Good morning: Is Saturday your cleaning day? Without work or school, it can be an ideal time to vacuum floors, shake out rugs, scrub bathrooms, wash clothes, maybe even straighten and organize the garage. It’s not a one time effort. Regular cleaning is important. It doesn’t get any easier if you close your eyes to it, or if it’s put off until “tomorrow” or “next Monday.” The mess only gets worse and more unmanageable until it seems completely hopeless. Regular spiritual housecleaning is even more essential. Every day our lives become cluttered, stained, and filthy with sin. Instead of showing kindness and consideration, you were impatient and frustrated with a family member or coworker. Then there are the devotions in the Word and prayers which never happened, even though you told yourself, “Tomorrow.” We can’t close our eyes to sin and make it go away. Procrastinating won’t help. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:8-9). The Lord doesn’t insist that we do the actual cleaning. We can’t. He calls us to face the reality of our sin, and instead of excusing or defending it, to bring it all to him for cleaning. “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Ps. 51:7). Jesus took all the disgusting filth of our sin to the cross where he suffered the penalty in full. “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). After a good house cleaning, do you ever wonder why you put it off? It feels good when everything is clean and the clutter put away. There's a sense of peace when everything is just where it should be. You’re ready to get on with the rest of your day. With hearts cleansed from sin, we are at peace and ready to serve the Lord in love. It is not just Saturday; every day is a good day for house cleaning. Yours in Christ, Pastor Choir meets tomorrow at 8 a.m. The service with Holy Communion is at 9 a.m. The children will be singing. Sunday school begins at 10:15 a.m., and adult Bible class at 10:20 a.m. The Bible class will be looking at Jesus’ power to heal, both when he was here in his state of humiliation and now in his rule at the Father’s right hand.
