Standing our Ground

Scripture Ephesians 6:10-20     (CEB)

10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and his powerful strength. 11 Put on God’s armor so that you can make a stand against the tricks of the devil. 12 We aren’t fighting against human enemies but against rulers, authorities, forces of cosmic darkness, and spiritual powers of evil in the heavens. 13 Therefore, pick up the full armor of God so that you can stand your ground on the evil day and after you have done everything possible to still stand. 14 So stand with the belt of truth around your waist, justice as your breastplate, 15 and put shoes on your feet so that you are ready to spread the good news of peace. 16 Above all, carry the shield of faith so that you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

18 Offer prayers and petitions in the Spirit all the time. Stay alert by hanging in there and praying for all believers. 19 As for me, pray that when I open my mouth, I’ll get a message that confidently makes this secret plan of the gospel known. 20 I’m an ambassador in chains for the sake of the gospel. Pray so that the Lord will give me the confidence to say what I have to say.

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I don’t know about you, but when I think of armor I tend to think of the knights of the middle ages - that whole full body suit made of iron that required a Percheron to carry into battle, the kind they wore for jousting and such.  But that wasn’t invented until about the 14th century.  It is not what the Roman soldiers of the first century would have worn.  Their armor was pretty much what Paul describes - a belt, a breastplate, shoes, a helmet, and a shield.  They carried a short sword and a javelin.  Their armor was to protect them from the enemies of the Empire - who was pretty much everyone they had conquered or hoped to conquer.  They were most likely to come up against people who used similar arms, or other distance weapons such as bows and arrows,  and slingshots.  Their method of fighting is still renowned - they would gather in square, shields forming a wall of protection against those slingshots, arrows and spears, working as a team.  This was greatly successful against armies who focused more on individual battle than team work - obviously, as they conquered most of the known world.  

But God’s empire is not like the Roman Empire.  And a different kind of empire requires a different kind of armor.  Paul used imagery the people of his churches, in the Roman Empire, would understand, but named the parts in such a way that it was clear this armor was different.  It wasn’t intended to repel physical weapons, but spiritual ones.  It wasn’t intended to be used by soldiers to conquer the world for an earthly emperor, but to conquer evil on behalf of our heavenly Lord.  The sword wasn’t intended to be used to defeat and enslave humans, but to defeat sin and liberate humanity.   We can be pretty sure that Paul was not talking about a literal sword, because we remember from Matthew 26, that when Jesus was arrested, “one of those with him put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.  And Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”   Rather, Paul was telling the people of Ephesus that they needed to stand their ground, to be faithful to the truth they had been taught about Jesus and about God, and resist the temptation to just be like everyone else they knew.  It was a hard time to be a Christian.  They were persecuted.  They were harassed and tormented by their neighbors and suppressed by the authorities.  There were no equal rights in the first century Roman Empire.  There were no protections for religious minorities as we have today - and Christians were definitely a religious minority in that time and place.  It would have been so much easier for them to just go back to the way they used to be.  And Paul knew that.

Yesterday, at the Bringing Broken Neighborhoods Back to Life Block Party, while talking to a young woman about preaching I said something like, “We use the same scriptures over and over that have always been used, but each time I use any given passage I have a different message because the world has changed since last time I preached it.”   And I imagined that the preacher in the next booth was thinking,  “What is she saying?  The message never changes!”   And I say to you, my brothers and sisters, he is right.   The message is always the same - but the way we preach that message has to change with the situation in which we are living.   It’s been said that every preacher really only has one sermon.  And I believe that is probably true.  My message is the love commandment - that the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our being, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  But each time I preach, even though I am pretty much preaching this one thing every single Sunday, it is important to acknowledge what is going on in the world around us.  It is important to see the changes that affect our lives.  It is important to look at where evil is attacking from - because while evil never changes, it’s weapons do.

