Renew A Right Spirit Within Me
Truth in posting disclosure - This was to be my sermon/message for Ash Wednesday, but we got snowed out again. Figured I'd share this with my half-dozens of readers for your amusement.
After I was confirmed, when I was a teenager, I did not like the worship services when we received Communion. It was ironic that after two years of classes, of studying and of education, now that I was able to receive the body and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ, I did not like those services. I could not figure out why. I thought maybe it was because I did not feel worthy of receiving communion, that I wasn’t “good enough.” But that wasn’t it. Maybe I was afraid I would make a mistake, and go forward when I should not, or that I would drop or spill something. But that wasn’t it.
It was not until I returned back to St. John after having spent way too long away from the church. Our family’s “assigned seats” were on the far right of the sanctuary as you looked from the back, right across the aisle from where the organist was. After I had been back and attending worship for a while, I asked our organist, Heidi, why we never sang, “Create in me a clean heart.” She told me that it wasn’t an option for when you have communion in either of the settings out of the green hymnal.
That’s when I realized why I did not like the communion services. I missed that hymn. When I was growing up, we used the red book, the Service Book and Hymnal, and we always sang “Create in me” every week, whether we received communion or not. I always enjoyed that hymn, both its melody and its message. I think while singing it was the first time I realized a song, a hymn, could be a prayer. I missed, and still miss, that hymn.
It is actually a partial paraphrase of the Psalm that we read at the beginning of this service. Psalm 51 is one of the seven penitential Psalms written by the Psalter, and it is one of the few that speaks specifically about the sins of the individual, and not the sins of the community or of the people of Israel. It has been used as the source of liturgical writings, Christian doctrine and theological understandings. It has been lifted up an eloquent example of intense self-awareness and a deep understanding of the relationship between God and humanity.
It begins by acknowledging and recognizing that the forgiveness of sin is dependant upon the grace of God. ‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.’ [Psalm 51.1] The Psalter begins by asking God for mercy, and appeals to God’s love and mercy. It is not just acknowledging sin and straying from God’s ways. It is not just guilty and sorrow. It is laying claim that the Psalter, that I, that we, cannot be good enough for God, but that God is good and gracious enough for us. The Psalter puts their trust in the marvelous possibilities of God’s grace. Our confession of sin is in reality a response to God’s grace.
One of the things I have enjoyed in my studies at the Seminary is in learning enough about the original languages the Scriptures were written in to realize our translations don’t always carry the intent of the writers through into English. The little nuances don’t get picked up. I would like to share some subtlies with you. The words that are used in the Psalm to describe our failures have different meanings in the original Hebrew, and really describe what our sins truly are. “Transgressions” come from the word that means rebellion. “Iniquity” is literally translated as being bent out of shape. “Sin” in Hebrew means to miss the target. But the words where the Psalter asks for forgiveness also have different meanings in Hebrew. “Blot out” is the same word used to describe wiping a dirty dish. “Wash” could probably be better described as scrub, and “clean” is the word used for doing laundry down at the river. The word “create” even has special meaning, because it always has God as the subject, that God is the creative force and the result of the activity is always something entirely new.
So for this season of Lent, I would offer the suggestion to you that our theme for the 40 days be the words of that hymn, and the Psalm from whence it comes. Our worship services on Sundays will be from the SBH, the red book, and our offertory will be “Create in me.” Our Sunrise service on Easter Sunday will have the offertory of “Create in me.”
I would offer up the suggestion that while you may have decided to give up something for Lent, a favorite food or a habit you want to break, I propose you take up something as well. Pray this hymn. Pray this Psalm. Ask God to “Make a freshly laundered heart in me.” “Scrub me clean of my missing the goal and rebellion.” “Bring me into your happiness and heart.” “Wipe me clean and return me to my proper shape and direction.” “Open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Pray that the grace of God, which passes all understanding, be with you always.
