The Sacrament of the Black Bin Liner
by Josh Rieger
A few weeks ago I was listening to a great sermon on Ruth 1, by Dale Ralph Davis. In Ruth 1:21, as she returns to Bethlehem and the welcome of the women there, Naomi says, “I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.” Davis points out that Naomi said this with Ruth standing right beside her. To quote my wife, Ruth must have been asking, “What am I, chopped liver?” Davis said that one of the dangers we face in trying circumstances, or in carrying out unpleasant tasks, is that we miss the gifts that God has given and we do not display the gratitude we ought.
In making this point, Dale Ralph Davis used a great illustration. When he was serving as a minister in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the council did not provide rubbish bins. He had to purchase his own. He was loath to put those bins out by the street for collection because they were likely to come back dented or damaged. So he developed a practice each week of carrying his full black bin liners out to the street for collection. He said, “One cannot spend that much time carrying black [bin liners] to the street without thinking theologically about it.” He said that taking rubbish out ought to be a reminder to be grateful. We would not have rubbish if God had not given us blessings…had not provided for us. His exhortation from this verse was a reminder to look for the things in our lives that point out God’s blessing, even when we are in trying circumstances. Dr. Davis said that he began to call this ‘the weekly sacrament of the black bin liner’. His point stuck with me and I’ve been thinking about it for a few weeks.
Recently Texas was hit by a winter storm that led to all sorts of disruptions. Water and power outages were pervasive in the Houston area, where we are staying right now. Our home was without power for about 24 hours. This caused a problem with the pump on our well, so we had several days without water. We used disposable plates and utensils. We went to my sister’s house once a day to fill water containers, so we had drinking water, but she did not have hot water. In this context, a friend offered to let us use their shower. We were able to wash for the first time in several days(!) It was like the experience of taking a shower after several days camping. It was glorious! Dirt and grime, dust and muck were all gone.
With Dale Ralph Davis’ sermon in my head, I was thinking about what a blessing it is that the Lord cleanses us spiritually. We are no more inherently clean, spiritually, than we are physically. We are sinners, guilty and corrupt, but until the Spirit opens our eyes to the state we are in, we go on in our sin, oblivious. As I left my friend’s house, feeling cleaner than I had in days, I could not help but reflect on just how great my sin is and how great a blessing the cleansing power of Christ’s blood is. My spiritual filth, apart from Christ, is far greater than the physical filth of a few days without a shower. No soap will scrub me clean from my sin. However, in Christ, I am cleaner, spiritually, than any shower can ever make my physical body. I’m clothed in Christ’s righteousness and the filth is gone, never to return.
The Scriptures give us this illustration/analogy of cleansing water again and again. We even see this picture in the sacrament of baptism. The blessing and practice of physical cleanliness ought to remind us regularly of God’s cleansing work. I would encourage you not to take for granted the blessing of being able to take a shower, but I would even more strongly encourage you not to forget that even greater blessing of Christ’s cleansing work!