But you know,  the message does change a bit from time to time.  As the centuries pass, the understanding of what is and is not love, and who is and isn’t acceptable in God’s eyes, changes.  And so the message changes. There was a time when ministers  preached that slavery was perfectly acceptable because Paul spoke of how owners should treat their slaves.  There was a time when preachers would rail against the idea of a woman standing in a pulpit because Paul said women should not teach men.  (OK, that one still gets preached, but not as much as it used to be.)  There are still topics that are hotly contested - who can be saved, who can be in leadership in the churches, whether the Bible needs to be taken literally (and if so, which translation must be used) - and I pray that if we ever come to a point of agreement on any of those things, that our agreement will all on the side of love, the side of acceptance, the side of inclusion.  There is a reason this congregation believes that All means ALL  . . . 

Today we know that, as sad as it may be, we cannot always trust the people standing in these pulpits.  It is not just a Catholic problem.  It is universal.  It exists in every denomination and every religion.  Too often, when people are given authority and trust just because they happen to have a certain title, the temptation to abuse that trust and that authority will be overwhelming.  And so we, too, who are the leaders, must put on our armor, and stand our ground and resist the evil that tempts us.

And so our armor changes. Instead of looking like a Roman soldier, we may look more like Iron Man.   Iron Man is actually a pretty good example - an arms manufacturer who decided to change his life and fight for justice instead of striving for more power and wealth.  His armor had to stand up against those who opposed him, even within his own company, who wanted him to return to the way he had been before - before he had his change of heart.  They wanted him to stop standing firm for the right, so what did he do?  He joined with others like him, to defend the defenseless and to fight evil in every form.  He could not stand alone - but neither could the Roman soldier - neither could the Christians in Ephesus.  They had to lock shields with one another and stand their ground in community against the temptations of their world.

So do we.  That’s why we come together here, in community.  Because even though we can be Christian alone, we cannot stand our ground alone as well as we can in community.  Without others to lock shields with, without others to watch our back, and hold us up when we are weak, we will fall back into the way we used to be.  Like - I lost 30 pounds and stopped being careful about diet and exercise and gained it all back.  And now I don’t want to face my doctor.   The same thing happens with any change we make for the good.  Without others to help us stand our ground, we will give in to evil, we will give in to the temptations that surround us daily - on TV and in the movies and on the internet and Messenger and Snapchat and Instagram and Tumblr and all the others - the temptation to be perfect (even though we know we can’t be), the temptation to somehow acquire all things we think everyone else has, the temptation to judge others because so many others are talking trash about them, the temptation to give in to anger and hate - all of these things are right there, right outside the door. . .

But with a community to support and love us,  we can become the people that God wants us to be.  When we put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness,  when we take up the shield of faith and lock shields with our sisters and brothers, when we are wearing the helmet of salvation, then we can put on our shoes and carry the sword of the Good News of our Lord and God.  

When we go from this place, let us go fully armored, as part of this community of faith, as  part of the whole body of Christ.  When we find temptation, and we will, let us stand our ground, with the strength of God surrounding us, with his holy name protecting us.  For there is strength in the name of the Lord.

My brothers and sisters, please stand and sing with me “There is Strength in the Name of the Lord.”

Getting high on God

Scripture Ephesians 5:15-20  (CEB)

15 So be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly. 16 Take advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times. 17 Because of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will. 18 Don’t get drunk on wine, which produces depravity. Instead, be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: 19 speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts; 20 always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

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You know, I  think, that I select the scripture reading and sermon title and the hymn that follows the sermon two in advance.   And sometimes I find something that works for the art then, and sometimes it waits until the week I will be preaching.  This week when I plugged in the words “Getting high on God” and found lots of pics of Rostafarians and hippies smoking giant joints, I realized that my title could perhaps be misunderstood.  After all, Google has no way of knowing that I titled it this way because my focus is on verses 18 and 19, “be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: 19 speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts.”    

