Whiter Than Snow

     "You are the man." The words echoed in the stunned silence. Surely Nathan wasn't pointing the finger of blame at King David. Surely David wouldn't stand for this, not in his own court, not David who had stood up to Goliath. The crowd looked expectantly to the throne, awaiting the wrath of this powerful king; only to see...tears. Tears? Yes, those were tears on the cheeks of the king. David's words were not full of wrath and accusations but of repentance. They can be found in Psalm 51.

 ¹ Have mercy on me, O God, 

   according to your unfailing love; 

according to your great compassion 

   blot out my transgressions. 

² Wash away all my iniquity 

   and cleanse me from my sin.

 ³ For I know my transgressions, 

   and my sin is always before me. 

⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned 

   and done what is evil in your sight; 

so you are right in your verdict 

   and justified when you judge. 

⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth, 

   sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 

⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; 

   you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

 ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; 

   wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 

⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; 

   let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 

⁹ Hide your face from my sins 

   and blot out all my iniquity.

 ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, 

   and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence 

   or take your Holy Spirit from me. 

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation 

   and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, 

   so that sinners will turn back to you. 

¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, 

   you who are God my Savior, 

   and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 

¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord, 

   and my mouth will declare your praise. 

¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; 

   you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 

¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is^[b] a broken spirit; 

   a broken and contrite heart 

   you, God, will not despise.

 ¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion, 

   to build up the walls of Jerusalem. 

¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, 

   in burnt offerings offered whole; 

   then bulls will be offered on your altar.

     A lot can be learned from David's repentance. He doesn't make excuses and he doesn't try to lessen his guilt. He simply lays his guilty body before the Lord and begs for the Lord to wash him whiter than snow.

     When your Nathans come saying, "You are the man." and they will come, don't get defensive and don't strike out at your accusers. Instead read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer and God will hear. For just as God still had plans for David, god still has plans for you. God merely needs your repentance.

The Magic Doorway

   In an effort at full disclosure, this post had its genesis in the mind of one of my students. He may not recognize it, as it is his thoughts filtered through my brain. Thank you to Pierce Benefield for his challenge to the high school today in chapel that we live 24/7 for God.

         There exists in our world the most amazing thing. This thing can completely change the behavior and language of most human beings in an instant. It can make even the foulest mouthed person into the most polite person you have ever met. The wildest person is no match for its powers. what is this ingenious device? It is the door of a church.

     Merely passing through the door of a church completely changes a person. Language cleans up and behavior becomes exemplary. Why is this? What magic lies in the threshold of a church? How can 6 inches of door frame hold such power over human beings. More importantly, why do we let it wield such power? 

     We seem to operate under the assumption that the rules are different inside the walls of the church. What is acceptable outside the doors isn't necessarily accepted inside. I think we believe that God only cares about what we do in the church; that once we are out the door we are beyond His sight. This should not be so. If anything, we should be better outside the walls of the church, for it is outside the walls that we encounter the people who need to see God in us the most. 

     If we are to be true Christians, literally 'little Christs', we need to live like it all of the time. We should be as much of a Christian Saturday night out with our friends as we are Sunday morning in church. If we truly claim Jesus as our model, we need to live as He did. Jesus was consistent in His behavior. He was the same in all situations, he didn't live one way outside the temple and another inside.

     There is no magic in the door of the church. God is the same on either side of the door and we should be also. We should live our lives as if every door we pass through is the door to the sanctuary of the living God.

Servant Savior

     The disciple's conversation stopped as they saw Jesus get up from the table and grab a towel and a basin. As  Jesus began washing their feet, their minds raced, "How can this man, the Son of God, be lowering Himself to wash our dirty, stinky feet?" They were all thinking it, but Peter was the only one with enough guts, or lack of self-control, to say it, "You will never wash my feet!" Jesus responded, "You do not now realize what I am doing, but later you will understand." (John 13: 1-7)

     I think a lot of us would be right there with Peter. The image of Jesus on His knees washing our feet is not how we usually envision Him. We see Him in sparkling white robes, riding a magnificent stallion, or sitting high upon His throne; not on a dusty floor washing dirty feet.

     Yes, Jesus was there at the creation. Yes, He is the all-powerful Son of God, but I think this is the best picture of Jesus. For He came, not to be the king high up on his throne, but to meet people at the point of their need. If Jesus came to serve His people, how much more should we be serving His people? We should be ready with our towel and basin to wash our brother's feet when they come in from a long journey. service should be something we do as a daily thing, not as a special event.


This was partly inspired by a song by Michael Card. It may not be your kind of music, but listen to the lyrics.