ACKNOWLEDGE MY WRETCHEDNESS?
Dear Friends,
Why on earth would a church in Ottawa, in the year 2021, have the congregation pray, “... we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness …”? Isn’t this making people lie? I mean, up until this prayer they were feeling great. Now they have to pretend that they are feeling wretched? Shouldn’t religion and spirituality be all about helping people feel better about themselves? Doesn’t this prayer encourage you to have a terrible self-image?
Good questions. Some of you might be puzzled about all of this, so a clarifying comment. During the season of Lent, every Sunday a prayer with these words is prayed by the congregation. Often I change one word. I change the word “wretchedness” to “fallenness”. I do this because I don’t want to take the time to explain what the prayer means by “wretchedness,” and “fallenness” is a closely related idea. Sometimes I do not change the word (like in the Ash Wednesday service), so people do use the word “wretchedness.” So, what is going on? A few simple points.
First, remember that these prayers (technically “Collects”) are : a concise biblical theology, a prayer that you can pray, and a launching pad or guide to your extemporaneous prayers. Because they are a concise biblical theology, expect the words to be important.
Second, the prayer is referring to your objective state, not your emotional state. I have done funerals for people who suddenly dropped dead because of previously unknown medical conditions. In the minutes before their collapse, they might have been in a great mood, feeling on top of the world, but objectively, they were doomed to imminent death. On the other hand, people can feel lousy, but actually be in tiptop shape. Your emotions are a very poor guide to your objective physical or spiritual condition. This prayer is making no comment about your emotions. It is speaking of your objective condition.
Third, it is wise to “acknowledge your wretchedness” to almighty God. Why? Because it is a truth about all human beings, even Christians, that wretchedness is part of the human condition. Why? You are frail. You are finite and will die. You are fallen, so you still sin. No part of you is untouched by the fall. The world, the flesh and the devil still try to shape you into their mold. If you are not in Christ, wretchedness is the final word about you. When you are in Christ, “wretchedness” is not the only truth about you, or the most important truth about you, or the final word about you. The most important truth about you is that you have been justified in Christ; are being sanctified in Christ; and will be glorified in Christ. But until you see Jesus face-to-face, it is wise to acknowledge your human condition which includes wretchedness.
Fourth, being reminded of true bad news in the context of the true good news is truly good for you. The people whose funerals I have done might still be alive if they had received timely bad news of their condition in the context of the good news of successful treatment options. It is the same here. As a Christian you are to live in light of truly life changing Good News. The same Collect, after the phrase in question, summarizes this Good News wonderfully, “...one may obtain of You, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”
Fifth, being gripped by the bad news often helps us to appreciate the Good News more. The more I know my wretchedness apart from Christ, the more I appreciate the wonder of who He is, what He taught, and what He accomplished on the cross for me. The more I know my wretchedness, the more I see the need for others to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord. The more I know my wretchedness, the more precious is Jesus Christ, the hope of glory. To be gripped by the Gospel is not the path to self-deception and blindness. To be gripped more and more by the Gospel is to die to self-deception, and to see my wretchedness in light of God’s great provision of grace. He did not weigh my merits. He pardoned my sins. He did not leave me naked. He clothed me in His righteousness. He adopted me as His child. And He will surely welcome me home into His New Heaven and Earth. Jesus is my hope of glory.
George+