Ash Wednesday
Notes
Transcript
Each year we come to this season and look and talk about how it is a time of repentance and preparation. Last year I talked about Lent being like testing of a the severe weather system in the area. They test the system to ensure it works when something does happen. For us, Lent is an opportunity to look at our emergency sirens of our faith. It is a time to repent and to spend time in our spiritual disciplines growing closer to God.
Speaking of repentance, that is what King David is doing in this text this morning. This text takes place after King David has committed a great sin. If you remember, King David had an affair with Bathsheba. She was married and so was the king. Bathsheba became pregnant with David’s child and David created a plan to make Bathsheba’s husband think it was his. When that plan did not work, he sent Uriah back to the war with a letter having the commanders put Uriah on the front line to ensure his death.
This psalm comes after the prophet talks to King David about his sins. David realizes how grave a sin he had committed and turns to God repenting and seeking forgiveness. It is a great text to remind us of the need of repentance. Here is one of God’s appointed and anointed repenting. Crying out to the Lord to have mercy on him. David wants to be cleansed cleaned. He desires purification by God.
Think about that purification, this means to remove all contaminants. To be purified is to have all impurities removed from something. So, David is asking for all imperfections to be removed. David desires to be washed cleaned of his sin against God.
Have you ever cried out like David in this text? I know you know your sinful nature, but when was the last time that you cried out to God seeking forgiveness and asking for God’s mercy? When was the last time you asked God to remove all the things that contaminate you? When was the last time that you lifted your sins to God with your whole heart? A lot of times when we lift our sins to God we just say, God forgive me of my sins. I’m sorry and I’ll try not to do that again. There is no heart in our request. There, probably, is little truth to our “trying” not to do it again. We typically do not name the sin exactly, like forgive me for being angry with my spouse, help me to control my anger. Forgive me for not using words that build up my brothers and sisters, increase my vocabulary so that my words are for genuine building up of the body of Christ. When was the last time you named your sins in such a way that God knows exactly what you are asking forgiveness for and sees how you intend to learn and grow from you mistakes.
This is what it means to repent during this season, but that is not the only area we need to repent. After reading this text this week and studying it something was pointed out in a commentary. Think about the story of King David. We all know he sinned against God but we miss at times that his sin hurt other human beings too. HIs sin hurt Bathsheba, it hurt Uriah, and it hurt the unborn child of David and Bathsheba. Yet, not once to we hear of David going to these people and asking for forgiveness from them. No, instead he plots the murder of one. That murder creates the cover-up for his marriage to a mourning widow. And not once does he look at his child and say I am sorry. David’s search for repentance is focused at one source and not at all those whom he harmed.
Friends, the same can be said about us at times. We tend to think of sinning as against God and only God but with that thought we make a major mistake without even realizing it. A lot of times when we sin against God there are others involved in our sins and we hurt them just as much as we upset God. We need to seek forgiveness from them too. We need to repent of our sins agains them along with repenting to God. Remember in , Jesus says if your brother or sister has anything against first go to them and make things right before you make your offering. We must first seek repentance and forgiveness from those whom we hurt before we can truly seek it from God.
This Lent I invite you to begin to seek forgiveness by repenting not only to God but to those whom you have sinned against. Make your relationships right. Jesus also says in to become friends with your opponents on the way to court so that they will not have the judge hall you off. Seeking forgiveness from others corrects our relationships with them. It gives us the fullest opportunity to be judged with justice. It gives us the opportunity to offer our whole and complete being to be purified like David is asking for in the text today.
I would challenge you not to wait to repent or seek forgiveness because we are not promised tomorrow. In a moment we will be reminded of our mortality with the imposition of ashes and hearing the words from dust you came and to dust you will return. It is a reminder of the brevity of our life. I stand hear tonight reminded of that as a close friend of mine passed away suddenly Monday morning. He was only a year older than me, with a young son, just a year older than Lilah and his wife. I have been reflecting a lot on our time together here on earth knowing I will see him again but am reminded we are not promised tomorrow. So, do not hold off till tomorrow what you can do today. Don’t hold off repenting of your sins to those you have sinned against because you may not get the chance if you do.
But, even among all this pain, repenting, and recognizing our mortality, we can find hope. We know what happens at the end of Lent. We know the joy and hope that happens on Easter Sunday. As the resurrected Christ stands before the grave and tells the women to go and tell the disciples. While Lent is solemn because of what happens on Good Friday, Sunday is coming and the tomb will be empty. But, let us arrive at that empty tomb with forgiven and repented joyful hearts.