Friday after Ash Wednesday (February 16). Remember me

​Prepare to Listen.  O my God, in you I trust.
 
Prayerfully Read Psalm 25:1-2a, 6-10
1To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.  2O my God, in you I trust.
6Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,
   for they have been from of old.
7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
   according to your steadfast love remember me,
   for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!
8Good and upright is the LORD;
   therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9He leads the humble in what is right,
   and teaches the humble his way.
10All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
   for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
What caught your attention in today’s reading?
 
The psalmist makes a positive and a negative demand.  The positive: Be mindful of, that is remember your mercy, your steadfast love.  The negative: Do not remember my sins.  He pleads, Remember me, Lord!
 
Lent is often the time to focus on our sins.  The danger is to focus so much on our sins that we define ourselves by them and then struggle to receive forgiveness.  It’s easy to wallow and think we’re not good enough.  I’ve been there.  I tried being more contrite, more sincere, more acceptable to God.  But never felt good enough, never dared to demand of God: Do not remember my sins.  The problem, I discovered, was failing to begin with the positive: Remember your steadfast love.
 
Steadfast love is a favorite biblical description of God, used three times in these few verses.  It translates the Hebrew word hesed, for which there is no adequate English term.  Hesed includes steadfastness, faithfulness, compassion, tenacious solidarity.  It has the sense of coming alongside, standing in loving solidarity with those in need, strengthening them so they can change.  We see this kind of loving solidarity, steadfast love over and over in Jesus and it brought about transformation.  If Jesus could do it then, he can do it today for me and for you today.
 
When you confess your sin, begin, not with the negative, but with the positive: Remember your steadfast love.  Remember me, O Lord!
 
Prayerfully Respond
Be mindful, O Lord, remember your steadfast love and help me live it in the world by standing in loving, tenacious solidarity with those in need today.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Believe the Lord will remember you in love.