Sunday, we remember the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist – a baptism of repentance. Which brings up the question, What did Jesus have to repent? Son of God? One without sin … all that. Why did he need repentance?

Good question, but like so many questions about Jesus, it says more about us than about him. In our language, we tend to equate repentance with regret and apology. The Greek word we translate as repent (metanoia) literally means to change your mind or to turn and go a different direction or take a different action. Considered that way, it makes sense for Jesus to repent. He had been following a fairly ordinary life as a working tradesman. At that moment in the water with John, Jesus embarked on a different life, one that was directed toward fulfilling God’s agenda for the world.

From a carpenter with a home, he became a traveling Rabbi, a homeless teacher. Post repentance his acquaintances were diverse and scandalous. Whatever his personality before the Jordan, afterward Jesus became confrontational with leadership, both Jewish and Roman. Whoever and whatever Jesus was at birth, it was that repentance, that change of direction, that gave him impact and led to the cross.

Getting clear about repentance is important for us in the 21st century for a couple of reasons. First, just being sorry, while a good place to start, usually isn’t enough. The abuser can be sincerely sorry, apologize frequently and deeply, but until they repent and go another direction, the abuse is still the reality. This is a distinction that 12 Step programs really grapple with that church communities frequently miss.

The other distinction is that repenting does not have to devalue what we were before. It simply means that we hear and respond to a different calling. For many years, I tried to work to attract people into the church, because the church was a place to change lives.

After doing that for 20 years, I’ve come to realize that God isn’t calling people to church. God’s calling us to a mission, to “care for the sick, feed the poor and bring good news the oppressed.”

It’s more complex, of course, but the idea is that instead of God having a mission for the church, God has a mission for humanity and the church is one vehicle for doing that. That mission pushes us out the door and down the street to where the people who would never set foot in church live. In the process, they are changed, we are changed and “church” is changed.

I don’t regret the years I spent building an attractive church. Lots of God’s mission was accomplished doing that. But I have repented of the church of attraction and turned toward the church of God’s mission. Much of what I do still looks pretty much the same, but repentance has made all the difference in who I am.

The days are getting longer, and it is a new year. The River Jordan is still cold and deep, but this may be the perfect time for a repentance. Listen, watch and pray to discern which way you are going, and which way you are being called to go. Repentance is not a bad thing, just a different thing. Sometimes, it makes all the difference in the world, or a life.

Steve Wolff is pastor at the La Grande United Methodist Church.