Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord,
and do not remember iniquity for ever.
Now consider, we are all your people.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, December 17, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
“We all make mistakes.” It’s said so often it’s a complete cliché. Yet it warrants looking at more deeply. On the one hand, it can be hard to accept this is actually true. Our perfectionism can, upon having a mistake brought to our attention, send us into shame. And this isn’t productive. It can keep us from owning our error and genuinely working to make it right. On the other hand, if we’re too quick to shrug and chalk up our mistake to a natural human propensity for which we are somehow not responsible, we also undermine any good that might come out of it.
The prophet Isaiah claims the error—does not seek to dodge or minimize it. But at the same time, he asks God’s understanding and appeals to God’s love for God’s people. This is the middle ground on which we can meet our mistakes—one on which we can accept our imperfection without shame, and work to amend our actions going forward. It’s not always easy. But God is more than willing to walk with us through the process.
When did I last have to make an amends for something I did that hurt someone else? How did it go?
