Lent
February 20, 2015

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. — 1 Peter 3:18-22

I am not sure what our scripture’s author is trying to say nor does there seem to be consensus among those better read than I in the meaning and use of the Greek or the subtle references to the flood or circumcision. What this scripture reminded me of was something Jesus said, as quoted in Matthew 23:25-26: ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. Could the author be saying “Woe to you followers of Christ. . .?” Had Christians by the time of this writing reached the point where outward appearance was being substituted for real change?

Baptism does not mean a thing, if it is not meaningful to the person being baptized or the parents dedicating their child at birth or the congregation accepting the responsibility for walking with the adult or child toward their full development as a disciple. If we are just going through the ritual, like taking a shower after a good workout, all we gained is clean skin. Our spiritual health results from creating the sweat not washing it off, albeit we probably don’t want to put up with our old sweat any more than our fellow travelers along the way don’t appreciate it. The real meaning, the real cleansing lies in the development of a good conscience because we are being the best follower of the resurrected Christ we can be.

Sweat is God’s way of removing toxins and other waste from the human body. What toxins or wastes do we each need to purge from our souls during this season of Lent? What plan do we each have to accomplish this tasks and how can we carry our cleansing into the future?

Prayer: 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 me from my sin.
              For I know my transgressions,
              and my sin is ever before me.
             Create in me a clean heart, O God,
             and put a new and right spirit within me. (Psalms 51:1-3, 10) Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.