5-5-2024

Good Morning All,

                 Psalm 130:1; “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!”

     One warm spring morning the homeowner knew there was a problem when the shower stopped draining.  He called the local plumber who called the local construction company and by noon the yard was dug up as the septic system had failed.  It was old and couldn’t handle the level of use a family of 5 placed on it.  They dug up the old lines and the old tank.  They piled the sludge and mud and dirt off to the side.  The “water” was pumped off to the edge of the work area as the pile of sludge, mud, dirt sort of oozed out.  Everyone knew enough to stay away; until 4:00 pm.

    The three young boys got off the bus and immediately headed for the activity.  A backhoe at work, a crane truck at work, drain tile laid out, men with tools working; it was a boy’s heaven.  So, they decided to “help.”  Soon they were covered in sludge, mud, and dirt.  They began to wrestle each other, throwing each other into the oozing pile.  They splashed through the “fragrant” water and threw handfuls of the ooze at each other.  They were having the time of their life until mom saw them.  She shook her head; it wasn’t the first time that the boys had pulled something like this.  So, she headed out and took them into the garage and there they waited.

    She came out of the house with a basin full of warm soapy water and started by washing their faces.  Now, even the boys realized that their smell was not the greatest.  She washed them, threw out the water, got fresh water and repeated the process.  The clothes ended up out on the lawn by the garden hose, a later project.  Yet mother continued to scrub and scrub and after a while three clean, cherubic boys appeared with rosy cheeks from the scrubbing.  Hopefully, they learned their lesson, but mom knew they would find a different one.

    When the psalmist speaks of “the depths” we can think of a hole where much of the sewage from a village drains to.  Prisoners were often tossed in these to keep them.  It was a place of stench and despair.  It is a place that we can find ourselves from time to time.  Perhaps we have had a fight with a loved one or heard some painful comments made or we made some painful comments and now regret it.  Perhaps it seems that the world is totally against us and in our sorrow, we are in the hole, the pit, the depths of despair.

    Even through the stench, God reaches down and gives us comfort and hope.  He washes us off and cleans us up until we are clean, we are new creations.  We are clean enough to live in his presence and rest in his loving arms.  Even as we fall into the pit again, God continues to pull you out of the depths and clean you up so that you no longer live with the stench of sin.  God’s love pulls you up and out.  In his grace, he cleanses us from our sin.

Father, I cry out of the depths, and you hear me and rescue me.  You give me hope.  You give me peace.  Be with those who are still in the pit.  Hear their cry and lift them up by your mighty Spirit.  Save them, Lord, and give them the certainty of their salvation.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret