In the name of the Father and of + the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Friends in Christ,
Today is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday has historically marked the beginning of the season of Lent, the time of the Church where we focus upon our Lord's work for us. His sinless life in the midst of sin and tempation, His suffering, His death and ultimately His resurrection.
On Ash Wednesday, the Church has always called believers to repentance, sorrow over sin and recognize their need for God's mercy and grace. The name, "Ash Wednesday" reminds us of the historic rite called the "imposition of ashes." The ashes from the palms used in the former years Palm Sunday procession were used to "make the sign of the holy cross upon your forehead." This sign of the cross made in ashes reminds us of our human fraility and mortality due to our sin and rebellion. Yet, made in the sign of a cross and placed upon our foreheads, reminds us of our baptisms, where we have been clothed with Christ, granted forgiveness of sins and the certain hope of eternal life.
The annually appointed Psalm for Ash Wednesday is Psalm 51. Psalm 51 is the cry of King David after his grevious sins against the sixth commandment with Bathsheba, and against the fifth commandment against her husband Uriah.
If you have time today, read Psalm 51, Luther's commentary and the prayer. There you will notice many familair sections, many of which we have sung over and over in worship for hundreds of years. Tonight as you come to church, notice the singing of Psalm 51 by both the adult and confirmation choirs, especially verses 10-12.
If you are at prayer and don't know what to pray, the words of Psalm 51 that many of you know by heart are always very fitting.
"Create in me a clean heart O God. And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence nor take Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to Me, the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen." Psalm 51:10-12
We will spend the next week or even two meditating upon this Psalm.
2 comments:
The Gospel portion of this sure makes me think of the heaven I inherited at Baptism
Look at Luther's commentary:
"In this psalm, as nowhere else, it is clearly shown that sin is an inheritance, born in us, and that no works can help us against it, only God's grace and forgiveness."
Oh my, how we don't like free gifts! Well, we don't mind free gifts from one another, but for some reason, we don't want free gifts from God! We want to work for our forgiveness, work for grace, work for heaven and work for eternal life. We say, "He's such a good Christian." Or "I've never met a nicer person in my life."
Well, unfortunately, no matter how "good" or "nice" a person is, he or she has still inherited sin, sin which originated from Adam and Eve which sticks to us like Gorilla Glue. So we "good" and "nice" people kill and commit adultry like King David. We hate people, lie, cheat and steal in our "good" and "nice" little ways. We tell dirty jokes with the best of intentions and withhold the truth while looking sincere. Indeed, our works at best are as filthy rags.
But this Psalm is not there to blister you with the law. It is there to sooth your conscience with the Gospel. For even though King David was a "good" sinner, one brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin, our gracious God restored unto him the joy of His salvation.
Yes, its called grace. Undeserved love and mercy. This Psalms sets Christ before our eyes as the one who bore the kings sins, your sins and mine. Our filthy, sinful bodies are washed in Christ's blood and made white as snow, white as wool.
So Timmy is right. The Gospel portion of Psalm 51 does remind us of our Baptisms. The place Christ forgave us, united Himself with us, and dressed us with white robes, good robes, righteous robes.
While we are still poor sinners and good for nothing, Christ has wrapped Himself around us. He was good for us, perfect, sinless.
"Afterward, when by grace and the Spirit we have again become new, then we not only learn how to praise, but actually thank and praise God..."
Indeed, thanks be to God this Lententide for His grace through Christ.
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