Pray that your mouth, lips, tongue, life and actions may proclaim God’s glory and praise His name.
Pray for a clean heart and a renewed right Spirit.
After I was confirmed, when I was a teenager, I did not like the worship services when we received Communion. It was ironic that after two years of classes, of studying and of education, now that I was able to receive the body and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ, I did not like those services. I could not figure out why. I thought maybe it was because I did not feel worthy of receiving communion, that I wasn’t “good enough.” But that wasn’t it. Maybe I was afraid I would make a mistake, and go forward when I should not, or that I would drop or spill something. But that wasn’t it.
It was not until I returned back to St. John after having spent way too long away from the church. Our family’s “assigned seats” were on the far right of the sanctuary as you looked from the back, right across the aisle from where the organist was. After I had been back and attending worship for a while, I asked our organist, Heidi, why we never sang, “Create in me a clean heart.” She told me that it wasn’t an option for when you have communion in either of the settings out of the green hymnal.
That’s when I realized why I did not like the communion services. I missed that hymn. When I was growing up, we used the red book, the Service Book and Hymnal, and we always sang “Create in me” every week, whether we received communion or not. I always enjoyed that hymn, both its melody and its message. I think while singing it was the first time I realized a song, a hymn, could be a prayer. I missed, and still miss, that hymn.
It is actually a partial paraphrase of the Psalm that we read at the beginning of this service. Psalm 51 is one of the seven penitential Psalms written by the Psalter, and it is one of the few that speaks specifically about the sins of the individual, and not the sins of the community or of the people of Israel. It has been used as the source of liturgical writings, Christian doctrine and theological understandings. It has been lifted up an eloquent example of intense self-awareness and a deep understanding of the relationship between God and humanity.
It begins by acknowledging and recognizing that the forgiveness of sin is dependant upon the grace of God. ‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.’ [Psalm 51.1] The Psalter begins by asking God for mercy, and appeals to God’s love and mercy. It is not just acknowledging sin and straying from God’s ways. It is not just guilty and sorrow. It is laying claim that the Psalter, that I, that we, cannot be good enough for God, but that God is good and gracious enough for us. The Psalter puts their trust in the marvelous possibilities of God’s grace. Our confession of sin is in reality a response to God’s grace.
One of the things I have enjoyed in my studies at the Seminary is in learning enough about the original languages the Scriptures were written in to realize our translations don’t always carry the intent of the writers through into English. The little nuances don’t get picked up. I would like to share some subtlies with you. The words that are used in the Psalm to describe our failures have different meanings in the original Hebrew, and really describe what our sins truly are. “Transgressions” come from the word that means rebellion. “Iniquity” is literally translated as being bent out of shape. “Sin” in Hebrew means to miss the target. But the words where the Psalter asks for forgiveness also have different meanings in Hebrew. “Blot out” is the same word used to describe wiping a dirty dish. “Wash” could probably be better described as scrub, and “clean” is the word used for doing laundry down at the river. The word “create” even has special meaning, because it always has God as the subject, that God is the creative force and the result of the activity is always something entirely new.
So for this season of Lent, I would offer the suggestion to you that our theme for the 40 days be the words of that hymn, and the Psalm from whence it comes. Our worship services on Sundays will be from the SBH, the red book, and our offertory will be “Create in me.” Our Sunrise service on Easter Sunday will have the offertory of “Create in me.”
I would offer up the suggestion that while you may have decided to give up something for Lent, a favorite food or a habit you want to break, I propose you take up something as well. Pray this hymn. Pray this Psalm. Ask God to “Make a freshly laundered heart in me.” “Scrub me clean of my missing the goal and rebellion.” “Bring me into your happiness and heart.” “Wipe me clean and return me to my proper shape and direction.” “Open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Pray that the grace of God, which passes all understanding, be with you always.
Pray that your mouth, lips, tongue, life and actions may proclaim God’s glory and praise His name.
Pray for a clean heart and a renewed right Spirit.
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