Joel 2:1–2, 12-17; Psalm
103:8-14; II
Corinthians 5:20b – 6:10; Matthew
6:1–6, 16-21
This is a homily by Fr. Gene
Tucker, given at St.
John’s Church, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, February 10, 2016.
“GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS”
There
is good news and bad news in store for us as we begin our Lenten journey today.
And,
as the jokes go that begin with the line, “I have some good news and some bad
news for you,” let’s begin with the bad news, and then move to the good news.
The
bad news is that each and every one of us is in need of repentance, amendment
of life, and confession to God of the ways in which we each fall short of God’s
standard of holiness and righteousness.
We
see this need in Psalm 51, whose words we will recite in a moment, and which
many scholars believe was composed by King David as he confessed to God his
adulterous affair with Bathsheba.
The
petitions of the Litany of Penitence (Book of Common Prayer, 1979, pages 267
and following) point out some of the ways in which we are reminded of the ways
in which we might fall short of God’s holiness. Some of those petitions may be
personally and deeply offensive to us as we repeat the words. The Litany’s
petitions might spell bad news for us as we claim this or that petition as our
own personal failing.
But
here’s the good news:
As
we reflect on the ways in which we fall short of God’s expectations for us,
might we also reflect on the growth that has taken place in our lives as a
result of the power of the Holy Spirit’s moving in our hearts and minds? Can we see improvement in our spiritual
condition? If so, then it’s appropriate to name the ways in which things have
gotten better, from God’s perspective. Perhaps, as we repeat the Litany’s
petitions, we might also reflect on the ways in which we were once mired in
neglecting God’s expectations, but are neglectful no longer. We can celebrate
the successes in our lives that have come about with God’s help, for all growth
into the full stature of Christ comes only with God’s help and with the
intervention of the Holy Spirit. That is the bad news: That we cannot help
ourselves out of our sinful condition. But the good news is that God is able
and willing to redeem us from our wayward ways.
The
Litany of Penitence in our Prayer Book is designed to lay before us the
smorgasbord of the ways in which we can recall that there are many
possibilities for failure. As we hear and say each one, perhaps we can reflect.
Perhaps we can say to ourselves, “Yes, I am guilty of that one,” or, “I need to
work on this one.” Perhaps we can allow our prayer to ascend to God, “O Lord,
have mercy on me, a sinner.” But perhaps we can also offer thanks to God,
saying, “Thank you, Lord, for rescuing me from this sin or that sin.”
And
perhaps the petitions we will say together in a moment will also allow us to
see ourselves as God sees us, as beloved children of a loving God, a God who
seeks not the death of the sinner, but that the sinner might turn from his/her
ways and live. That, indeed, is very good news!
AMEN.
