Here we are in the year 2006, almost 2007 and depending on your perspective and philosophical bend you have a take on the condition of the world. There are those of us that think that Armageddon is right around the corner and that all the prophecies in the Revelation are coming true right in front of us. Then, there are those of us that really don’t care what is happening with the world, we naively assume that everything is going to be ok because of the providential nature of God. And still, there are those that have worked tirelessly this year to make the world a better place for us and for future generations.

Each day i ingest news. I get it through Google alerts, BBC, CNN, and NPR. I get it through ‘breaking news’ reports while watching Amazing Race and Survivor. And each day as i hear about more and more tragedies in the world i find myself fighting to hold onto hope that, indeed, everything is ok, or that indeed, the world is going to end.

A little while ago i was involved in a conversation with a group of women and men. This group had gathered around an issue — rather, this group gathered around a fragmentation in the Church. As each person went around the room and began to speak about why they were there I remember one individual saying, “I am here as a person that needs forgiveness and needs to live a life of repentance” (or something like that). This phrase, and this idea has stuck with me for over two years and i am, in my heart, only beginning to understand the depth of such a statement.

Is it possible to live a life of repentance?

I believe it is, in fact, i believe that it is the task of our generation. There was a Heretical Jewish Rabbi that walked the Earth about two thousand years ago who’s given name was Jesus, but through his life he began to be called Jesus the Christ. At the center of this man’s message was a simple phrase, “Repent and you will be saved.” This phrase has been recapitulated over and over throughout the 2000 years after his martyrdom and has taken on many different ’causes.’ Some have made the world a better place, some have made it worse — but most have done both.

So as we sit hearing the edge of the year 2007 i can not help but think that this Rabbi was calling his followers to a life of repentance and to work actively toward reconciliation. It is not enough for individuals to do their individual thing — Jesus knew this. So in his wisdom, he called together a band of people and told them to go out and heal people.

Now, in Jesus’ day one of the main ways that people needed healing was from disease and so many of the miracles and healing acts that Jesus and his followers did involved healing people from disease or blindness, or some physical pain. If we fast forward to our generation and look at the past 100 years of history we are confronted with many sorrowful acts that need healing. Many of these sorrowful acts have to do with systems of people and systems of countries. One country killing another country, one tribe killing another tribe, AIDS killing nation after nation (just to name a few). If we stop and think about the core of these tragedies, we soon realize that all of these tragedies are intimately connected to a fragmentation of relationship.

Therefore, i say again, it is the task of our generation to be people of reconciliation. To have a posture of healing and a posture of repentance for past harms and future harms. May it be so.

Joel