I don’t know about you, but in this house we’re washing our hands like we’ve never washed them before. We lather up, sing Amazing Grace (one verse), Sizohambe Naye (both verses) or God is loving and love is giving (twice through), then rinse and dry thoroughly. It’s lovely to sing as we scrub, but given shutdown has made it impossible for us to experience many of the usual physical rituals of our faith, I wondered how we could turn handwashing into a more intentional spiritual practice.
I had lots of clever ideas … but after seventeen interruptions from children learning from home, I went with simple. I figured I need a prayer which takes about twenty seconds to say aloud, and which I can stick above a handbasin. So I wrote a couple of collects. A collect is a formal prayer which addresses God, names a facet of God’s nature or story; names a desire or petition; and explains why this desire or petition is being made.Each takes about 20 seconds to recite at moderate speed: just enough to kill any COVID-19 virus lingering on my hands.
I. Pilate took some water and washed his hands before the crowd … (Matthew 24:27)
Forgiving Jesus:
You watched Pilate wash his hands of responsibility for your death,
and you forgave him.
Every time I wash my hands,
remind me of my baptism.
Help me remember I am forgiven;
help me to forgive.
Because you watched, and you forgave,
not only Pilate, but every one. Amen.
II. Who may ascend to the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in her holy place? Those who have clean hands and a pure heart. (Psalm 24:3-4)
O Holy One:
You welcome the clean of hand
and pure of heart.
As I wash my hands,
wash away my guilt also.
Cleanse me of all violence, greed, envy and hate;
any tendency to manipulate;
make my heart white as snow.
For you did create us to worship you:
this we know, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Peace,
Alison
Emailed to Sanctuary, 22 April 2020 © Alison Sampson, 2020. Image credit: Mélissa Jeanty on Unsplash.
Alison and the whale 