The Kingdom Invitation

What comes to mind when you see this image? The verse this man references is Mark 1:15 which is the words of Jesus we as a church are walking through at the moment in our "Kingdom" conversation.

The verse says, "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

I am not into sign holding. First of all my arms get tired and secondly I don't believe it is effective. Someone may have statistics that show that after someone has seen a sign ten times they will join Jesus' movement, but I kinda doubt it.

So, this brings me to the verse and the word written on this poster: "Repent." This week Sunday we are going to be looking at that word. Many of you may have heard that to "repent" means to turn around, to change direction, or to return. But as I've studied the past few weeks about this verse and this call from Jesus I have come to some surprising challenges - and they were directed at me.

When we see the words on this picture and its message we often primarily think of morality (particularly sexuality) and that we should "repent" - turn away from personal sins and turn toward God's way of life laid out in Scripture. I believe that forgiveness of personal sins is an incredible gift and I thank God for it, but what if Jesus in Mark 1:15 wasn't primarily pushing that angle on the word "repent?" What if that was just a given in desiring to follow God. After all, (as NT Wright shares), wouldn't Jesus have been called a national hero (particularly to the Pharisees and religious conservatives in the day) rather than being threatened and opposed by them?

So, what and who is Jesus calling to "repent," believe and enter into His movement? Again, NT Wright, shares a twist that put me under the microscope. What if Jesus' call of repentance was not merely a timeless call to personally stop being naughty and start being good? What if His invitation to "repent" was not just for those naughty unclean outsiders who don't believe the right stuff and don't live the right way?

What if Jesus' call to "repent" was a summons for those who see themselves as "in?" It seems absolutely essential that "repentance" begins with those who call themselves followers of God. So what are we to "repent" from? As my friend John Blythe says, "everything that keeps us from entering into the Kingdom" (the present movement of God ruling and reigning and expanding among us.) We are "repent" of everything that prevents us from (as Jesus says) being a light to the world?

What do good upstanding, pay your taxes, church going folks have to "repent" from? How about trying to power up on others? Perhaps the focus of looking out for ourselves (#1) and our families first. Do we need to "repent" from being a glutton for food or stuff? What about the addiction to bigger and better - upscale, upsize, and upgrade? I have held Jesus out as the light of the world in the face of poverty, addictions, disease, and yet I still try to figure out how to get ahead, how to compile, how to protect what I "have," and put myself in positions of power and influence.

Jesus was speaking first to Israel as His people - calling on them to "repent" from their nationalistic violence movement and to be a blessing and the light of the world by different means than violence, powering up, and injustice. He called them to the Shema (To love God with all of their heart, mind, and strength.)

So - in these herky jerky thoughts I suggest that the first place the sign above must be lifted high (but I'm not really a "sign guy") is in my home and in the churches. As we live differently in the world around us (loving enemies, serving not powering up, turning the other cheek, radical generosity, loving welcome of all people, etc...) we will truly be a light to the world and we can put down the sign and we can become a sign that the Kingdom of God is present and here.

Addicted to the exile,
sd