I am writing a daily reflection through Lent up to the evening of Easter Sunday. I’ll comment on what I might be thinking about and where God might be.
13 of us shared communion this morning and we shared Psalm 51, the Psalm written by King David seeking forgiveness from God after Nathan the prophet had confronted him about being a very naughty boy, going after someone else’s wife. He asks God to create in him a clean heart. I reminded the folk with me this morning that the word used for create in the plea is the same Hebrew word used to describe God creating the world in Genesis. Only God can create the sort of new beginning David craves in the prayer.
I was reminded that the prayer asks God to blot out our offences. When we used to use ink at school and the bottle spilt we would use blotting paper to clean up the mess. I had a steward when I was a lay pastor at Markyate chapel in Hertfordshire from 1991 to 1994 called Frank Pearce. Frank had a vestry prayer I remember “Lord, we thank you for your servant, Ian, now blot him out.”
Not only on Ash Wednesday do we pray for a blotting out of our offences but also a blotting out of our selfish agendas, pride, and ignorance. Lent reminds us of our place. That our life is simply to serve God and follow him faithfully and that we need to return to God urgently.
I included a prayer time this morning to remember the world in its rawness. I suggest today as you between your Lenten journey you do the same. What needs blotting out? I hope your quiet time is quiet! Ours in a multi use church building had the Postman Pat theme tune blasting out in the hall behind us while we were at prayer. Afterwards I asked “what on earth are they doing in there?” “The Forum are having a talk on Royal Mail!”
May God give us grace to observe Lent faithfully.
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