This week, Pastor Josh Brecht explores the call to repentance through the fiery, fascinating witness of John the Baptist. In a world shaped by blame, defensiveness, and self-righteousness, the Gospel calls us to honest self-examination. Pastor reminds us that we often see ourselves through distorted stories of our own making — placing ourselves as the hero and others as the villain — yet the Gospel holds up a truer mirror.
As Pastor says, “The Gospel exposes the lies we tell ourselves, and holds a mirror in front of us so that we can finally see ourselves clearly… the person God sees. The person we could become in Christ.”
Repentance isn’t about shame, but transformation. “The word ‘repent’… means change. To change your action. To change your direction. To change your mind. To repent is to change. Is to be changed.”
Through John’s urgent message, we hear the invitation to prepare our hearts for Christ coming into the world again—to let Jesus burn away the chaff within us and reveal what is beautiful, good, and true.
