Monday, March 7, 2011

Ash Wednesday - Psalm 51:1-17

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.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of the Lenten season.  The introduction note tells us that Psalm 51 is the prayer of repentance that David wrote after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan.  David had committed sinful actions toward Bathsheba and her husband. See 2 Samuel 11 and 12 for the story.

All of us have fallen short of the ethical and moral behavior that we are called to and that I believe deep down in our soul what we want to do.   When we call out to God for mercy, it is ours … In the Old Testament God says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:34) and in the New Testament God says, 12”For I will be merciful towards their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)  God is serious about forgiveness! 

In many Ash Wednesday services we hear the words 'Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.'   I invite you to ponder these words and listen to this lovely arrangement of a portion of Psalm 51 called Create in Me a Clean Heart.

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