Path to Repentance
PROPER 13 – 2018 – Year B – Trinity 10
‘For I acknowledge my faults and my sin is ever before me.’ Psalm 51:3
Words from Psalm 51, the Psalm we have sung this morning. Tradition associates the composition of this Psalm as being written by David in the context of his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, and his arrangement for the death in battle of her husband Uriah, and with it the prophet Nathan confronting David with the reality of what he has done.
Last week, we thought of how David, enjoying the trappings and privileges of power, had lost his way, had lost sight of his moral compass, acting as if he was accountable to nobody, not even God. He had let himself down. We can think of people who may have let us down or people we have let down. But God takes us and uses us in our humanity, in our strengths and in our weaknesses, in our faithfulness and in our failures. Jesus is identified in the New Testament as being born of the house of David. Even in our failure God can work redemption.
Nathan came to David and confronted him with the truth of what he had done. We then sang the words of Psalm 51. As I read our Old Testament Lesson and our Psalm, my mind turned to a scene in the film ‘Shawshank Redemption’. Andy Dufrense and Red, two prisoners, embody the journey of repentance. Red, in particular, shows the transformative power of acknowledging one’s past and the possibility of a new beginning.
David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ Nathan replied, ‘Now the LORD has put away your sin; you shall not die.’ Repentance is about changing, not just saying sorry. It is an honesty, a vulnerability that leads to new beginnings.
As we go through the Psalm, we follow David’s path to repentance. There is an acknowledgement that he has no claim on God’s mercy. The words of Absolution in the old Service of Morning Prayer, from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, remind us of God’s desire for our turning from wickedness to live.
The starting point of that healing for David was truth. It is in that truth, that vulnerability before God, that David begins to regain peace with God.
Every service here on Sunday includes a prayer of confession and absolution. It can be a time of honesty with ourselves and with God, an occasion of healing and renewal. An exercise with Confirmation candidates involves writing down one thing they regret, then burning the slips of paper to illustrate the totality of God’s forgiveness.
God’s will for us is peace in his presence, peace with God through faith in Christ, peace with one another. We are called to lead a life worthy of our calling, with humility, gentleness, patience, and love, maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)