Focus
Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take some time to relax into a time to be with God.
Read
Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Mark 1:14-20
Reflect
Many preachers will be preparing to preach these texts this morning for the Third Sunday of Epiphany. As we think about what God may say to us through these passages, it’s easy to see that there is a clear theme of repentance. Jonah calls the people of Nineveh to repentance, and Jesus goes to Galilee calling the people there to repentance. But what does repentance mean? Why is it important? What does it require of us?
Repentance can be defined as a turning from sin and turning to Jesus. That’s a good starting place, but repentance has an even deeper meaning. When Jesus calls the people to repentance he does so because the kingdom of God has come near. This new kingdom requires people to understand that the world in which they live is passing away and they must prepare for a new world. (1 Corinthians 7:31) In the context of John the Baptist and Jesus’ preaching, it is not Caesar who is King and Lord, but it is Jesus. In the context of Jonah’s preaching, it is not the false gods of Nineveh and Assyria who give and sustain life, it is the One True God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
What does repentance look like for us? How can we begin to follow Jesus and live in His kingdom?
Pray
Covenant-Keeping God, Your love never fails and Your Word never goes forth void. Give us grace and grant us repentance to follow You. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Go with God!
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