“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance … What should we do then? the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same. Even tax collectors came to be baptized. Teacher, they asked, “what should we do? Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, and what should we do? He replied, don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” (Luke 3:8,10-14)
Many of my children do not repent because they do not understand what the fruit of repentance really is: when someone with abundance (like those in the crowd) repents, the fruit is sharing that abundance with those who have none. When someone who has authority over others (like the tax collectors) they must be willing to not exceed that authority. When someone (like the soldiers) have the power to police others, they must reject corruption. This is what real repentance looks like. It is not religious emotionalism, but a repentance that is manifest in a person’s daily life through generosity, ethical behavior, and mercy. In America the fruit of repentance must be to turn from thinking that the end justifies the means; to speak out against injustice, and to share with those who have need.
— June 29, 2020