How To Preach Repentance Like It's Good News

"Repent" is the first word of the good news. Belief comes as we help our listeners rethink a way of life based upon what God has already done.

Sometimes even preachers find themselves trapped within popular culture ideas—even of Biblical concepts. I think that’s the case with a very Biblical word: repent. Some of us jump to fire-and-brimstone: “First you have to deliver the bad news before you can bring the good news.” Others, who want to avoid unpleasantness in the pulpit, avoid the word altogether.

But what if there’s a third way? Perhaps you could try this approach the next time you preach about repentance:

Imagine receiving a message so good that it caused you to rethink your entire life. The bank made a mistake years ago calculating your mortgage and now suddenly you discover your house is paid off, or a total stranger has paid off your student loans. your abusive husband has turned a corner and now treats you like a queen; the doctors call to say the diagnosis was wrong, and you don’t have cancer after all.

All of these examples represent the best kind of news: no more coupon-clipping; your future is no longer clouded by debt; no more walking on eggshells, afraid that some trivial event will anger your spouse; your fears of endless treatments and medicines vanish in a moment. The good news has come from afar and has pitched its tent with you. The old reality is gone, and new day is born. But you quickly discover a problem: the morning after the good news arrives you wake up still worried about money, still afraid that your husband will relapse, or you wake up in a sweat thinking about hospitals and death. And we immediately understand why: we have spent months, even years, thinking about life based upon our problems. Financial woes are daily woes. Fear of abuse is factored into every choice you make. Health concerns are like a houseguest who has moved in forever. Old habits die hard, and the habits of the mind must be taken to the cross. This is the meaning of repentance. Read More

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