Today’s household object is the shower and our Bible passage is Psalm 51:1-7.
Just as toilets flush away our urine and faeces, so the shower is the quickest way to wash ourselves and keep our bodies clean. Psalm 51 reminds us forcefully of our need for cleansing when we have sinned; David – the king of Israel who had sinned greatly in committing adultery with Bathsheba and conniving to have her husband killed – longs for God’s cleansing; in the Message version, we read, ‘Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.’ (Ps 51:7) Sometimes, our showers may be swift; on other occasions, we may have to scrub the dirt away!
Easter is the only solution to the human condition of sin. It offers us hope that we can be cleansed and given a fresh start. Some people shower at the start of the day, wanting to start the day well; this is a reminder, perhaps, that each day can begin with prayer. Others shower at the end of the day, wanting to finish well; a reminder that we can pray at all times and need God’s cleansing always. Jesus is the Living Water who can make us clean and whole.