None of Us Are Perfect, but We Must Strive Toward Righteousness

[Note: Today’s guest blogger is Rev. Alvin Simpson, the Assistant Music Director of Mass Choir at Spiritus. We’re grateful for all of the love and energy that Alvin brings to our liturgies each week and appreciate this blog contribution as well. IN his introduction to the blog he wrote: As the Assistant Music Director of the Spiritus Christi Mass Choir, I offer this reflection not only as a singer, but as a fellow pilgrim walking through Lent, learning again how to hold grace and growth, mercy and maturity, humanity and holiness in the same breath.]

Music has always carried the church through seasons it could not explain with words alone. Lent is one of those seasons. It reminds us that while none of us are perfect, all of us are being invited deeper, called to live more intentionally, love more faithfully, and walk more humbly with God.

Scripture tells us plainly, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Lent does not shame us for that truth; it grounds us in it. We begin with ashes, remembering, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Yet even in the ashes, God speaks purpose. We are fragile, but we are still chosen.

The Sound of Struggle and Surrender

Lent names the tension many of us feel daily, the pull between carnality and calling. Paul captures it well: “The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh” (Galatians 5:17). That tension doesn’t disqualify us; it reveals where formation is happening.

This is where music becomes ministry. Songs give voice to the prayer we’re still learning how to pray.

• “Create in Me a Clean Heart” reminds us that righteousness begins inwardly, not with appearances (Psalm 51:10).
• “I Need You to Survive” centers us in community, reminding us that striving toward holiness is not a solo journey.
• “Refiner” (Maverick City Music) echoes the Lenten prayer of surrender: take what doesn’t belong and shape what does.
• “Give Me Jesus” strips away excess, ambition, and distraction, leaving us with the one desire that matters.
• “Lead Me On” (Kirk Franklin) becomes a musical confession—acknowledging that we don’t always know the way, but we trust the One who does.

Each song is an offering. Each lyric is a step toward alignment.

Grace That Moves Us Forward

Lent reminds us that grace is not permission to stay the same. Paul writes, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you” (Philippians 2:12–13). Grace does not cancel effort—it empowers it.

When we sing, we are not declaring perfection. We are declaring dependence. We are testifying that God is still shaping us, still tuning our hearts, still calling us higher.

• “Order My Steps” becomes a prayer for discipline in a distracted age.
• “Holiness Is What I Long For” reminds us that holiness is not a mask—it’s a direction.
• “Goodness of God” anchors us in the truth that transformation flows from love, not fear.

From Ashes To Alignment

Lent is not meant to leave us stuck in guilt. It is meant to lead us toward resurrection hope. The prophet Joel calls, “Return to me with all your heart… for He is gracious and compassionate” (Joel 2:12–13). And Jesus Himself enters the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11), showing us that preparation often comes before purpose.

As a choir, we believe this season is an invitation—not to perform holiness, but to pursue it honestly. To sing what we are still becoming. To trust that God hears even the unfinished notes.

A Moment For Introspection

As you sit with this reflection during Lent, we invite you to pause and ask:

What is God asking me to lay down in this season so that my life, not just my lips, can better sing His righteousness?

May this Lenten journey tune our hearts, align our lives, and remind us that while none of us are perfect, all of us are still being called, by grace, toward righteousness.