My three take-aways from attending the event in Washington, D.C.

From the very first announcement of The Return, I knew I needed to be there. The event was created by Jonathan Cahn and Kevin Jessip to be a “national and global day of prayer and repentance.” For a long time now, those two actions—prayer and repentance—have weighed heavily on my heart as two of the most needed and most lacking disciplines in the American church. And I’m not the only one. There has been a rising chorus of voices from throughout the Christian community calling for the church at-large to wake up from its spiritual stupor and for the nation to reverse its descent into godlessness.

I believed that The Return would be a catalytic event, uniting the long-building sense of spiritual urgency from countless individual Christians and turning it into action. I hoped that this would be a rolling pebble that triggered the avalanche of revival.

On the morning of September 26, 2020, I found myself in Washington, D.C., weaving my way through the gathering crowd on the National Mall’s massive open lawn to find a place close to the stage. Due to Covid-19 restrictions in D.C., the stage was in a small, fenced-off area with no public access, but four giant screens and two enormous speaker arrays made the event visible and audible to everyone in the area. A great cross section of America was represented there: every age and every race, from young families trying to keep toddlers confined to a picnic blanket to elderly couples in camping chairs. They wore youth group t-shirts, business suits, tie-dye, and in one case, even sackcloth. Some groups brought banners to wave and others brought shofars to blow. We were a diverse congregation to say the least!

My Three Take-Aways

As the event got underway, I really had no idea what to expect. I knew the purpose of the event, but how would it play out with dozens of speakers and prayer leaders from many different ministries and backgrounds? And just as importantly, how would the crowd respond and participate?

I won’t try to give a play-by-play of the entire event. (You can watch the 8-hour live stream here.) Instead, I want to share a few big takeaways from the whole experience.

1. Unity and Humility

Most importantly, repentance truly was the theme of the day. Nearly all of the presenters were unified in heart and mind, speaking out of humility and a deep sorrow over America’s sins. The crowd was right there with them, kneeling, praying, and pouring out their hearts to God.

To be honest, a handful of the presenters were out of sync, using their time for self-promotion instead of repentance. But those were few and far between. Overall, The Return remained laser-focused on its stated purpose, and I don’t think I have ever seen such a large gathering of big-name leaders that was so conspicuously free of big egos.

2. The Warning Has Changed

If you haven’t watched Jonathan Cahn’s keynote from The Return, you need to. It was the foundational message of the entire day. He modeled the message after Jeremiah 19, in which God commanded Jeremiah to take a clay jar and shatter it before the leaders of the people as a prophetic foreshadowing of God’s judgment, which would soon shatter the kingdom of Judah for their sin and rebellion.

Jonathan Cahn preached that America has followed in the spiritual footsteps of the ancient Israelites and has come to the same precipice of judgment. He took an ornate clay jar and, in conjunction with telling of the event in Jeremiah 19, he smashed it on the stage. If that sounds overly theatrical to you, I urge you to watch the whole message. It was no gimmick.

The breaking of the jar was a grave symbolic act that I believe carries as much import for America today as it did for Judah in biblical times. To me it was the most significant moment of the day. It embodied a realization that I think is dawning on many Christians: that repentance is no longer a free pass for the nation to escape judgment. When we pray for revival and God’s mercy, it is so that the church can be sustained and refined during the unavoidable shakings that will come. Escape is no longer the name of the game, but rather endurance.

3. Not Everyone Gets It

Perhaps the greatest difference between attending The Return in person and watching it online was the ability to observe the crowd. The collective reactions to various moments throughout the day were revealing. At many points, I saw a true spirit of repentance—people kneeling and even on their faces before God, grieved by the sins of the nation.

But I also noticed a large percentage of the crowd that was hungry for positive words. The most jubilant reactions went to a few speakers who glossed over the repentance part and preached only revival, restoration, and power from on high. I believe there is a yearning among Christians to jump straight from where we are now directly back to the good old days, without going through the painful process of deconstructing decades of bad decisions in our nation. It is an understandable feeling, although I fear there is a strong current of denial in it.

When Jonathan Cahn broke the clay jar, the reaction was varied. There were a few gasps. Many people knew what was coming and bore solemn witness to it. But surprisingly, a large portion of the crowd cheered and applauded. If you watch the video closely, even Jonathan Cahn seems stunned by this response. I get that people were trying to affirm the act, but I also got the sense that many people didn’t understand the gravity of what they were seeing and what it meant for the nation and for them personally.

I don’t mention this to criticize my fellow attendees. These were folks who made a long and expensive journey to Washington, D.C., to spend 8 hours kneeling, praying, and worshipping. These are dedicated people! But it is a sign of where we are as a church that even among this passionate group, there is perhaps a lack of awareness of how deep the valley is between two mountaintops.

 

 

Conclusion

Was The Return the event I hoped it would be? — Yes!

Would I go again? — Absolutely, in a heartbeat!

Is it resulting in national revival? — I believe it is one of the first steps, along with many other solemn assemblies that have taken place recently as the Holy Spirit has moved God’s people to prayer. This is only the beginning of something that will take shape in the months and years to come. I believe that those who attended will look back one day and see it as a pivotal moment in America’s spiritual history.

The Return was all about repentance and then revival. We must have the former if we want to see the latter. And when revival comes, we need to embrace whatever God brings our way—whether it is another Great Awakening or something that looks more like the persecuted underground church.

So now, mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of Adonai your God; so Adonai will relent of the calamity that He has pronounced against you.  Jeremiah 26:13, TLV

Photo credit: Images taken from The Return live stream.