Getting Ready by Repenting

 

Reading: Matthew 3:1–12

Clearing Space for the Lord

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 

Matthew 3:2

Advent invites us not only to watch and wait but also to prepare, and John the Baptist’s voice rings across the wilderness calling us into that preparation: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” John’s message is not meant to crush but to clear space—for God’s presence, God’s purposes, and God’s transforming love. Repentance begins by naming the things that hinder us: patterns that deaden our hearts, fears that bind us, habits that crowd out our desire for God. Turning from these is not an act of shame but an act of hope—a trust that God has something better, truer, and freer for us. Advent readiness starts here, in the honest work of opening our lives to the Lord who draws near.

John also speaks of repentance that bears fruit. Real change is not measured by emotion or words alone, but by the quiet, steady growth of a transformed life. Fruit grows when roots are nourished—and repentance nourishes the soul by returning it to God. In this sense we all need what Trevor Hudson calls a “Montserrat moment,” the kind of turning Ignatius experienced when he wrote out his sins, confessed them honestly, and hung up his sword at the altar as a symbol of surrender. “Ignatius knew that if he was going to start over with God, he would need to be radically honest with himself, with God, and with at least one other person,” Hudson writes. Repentance, then, is not simply saying sorry—it is choosing the practices and symbols that help us walk into new life, where the Spirit can grow fruit in us that honors God.

John’s final image is powerful: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Fire refines, purifies, and burns away what cannot remain. Ignatius hung up his weapons as a way of burning bridges to an old life; we too are invited to lay down whatever weaponry we carry—defensiveness, resentment, self-reliance, hidden sin. The refining fire of the Spirit is not destructive but restorative—it reveals what is true and strengthens what is good. Advent calls us to welcome this fire, trusting that God’s work in us is for our freedom. In a season so often crowded with noise and hurry, repentance becomes a sacred clearing—a space in which Christ’s light can grow. To get ready is to turn toward the One who comes with mercy, truth, and Holy Spirit fire.

Prayer

Lord, clear space in us for Your coming. Give us courage to release what hinders us and to step into the new life You offer. Burn away what is false, strengthen what is true, and make us ready for the kingdom that draws near. Shape us by Your Spirit into people who bear good fruit.

Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.