Landscape is lost and blades of grass are blotted out as storm after storm has pounded us; we are, most of us in New England, overwhelmed and weary. One wants to look up or around and see a glimmer of hope, a faint whisper that spring is coming, and some warm sunshine to melt away all this madness. So today when we woke to another 3-4 inches of snow, all I could think of was David's cry of repentance: blot out my transgressions and wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.... Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:1, 2, 7
What is whiter than snow? I am. When God washes us clean, when we have, "come clean," and told Him all the ways we have sinned, in thought, word and deed, in what we have done and failed to do, how we have not loved as He has asked us to, then He comes to us and washes us. Tenderly, gently, lovingly, faithfully. This is not a scolding and recriminating kind of scrubbing, as if God had a brillo pad and He would keep at us until we looked a little better, seemed less like a failure in His eyes. No, this is a Father holding us, even, and perhaps especially, in Lent, and saying:
"My Child, I am so glad you have come to Me. I know you cannot love as I do on your own, you have a long way to go, but let me help you. Let Me wash away your imperfections, let Me cleanse you from your faults~ you know what they are. But I would remind you that I take away the sins of the world(John 1:29) you cannot keep both your sins and My love and forgiveness. Choose wisely, Child, clinging to your sins, defining yourself by them, when I would take them away, leaves a weight on your soul too heavy to bear. Consider this: give up the weight of carrying your sins this Lent. When you fail or fall, come running to Me, waste no time in shame or self-condemnation. Run to My arms of compassion and let Me wash you"
May the Lord of our Lent teach us what it means to be washed clean, whiter than all the snow of this New England winter. We have a King who gives us the gift of forgiveness, will you accept this gift this Lenten season?
Medicine from Sacred Writings:
" 'Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,' this befits a King who forgives all offenses, with authority, and Himself furnishes the gift."
John Chrysostom Fourth Century
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