30 April 2023 4th Sunday of Easter

Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’

From Acts 2:14, 36-41,NRSV

Peter’s response to the question from the Jews: “What must we do?” makes clear that repentance is the first stage towards becoming members of the Christian family. The repentance of which Peter spoke was a life changing decision to leave behind one’s previous ways of thinking and behaving in order to embrace a new mindset and set of values. We may be tempted to think that Peter’s message was only for the Jews, but even those who are baptised will not always live by the values of the gospel and the call to repentance is for all.

• • Why do you think Peter made repentance the first stage in the Christian journey
  • How can we seek repentance for and forgiveness of sin?

You may like to spend some time in reflection on the call to repentance in your own life.