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Reclaiming Repentance

                Two young children spent the summer on their grandparent’s farm.  It was a beautiful place with rolling hills, lots of trees and, most notably, a duck pond. 
                One day, the little boy was out playing with his slingshot when he thought to himself, “I wonder if I can hit one of the ducks”.  Grabbing a stone, he took aim and hit the duck in the head, killing it instantly.  Looking around to see if anyone had witnessed what had just happened, he saw no one, so he decided to keep the secret to himself.
                That night, after the grandparents had tucked them in bed and turned out the light, a small voice cut through the darkness.  “I saw what you did today”, his little sister said.  “But I won’t say anything, if you do my chores for me”.   Feeling like he had no choice, the boy agreed.  Every time it was her turn to take out the garbage or to do the dishes, the boy would jump up and say, “Let me do that for her”. 
                Eventually, the little boy could not take it any more.  He was tired of doing the chores, but more than that, he was tired of his sister reminding him about what he had done, so he went and found his grandmother.  Through a puddle of tears, he said, “Grandma, I did something really bad.  A couple of weeks ago, I killed one of your ducks with my slingshot, but I was too scared to tell you”.
                The grandmother looked at the boy, then took him in her arms, gave him a hug, told him that it was ok and said, “I saw you kill the duck and I was wondering how long you were going to let your sister torture you before you told me”.
                The Biblical words that apply here are “confess” and “repent”.  Sadly, over the years these words have taken on a note of shame and disgrace, but in the New Testament, they are incredibly joyful words.  They are the gateway to forgiveness, the cross and the new life that the father wants us to live in his son. 
                “Repent” is not about failure; it is about freedom.
                “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

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