Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Lectionary: 225

So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing; 'twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands. But he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him and makes me poor indeed"

Shakespeare's Iago anticipated the gossip that might follow his suspicious behavior and reminded his unwary friends that they should not filch another's good name. 

A word is a powerful thing; it may be used as a most wonderful blessing or a most dreadful weapon. A word may span the infinite distance between our brief moment on earth and the Lord of all Creation; it may penetrate the apparent silence of heaven to be heard in God's presence. 

Jaded Americans dismiss the power and import of a word. If it's not documented and certified and verified in a court of law after several appeals to higher courts, it means nothing. It was never said. Or it doesn't mean what it appears to mean. In fact, we don't know what it means, and it means nothing. 

The scriptures, those who wrote them, and those who live by them, take God's word very seriously. If God has spoken that word, it is true, reliable, everlasting, and as solid as a boxer's left hook. And for that reason, God's people do not trash their own words with untruths. They say what they mean and mean what they say. You can take it to the bank. 

Our scriptures speak to us today of God's word, and we're especially grateful for the Our Father. This prayer speaks for us and to us. It teaches us how to pray; it gives us the attitude we assume in God's presence; and reassures us that we can, may, should, and are welcome to present ourselves before the Lord of the Universe. He is our Father, our progenitor who made us from the dust of earth, the waters of heaven, and the breath of his nostrils. He knows and cares for us, and listens attentively to our prayers. 

The Father hears us because he knows the One who taught us this prayer; they are his own words emerging from the heart of God and sounding on our lips. They prove that his word has found its place in our hearts despite our treacherous sins and the untruths by which we live. Even as we pray we confess our sins and ask his forgiveness "as we forgive those who sin against us." 

I think of that phrase especially as we celebrate a funeral. I'm one of those who remember the resentments I have against the deceased. No matter how much I loved and admired them, I remember the issues that came between us. And then I say to myself, "Let it go. It's over. It's done with! You're forgiven and you must forgive." 

It's as simple as that. For...

Just as from the heavens

the rain and snow come down

And do not return there

till they have watered the earth...

So shall my word be

that goes forth from my mouth;

It shall not return to me void,

but shall do my will,

achieving the end for which I sent it.