February 17th - Reflection

Reading
Ash Wednesday
Psalm 51:1-17 (NRSV)
Plea for mercy

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.

You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Reflection
My sin...MY sin...how it is ever before me...especially the sins I know of...my sin ever before me...even the ones I'm not aware of...my sin.

How do I escape my sin? I don't...I can't...I've tried and nothing works...even in my passion to try to escape my sin, I sin. God comes to me in human flesh and blood. God comes to me in and through Jesus. God comes to me in creation. God comes to me as Father. God comes to me in Love. God comes to me in Spirit. I can't escape my sin in or through my own effort. Only God can permit me to escape my sin.

And even in the escape of my sin through Jesus sacrifice of self, I don't escape the impact of my sin on myself and others. We all feel sin...our own...and the sin of others. We all experience sin.

But thanks be to God, we can go to God and humbly repent and turn to God and God will forgive my sin. And I can go to another and forgive their sin. And that's when a wonderful transformation begins. Even in the presence of sin a transformation begins.

God uses me, a sinful man. God uses me a sinful, forgiven man. God uses me and fills me with the Spirit and calls me and sends me, a sinful, forgiven man. God takes me, what was nothing more than a worm, nothing more than trash for the trash heap, and transforms my will and way to do God's will.

In joy, I go to God and humbly seek forgiveness. I face my sin. I live the consequences of my sin. But I also reap the wonderful joy of God's forgiveness and live an ever changing, new life of transformation into life in God, my creator, redeemer and teacher...today...tomorrow...and forever. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, today I come to you realizing my sin. As I feel that course ash of palm leaves ground into my forehead this day, may I feel the consequence and pain that my sin brings to this world and those in it and humbly repent. I know that I am dust and to dust I will return. But I also know that I am a Child of God and am saved by Your Love and blood. Transform my life and take me this day, I pray. ---Amen