A Clean Heart

Psalm 51:1-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

“We entreat you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20b)

The Lenten journey might feel too familiar. In fact, we have been here before. There is comfort in familiarity. Many rituals and practices of this season are comforting, providing a sense of belonging, like coming home again. This can be a good starting point for the season—an invitation to walk the paths we've traveled before.

Yet, the Lenten journey and our discipleship path encourage us to grow, to go deeper, to climb higher, to reach further than we may have before. Lent is a time of introspection, but also a call to action as we become the pilgrim people of God, seeking God’s kingdom and shaping God’s kin-dom in worship and service.

Here we are once again. We’ve made it through another year. While we gather week after week for worship and transformation, today it feels like our hearts especially need cleansing. This isn't necessarily due to our own actions, but rather because we are living in tumultuous times and feel affected by the brokenness around us. As we come together this Ash Wednesday, we seek a fresh start or at least a reminder that new beginnings are possible.

Ash Wednesday carries a sense of solemnity that is hard to overlook. Being confronted with the themes of mortality and sinfulness can be heavy to hear. However, this message is not conveyed without hope and the possibility of redemption. We resonate with the psalmist's plea: "Have mercy on me, O God." Every person of faith has likely prayed this prayer multiple times throughout their lives. We acknowledge the weight of our sins; we feel their impact and recognize how they damage our relationships. Although the psalm states, "Against you, you alone have I sinned" (51:4), we understand the reality is more complex. When we say, "As long as no one gets hurt," we fail to grasp the interconnected nature of human community; what may seem like a personal sin can significantly erode the fabric of our community.

That is why we gather as a community on Ash Wednesday. We come together to acknowledge our humanness and to pledge to join in the Lenten journey of faith. It is a journey of self-examination and corporate commitment to building up the body. Emphasizing both elements is vital for this Lenten experience. Yes, there is a personal commitment to new ways of living, to claiming the gift of salvation, to accepting the forgiveness of sins, and to joining in fellowship with God and the community. As part of the fellowship, individuals see their response to God being worked out in the wider body of the church and in the world beyond. “Create in me a clean heart,” says the psalmist, and then I will teach transgressors your ways and invite sinners (all of us) to return to God. Our salvation, our covenant with God, is not just about the individual, but it ripples out to work with God’s Spirit for the transformation of the world.

Paul highlights this in 2 Corinthians 5:20b, where he pleads, “Be reconciled to God,” and then describes how this reconciliation affects the world around us. Starting in chapter 6, verse 4, Paul’s list becomes another account of the suffering he has experienced for the sake of the gospel, but it also shifts into something else — an attitude check. The list functions as a measure of faithfulness in a challenging world. Do you sense the invitation in his list? It’s no longer about him but serves as a model for living out a clean heart every day.

While Paul would never suggest that suffering is a requirement for faith, he does seem to imply that it is a frequent result of this way of living. He talks about treatment and intentionality. He uses the pronoun “we.” It’s not a royal or editorial “we”; it includes all of us in this kind of life. It is the consequence, he argues, of getting into “good trouble,” a consequence of loving those called enemies, a consequence of turning the priorities of the world upside down.

Ash Wednesday serves as a call to action, inviting us to embark on a journey toward new life—not only for ourselves but for the world. To make this call effective, we need two essential things. First, we must foster a sense of community. It’s important to recognize that we are all in this together, supported by a community that walks alongside us and works with us. The challenges we face are too great for any one of us to bear alone. Second, Ash Wednesday reminds us of the importance of having a clean heart and a renewed spirit within us. This Lent, we invite you to experience the renewal that comes from God’s everlasting mercy and to join our Lord on a journey toward new life.