Repentance - the findamental choices

Sermon preached at 11am Coral Mattins at St Mary’s Lapworth on Sunday 12th September 2010. Other versions of this sermon were preach at the 8.30am Said Eucharist and at 3pm Evensong at St Michael’s Baddesley Clinton.

Readings: Ps 51: 1-10 Exodus 32: 7-14 Luke 15: 1-10


When I was in South Africa in 2006 I came across a Christian Pastor who had a particular reputation. He had been a “real lad” with a history of intimidation and violence and with links to prostitution and gambling. Then it seems that he had an extraordinary conversion experience, a moment of total repentance and turning to God. Overnight he gave up his old way of life and started living a new and more Christian lifestyle. He set up a non-denominational church and started preaching and teaching very effectively to people who were far from God. His congregation grew and his church and ministry were respected by the local Anglicans, who I was visiting.
Now probably none of us have had such a dramatic experience of repentance and conversion as that South African pastor. His is rather an extreme case of the big turn around which is required when we turn to Christ. This sort of turn around happens when people start to face up to the really big questions in life. Are we for God or against him? Are we doing our best to face God, work with him and trust him with our lives, or are we seeking to run away from him, to hide from him and ignore him? It is a bit like a tree. Is it turning its leaves towards the sun, absorbing its energy, growing and thriving, or is it hiding itself from the sun, withering and dying? Repentance here is about our fundamental choices. Are we for God or against him? Are we choosing for ourselves eternal life, or eternal death; heaven or hell?
This is the repentance that Jesus talks of in the two parables that we heard in our New Testament reading. And such repentance leads to great rejoicing in heaven because something that has been lost, is found and restored to its proper destiny.
Now I am confident that most, if not all, of us who are in church this morning have made this fundamental choice and are basically seeking to orient ourselves towards God and to fulfil his plan for us. People who are in rebellion against God usually don’t come to church, they try to avoid the things of God. Sadly our present society makes it very easy to do just that; there are very few earthly reasons or social pressures that make us come to church if we don’t want to.
But just because we in church and are basically orientated towards God, does not mean that the business of repentance and conversion is over for us. We are all of us troubled by sin, our own sin and the sin of the people around us. There is a continuous process of renewing our repentance, being forgiven of our sin and entrusting ourselves to the mercy of God. This is a lifetime’s work as Christ grows within us and as the things that Christ does not want for us fall away.
But the stories of restoration that we heard about in our scripture readings were not so much about this on-going process of repentance and renewal. Rather they were about the fundamental first choices. Are we for God or against him? And it is this more fundamental repentance that I would like to focus on today.
Sooner or later everybody has to face up to this fundamental choice. Jesus says, “He who is not with me is against me” (Matt 12: 30) and “whoever is not against you is for you” (Luke 9: 50). The thing that really forces this choice is the presence of God. The presence of God cannot be ignored, you have to go with it or run from it. Now we live is strange times, where God seems surprisingly absent from the day to day experiences of many people. Many people seem to find it easy to ignore or postpone this great fundamental choice. However I am quite sure that this is only a temporary phase in history and sooner or later we all have to face this choice. At very least, when we die we have to decide if we walking towards heaven or hell.
Now what should our attitude be towards people who appear to be in rebellion against God? I am sure that we all know people among our families and friends who appear to be in conflict with God, or working against God. Do we sit back and say, “Well that’s their choice, it’s up to them?” or do we try to bring them round to God? Well I think it is very subtle; in certain ways I think it is a bit of both.
There is a very profound sense in which this really is the choice of other people, not our choice. We have to have a deep respect for the freedom that God has granted to other people. We cannot, in all love, try to manipulate or coerce people towards God; rather we must encourage them and allow them to choose. And this can be painful, truly accepting their freedom, even when they appear to be make choices that are so destructive. It can be truly costly. But that pain is real and has to be acknowledged.
But then also there is a very deep sense in which we cannot just sit back. Moses did not sit back and say to God, “OK, gone on destroy the people of Isreal and start again.” Rather he pleaded for them to God. The shepherd did not sit back and say, “If the lost sheep wants to be found, it will come back to me.” No, he went out and searched high and low until he had found it. Likewise the woman did not think of the lost coin, “Oh, it will turn up!” rather she lit the lamp and swept the house until she found it. In fact what is very striking about all these three stories about the restoration into fellowship with God, is that in all three cases the people restored to God seem to have a very passive role. The activity is all done by others.
So there is no doubt that we are called to actively work for the good of those who appear to be in rebellion against God. I am aware of three ways in particular of doing this.
Firstly, very importantly we must pray for them. The story about Moses shows how important this is. In some ways it feels like the only real contribution we can make.
Secondly we must continue in loving them. This does not mean saying they are right when they are wrong, or good when they are bad. However it does mean keeping the avenues of communication open. It means respecting them fully as children created by God. It means wanting their good, and having an attitude of service to bring that good about.
Thirdly we can living our own lives, in full harmony with God an example to show what is possible and how these things work. If people can look at our lives and see how obedience to God brings good outcomes, fulfilment and happiness, then we give witness to the advantages of God.
So, with regard to people who seem far from God, I would like to commend these three approaches to you; pray for them, love them and live good lives which can be an example to them. In this way we do all our part to bring them back to God. Amen.