Repentance

Lent is the 40 day period leading up to Easter where, traditionally, the church has fasted, prayed, avoided distractions from the sensual world and repented of sin.

Wikipedia has a handy definition of Repentance: a change of thought and action to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law. It typically includes an admission of guilt, a promise or resolve not to repeat the offense; an attempt to make restitution for the wrong, or in some way to reverse the harmful effects of the wrong where possible.

Repentance is at the heart of the work of Affirm United, which seeks to address the fact that in the recent past, the Church, in its broadest definition, has actively sought to exclude gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and families. This requires facing up to the fact that there has been harm done by the church as a community, however well-intentioned. Of course, other barriers to belonging have also been present in churches, some that are in the headlines and some that are not. We attempt to address these with the Affirming process, too.

The key words here are “seeks” and “attempt”. Transforming ourselves will not be a quick and simple fix. It is painful to admit that we have been part of a structure that caused harm, difficult to hear the stories of those who carry the scars of exclusion, and confusing to realize that some very kind-hearted people and loving behaviours have been present alongside easily-recognized negligence.

The word Lent means "slow". An annual exercise in examining our lives deeply, honestly and slowly, is one of the best times to consider what it means to affirm that each individual in our community is worthy of being ministered to with respect to who they are, seen in light of the teachings of Jesus.

Hurt caused in the name of Christianity has not been a result of any inherent malice in the Christian message, but a result of Christendom being a collection of humans. All religions recognize the importance of an ongoing openness to repentance. Learning to do this is an essential spiritual practice.

As stated in an earlier Affirming post on this blog, when a congregation is designated as Affirming, it is making a public statement to all who arrive there that it has taken on a period of reflection regarding barriers to participation and belonging. This can be an important reassurance to someone who is unsure of whether the church is a place in which they can feel safe to be themselves, whether they will be required to hide a minority sexual orientation, gender identity, economic circumstance, health situation.

Here is an interesting exercise. As we embark on a new phase – that of being designated Affirming - which character are we in the parable below (Luke 18:9 – 14) – or are we both at various times?

Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

A friend has pointed out to me that the removal of decoration that is traditional during Lent has the effect of revealing inner beauty which we often forget during other seasons. During this Lent, may we learn to see inner beauty a little more clearly than we did before, and may we learn to be a little less distracted by superficial things.