Lenten Devotion for Tuesday, March 10

Lessons from the Daily Lectionary – Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Psalm 51; Jeremiah 2:1-13, 29-32; Romans 1:16-25; John 4:43-54

Meditation: The texts today are dark. The Penitent Psalm, 51, is full of contrition about sin. In Jeremiah, the rescuing deeds which God had done for Israel in the Exodus are recounted so that the prophet can, in his own day, question a later generation of Israel: “So why did you forsake this good God?” In Romans, we get that central affirmation which Luther claimed as he began the Protestant Reformation: “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” Yet, what follows is the condemnation of the Gentiles whose idolatry had been an offense to God. In our Gospel reading, Jesus laments the lack of better inquisitiveness about his ministry. Instead of recognizing the eternal gift which is present in him, those who meet him wish for a sign or for a momentary miracle.

When I was away at a conference last summer, another pastor asked why we dwell so much on dark tales, on repeated prayers of confession and sin, rather than what is hopeful and energizing in our preaching and liturgy. My first thoughts were to appreciate her point but also to appreciate the opportunities to remind ourselves that an honest appraisal of our actions shows how we fall short of more than just the glory of God. We fall short in the simple ways that we live with one another, day to day. Sometimes these can be found in such things as the forsaking a chore or the failure to speak a kindness or a thank you. Such shortcomings are akin to the larger misdeeds and mistakes which we human beings make. The confession of these may burn. Yet, by doing so, we open our hearts to a different, even new way.

As my pastor friend well suggested, sin is not the compelling issue for our focus in life. God calls us to raise our praise and our hallelujahs. It is an article of faith to shift from confession of wrong to an acceptance of Christ’s forgiveness. In Jeremiah, God is upset with the Israelites for squandering the fulfilled promises of blessings which they had been given. God is so brokenhearted you can feel it in the pit of your stomach. Yet, in the midst of that chasm of separation, we are also given a glimpse of the great passion which is in God for us. By the time Paul writes, the evidence of this passion is undeniable. Jesus’ suffering on the cross is called his “passion.” It is part and parcel of how we see God poured out for Israel earlier in the Bible. A trust in the far reaching efficacy of this passion is what it means to live by faith. From these dark readings there is a call to believe and live the good news. A word from Jesus can bring healing. Amen.

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Prayer: Holy and just God, we do not pray confessions simply to wallow in our sin and misery. We do so because you shine light on us, our deeds, our failures, our misgivings. The harder work of that confession is redemption. The work is in believing that you forgive, that your character is so amazing full of mercy and grace, and that you give the Holy Spirit for transformation. Hear our prayers today, letting us believe Jesus at his word, when he says that we are healed. Amen.