Saturday / Open the Door
Read Psalm 51: 1-17 (NLT)
Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.
Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Think
One of my daughter’s favorite bedtime story books was Winnie the Pooh’s A to Zzzz by Don Ferguson, Bill Langley, and Diana Wakeman. It featured all the lovable characters from the 100 Acre Wood, going about their daily activities, narrated by cute rhymes. I read the book so many times that even now when my daughter is a twenty-something adult, I can still recite it from memory. For example, “D is for Door – In Spring Pooh’s door is open wide to let the sunshine come inside.”
I love that image, that opening a door lets in light that chases away the dark of the winter. It’s an image to me that speaks of Spring cleaning, when I open all the doors and let the fresh air into all the dark, dusty corners of the house. It’s a ritual that helps me put the Winter behind me and get ready for the new life that’s coming as the days warm up.
In a sense, that’s what Lent is for me, too. It’s a Spring cleaning ritual that helps me deal with my own inner dustiness. I know I have sin in my life, big or small, dusty bits in my corners, and it separates me from God.
So the question is, what do I do about it? How do I open up and let the light sweep in? I need a door. That’s where confession comes in: it opens my heart and lets God in. Confession is the door that opens up the dark corners. I just need to open it wide, let the Light shine in.
Pray
Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a dedicated spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Amen.
Do
The real work of Lent is what God will do in our hearts. Our task is to let God in. So do it. Go to a door, any door. It could be one in your home or where you work, or in your church. Pick one. Stand in front of the closed door and look inside yourself at a dark, dusty corner. See something there you wish you could blot away in the bright light of God. Now, open the door. Actually see God’s light enter into your dustiness as you open the door. Step through the opening and close the door behind you. Thank God for forgiveness.
The View from Mt. Hope 