Letter from Greg, January 24, 2026
Dear Friends, Members and Guests
Adventists, as conservatives in the evangelical protestant line of Christian thinking, we're not really used to the idea of ritual. As pragmatists, aesthetic minimalists, and rationalistic types, "smells and bells" are not for us! And what of penance? Aren't these things for Catholics? Don't we simply confess our sins and depend upon the Redeemer to forgive our sins, cleansing us of unrighteousness? (1 John 1:9)
While all the above paragraph is true, there's more to the story of redemption than we're sometimes attuned to. Confession has long been a part of seeking God's forgiveness. Restitution has long been a principle of seeking to right wrongs. And repentance, an act of real intentionality, means turning away from the sins we commit.
Much of this gets truncated in our spiritual lives. Jesus' invitation in our Gospel text today (Matthew 4:12-23) is to repent. He makes this invitation alongside the realization of the kingdom of heaven, which has drawn near (vs. 17)! This invitation, in context of the establishment of Jesus's ministry in the tradition of John the Baptist, in the wake of Jesus' baptism and the epiphany of revelation in the words, "this is my Son, whom I love" invites deeper reflection and practices that allow us to more deeply participate in "making all things new." It invites us to a deeper affiliation with humanity and all creation—a creation against which so many sins have been committed. Sins we're often complicit in.
Ritual can help us here, and in true form, the change will come as we practice using tools that have long been around - tools designed for transformation. May God grant us the honesty, the strength, the will and the grace to turn from our ways, and move our lives into Kingdom space.
Grace and Peace,
Pr Greg
Matthew 4:12–23
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.