Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.   Psalm 51:1-2

Rear View Mirror

   So, in retrospect, recently I was lying in a hospital gurney waiting for a procedure, naked to the world except for a thin blanket and an even thinner gown. I observed the rushing of nurses and doctors and administrators all around me, speaking what sounded like English but incomprehensible just the same. I had filled out all the forms and answered all the questions and had my blood pressure taken and my heart examined...but now I was simply waiting. In my relaxed state, the minutes turned to hours and I began to drift in and out of consciousness. And it was in this hushed nether world of strangers and antiseptic ambience that I began to draw comparisons between Christianity...and my impending colonoscopy.
 
   Preparation is the key. You must be willing to be cleansed and changed and as with any process, there are steps that need to be taken. Fasting is important to our spiritual health, not so much in the physical way of our forefathers but more metaphorically, we abstain from those things that add to our collective waste.
 
   "...you must deny yourselves and not do any work - because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins." Leviticus 16:29-30.
Fasting is a time of deep introspection where we examine our souls. Introspection leads to change. The change may be gradual at first but make no mistake; Christianity is strong medicine that causes movement towards a more rewarding experience.
 
   "We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye...we will be changed." 1 Corinthians1 15:51-52
Sin can be eviscerated from our lives but the process can be uncomfortable and even painful as we "flashingly" discharge the filth that has accumulated within our constitution. But once absolved, we invite the Great Healer to probe our lives and remove the bleeding memories and pinch our cancerous relationships and remove the polyps of temptation from our winding tunnel of existence.
 
   "And wherever he went - into villages, towns or countryside - they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed." Mark 6:56
When we "awake" from this Christian experience, we are truly cleansed and changed. A flatulent hope fills us with renewed life. Indeed, as a new being, we must stand firm in the glory of Jesus. We may still experience bumps along the road, but our faith is the Metamucil that keeps things advancing positively until that day when we meet our Father in heaven, where there is no stress of effort or constipation of ideals. Although our faith may sometimes cause us to be the butt of ridicule, in the end, all things work to the glory of God.

Dear Heavenly Father,
   All kidding aside, your son said that "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick". Let his sacrifice change us, cleanse us from our human ways and wash us so that we "will be whiter than snow" in preparation for our reward in heaven. Amen

Contributed by Donald
Sunday October 31, 2010
Liturgical Year C Week 49
Sunday Gospel reading:
Lectionary 31 (Proper 26)
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost