Helen Kinsey: February 28

Week 2 - Psalm 51

Saturday, February 28, 2015

A Reflection on Forgiveness from Helen Kinsey

This psalm of King David had deep meaning for him and has meaning for us as well.  As David says, we are born sinners.  We may be well aware of the sins we commit, such as slandering a neighbor, over-charging for work done, or something as egregious as abusing a husband or wife.  Or, maybe we are not as aware of some sins, such as neglecting a person who is homeless.  David’s deep plea reminds us that we first need to be aware of our sin.

David truly repented of his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband and confessed his sins to God.  The prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin and then assured him that God had forgiven him.  This is a gift that is hard to fathom.  How can we be set free just by sincerely confessing?

As often as we pray the Lord’s prayer, we say, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive others.”  What a powerful cycle!  As God forgives us, forgiveness flows from us to others. That is our response.  Then we can be the ones who understand forgiveness and how it releases our guilt so that we can praise God for his deep and abiding love for us.

And then we are free to go a step further.  Instead of ignoring an indiscretion, we will be eager to help our neighbor with a listening ear, a joyful heart, and a willing spirit.

Can we really understand how awesome God’s love for us is?  Yes, we can, a little more each day as we pray in David’s words:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”

In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen

Jennifer Wills: February 27

Week 2 - Psalm 51

Friday, February 27, 2015

A Reflection on Forgiveness from Jennifer Wills

We are all sinners. We choose wrong actions, willingly or inadvertently, that harm ourselves and others. Whether reneging on a commitment, failing to support a friend, or putting work before family, we all fail at some point.

God always forgives us. We don’t have to jump through hoops or have some elaborate plan to get back into His good graces. Best of all, we don’t have to wait for Him to decide whether we deserve to be forgiven. God forgives us immediately whether we ask Him to or not. He’s our Father and He loves us. Nothing worth having in life is as simple as God’s love for us.

Near the beginning of service at St. Matthew’s, I look forward to being reminded by the pastor that our sins are forgiven. Before communion I enjoy singing about God’s creating a clean heart in us, renewing a right spirit within us, casting us not away from His presence, taking not His Holy Spirit from us, and restoring His salvation to us. 

As I walk along my spiritual path and more fully develop my relationship with God, I find myself more fully committed to following His teachings, yet I still make human mistakes. I feel great comfort in knowing no matter how enormous my past and present mistakes may be, God always forgives me and allows me another chance to follow His word.

Lord, I thank You for Your constant forgiveness when I do wrong. Keep me enveloped in Your loving arms, guiding me in Your ways, and following Your teachings. Amen.

Brian Smith: February 26

Week 2 - Psalm 51

Thursday, February 26, 2015

A Reflection on Forgiveness from Brian Smith

Psalm 51: 7 -- "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."

Growing up on a farm, I distinctly remember getting dirty… very dirty sometimes. Getting dirty was as normal as eating breakfast. As a child, you don't think about it or worry about it. Because you know you can simply clean up afterwards. But then there was this one time when I stumbled waist-deep into a manure pit… about as dirty as you could ever imagine. I think the clothes were unsalvageable -- throw those away. I showered two or three times. But the stench -- the dirty feeling -- would not come off. I felt stained.

Sometimes the things we do can seem so easy to clean up after and make right. Little white lies… promise not to say them again. Small criticisms… look at things from the other person's perspective. Walk past someone in need… I'll give more next time. But sometimes that dirty feeling still does not go away. Sin can make our souls feel stained, too. To get truly clean, to be washed whiter than snow, that is something we as humans are unable to accomplish on our own. We need God's forgiveness of those sins. Only through the sacrifice of Jesus dying on the cross -- as dirty as it can get -- can we truly get clean. As the hymn proclaims:

Jesus paid it all,
 All to Him I owe;
 Sin had left a crimson stain,
 He washed it white as snow.

Wash my sins from me, O Lord. Let me be white as snow once again. Let my soul seek and serve you, during Lent and always. Amen.

Pr. Myron Olson: February 25

Week 2 - Psalm 51 

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

A Reflection on Forgiveness from Pr. Myron Olson

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and the Psalm for that day is Psalm 51. It is a prayer of confession as well as a song of forgiveness.

King David had committed adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11:1-7). In this Psalm he pleads with God to cleanse him from sin’s stain. The image is not one of a superficial wiping away, but one of a deep scrubbing of the soul. The result of David’s confession is a heart made not merely clean, but as white as snow, and then filled with the joy of salvation. David had the courage both to confess and to accept divine forgiveness. David’s prayer assures us that no matter how dark the stain, God can create a clean heart and a right spirit within us. May I suggest that you make this Psalm your daily prayer of personal confession during Lent this year.

It’s also a song to sing—cleansed, we now rejoice (Vs. 10-12). “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free spirit.” We sing two versions of this song at non-Communion services (ELW hymns 185 and 186). May I also suggest that you take this Psalm as your daily song of restored joy this Lenten season.

O Lord, give us not only the courage to confess our brokenness, but also the courage to accept your renewing of our spirits. Amen