This congregation is filled with musical talents.  I mean, most  Disciples congregations do music pretty well.  It’s been said that when members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) get together we do two things really well - food and music.  But this congregation in particular is filled with musically gifted people, so when we  have special music, it really is special.  We have the Raisin Tooters and the Pentecost Band, an exceptional choir, and visiting performers who are professionals in their fields.  And every week we have greatly talented musicians moving us with their skill on organ and piano.   When we worship every Sunday, our combined voices soar to God like incense on the breeze.  And I don’t know about you, but every time we sing certain songs, my heart is so filled that joy runs down my cheeks in the shape of tears.   

Not everyone is a wonderful singer.  I have been in congregations where people actually cringe when the choir stands to sing because of that one person who sings lustily and off key every time.  And they all turn to each other and say, “God only requires that we make a joyful noise.  And she certainly is joyful when she sings.”   

All of creation makes joyful noise to our God.  Birds sing their hearts out for the sheer joy of singing.  And some sound so lovely - the melodic songs of the lark and the nightingale, the sweet coo of the dove, even the twitter of sparrows can make us smile.   There are others, however, like the crow and the jay, who voices are not as pleasing to our ears, but whose full throated song rises joyfully to please God.

Paul says, . . . “be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly.  Take advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times.”  And indeed, these are evil times.  That, however, can be said of pretty much all times throughout history.  Every time has its own particular evils that rise to gain our attention.   Paul knew that, because he had studied the history of his own people - the stories we call the Old Testament.  War and famine, enslavement and oppression have plagued humanity from forever.  As Paul’s congregations looked around at all of that, and the persecution they faced, it would have been easy for them to fall prey to depression and apathy.  “There’s nothing we can do, so we may as well just give up.”  We are in the same boat in many ways.  It seems like there is so much going on in the world that is hard to accept.  So much hunger.  So much anger.  It would be easy to give up trying to make a difference.  It would be easy to give in to feelings of despair.   But Paul says “Because of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will.”  And the Lord’s will is that we transform the world into God’s kingdom on earth, a place where love and mercy are paramount, and justice flows like a river.

How do we do that?  How do we transform ourselves, and the world?  Paul says, be grateful.  “always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  When we look for the good in every thing, when we become grateful for all the things that come into our lives, we are transformed.  It is easy to be like Eeyore, finding the negative in situations. Eeyore says,  “Poor me.  My tail has fallen off.”  But if Eeyore were to say, “Happy me!  I have friends who help me find my tail and put it back on” he would be a totally different person.  Likewise, we must seek the good in situations.  There will be terrible things that happen, and sometimes there is no good to be found in those situations.  But mostly, there is.  And seeking what is positive instead of embracing the negative will change our entire outlook.  

That is the difference between Psalm 137 and so many of the others.  Psalm 137 says: 

By the rivers of Babylon—

    there we sat down and there we wept

    when we remembered Zion. . . 

How could we sing the Lord’s song

    in a foreign land? . . .

O daughter Babylon, you devastator!

  Happy shall they be who pay you back

    what you have done to us!

Happy shall they be who take your little ones

    and dash them against the rock!

The people in exile in Babylon were angry and unhappy, and that is totally understandable.  But if they were to transform their world, they would need to transform their attitude.  Instead of this song, they would sing psalm 100:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

    Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come into his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he that made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Paul says to the people of Ephesus, sing!  Even in the midst of evil, even in the midst of oppression, even in the midst of terrible persecution. Sing!   “speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts.”   

Paul says to us, be filled with the Spirit! Give thanks and praise to God all the time, even in terrible situations.  Maybe you know Pastor Joe Alvarez, of the Iglesia Antioquia (Church of Antioch), the Spanish congregation at Valley Life Community Church.  He never enters a room or situation without proclaiming loudly, “Praise the living God!”  Even when he is terrible pain.  Even when things are not going well in his personal life.  Even when we are facing difficulties in our city.  Always, Pastor Joe will say “Praise the living God!”   And I admire him for that.    I can’t do that out loud, like he does.  I’m quieter than that. Even when I am feeling very Spirit filled, I am quieter than that.  But it’s the feeling, and the sharing of that gratitude and praise that is important.  

Paul says Sing!  

In the midst of a divided nation, sing.  

