"Repent” is a word that
stirs memories from the years I lived in New York City during the 1960s.
Wild-eyed fanatics would shout at passers-by on many streets to repent. On one
occasion I stopped for a moment to listen and was targeted for a scolding. The
preacher assumed I was a no-good and really let me have it! Unshaven on a day
off and never a fashion plate, I assumed that my untidy appearance had
attracted his attention. He was deprived of knowing that he had yelled at a
newly ordained deacon residing at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine -
which probably would not have deterred him!
Because we are most likely to
hear "repent" or "repentance" in such settings, or from television preachers,
or in routine Bible readings, you and I are likely to be unmoved - or just
somewhat annoyed. If we give those words a moment's thought, we might conclude
that repentance is what hardened criminals, corrupt business and professional
people, dishonest politicians, international terrorists and sleazy entertainers
should do; it's those people who need to repent. A call to repentance is simply
too strong for us ordinary folk. Or, is it?
I want to assure you that I
am not about to embark upon a fishing expedition determined to net petty
deficiencies in our lives. We need not join those who are titillated by
discovering one more trivial imperfection; nitpicking and moral fussiness are
not what we're about.
"Repentance" means "to make
an about-face," to alter our ways of looking at life, to take on God's
viewpoint; to repent is to feel deep and genuine regret for what we have done
and for what we have left undone, and to align our hearts and minds with God's
purposes. To repent is to choose to accept Jesus Christ as "the way, the truth,
and the life," and to live and act accordingly. We've heard this before, too.
Nonetheless, we do have some
significant ungodly ways overlooked because they have become commonplace. They
pollute our lives subtly and diminish our very humanity; such ways don't come
to mind when we hear "repent." Explore with me now some needs for repentance.
At the beginning of this
semester one of my students in his early twenties mentioned to me in casual
conversation before class that he wanted to do just enough work to receive a
grade of "C" which could be transferred to another college. He added sneeringly
that the only reason he wants a degree quickly is because he lied on his
resume; he claimed to already have a degree. He has not done well this semester
and may fail, because of the poor quality of his work. Incidentally, he works
in a Connecticut bank; moreover, the self-disclosure about his fraudulent
resume took place at the beginning of the course I offer in business ethics!
Last May in another
university, after I had distributed final exam materials watchfully to the 100
or so students present, I turned for no more than three seconds to go back to
my desk at the front of the auditorium. A rear exit door slammed shut, and a
carefully crafted multiple-choice exam of 140 items, with its own identifying
number 39, was stolen by an unidentified young man. (The entire class enrolled
175; professors cannot recognize everyone.) A few days later at the next exam
sitting for the rest of the class, an essay exam had to be substituted for the
expected, similar multiple-choice test; the students were shocked and very
angry at the thief; they knew I had no alternative. Next Wednesday I face a
similar situation. For the first time in nearly 30 years of teaching, to
protect an examination and to ensure fairness among my students, I have hired
at my own expense a member of the campus police - to be stationed at that rear
exit. Incidentally, the course is "World Religions."
One item on next Wednesday's
examination asks students to identify its content as mystical, biblical, or
neither. The primary purpose of the item (whose answer is "neither") is to
provoke some students to do some soul-searching, perhaps even to make an
about-face, to repent. However, the exam item is applicable beyond a
university. Permit me to read it carefully: "The highest values in living
realistically include (1) get what you can by any method whatsoever; (2)
individuals have a right to have whatever they desire; (3) dishonesty is all
right as long as one doesn't get caught; (4) education's main purpose is to
enable one to make money in the immediate future; (5) a full life means
primarily eating, sleeping, and sexual activity; (6) winning is always
admirable; (7) addictions to work, sports, and alcohol are admirable; (8)
basically, you are what you have; (9) although citizens' taxes subsidize public
education, it is a student's moral right to make minimal effort in his/her
courses; (10) one person's opinion is as worthwhile as another's." These ten
common beliefs are among many widely held convictions needing drastic revision
among Americans of all ages; such values and their consequences did not
originate with my students. As a people, with regard to these and many
additional life-crushing views, it would be to our own benefit to alter our
ways of looking at life.
During Advent we prepare to
celebrate the birth of Him who came to us as God's Word. In Him we are given
the Creator's Way, The Truth, and Fullness of Life. By beholding Him, our
hearts and minds are opened to perceive significant matters needing urgent
realignment with God's life-giving purposes. By embracing Him through Word and
Sacrament, we experience genuine regret, mercy, forgiveness, and hope. By
journeying on the difficult path to Bethlehem, you and I choose God's
transforming viewpoint instead of self-defeating distortions. In short, we are
preparing for God's healing Gift of Him who offers this day and always powerful
salvation from grim self-deception, mean-spirited brokenness, and overwhelming
affliction.
During Advent, on December
22nd, we again experience automatically more sunlight coming into our world. On
December 25th we may again choose to experience more Light reborn in our lives.
"O come, O come, Emmanuel."