Weekly Practice 2/17/26
Make every effort to do or reflect upon this week’s practice with others.
Scripture
Psalm 51 MSG
Generous in love—God, give grace!
Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
my sins are staring me down.
You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I’ll let loose with your praise.
Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.
Make Zion the place you delight in,
repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls.
Then you’ll get real worship from us,
acts of worship small and large,
Including all the bulls
they can heave onto your altar!
Practice
Repent
The season of Lent begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday, a day when many receive ashen crosses on their foreheads as a reminder that, because of sin, we’re all going to die: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. However, “the ashes are not just a reminder of our great failure; they remind us of God’s victory over sin and death through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son” (Esau McCaulley).
This week, take time to repent. Repentance begins with humility, acknowledging your shortcomings with honesty. As you pray, ask God to show you what is true about yourself. What are the things that you still need healing and freedom from? Offer them to God.
Repentance ends in love. Receive God’s love and forgiveness. If you need some convincing, meditate on Ephesians 1:3-8:
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
As one loved and forgiven, ask God if he would like you to respond in any way. Fasting is common during Lent. Do you sense God is inviting you to give anything up? Or maybe he’s asking you to pick something up. Share and pray with others about what you sense God is inviting you to do. Lent starts tomorrow, but there’s no need to rush. Keep praying and listening and let the Holy Spirit lead you into this season of repentance and renewal.
