"New Hearts for Old Souls" - Psalm 51:1-17 - February 28, 2001

A good friend of mine is having some problems with his heart. It seems it has gotten out of rhythm. To get his heart back in rhythm his heart specialist is going to shock him. It seems like an extreme measure but apparently it is very common.

There are times when all of us get out of rhythm. The old heart just seems to wear out. We don’t have the energy we used to have. Perhaps we aren’t motivated to do much or perhaps we just don’t care any longer. It’s moments like that when we need to do as the Psalmist did by asking God to "Create in me a clean heart."

Paul said, "That if anyone is in Christ he (she) is a new creation, behold, the old has passed away, the new has come." (II Cor. 5:17) God is about re-creation. God is about restoring our souls and giving us a new spirit. God knows that the condition of our hearts determines the quality of life we will experience and the fulfillment we will realize. A cold, hard heart keeps us separate from God. It causes us to live in darkness and sin.

Our psalmist is none other than David. David’s heart had become filled with selfishness and cruelty. First, he took advantage of Bethsheba. Then he had her husband, a soldier, sent to the front of battle where he was ultimately killed. David was confronted with his sins by Nathan and deep in his heart, he realized his heart had become very hard.

This psalm is David’s confession. He prays to God for the power never to sin again. He desires a clean heart. He believes that God has the power to do just that. He wants the joy of a new life, one that is reconciled with God.

The Psalm reminds us that confession precedes reconciliation. We must be contrite and be willing to say to God that we have failed. That is not always an easy task. We tend to rationalize our behavior or just admit we are only partly at fault. In other words, until we can sincerely take ownership of our mistakes we cannot expect God to forgive us.

It was about this time of year when I was a junior in high school. My friends and I were out joy-riding after going to a high school basketball game. It was cold and to warm up the car I drove fast. It wasn’t long until I saw blue lights flashing behind me. An officer came up to my window and asked for my license. He asked me if I realized that I was driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone. I told him I didn’t know what the speed limit was and that we were just trying to warm up the car. He then asked if we had been drinking, but we had not.

He said that since this was my first offense he would only give me a warning. But, I was also told to make sure I told my parents. There was no way I could do that. I was afraid of losing my driving privileges and I knew my parents would be disappointed in me. The next morning happened to be Sunday. I willingly went to church with my parents, which should have tipped them off that something was up.

I remembered that the officer had told me to tell my parents that I was pulled over for speeding. But, I couldn’t find it within myself to confess my sin. Sunday afternoon the same police officer pulled into our driveway. I was in shock. He explained to my parents what had happened. He said I was a good kid, but since I was unwilling to tell my parents what had happened, he would have to give me a ticket and send me to driving school.

I have never forgotten that event. Had I been willing to confess my sin, I would have not received a ticket and I’m know now that my parents would have forgiven me, especially since the officer made a personal visit to our house.

Confession is scary. We are afraid that we will no longer be loved or accepted. We are worried about our reputations. We don’t want others to know we are vulnerable and subject to failure and mistakes like everyone else. Yet, confession is what leads to forgiveness, and ultimately peace and wholeness. David threw himself on the mercy of God, confessing his sins and therefore experienced a healing of his heart.

Confession means we must accept and take full responsibility for our actions. We have a tendency to blame others for our mistakes. We may be influenced by others but no one can make us do anything. We make our choices and no one can be held accountable for our actions except ourselves.

One of my students told me that she was thinking about leaving her husband. He was both emotionally and physically abusive to her. Her friends encouraged her to leave a situation which was growing increasingly dangerous. I of course realized she was seeking permission from someone in authority whereby she could rationalize her exodus. But, I told her that this decision would have to be hers alone, and she would have to live with the consequences.

Several weeks later she came to me and told me that she had left. It was obvious that she was experiencing some grief over the loss of the relationship. Living at home again with her mother had some drawbacks. Nevertheless, she also said she felt a real sense of freedom because she was no longer living in an abusive relationship. The road ahead will be difficult and I reminded her that she will have to take ownership of the fact that she has chosen to leave.

In this Psalm David has taken ownership of his wrongful behavior and consequently has experienced the forgiveness of God. As a response to his new found freedom and clean heart he has promised to do three things. First, he has promised to teach and encourage others to confess their sins as well. Second, he has promised to be a messenger, to tell his story and to tell of the mercy of God. And third, he has promised to be fully dependent on God in the future.

Confession leads to forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to both fulfillment and responsibility. Most importantly, however the willingness to confess our sins creates in us a new heart. It isn’t necessary for us to be shocked into that experience. It only requires us to be honest with ourselves and with God about our sins.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio