1. David implored the Lord: »Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities« (Psalm 51,9).
2. Lent puts us on a journey whereby we more intently ponder and meditate upon Jesus’ passion that culminates on Karfreitag. As such, Lent focuses our attention more keenly upon ourselves, our fallen nature, our original sin and our sinfulness. David acknowledges that every sin, even those that are done against our neighbors, are ultimately a sin against God. He confesses: »Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight (Psalm 51,4). In his Small Catechism Luther tells us what sins we should confess: before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer. And thus we confess once again today: O Almighty God, I am a poor, miserable sinner.
3. And what is God’s response to our confession? A: God hears our repentant confession and He speaks to us His Absolution, that is, He tells us: „I forgive you.“ In speaking this to us, God is giving us a promise; it is not a judgment that merely states what is true already, Rather the absolution is seen as an act of speaking that first constitutes, brings about, a state of affairs, by creating a relationship between the one in whose name it is spoken and the one to whom it is spoken and who believes the promise (Bayer 129-30). Such speaking establishes communication, liberates and gives certainty (Bayer 130). Martin Luther calls it an active and effective word (Bayer 130).
4. God is a merciful Lord, and He does not turn away even the worst sinner. He desires to forgive us, and He has given us the means by which that forgiveness is given to us. Through the mouth of His ministers He proclaims to us absolution, and through the hands of His pastors He pours the water upon us and puts into our mouth the bread and the wine. These Sacramental actions have the authority of God’s Word behind them and with that authority God gives us and speaks to us: „I forgive you.“
5. King David who wrote Psalm 51 speaks as a sinner, as the greatest of sinners. David had committed horrible sins against God’s and his neighbors, yet when he was confronted with his sins he humbly and honestly repented and sought God’s absolution. This psalm reflects on the severity of sin and on the even greater mercy that God bestows upon contrite sinner. If your heart is set on Jesus, but you are afraid of His wrath and condemnation, then heed David’s words, repent and seek out our Gracious God’s mercy; He will give you His mercy freely and abundantly.
6. God will not cast you away from His presence, nor will He withhold His Spirit from you. Jesus was sent to this earth to restore to us the joy of our salvation. And this Jesus is the Son of David, the heir of David, the Messiah, the Christ, the One who was promised long ago to Adam and Eve to be their Redeemer from sin, death and the Devil. This Jesus brings to us His Father’s love, compassion, grace and mercy. Jesus gave all He had, His very life, to buy you and make you His own. That is the love and mercy He showed the world on His cross. Jesus has reached out to us long before the call to repentance, and He has become our Mediator before His Heavenly Father. Amen.
7. O God, You desire not to death of sinners, but rather that they turn from their wickedness and live. We employ You to have compassion on the frailty of our mortal nature, for we acknowledge that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Mercifully pardon our sins so that we may obtain the promises You have laid up for those who are repentant; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Altar Book 485)
Bayer, Oswald. Theology the Lutheran Way. Copyright © 2007 William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
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