Helpless, Yet Not Hopeless

The Reverend James Pittman / February 25, 2026

The Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent

As I prayed and reflected on the collect for this Sunday, I framed it in the overall context of Lent. Lent is the season leading up to the celebration of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sins, His death, burial and resurrection. The shaping of my thoughts through this time has been to examine my own sinfulness and the foundational awareness that Jesus Christ died for me. The prophet Isaiah said that He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). Quite literally, He carried the weight of my sins (and yours) to the cross, and by His stripes I find healing (Isaiah 53:5). The chastisement that brought my peace was placed upon Him (Isaiah 53:5).

I see myself in need of this collective prayer, shared by many Anglicans around the world as it proclaims, “We have no power in ourselves to help ourselves.” I am challenged to see myself as fallen to sin and unable to rescue myself. This places me in opposition to the mainstream of American culture. There is a rugged individualism that arguably resides in our DNA. American thoughts about being “self-made” are at war with foundational theological principles which describe our sin and need for deliverance. The Apostle Paul reminds us that, “. . . none is righteous, no not one.” (Romans 3:10)

It has become clear to me that the problem is far deeper than American individualism. It is the problem of sin, original sin, that thing in human nature that exalts itself against God. We see Adam and Eve in the garden as they embrace the lie of the serpent. The serpent said that if you eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not die. (Genesis 3:4) The serpent said your eyes shall be opened like God with the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 3:5) It really is a human inheritance to desire to have our own answers to our problems, being sufficient for ourselves and independent of God. Isaiah the prophet also said, “All we like sheep have gone astray, we’ve turned everyone to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6) “All of our righteousness is as filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6) The Apostle Paul authoritatively stated, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of the God.” (Romans 3:23) He also noted that the wages of sin, what we have justly earned, is death. (Romans 6:23)

This all sounds hopeless, and from a strictly human perspective it is. However, these declarations from scripture about sin also come with a remedy. “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) And Paul couples his words about the wages of sin with the promise that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

As we acknowledge our sinfulness and our need for Christ, we hear the plea of today’s collect, “Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt our soul.” These are specific requests for tangible assistance as we acknowledge our dependence on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

Meditating on all of this, I came full circle to my original thoughts on the Lenten reflection. As I mulled over an attitude of repentance, the sermon I heard on Ash Wednesday came to mind, in which it was stated that the purpose of repentance is not moral correction, though it might be a salutary blessing. The real goal of repentance is restoration of relationship with God in Christ. Asking for God’s protection from physical harm and evil is central to the collect. It points us beyond ourselves and to Him with our need. Truly though, the 40-day cycle of Lent should always bring us to these questions: What do we need to give up, what do we need to pursue, and how do we need to seek change in our lives to become closer to God in Christ?