SignPost Psalm 51:1-17 Ash Wednesday—The Car Wash

I don’t know when the tradition got started, but, as a kid, before we could leave on a trip, the car had to be cleaned. This meant washing the car and waxing it. We needed to vacuum the interior of the car. Only then could we think about packing it. When the task of getting cleaned was complete, the maps in the glove box, the suitcases packed and the thermal bottles filled, we were ready to leave.

Psalm 51 is our car wash. “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” With this Psalm our accumulated dirt, our sin, is recognized and addressed. We have acknowledged our need for cleansing and we are prepared to begin. Now washed, waxed, and polished, with the headlights cleaned and the mirrors adjusted, we are ready for the road.

Prayer

Lord, you have prepared us for this journey. May we know your leading presence as we joyfully go. Amen