We've heard a call to repent for most of our lives, the call from society that shames us not for the things we've done but for who we are. We never seem to measure up to the "mob of public opinion." But God calls us to live and love ourselves, and to love our neighbor with the same love. While the world calls us to repent for what we are, God calls us to repent for what we are not; turning from the demands of the material world we are called to embrace the divine nature we possess, the spark of God in each of us. True repentance is not about feeling bad, it's about feeling whole.

The Scripture references are Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 85:1-2,8-13, and 2 Peter 3:8-15a. The Gospel reference is Mark 1:1-8.