Psalm-light for Lent V, 2021

Psalm 51: 1-13

 “Purge me from my sin,
and I shall be pure;
wash me,
and I shall be clean indeed.”        Psalm 51: 8

Speaking of sin can be perilous. In the popular imagination of the culture, the Church is preoccupied with sin, to the point of losing our credibility. You’ve likely heard people joke, “If it’s fun, it’s probably sinful.” In reality, the Church is very “care-full” in speaking about human sin and brokenness, calling us to repentance out of God’s love and compassion, not judgement and rejection. The Good News of God begins with God’s good creation and God’s sacrificial love for the world and everyone in it; a love so deep, faithful and committed that our Lord would suffer and die on a Roman Cross, to overcome all that separates us from our Creator, one another, and our true selves.

Notice the language in the Psalm. The Psalmist is humbly asking for God’s help to forgive and make life new. This is no “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” exercise: somehow making yourself worthy of a love you could never earn, and yet is ours as a gift! It is an openness to the grace of forgiveness mending what sin has broken; healing what has been injured; freeing what has been held down; uncovering what needs to be bathed in the Light. As Christians, the images of water remind us of our Baptism into Christ, and the new life of mercy and grace we find in him. Baptism is an unrepeatable sacrament, but its meaning and importance needs to be renewed in us again and again. Our journey of Lent and the joy of Easter is such a time!

 Walking in the light:
In preparing for the Eucharist (either virtual or in-person) take some time to reflect on your life. Are there areas where the grace of forgiveness is particularly needed at this time? Share that in prayer with God. When you join in the words of the General Confession, do so with that particular intention in mind. Hear the words of Absolution as God’s gracious gift to you through Jesus the Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. How will you live now as a forgiven person?

Submitted by Archdeacon Peter Crosby