Ash Wednesday
February 26, 2020
Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-17
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,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgement.
Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me. –Psalm 51:3-5
Do we know our transgressions? The above scripture is attributed to David after his affair with Bathsheba. We all can recall something we have done that made us miss the mark God set for us. Most of us probably were aware that the actions we were drawn too would separate us from God before we committed it. I think each time we deal with any of the temptations of life it paves the way for us to slip further down the rabbit hole of more and more temptations which eventually do not seem like temptations at all. These are our sins of commission which usually catch up with us and we must face the consequences of those actions. I see God’s rules as being designed to help us avoid such mistakes.
I fear though that many of us who follow the laws of government and Bible and seek to avoid the traps of temptation fail at recognizing our sins of omission. In Matthew 25, Jesus does not assert that we will be judge by doing the things we know we should not do. Jesus tells us we will be judged primarily by not doing the things we should do. Feed the hungry, clothe the poor, etc. In other words, love one another.
Today as we begin the journey of Lent, we must also begin a time of self-evaluation and yes we need to curb our sins of commission but more importantly we need to get on with the business of being Christ’s disciples in the world today loving the world to wholeness.
Prayer: Lord, guide us as we pursue recognition of our transgressions. Forgive us and show us the better way of love. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.