Today, I am working on my sermon for this Sunday. I am preaching on the Gospel reading from the lectionary, Matthew 3:1-12. This morning I have been reading the commentaries I have on Matthew. One of the commentaries I bought when I first moved to Lamont was a commentary by D.A. Carson that was on sale at one of the nearby Christian bookstores. I often use it as a supplement, but this morning I was struck by his characteristic of repentance:

What is meant is not a merely intellectual change of mind or mere grief, still less doing penance, but a radical transformation of the entire person, a fundamental turnaround involving mind and action and including overtones of grief, which results in “fruit in keeping with repentance.” (The Expository’s Bible Commentary, Matthew 1-12, p.99)

I don’t know that there is much that I have to say that would improve upon that explanation of repentance. I simply would say amen and hope for God’s grace to continue to enable true repentance in my life and in the live of others.  At this point in my sermon preparation, I think the focus of my sermon will have something to do with a deeper understanding of repentance.