Return to Sermons Page | Home Page

"A Time for Truth"

Sermon by Dr. Greg Knox Jones
on Psalm 51:1-12
given February 21, 2007
Ash Wednesday

Do you have a favorite number? The number seven is supposed to be lucky, so many people would name seven as their favorite. Others say the date of their birth or anniversary is their favorite number. Sports fans often choose the number of their sports hero and can tell you that Babe Ruth was number 3, Johnny Unitas was 19, Michael Jordan was 23 and Donavan McNabb is number 5.

The Bible has favorite numbers too; numbers that have special significance, special attraction, indeed special power. The number 12 is one of those. There were 12 tribes of Israel and 12 close companions of Jesus. After Jesus fed the 5,000, the disciples took up 12 baskets of leftovers.

The number 40 is also a favorite in the Bible. When Noah built his ark, it rained for 40 days and nights. When Moses received the Ten Commandments, he was on the mountain for 40 days. During the period of the Judges, there were several times when the people enjoyed peace for 40 years. Guess how many years David was King of Israel: [40]. How many years did Solomon rule over Israel? [40] When the prophet Elijah was fleeing from Queen Jezebel, how many days did it take him to reach Mount Horeb? [40] After Jesus was baptized, how many days did he spend in the wilderness? [40] You really know your Bible well!

When the ancient church decided to have a time of spiritual preparation prior to the celebration of Easter, they decided to create a 40-day period (not counting the Sundays). Sundays aren't counted because they are days of worship and rest. This season we call Lent, began as a time to prepare new converts for baptism and as a time for established members to mature in their faith by focusing on their lives.

Lent is undoubtedly the most challenging season of the year because it prods us to do something we would rather not do. It pushes us to focus on our failings. During Lent, we are encouraged to study on our shortcomings with an eye toward changing our ways.

Much of the time we ignore our faults. Our loved ones may remind us of them occasionally - ever so gently! - but we become defensive and close our ears. We deny the existence of our failings or we quickly dismiss them as inconsequential. These forty days of introspection that begin with Ash Wednesday are intended to expose our self-deception in order that we may carry out the necessary changes.

In her novel, Crooked Little Heart, Ann Lamott tells the story of a teenager named Rosie. Rosie plays competitive tennis and has been winning some crucial matches. But the reason she has been winning is because she cheats on close-line calls. When her competitor hits a shot that is just barely in, she calls it "out" so that she can win the point.

After awhile, Rosie's shame begins to mount as she discovers that she is unable to stop herself. She even hurts herself physically in an attempt to get her mother's attention, but she is driven by her compulsion to win.

There is an ominous man, an outcast named Luther, who watches every tournament. He sees what Rosie is doing, but she knows he will not tell anyone. Finally, Luther approaches Rosie and invites her to face her problem by making his own confession. He says, "I did what you do."

"What do you mean?" she asks.

Luther says simply, "I cheated."

As her secret is exposed, Rosie calls herself a cheater, but Luther protests, "No, you're not a cheater. You cheated." Then he explains to her that other people cheat too. By doing that, he invites her into the company of flawed human beings. All of us have sides we do not want anyone else to see. All of us have character flaws we would rather not face. Luther helps Rosie understand that she is not locked into cheating; she can make a different choice. She can tell the truth.

Rosie begins to change. She is reprimanded by the sportsmanship committee, but she is allowed to continue playing. In the final game, she begins to over-compensate, not calling points out because she wants to avoid even the appearance of cheating. Then, toward the end of the match she finds the courage to call a long shot correctly and Luther stands up to leave. Rosie's mother asks, "Aren't you going to stay and watch Rosie win?" He looks at her and says, "I already have." (1)

Over the next forty days, we are encouraged to examine our lives - to look for those places where we cheat in order to succeed, where greed gets the best of us, where we are impatient with others, where anger stirs within us, where self-centeredness harms our relationships, where cynicism makes us callous. If we do not make a concerted effort to recognize the demons within us and the damage they inflict, we cannot remove them from our lives and embark on a new path.

Psalm 51 challenges us to face the truth about ourselves and to seek healing in God. The psalmist prays, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." And then goes on to say, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me."

The psalmist uses such words as transgressions, iniquity and sin - words that may seem antiquated, but which espouse a deep truth about the human condition. This psalm faces squarely the harmful reality of sin and the way it seeps into our thoughts and deeds. The psalm calls on us to make an honest appraisal of our lives and to turn to God for healing. The fact is it's not always possible for us to clean up our act on our own. We need God's help.

We also need to be aware that we do not have all the time in the world to begin our personal reconstruction project. Life moves along so quickly that we cannot afford to put this off until later.

Lent is a time to consider what changes need to be made in our lives, and to take action now. We have a limited time on earth. The first 25 years of life seem to take forever, but the last 25 are over in the blink of an eye. Lent is a time for honesty and sincerity. It is a time to reflect on the course of our lives and to ask ourselves where we are heading. What kind of life are you living? What sort of impact are you having on others?

Since Ash Wednesday focuses on such heavy themes, it is a solemn occasion. However, it should never be depressing. What is depressing is to remain stuck in destructive behavior. What is depressing is believing there is no possibility for change. Ash Wednesday affirms that we can embark on a new path and we can do it now. We can identify our shortcomings and embrace the new life offered in Christ.

NOTES

1. From an article by Marjory Zoet Bankson entitled, "Room for Repentance," published in The Living Pulpit, January - March, 2000, p.10.

Return to Sermons Page | Home Page