Scripture
Psalm 51:1-17 (Common English Bible)
 
Have mercy on me, God, according to your faithful love!
    Wipe away my wrongdoings according to your great compassion!
2 Wash me completely clean of my guilt;
    purify me from my sin!
3 Because I know my wrongdoings,
    my sin is always right in front of me.
4 I've sinned against you-you alone.
    I've committed evil in your sight.
That's why you are justified when you render your verdict,
    completely correct when you issue your judgment.
5 Yes, I was born in guilt, in sin,
    from the moment my mother conceived me.
6 And yes, you want truth in the most hidden places;
    you teach me wisdom in the most secret space.
 
7  Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean;
    wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and celebration again;
    let the bones you crushed rejoice once more.
9 Hide your face from my sins;
    wipe away all my guilty deeds!
10 Create a clean heart for me, God;
    put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me!
11 Please don't throw me out of your presence;
    please don't take your holy spirit away from me.
12 Return the joy of your salvation to me
    and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach wrongdoers your ways,
    and sinners will come back to you.
 
14  Deliver me from violence, God, God of my salvation,
 so that my tongue can sing of your righteousness.
15 Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
16 You don't want sacrifices.
    If I gave an entirely burned offering,
    you wouldn't be pleased.
17 A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God.
    You won't despise a heart, God, that is broken and crushed.

Meditation
Lord Have Mercy! - LeeAnn Inman
 
The holy season of Lent began again yesterday, observed by Christians around the world with confession and repentance of sin. Here at Peace, we started the day early, offering to place the sign of the cross in an ashy smudge on the foreheads of folks in the darkness before dawn at our first "Drive-Through Ash Wednesday."
Pastor Bobbi Jones and I donned our clergy robes with purple vestments and mixed a messy concoction of palm ashes and olive oil. Jana moved the small kneeling rail out to the portico, and Brandon set up a table with a portable speaker to play music to set the tone for repentance and restoration. Carrie made coffee and set out the holy donut holes to provide a Peace welcome. Close to fifty people from our community came to be marked with the sign of the cross and receive a Lenten blessing.
A stark statement accompanies the imposition of ashes: "From dust you came and to dust you shall return," recalling words from both the prophet Joel and the words in the funeral liturgy as soil is sprinkled on the casket before the body is lowered into the ground: "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..." Then, words that suggest both John the Baptist and Jesus: "Repent and believe the good news!"
 
In Psalm 51 (one of the primary scriptures for Ash Wednesday), the guilt over sin, or "wrongdoings" dominates the opening verses. The good news here is all about how God, in ultimate faithful love, does not judge or abandon, but rather restores, delivers, and saves the sinner, who becomes a joyful teacher leading other sinners back to God. The Ah-ha! for me in this Psalm has to do with how the overwhelming burden of sin suddenly becomes a blessing, thanks to the mercy of our loving and faithful God.
 
Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner of your own redeeming!
Reflection
Receive this Ash Wednesday blessing (still good on Thursday) from Jan Richardson's amazing blessing blog.
Prayer
Have mercy on me, God, according to your faithful love!
    Wipe away my wrongdoings according to your great compassion!  Wash me completely clean of my guilt;
    purify me from my sin!  Create a clean heart for me, God;
    put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me!
    Return the joy of your salvation to me
    and sustain me with a willing spirit.
 
Lord have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy upon me, and grant me your peace. Amen.
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