In the midst of anger over every single thing, sing!  

In the midst of fear about the future, sing!  

Let the Spirit fill your heart!   

Make a joyful noise.  

Lift up your heart and soul and all of your being! 

It is totally counter intuitive.  It makes no sense whatsoever.  But it is what we are called to do.  Give thanks to God for every thing, in Jesus name.  Speak to each other in the words of psalms, in songs and hymns.  Sing!

Amen.

Embracing the New

Scripture   Ephesians 4:25-5:2 Common English Bible (CEB)    

25 Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor because we are parts of each other in the same body. 26 Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. 27 Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil. 28 Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need.

29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.30 Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. 32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.

5 Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. 2 Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God.

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Last week we talked about forsaking the old ways, asking God’s forgiveness for our sins and transgressions, and looking to live life differently.  Today’s reading is specifically about how to be better people - how to embrace the new life in Christ that we have been given. 

Paul’s instructions in this passage seem to be pretty much no-brainer.  Be truthful.  Be angry without sinning.  Don’t steal.  Watch what you say.   We got this, right?   Maybe.  Maybe not.  

I get the “Still Speaking” daily devotional from the United Church of Christ which is based in the lectionary reading for the day. Today’s was written about this particular reading and the writer’s perspective was rather different, and very timely.    Rev. Quinn Caldwell addressed the first two verses of today’s reading, saying, “Paul did not do a good job of anticipating the Internet. Like, I'm not blaming him or anything, but let's just be honest that he really failed to see Facebook coming. All his advice is given to people who are looking each other in the eye. What would he say about how to engage on Facebook, or Twitter, where you can easily be in electronic relationship with thousands upon thousands of people you will never meet in person? "Speak the truth"—OK, that's pretty clear, I guess, maybe. But "speak the truth in love"? What does love look like in the middle of a Twitter flame war or Facebook showdown? Is it always patient, kind, understanding—or is it sometimes a smackdown?”  

He has a pretty good point.  I mean, some people have a hard time speaking the truth with love in person, but when they get online . . . and it doesn’t even have to be about anything big, or political, or religious. I posted a picture of a cat sitting beneath my hummingbird feeder, which I thought was cute.  Almost immediately people began attacking me, with great anger, because I was using red hummingbird food.  I was not aware of any problems with red hummingbird food prior to that moment, and OK, I understand they had a concern they wanted to express.  But I think “speaking truth in love” would sound less like, “You horrible person!  That red food is killing the hummingbirds!” and more like, “Studies suggest that red dye in hummingbird food may cause liver problems.  You can make your own, healthier hummingbird food of sugar and water.”   Both of these statements are true, well, except for the horrible person part, but verily I say to you, my brothers and sisters, my reaction to the latter is way more reasoned than my reaction to the former.   Remember when we used to tell our children “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything”?  That works on Facebook, and Twitter, and all the other social media.  And in person.  Speak as you would be spoken to.  Speak truth in love.  

There are those who would say it is always wrong to be angry.  But Paul seems to feel differently.  “Be angry without sinning,” he says.  “Don’t let the sun set on your anger.  Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil.”  Rev. Caldwell disagreed, in part, noting that  “anyone who's ever been engaged in a heated conversation online [or in person] knows that sometimes sleeping on it is a way better strategy than responding immediately.”   One of the techniques I was taught for dealing with anger is to write a letter to the person I am angry with and not mail it, for at least 24 hours.  Often I would discover that I wasn’t nearly as angry in the morning light as I had been in the moment.  I would usually be able to tear up my letter, and address whatever the issue was more calmly and reasonably than if I had spoken out at the time.  

“Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work”.  Paul said that they should then use their income to help others.  And they should.  But I know that getting a job doesn’t necessarily end the stealing.  I have known people to “help” their church by donating office supplies “liberated” from their place of employment, or providing pirated software for the church computer, or by thinking copyright laws don’t apply to church music.  Don’t do those things.  All of those things are stealing, and no part of the Christian life. 

