More than a wipe

There’s something about the way my daughter eats yoghurt that I find really difficult, especially when it comes to clearing up afterwards. She takes delight in wearing the stuff on her hands like gloves, and as soon as they are vaguely clean she’ll plonk them straight back into the yoghurt on the highchair tray. Take the tray away first, you say? Tried it. She’ll find a great pool of yoghurt in her lap to dip them back into. A simple wipe-up just isn’t enough!

Washing is a dominant metaphor for the way in which God forgives us and frees us from past sin, and water is used as a powerful symbol for this in the rites of baptism. But Psalm 51, in which King David models a response to confrontation with one’s own failings, reminds us that washing away the past isn’t quite enough.

After seeking forgiveness – washing and cleansing – David goes on to ask for more: the creation of something new in place of the old, the restoration of lost joy, and the power to sustain a different way of life. As we continue to think about repentance this Lent, don’t stop short with just a wipe-up!

God of new life, thank you that there is nothing in me too messy for you. Please continue your work in me, that I would be filled with joy at living each day as you call me to. Amen.