First Sunday in Lent (1)

 

Psalm 41

“Happy are they who consider the poor and needy!

The Lord will deliver them in the time of trouble.

The Lord preserves them and keeps them alive,

so that they may be happy in the land;

he does not hand them over to the will of their enemies.

The Lord sustains them on their sick bed

and ministers to them in their illness.

I said, “Lord be merciful unto me;

Heal me for I have sinned against You.

This psalm is so rich in the themes that are common during the Lenten season that I decided to choose it above the other readings. It starts off with a reminder that those who care for the less fortunate among us will be blessed as they do so. We often look for those opportunities in Lent as a way of committing ourselves to new activities rather than previous tradition that focused on giving up something.

Rather suddenly, in Verse 4, the Psalmist asks God for mercy for his sins. He asks for healing, not making a distinction between physical and spiritual healing, because he has sinned. Lent is traditionally the time of reflection on sin and temptation as we remember how Jesus was tempted by Satan. Our temptations appear very different from those experienced by Jesus in the desert, but are they really when we think about them?

The last theme that I would like to reflect on is the one of betrayal in Verse 9. “Even my best friend, whom I trusted, who broke bread with me, has lifted up his heel and turned against me.” So we look ahead to the actions of Judas, but we also reflect on how we betray the love of God in our daily lives and we ask for mercy and forgiveness from an ever-loving God.

Prayer

Remember us, gracious God, when we are lonely and depressed, and support us in the dark night of grief and despair, for your love is faithful and you do not forget your broken ones. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen.  (BAS 758)  

-Wayne Edwards