“Don’t let foul words come out of your mouth.”  OK, that sounds pretty clear.  Watch your language!  An admonition that I need to remember more often than I want to admit.  However, is that what it really means?  Because the next sentence is “Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.”  We are back to “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything”, I think. 

What Paul is really addressing here is conflict resolution.  You see, there were some significant conflicts in the churches in Ephesus.  Every church has some conflict, and most of that conflict even from the very beginning of Christianity has been between “We have always done it this way,” and “Let’s do this new thing!”  Do people have to be circumcised (the old way) or not (the new way.)  Do we have to follow the dietary restrictions (the old way) or not (the new way.)  Do we want pews (the old way) or chairs we can use in different configurations (the new way).  Sometimes conflicts are over personalities - Apollos versus Paul.  Sometimes the conflicts were over how to interpret what Paul had taught.  Regardless of what the conflict was about, Paul was trying to teach folks how to deal with conflict, saying “Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil.  Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.” 

Chances are pretty good that we here at First Christian Church in Selma are going to engage in some difficult discussions in the not too distant future.  This week many of the people who you have elected to leadership positions will be meeting with a representative of the Board of Church Extension in Indianapolis to talk about our financial situation - which is not good - and possible choices for our future as a church.  Then we will start talking about those possibilities - all of us together.  And when we start talking about those things, we need to do so with open minds and hearts.  We will need to take into our hearts these words from Paul - who knew a thing or two about dealing with conflict.  “Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.”  

Embracing the new life in Christ that we have been blessed with means changing the way we think about things, and the way we respond to things.  We start thinking about what is best for all people, not just what benefits me, or us right here.  We start reaching out to make life better for all people, not just for our own folks.  We ask ourselves how we can best serve all of Selma instead of how we can best serve First Christian.  Jesus did not tell us to just love some people.  He told us to love our neighbors, and then he told us the neighbor was the Samaritan, the enemy, the person we would never normally allow into our homes.   

Paul told the folks in Ephesus, and us, “…imitate God, like dearly loved children.  Live your life with love, following the example of Christ who loved us and gave himself for us.”  When we go from this place today, let us do as Paul directs.  Let us follow the example of Christ, loving others and giving ourselves for others, as Jesus gave himself for us.  Let us embrace a new life, a new way of being.   Let every day be a new day in Christ, a new day in love, a day to embrace the new way of living.  

Forsaking the Old Ways

Scripture  Psalm 51:1-12     (NRSV)

1  Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.

4 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.

5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
    a sinner when my mother conceived me.

6 You desire truth in the inward being;
    therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
    and do not take your holy spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and sustain in me a willing spirit.

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According to my Bible, this is the psalm David wrote after the prophet Nathan came to him with the story of the ewe lamb the rich man had stolen from the poor man - a parable he told so that David would understand the severity of his crime against Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, and also against God.  David suddenly understood what he had done as something other than just self-indulgence, but as actions that were not only against the Law, but greatly offensive to God.  His lust, his abuse of the privilege he held as king, his murder of an innocent man so that he could claim Uriah’s wife for himself, all of these sins were abhorrent to God and, quite frankly, to us, the readers of these stories.   We hear it said that David was greatly loved by God, and we wonder, because we know how sinful David was.  We know this story!  As well as many others told in Samuel and Kings and Chronicles.  How, we wonder, could such a flawed person continue to be God’s beloved? 

This psalm goes a long way toward explaining that.  Yes, he sinned.  He sinned egregiously against God, against Uriah and Bathsheba, and against the Laws of his people, the Laws God gave to Moses.  He was guilty of more than just unethical abuse of power.  He committed rape, adultery, and murder, and he forced others to participate in his sin, because he was, after all the king, and his orders and “invitations” could not be refused.  Perhaps he didn’t think about the severity of what he was embarking on when he told his men to go, get Bathsheba and bring her to him so he could enjoy an afternoon’s dalliance with a lovely woman.  But when he did finally realize the evil of that one, selfish action, he repented.  And then he cried out:

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 from me 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,

Coming before God to proclaim his sins and ask forgiveness, David was forgiven.  David remained greatly beloved of God, a man after God’s own heart.  And so it is for all of us.  

