Our Lenten Journey continues with a reading and reflection from Psalm 51: 1 Generous in love - God, give grace! Huge in mercy - wipe out my bad record. 2 Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. 3 I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down. 4 You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. 5 I've been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. 6 What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. 7 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life. 8 Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. 9 Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. 10 God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. 11 Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. 12 Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! 13 Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. 14 Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. 15 Unbutton my lips, dear God; I'll let loose with your praise. 16 Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. 17 I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice. (The Message)
There's nothing worse than spilling something on a nice garment. My ties usually end up with more designer touches than when they left the store. My white dress shirts usually have a record of my noon time meals. Don't laugh, I'm not the only one! Or am I? The modern version of the Psalmist's reflections on God's love and action speak to us during our Lenten journey. The wages of sin is death we are taught in the Bible, and the why of Jesus' dying on the cross is precisely because of our sinfulness. Lent is a time when we can reflect not only on God's great love, but on our wickedness and sinfulness. We are called to humble ourselves before God to confess to God those times we chose for ourselves selfishly and wrongfully. Lent is a time to get right with God.
PRAYER: Loving God, I, like many of my garments, stand before you in need of a good soaking in Your laundry. May the stains and smears of sin be washed away and may my soul be made sparkling clean before You. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
