Spring Cleaning

About a decade ago, we had a day of Spring cleaning at our church.  The assembled team went through every closet and room carrying out anything that was ready to be discarded.  Between the two building on the site, we filled a large dumpster with old furniture, boxes, play props, and nameless junk that had accumulated over the years.  Watching the stuff pile up, the thought struck me that each piece had once been valued for some purpose, but now was destined for the dump!   More than once during the process somebody raised their voice, “Don’t throw that away, I remember when . . .”   A lot of the stuff was stored for reasons of sentiment, not usefulness, so out it went.  The reclaimed space was re-decorated and readied for good purposes.

I’ve been doing some Spring cleaning.  I am digging through the rooms of my mind, evaluating and sorting the memories, attitudes, and ‘truths’ that I stored away.  It’s not a pleasant task.   Some memories that bring a smile to my face as I remember an old friend or some moment of accomplishment.  There are other memories that bring on the tears – some flowing from sorrow, others from remorse.  There are things that need to be discarded and some that need to be re-cataloged, stored with the perspective that only time’s passage can provide.  There are conversations that need to be had – offering forgiveness, seeking it, too.  My prayer through it all is -  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV)

Self-examination is connected to one of the core rituals of Christianity.  In the explanation of the celebration of the Holy Meal, the Word invites to the Lord’s Table to share the cup and the bread, but first we are told to wash up for dinner! "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup." (1 Corinthians 11:26-28, NIV)   This need not be a painful exercise in shame or guilt.  It’s an opportunity to keep the junk from piling up.  The Lord says that this time of examination allows us to live in a way that invites His blessings rather than His discipline.  We can deal with sins in their infancy with much less pain than if we let them take root and grow.

Sometimes we need a trusted friend to walk us through our examination.  When we get sentiment tangled up with reason, that friend can lovingly offer clarity. If we find something too heavy to lift, something we want to leave in the dark, he can help us carry it into the Light.  Confession is too often tragically associated with pain, shame, or guilt, connected with some kind of suffering and/or penance.  In fact, that is not what God seeks from us! Sure, we sometimes find things for which we owe others apologies, restitution, or forgiveness. 

Best of all, with God we find forgiveness and freedom! The Word says, "If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if you do sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely. He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world." (1 John 1:8-2:2, NLT)

That is why the Lord puts self-examination right alongside of Communion.  We will find failures, big and small, when the Light of the Spirit shines into the corners of our lives.  We need have no fear because we carry them to the Cross and Jesus, in amazing love and tender grace, picks them up and carries them away.  

Here’s a word to remember if you choose to do some spring cleaning in your life.  "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4, NLT)

___________

Refiner's Fire

Purify my heart,

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy.

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from my sin,

Deep within.

Refiner's fire,

My heart's one desire,

Is to be holy,

Set apart for You, Lord!

I choose to be holy,

Set apart for You, my Master;

Ready to do Your will.

Brian Doerksen

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