suffered so much flooding.”
Almost immediately the youth group began talking about how they
could make a difference. Maybe they could go to our congregation Council and
talk about this gathering as a mission trip. Maybe this trip could be the
beginning of a deeper relationship with Lutheran Disaster Response, one where
we do more than send checks.
What a gift it was to me to see these young Christians think
about “all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls.” Because of
them and because of LDR, this congregation is moving in new directions. Thanks
be to God for the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
O God, give us a spirit of repentance, so that we may prepare
for the coming of your Son. Amen.
The Rev. Mark Rigg is the Pastor of Advent Lutheran Church, West Lawn, PA.
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