Epiphany 6
Preaching
Aids To The Psalms
Exploring The Message
Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
While I kept silence,
my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Alternate Image
The Singer's shoulders are slumped, his eyes downcast, his
body bent in dejection. Before his morose eyes pass visions of
sick ones he has failed to aid, poor folk he has refused to share
with, humiliated people he has castigated, lands he has spoiled,
waters he has polluted and skies he has blackened. The weight of
his sins threatened to crush his fragile body. His eyes turn
heavenward and he implores God to forgive him his sins. A sun ray
peeks through a cloud and bathes the Singer in its radiance. The
Singer straightens, his eyes brighten, his very being basks in
the light of God's forgiveness. His lungs fill and his song
shouts the glory of the Lord. A redeemed being stands proudly and
upright before the God of forgiveness.
Reflection
If we were to tie heavy weights on our arms, legs and torso,
if we balanced anvils on our heads and manacled our legs with
prison balls for no apparent reason, we would well be considered
addled in the head. Yet, that is exactly what we do when we
wander around with unforgiven sins. Our rebellions against God's
will, our stubbornness in insisting on doing everything
ourselves, our self-inflicted blindness to the point of life
shackles us with weights that afflict our soul. We hang onto our
sins and guilt as badges of courage and suffer masochistically.
Why? The forgiven sinner can teach us the way to happiness. It is
not found in living moral law. It is not just admitting that we
have been stupid and unthinking. No, like the Prodigal we must
come home and say, "Father I have sinned." And then we must
accept the forgiveness that is offered, eat the fatted calf,
drink the wine of celebration and confirm God's happiness in us.
As God wipes our slate clean, forgives and forgets our sins, we
unite as a chorus in singing God's praises with a joy that is
unbelievable and yet the foundation of belief.
whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
While I kept silence,
my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Alternate Image
The Singer's shoulders are slumped, his eyes downcast, his
body bent in dejection. Before his morose eyes pass visions of
sick ones he has failed to aid, poor folk he has refused to share
with, humiliated people he has castigated, lands he has spoiled,
waters he has polluted and skies he has blackened. The weight of
his sins threatened to crush his fragile body. His eyes turn
heavenward and he implores God to forgive him his sins. A sun ray
peeks through a cloud and bathes the Singer in its radiance. The
Singer straightens, his eyes brighten, his very being basks in
the light of God's forgiveness. His lungs fill and his song
shouts the glory of the Lord. A redeemed being stands proudly and
upright before the God of forgiveness.
Reflection
If we were to tie heavy weights on our arms, legs and torso,
if we balanced anvils on our heads and manacled our legs with
prison balls for no apparent reason, we would well be considered
addled in the head. Yet, that is exactly what we do when we
wander around with unforgiven sins. Our rebellions against God's
will, our stubbornness in insisting on doing everything
ourselves, our self-inflicted blindness to the point of life
shackles us with weights that afflict our soul. We hang onto our
sins and guilt as badges of courage and suffer masochistically.
Why? The forgiven sinner can teach us the way to happiness. It is
not found in living moral law. It is not just admitting that we
have been stupid and unthinking. No, like the Prodigal we must
come home and say, "Father I have sinned." And then we must
accept the forgiveness that is offered, eat the fatted calf,
drink the wine of celebration and confirm God's happiness in us.
As God wipes our slate clean, forgives and forgets our sins, we
unite as a chorus in singing God's praises with a joy that is
unbelievable and yet the foundation of belief.
