Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;
[PSALM 25:6]
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
| ADVENT DAILY OFFICE READINGS |
|---|
| AM Psalm 25; PM Psalm 9, 15 Amos 7:1-9; Rev. 1:1-8; Matt. 22:23-33 |
Depending on how old you are, think back twenty or thirty years and compare how different you are today than you were then.
I have read Psalm 25 a countless number of times and each time I pause on verse six.
I am thankful to God that I was granted the grace to live as long as I have.
We have all done things we’ve regretted. We’ve all done things of which we are ashamed.
But we serve a God of grace – a God whose “wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye.” (Psalm 30:5)
Psalm 25 is attributed to King David, whom we know had transgressed more than his fair share.
But none of us can say that our life’s path has been exemplary.
This Psalm, traditionally used at Advent and at Lent, moves us to ask some questions of ourselves.
What can our words to God tell us about ourselves and, in particular, our relationship to God?
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
My God, I put my trust in you; (v. 1)
When we pray to God, do we begin with an assertion of trust?
Are we willing to engage in such honest conversation with God?
Are we so certain about God’s ability to help us that we would dare remind God of God’s goodness, mercy, salvation?
When we ask ourselves these types of questions, they ultimately lead us to the ever-important question about who God is.
We come to know that God is trustworthy, merciful, steadfastly loving, and one who desires a relationship with us.
God’s reputation to provide is firmly established.
But the world does not encourage us to tend to our inner spiritual life. In fact, it does everything it can to distract us from such efforts.
Sociologists have established that the key question Americans use to evaluate life is, “What’s in it for me?”
God’s truth challenges that line of questioning.
Show me your ways, O LORD,
and teach me your paths. (v. 3)
In essence, God calls us to reach beyond our own wants and needs to care for the world God loves; to work tirelessly for justice for God’s children, to risk and to share and to love, to change ourselves and the way the world does things.
I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, for instance, how many churches have increased their food distribution and other social service programs in recent weeks as a response to the increased needs in our communities.
Granted, this type of generosity normally picks up as we get closer to Christmas. But I think we’ve seen more than enough selfishness, callousness, and cruelty from our elected leaders and the depth of suffering and misery that has resulted as a consequence.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for my hope has been in you. (v. 20)
All of the above actions and practices – the care we exhibit for others – if we follow them, shape us, mold us, fashion us into more faithful people.
And not only that, our actions model justice and compassion for the younger people and provide guidance for overcoming the lack of wisdom of many public officials.
Advent is a time of waiting, and a time to determine who we will be and whose we will be.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
My God, I put my trust in you; (v. 1)
Let us pray:
God our Father, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you, and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 829)
Walking Together in Faith 