Sunday morning, March 29, 2009

Text: Psalm 51:1-12

Bill Pederson, Pastor

            One of enduring doctrines of the Christian faith is the doctrine of original sin.  The doctrine of original sin has been around in its academic form since the time of the great theologian Augustine in the fourth century of our common era.  Essentially the doctrine holds that human beings are born into sin as a result of the fallen nature of humankind and can only attain righteousness before God through an act of God – the grace given us in Jesus Christ. 

            If you have ever doubted the doctrine of original sin, then you have never had the opportunity to keep two infants and a toddler at the same time – by yourself.  This privilege happened to me several years ago in a former church I served during a midweek Bible study for moms when our babysitter did not show up.  My now eleven-year-old daughter was then two years old and she was accompanied in the church’s nursery by two infants and a very confident, though extremely naïve, me.   

            After I confidently stepped in and shooed the disbelieving moms out of the nursery, things were great, just fine – for about three and half minutes.  There I was in the middle of the nursery floor with two nine-month olds and my two year old.  The infants were nicely spread out on a big blanket, one playing over there with some toys, one over here doing her thing, and Addie wandering around the perimeter of the blanket sucking on an apple juice.  All was fine, just great in fact, not a care in the world...until...until one of the infants noticed something in the other infant’s hand that was desirable, coveted, needed right away.   It was some red, flashy Fisher Price something or another that aroused some serious need in the infant who did not have it.  Across the blanket he came toward the coveted toy, with pacifier in mouth but with a firm, resolute determination across his brow and in his eyes that this red, flashy Fisher Price thing was his, and he wanted it, right away.

            Well, the infant who was holding the toy, and was not going to let it go, began to cry profusely over the advances of her determined colleague.   So being the expert childcare person that I am, I picked the crying child up, toy and all to comfort her.  As I did, our little friend left behind on the blanket without the red, flashy Fisher Price thing, burst into tears at such neglect. 

            So here I was, not even five minutes into my charge, alone with two infants screaming as if I had just pinched a pound of their flesh...and then...why then my daughter Addie, who was not used to seeing her father holding any baby in his arms but her, she burst into tears of jealousy, and ran and latched herself so tightly to my leg, I was immobilized.

            I did not know what to do at this point except scream for our church administrator who was fortunately in the building, right around the corner, and she came and almost instantly restored relative calm.    

            I remember this episode like it was yesterday because it spoke so decisively to me about the condition of human sin.   Of course there was my sinful arrogance in believing I could handle two infants and a toddler, alone, by myself.  But beyond my susceptible nature, you have these beautiful little children, untried by the world, as yet unscathed by life’s ups and downs.  What a joy of innocence they are.  What a gift of grace they are to this world.     

            And yet, the doctrine of original sin is alive and well in these beautiful, innocent little human beings!  Within five minutes of my being alone with them all hell broke loose: coveting what is your neighbors, jealousy, pride of self and aggressive want, if they could speak well I am certain they would have lied -- all of these sins and more came crashing down on us in that nursery, leaving in their wake mass confusion, turmoil, even panic. 

            Psalm 51 tells it like it is in verse 5: “Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.”  The Psalm is universally revered in both Judaism and Christianity for the truth it has to tell us about our sinful human condition before a tender, merciful, faithful God.   And no matter the age, no matter the person, we human beings are awash in a general state and condition of sin.  The colorful Sam Houston was a 19^th century legend in both Tennessee and then Texas, serving as governor of both states, general of the army of Texas that defeated Mexico in 1836 for independence, president of the Republic of Texas and then U.S. senator of the State of Texas.  Houston was quite a character, a heavy drinker and carouser.

             In 1840, at the age of 47, Sam Houston was baptized in Alabama and joined a Baptist church.  Writing in his memoirs about being baptized and joining the church Houston had this to say: “They told me that by joining I would wash away all my sins.  If that be the case, I pity those poor souls living downstream.” 

            At its core sin is human autonomy that seeks its own way before ever considering God and neighbor.  Jesus summarized the Law and the Prophets as loving God fully and loving neighbor fully.   Sin is anything that prevents us from truly and fully loving and serving God and truly and fully loving and serving our neighbor.   And left to our own designs, human beings are incapable of such love.   In fact we are absolutely incapable of dealing with the pervasiveness of human sin.  As the psalmist laments in verse 3b, “my sin is ever before me.”  

            But we are capable of recognizing sin in ourselves.  We are capable of recognizing how far we fall short and miss the mark that God has given us.  We are capable of recognizing our human tendency to sin and our human corruption before a loving, gracious, tender God.  And the great reformer, Martin Luther, has said, “The recognition of sin is the beginning of salvation.”

            “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.”   From the very first lines of this powerful lament, the psalmist is keenly aware of his sinful, human condition; and, keenly aware that only God can do something about it. 

            The psalmist’s confession of sin is based on the grace of God, a God of steadfast love and abundant mercy.  The psalmist does not wallow in his sin, he is not crying in his milk or inviting us to a pity party here.  The psalmist is looking beyond self and sin to the marvelous possibilities of God’s grace.  The psalmist knows that the beginning of salvation from sin is God’s judgment upon the sinner. 

            Change me, I am the problem, the psalmist sings.  Change me Lord, I am the problem.  Blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin; teach me wisdom deep down inside me, purge me with hyssop, wash me whiter than snow; create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and a right spirit within me.  The psalmist is imploring, “Change me, Lord, I am the problem.”     

            Change me, Lord, I am the problem.  And praise the Lord that what the psalmist hinted at, but could not envision, the Lord has done for us.  God has given us one who had such love of God and love of neighbor, such a willing and generous spirit -- a sinless being -- God has given Jesus Christ on the cross, who died for us to show us, vividly, that God is a God of tenderness and mercy, a God who desires to destroy sin and save sinners.

            Holy Week dawns.  Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and soon we will relive the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.  Before we can ever experience the resurrection of Easter Sunday in its fullest sense, we must first acknowledge that we live in a Good Friday world permeated by sin’s darkness and death.  There is no way out of sin for us except to follow the One who entered this Good Friday world, took on the world’s sin in his body on the cross, and broke sin’s power to claim us. 

            Easter dawns, but before the dawn is the darkness that must be entered and seriously considered.  There is no better prayer in the midst of that darkness than verse 12 of Psalm 51: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”