The text: Psalm 141 – NRSV
We are nearing the end of this journey. On this day, the darkest day of the Christian year, we lift up a personal lament. Rather, I should confess that the Spirit is lifting it up, as reading it now it’s amazing how appropriate this song is for this day in ways I did know until now. For this is an evening prayer, often used in modern worship at a day’s end. The prayer here is intensely personal and self-aware: the enemy here is not armies nor even the wicked themselves, but rather the danger of the psalmist succumbing to the temptations of the wicked and their many delicacies. The psalmist goes so far as to plead for correction from righteous mentors, fully aware of how potent the temptations are. Finally, the psalmist confesses faith in God, who alone is the true guide to the true path. No wonder this psalm is often called a song of sanctification, the life-long journey and struggle to maintain true to our faith and our baptisms amidst a world full of moral headwinds. Perhaps this psalm shows us a way to personalize Good Friday. None of us will ever walk the walk Jesus did on this day; none of us will ever suffer the fate Jesus suffered on this day. But what, then, is our cross? We are called to this journey of sanctification, beset by a myriad of moral snares and temptations. But we do not journey alone. Our righteous mentors are our church and anyone else who has helped us stay on the path. Remember them this day. We journey with God, who is alongside us every step of the way. Remember God’s presence this day, and when you can be in a place, a mindset, where you sense this fully, read this psalm. Make it your own.
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