David said, “Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.”  And this we still believe, for we know humans are inherently prone to error.  We have to work at doing what is right, and avoiding the wrong.  I grew up believing that my sinfulness was so deeply a part of who I was that there was no chance of heaven.  Even as a small child, confessing to the terrible sin of talking back to my mother, I knew that I was going to spend thousands of years being punished in Purgatory before I would ever know the joy of being in God’s presence.  It is, perhaps, no wonder that I left that church, rejecting God and God’s people.  It is probably not surprising that I chose to do whatever I felt like, since it really didn’t matter whether I was good or bad.  I believed I was going to Hell no matter what I did, and that was that.   It wasn’t until I was taught about a loving, caring and (especially) forgiving God in a 12 Step program that I started to believe that I too, like David, was a beloved child of God.   I had already made a decision to change my life, to give up the drugs and alcohol and other unacceptable behaviors.  But once I had God in my life - even before I returned to church - I was able to give up so much more than just the behaviors.  Once I was able to turn to God, I was able to give up the resentments, the anger, the things that drove me to that life I had been living.  I was able to forsake my old ways.  I was able to confess my transgressions and ask God to forgive me.

Giving up the old ways isn’t a small thing. It’s not simply a decision that one makes one day, and then it’s done.

It’s a process.

Not a once and done thing, but a daily struggle that becomes a daily part of life, snd soon, not a struggle at all.

But the decision to make that change is more than merely something that feels like a good idea at the time. 

It’s like an explosion in which suddenly your soul is freed from the claws of the way it’s always been - of bad decisions and guilt and giving up because you will never get it right, or be good enough. . . 

It’s that moment of epiphany when you become aware that you are free,

Like this dove exploding from its cage.

Many here will have grown up in the church, and never left, and never indulged in the sorts of unacceptable behavior that David did, or that I did.  Many here came to their baptism with a pretty clean heart to begin with.  For others, there may be (or have been) something that is (or was) a struggle.  There may be feelings of guilt or pain, resentment or simmering anger, of inadequacy, of worthlessness.   We may even feel guilty for feeling these things!  For all of us, I suspect, there are aspects of ourselves we would like to improve or change, in order to be more acceptable to God.  And so we read further in the psalm, to share David’s greatest desire, 

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.

How do we do this?   How do we make the changes that will accept that clean heart, and right spirit?  About 600 years ago, Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, wrote a series of Spiritual Exercises.  The very first of those exercises is called the Particular Examination of Conscience to be Made Every Day.  In this exercise one focuses on a particular sin or defect and makes note throughout the day of how well that feeling or behavior was avoided, or not.  The object is not to say “Oh, look how bad I am.”  Rather, this practice enables us to say to ourselves “Look at my improvement!”   It is the same thing we do when we change the way we eat, or add particular exercises to our lives, or any other major lifestyle change, if we want to be successful at that new thing.  When Leah started running, she didn’t berate herself because she could only run a short distance.  She measured today against yesterday, and celebrated every improvement.   When she doesn’t do as well as she would like, she makes the determination to do better tomorrow.  When I do this daily Spiritual exercise, I can look at it and see what I did well, and what I need to work on.  So, today I did not indulge in yelling at other drivers even one time.  Yay!  Today I only ate one cupcake, not all of them.  Yay!  Today I remembered to tell my friend how special she is to me.  And if I didn’t do very well today, there is always tomorrow.

It is a given that we will sin.  That we will make mistakes.  That we will trespass against others in one way or another.  We are human, and prone to error.  But, just as David was forgiven, and remained God’s beloved child, so too are we forgiven.  When we forsake our old ways, ask God’s forgiveness, and go forward with a willing spirit to make the changes that are necessary each day, God will create in us a clean heart, a new heart.   A heart that is dedicated to loving God, and teaching others the Good News of God’s love, compassion and especially, God’s forgiveness - the Good News that we have learned from God’s beloved son, our brother, Jesus the Christ.