by Hillary Krahn “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” -Luke 24:45-47 The passage for today comes just moments after Jesus revealed himself to his disciples for
the first time after his resurrection. The disciples had gathered together because Simon told them that he saw Jesus, and suddenly, there he was in their midst! They were startled for sure, but Jesus had great things to tell them, and prepare them for, before he ascended into heaven. It tells us that he opened their minds to understand what his death and resurrection meant for forgiveness of sins, including that one word, repentance. He gives these instructions to the disciples in a specific order, repentance then forgiveness. You must repent, then be forgiven. When we confess our sins during divine service setting 3 in worship, we say, “But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them.” But do we mean it? Are we repentant in our hearts? Or are we going through the motions of “repenting” only to continue the sin for which we say we’re sorry? If only Jesus could appear and open our minds as well. I see this type of repentance with my children. We might call it “quick” repentance. One child decides to take their sibling's toy outside and then manages to lose it in the sandbox. You tell the child to apologize to the sibling for losing their toy and they come through with a really quick and insincere apology. “Sorry.” Then I have to say, “But, do you mean it?” Most of the time they don’t, and the next day they again err against their sibling. It can be the same situation from the other sibling’s side as well. When you ask them if they forgive their sibling for what happened, they’ll say it’s okay, but are they really forgiving in their heart? When we go before our heavenly Father, are we being the kid with “quick” repentance, or are we looking in our heart for true repentance? It’s with this true repentance that we know we are forgiven. We never have to worry about the Father’s forgiveness not being sincere, He means it all the way, so much so that He sacrificed His son. In this season of Lent, as we look at the cross, let’s reflect upon what truly being repentant means. Dig deep in your heart as you stand before the Lord, He will forgive you. Prayer: Heavenly Father, during this season of Lent we confess to you that we are poor miserable sinners in need of forgiveness. Help us to repent wholeheartedly and turn away from the sins which we confess. Send your Holy Spirit to guide us on the difficult path of repentance that we may receive the forgiveness that your Son has given to us. Amen.
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About the AuthorsThe authors of this Lenten devotional are all staff members of Zion Lutheran Church & School of Wayside. They have answered the call to preach and teach the good news of salvation to both the young and the old of the school and congregation. This group of believers have a strong faith rooted in the Word. They are all members of the church professing the Christian faith and are excited to share their love of Jesus with you during this season. Archives
January 2025
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