2017 Belmont University Lenten Devotional Guideنمونہ

When I was a child, my mother drove a white, Jeep Grand Wagoneer, with faux wood paneling on the sides. We drove around Missouri in that vehicle, playing 8 track tapes that she’d stick into the player on the dashboard. One day she played a Kris Kristofferson tape, and for the first time, I heard His recording of “Why Me.” I loved it, and when I read Psalm 51, I thought of this song. I had to reflect about it before I could understand why I connected this song with the psalm. Psalm 51 is one of the most famous texts in the Psalter. It is attributed to King David, written after the prophet Nathan confronts him regarding his sin with Bathsheba. In the psalm, the writer petitions God to “have mercy” and to “blot out” transgressions. The author desires to be “washed” and “cleansed” and then, in verse 13, offers to instruct other sinners so that they will also return to God. The psalm reminds us that humanity is totally other than God. Surely, there are more comforting texts that remind us we are created in the image of God, who is as close to us as our own breath. Yet this text focuses our attention on our otherness and our radical need for God’s power to forgive and reconcile. These themes are why I was reminded of Kristofferson’s song when I read the psalm. Two lines came to mind, and I couldn’t quite let go of them. “Help me Jesus, I know what I am.” In this lyric, I think Kristofferson is prompting the listener to recognize what we are and understand that we are not God. We are other than the Divine, imperfect and broken. And finally, “Maybe Lord, I can show someone else what I’ve been through myself, on my way back to you.” With this line, the listener hears something somewhat similar to the line from the psalmist. There is a desire to teach and instruct others so that others may learn from the mistakes of the writer. Lent is a season of penance and reflection when we acknowledge we are in dire need of God’s forgiveness. It’s a season when we admit we are unworthy and recall the reconciliation available through the atoning action and love of Christ. In this season, we recognize our own brokenness and need, and we also remain aware of the needs of those around us, as we bear witness to what Christ has done in our own lives to reconcile us to the Divine. SALLY HOLT Professor of Religion College of Theology & Christian Ministry