Turn Around Before It’s Too Late | Rev. Brooke Hartman

In Matthew Gospel, the first messages we hear from Jesus and from John the Baptist are identical, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” According to these teachings, the kingdom can be entered during our earthly lives (not just after death) and repentance is the key to entering the kingdom. Repent means to turn around. Jesus’ first call on our lives is to turn from living by the values of earthly kingdom, or the selfish values of our own egocentric kingdom, and instead to live by the ways and means of the Kingdom of Heaven. During Lent, we focus on repentance, not so that we can improve our willpower, but so that we can experience life inside the Kingdom of Heaven.  

Scripture - Matthew 4:12-17