In the Christian tradition, the Advent season has a lot to say about our need to be repentant. (Being repentant means acknowledging, and trying to make right, all the crappy, selfish ways we all tend to be at times.) Many of the bible passages used in worship during Advent call people to be repent. It’s true. Sometimes Advent can sort of sound like a bummer.

For example, one of the Advent texts we often hear in worship is one in Matthew chapter 3. John the Baptist says this to the crowds that have come to see him:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (vs. 11-12).

Hmm? That doesn’t sound very Christmassy. Just to make it clear, the fact of the matter is that Advent IS very much about repentance. Sadly, and as a rule, most of us tend to have a pretty negative reaction to being called out to be sorry for our sins. And if the word “sins” puts you off, or you are not really sure what it means, sins are all the big and little crappy, selfish ways we all tend to be at times.

When these hard-to-hear Advent themes come along, I think the problem is not how they don’t sound like they have very much to do with the “spirit of Christmas.” Instead, I think the problem is really about our dislike of the concept of repentance. Another way to say that is that these more challenging themes of Advent urge us to confront the very human tendency to prefer to not to see ourselves as…well, people who aren’t always at our best when it comes to the way we treat each other. We don’t like to admit our tendency to be selfish in ways that are not particularly helpful to others and ultimately to ourselves. I think we have this dislike of “repentance” because it feels so bad to do in the moment, that we forget that repentance leads to redemption—a newness in us that lifts us towards being a better, more loving, kind and compassionate person. Repentance makes us more like the kind of person we wish there would be more of in the world.

So, I want to offer this little primer about the real hope and joy that engaging in repentance actually holds for those brave enough to really face themselves in the mirror. To do that, we will look at Psalm 51, a psalm that would be a prime contender for a serious and somber take on why we all kinda suck sometimes, and why we need to face that reality squarely. If this all sounds like a bit of a bummer, just stick with me for a bit longer. Even Psalm 51 and repentance can be approached with a bit of levity and hope. Ultimately, it is a psalm about repentance, redemption and forgiveness, and what could be more hopeful and joyful, more Christmassy, than that?

First off, you should know that Psalm 51 was written by King David. He is remembered as the greatest king of the Hebrew people. He is also remembered as both one of the most faithful and most flawed people you will ever meet. I think that David wrote this psalm to reminds us that even in our darkest, and most stupid, moments, God is always there for us. God is not a distant and judgmental God, but a loving and compassionate God who wants nothing more than to see us be renewed and grow closer to all that is good and right—closer to God.

The psalm begins with David confessing his sin and asking for God’s mercy. “Have mercy on me, O God,” he says, “according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” (vs.1) It was once suggested to me that when it comes to “unfailing love” one of the best examples of this would be the way that grandmothers love their grandchildren. Through tantrums and tears, broken vases and crayon drawings on the wall, the love and kindness that a grandmother has for their grandkids never fails. David is saying, that is the kind of love God has for us. Let that sink in for a minute before you read on.

David goes on to ask God to “wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” Although sin is an “inside us” kind of thing, it’s not hard to picture the effects of being crappy and selfish as covering us with say, mud—sort of like a car that just drove down an old muddy, dirt side road. All the shine is gone, covered. Then we pull into a car-wash, roll through it, and all the mud is washed off and the shine returns. When God “cleanses us” from the results of our crappiness and selfishness (our sin) it is sort of like a spiritual car wash. We come out shining inside, just like a car from a car-wash shines on the outside. When we look at ourselves, we seem new again.

The process of repentance David describes is one that really cuts to the core of how very crappy and selfish we can get sometimes. “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,” he writes in verse 4, “so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” We simply can’t hide all our nonsense from God. If we are really honest with ourselves, we will know that God is in “proved right” and “justified” in issuing judgement against our crappy and selfish tendencies (our sin). It’s exactly like if we were charged with a crime, we know we committed and end up in court before a judge. The judge looks at us and says, “Guilty as charged!”

Now, if that happens in real life, you get a fine or sent to jail, or both! But the psalm tells us we are in a much bigger and more serious court. To be sure, the Judge still points at us and says “Guilty!” and bangs the gavel. But then she says, “You are guilty, but here’s the thing: you have actually come here and admitted to your crime! What is more, you have told me you are really sorry about it, and that you want to make it right, and do better in the future. So, I forgive your guilt! Go home and do better next time.”  David reminds us that, even when our sins are against, well, God(!)—and all sins are, really—we need to have the courage and admit that to God and ask for forgiveness—and God can and will give that forgiveness. I can tell you that is NOT how it went for me when ended up in court before a judge once. I admitted I was guilty, and I got no forgiveness. I still had to pay the traffic fine, and that was that!

It’s like this, no matter what our sins might be (and I mean no matter what!), no matter how far we have strayed into being a generally crappy and selfish person, Psalm 51 reminds us that God is always ready and willing to welcome us back with open arms. David’s prayer in verses 10-12 is a prayer that reassures and fills us with hope:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit”

So, to bring this all back to the beginning, that is why we hear so much about repentance during Advent. As Christians, our deepest hope is the hope of being forgiven and made new again, of being given Newness of Life through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Without his birth none of the joy that comes from repentance would matter all that much. Jesus was and is God’s final answer to our crappy, selfish tendencies—our sins that cause us to place a barrier up against God’s unfailing love, forgiveness, and joyful presence within us. Repenting isn’t a bummer: it’s the key to Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

Pastor Mark is the Agency Minister and the VP of Ministry & Community partnerships at Community Missions.