|
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me (Ps. 51:10)
Alexander Maclaren once said, "The alchemy of divine love can extract
sweet perfumes of penitence and praise out of the filth of sin". This is
illustrated in Psalm 51, one of the best known "Penitential Psalms"; some
of the others are, Psalms 6; 25; 32; 38; 130; and 143.
Psalm 51 explains the struggle of David, who after a dialogue with Nathan,
realized his sin, and the guilt of a broken fellowship with God (2 Samuel
12:1-14). What we see here is the mirror of humanity struggling for
reconciliation and healing with God, with oneself and the other. This is the
heart of the biblical story in its different forms and nuances.
When we pay attention to the Psalms (particularly when we read in our
native languages), we discover that we are in the faith, grow in the faith,
but we also falter in our faith. In Martin Luther's words, "we are both saint
and sinner at the same time". The Psalms share the breadth of human
emotion and experience. No wonder they were very popular with the early
monastic communities, who used them extensively for reflection and
worship. In the words of one of them St. John of Karpathos, "Do all in your
power not to fall, for the strong athlete should not fall. But if you do fall, get
up again at once and continue the contest. Even if you fall a thousand
times… rise up again each time."
David, described as "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22), shares
his experience in one of the most poignant expressions in the same
Psalm, "Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me"
(51:5). The articulation in v.10, is therefore one of the most powerful calls
for reconciliation and healing. It talks about the work of almighty power
(create), the need for renewal in terms of the essential principle of a new
nature, which is possible with God's presence and Spirit, and the ability to
be firm and not yield to temptation (new and right spirit).
As we begin another time of reflection and action with the Lenten Season,
we are called to look intently at the Cross. In the New Testament, the
Cross is not simply an isolated instrument of the death of Jesus, but brings
to mind, a wide range of theological, spiritual, social and political affirmations both then and in our context. The Cross should be seen in the
light of the total Christ event, the death and resurrection of our Jesus
Christ, which provides us with new meaning about the saving act of God
(Romans 4:24-25; 6:4-5; 2 Corinthians 4:10-11). The very essence of the
saving act of God is the remarkable idea that it is God "who reconciled us
to himself through Christ", the result he "gives us the ministry of
reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 2:18). In the Gospels and elsewhere in the
New Testament, the death and resurrection of Jesus becomes a paradigm
for Christian discipleship, and the follower of Jesus Christ must take up
the cross of Jesus (Mark 8:31).
It is thus appropriate that our celebration of the Healing Ministry Sunday is
a good way to ponder before we enter into the Season of Lent. We need to
ask honest questions about the very nature of healing, which is mostly
understood and explained as physical. What we need is wholistic healing,
with a space to vent our bitterness, anger, loneliness, and despair. So glad
that an initial conversation with Health Care Professionals with Dr. Paul
Salins, was very positive and enriching, and see signs of new beginnings
of facilitating Professional Networks in our church to support the elderly,
the poor and the marginalized.
Our efforts with reconciliation, healing and counseling among younger
couples married for about 10 years, has started on a positive note with the
Young Couples Fellowship, an initiative of the Youth Leadership Team in
our church. What we aim with these ministerial initiatives is to provide
spaces for shared interest and the need in the church.
I am grateful for all the prayers, encouragement and support from you as a
people of God.
Let us journey on…
Your Presbyter
Rev. Dr. Dexter S. Maben
|
