Introduction
Interestingly the readings set for today don’t mention the word or even the concept of remembrance – unlike last week. By contrast they focus on another “re” word – repentance. The reading from Jonah has the classical account of Nineveh repenting whilst the gospel reading has Jesus encouraging his hearers to “Repent and believe”.
So what is the link between repentance and remembrance – specifically in the context of remembering our war dead? In order to understand this we have to be clear what we understand by repentance. Repentance is much more than saying “sorry” – we have spent hours trying to teach our children this and it is no doubt a lesson we need to keep hearing. (Israel’s apology for the misdirected artillery)Yes, of course, it does start with being sorry for the evils of the past but moving on from there it involves a turning away from these evils and walking a new path.
This turning away from evil is seen very clearly in the story of Nineveh: “When God saw what they did and how they turned away from their evil ways, he had compassion on them” Jonah 3:10. The Ninevites repented – they turned away from their evil ways. However this is only half the story, it is one thing to turn our back on former ways, but what takes their place? If nothing does then it is all too easy to slip back into old ways.
In His call to repentance Jesus provides the other half – turn away from your old ways and believe the good news. Mark.1:15.
It is interesting to note that Jesus doesn’t say “repent and try harder not to do it again” He says “Repent and Believe” – believe the good news of the kingdom.
This call to repentance and belief is immediately followed by the call to discipleship – “Come, follow me” v.17 Belief in the good news of the kingdom takes shape in our lives as we seek to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Living a life that is totally dedicated to God, seeking His will and purposes and putting them into practice.
This type of repentance and belief is easy to see at an individual level – I suspect all of us have experienced it in different ways at various times in our lives. But how does it work on a corporate level? Going back to the story of Nineveh it started with a prophetic voice – when God finally got Jonah to the place where he wanted him he proclaimed God’s judgement on the city.
Where are today’s prophets speaking out about the evils and injustices in our own society? As a nation we will only repent of our evil ways – the greed and wanton consumption, idolatry, god-lessnes and violence – if we start to recognise them as evil.
The second aspect of this corporate repentance was the lead given by the king – Jonah 3:6. I was reminded of the national day of prayer called for by King George the VI during the second world war. There have been a number of occasions during the last few years when there have been calls from various quarters for a national day of prayer but none have to my knowledge been heeded
The third component then is a people who are willing to follow the lead of their “king”. It would seem as if the whole population of Nineveh followed the lead of their king.
On this remembrance Sunday let us heed the call of Jesus to repent, believe and follow Him