|
|
|
 |
| | 3/7/2010 |
Luke 13:1-9
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Doesn’t it sometimes seem that live is lived between the tragedies? We wake every morning and open up the paper scanning the front page for news of another earthquake or tsunami somewhere in the world. We listen to the radio or watch television expecting a newsbreak to tell us about a plane crash or a shooter taking innocent lives in a school or another public place. We open our internet homepage and know that we will hear news of more casualties due to war, weather, or some other unexplainable act. And on a smaller scale, we get phone calls, emails and church announcements about our friends who break a hip, receive a diagnosis of cancer, or experience divorce or brokenness in their families. Rarely does a day go by that we do not receive news of these things happening somewhere in the world. The first question that is on most of our minds is usually, “Why?” The second question is, “When is it going to happen to me?”
Jesus addresses the same feelings that the people of his day are experiencing as they hear news of disasters occurring in their land. Evidently Pontius Pilate had slaughtered some Galileans in order to preserve the good ole Pax Romana – the peace of Roman – and he has mingled their blood with the sacrifices made to the pagan gods of his religion. No ancient history sources mentions any such incident, but don’t think it is because it didn’t happen. Pilate was notorious for doing things like that, so it probably was something that wasn’t too rare. Unlike the Judean procurators from Rome before him, Pilate showed very little respect for the Jewish faith practices. He regularly had soldiers intimidate and carry out atrocities, including those which were abominations to the faith of the people. He was quite brutal, and those Judeans living in that land knew that almost every day they would hear news of a disaster at his hands – much like we know that every day we will hear of atrocities carried out by people in our news sources.
Jesus also mentions innocent lives being lost when a tower falls. There is probably little that we understand less than when this kind of disaster strikes. A chunk of concrete falls from a bridge over I-71 Tuesday, and we are filled with questions about how safe the bridges in Columbus are. The earthquake in Haiti touched our sentimental sides so much that relief money poured to organizations that are helping to rebuild and recover in that country – and now that another devastating earthquake has struck within a couple of months of that one, I dare say that people are still suffering from that fatigue that we get from hearing disaster news reported so much that we aren’t in the spirit to give money or a helping hand as we could to the recovery efforts in Chile. Life was hard in Jesus’ time – a lot harder than it is for us today. There was more disease, the rulers were more brutal, and the buildings were not up to the standards that we have here and now. People died younger and from more causes than now.
I would venture to say that our natural reaction to danger is to revert to some kind of routine or superstition that we trust in to guard us from danger. To be sure, there are certain things that should be done to guard against suffering – like washing your hands regularly to protect against the spread of germs and disease. But the people of Jesus’ day didn’t know about germs or anything microscopic that exists and brings about illness in people. Mostly, they thought disease was spread by evil spirits or, if they were pagans, by certain gods who would sow their wrath by punishing those who had angered them or did not appease them with sacrifices or offerings. It was more involved than throwing salt over the shoulder, avoiding walking underneath ladders or breaking mirrors in the home. It is adhering to the misconception that participating in religious ritual will guard against bad things happening. Jesus’ people believed it, and I dare say people today do too.
For example – how many superstitions are there connected to the wedding service to try to ensure a successful marriage? The minute hand on the clock should be going up, the couple should not see each other, something old, new, borrowed and blue should be worn, and so on. There are also those Roman Catholic brothers and sisters who view the whole system of Saints as people to whom to pray for a desired effect. One family I know buried a statue of St. Jude in the back yard of the house that they were trying to sell in order to get it sold. It did indeed sell, but after moving, she forgot about the statue being there until someone reminded her that if you don’t dig up the statue and take it with you, you will have bad luck. Under cover of night, she snuck back into her old back yard and dug up the statue of St. Jude to complete the ritual.
Today we hear stories like the people of Jesus’ day heard and we naturally ask, “What is it that we can do to avoid this happening to me?” Jesus says that there is nothing that we can do – we are no less sinners than these people are, we are just as susceptible to the disastrous happenings as they are. Then Jesus does what he always does when people are a little confused by what he has said – he confuses them even more with a parable! It is a parable about a fig tree, a vineyard owner and his gardener. The fig tree has been in the ground for the three years that are required for a fig tree to be in the ground before it is expected to bear fruit. The problem is, it still has not bore any figs. That may not seem like much of a problem to us, but to these people it was a great waste. There is such a small amount of good agricultural land in that part of the world, and food was so much scarcer at that time, every fruit tree was needed to feed the people. Besides that, if it was not bearing figs, the vineyard owner was without produce to sell in the marketplace, which affected his livelihood, his ability to feed his own family. It was indeed wasting the soil.
But Jesus’ story tells us about the wonderful patience that God has in each one of us. We are to identify ourselves with the fig tree in the parable. We are the ones who stand idle when we are expected to share the good blessings that God gives to us with others. The interaction of the owner and the gardener is indeed confusing, but it certainly demonstrates the mindset of the patient, loving God over against the mindset of the world that if a person is not doing any good, that they should just be cut down and forgotten forever.
How, you may ask, does this parable relate to the problem at hand that Jesus and these people are discussing? Well, I believe that Jesus is telling them that there is indeed a pressing issue at hand – but it is not how each of them can protect their own skin from disaster by appeasing Yahweh in some manner or another like the Romans appeased their gods with sacrifices. The pressing issue at hand is bearing fruit – turning your life outward to produce that which will feed and care for others rather than worrying about if the gardener is going to come your way with an axe in his hand! The question we should be asking is not, “Am I in jeopardy of suffering a disaster in my life where I lose everything?” The question we should be asking is, “Am I just taking up space by wondering if I am doing enough to keep from being destroyed, or am I truly living out the repentance that God calls me to live? Ironically, we are called to lose ourselves to the love and mission of God like the fig tree loses itself in bearing its fruit for the sake of the landowner. When you lose yourself in this way, those times of evil, disaster or atrocities are not things to be feared, but they are opportunities for God’s healing and mercy to be shared by the fruit that we bear.
In these Lenten texts, our tendency to think that we are more loved by God than others because we live the right way, we worship the right way or we make or do enough is challenged by Jesus who says that all sinners are susceptible to the tragedies of this fragile, sinful creation and therefore we must repent.
The good news in all of it is that God gives us all that we need to lose ourselves in a faithful life. A pastor friend of mine this week posted on Facebook this update: Just finished my sermon but it feels like a big pile of manure. Of course I replied to him, “Jesus says that is just what we need to be spreading so that our people bear some fruit!” And according to some, that is the chief job description of the pastor – manure spreader!
I pray that as I spread the blessed manure of the gospel of Jesus Christ to you, that you may view this Lenten season as the gift of extended time that God is giving to each of us to lose ourselves for the sake of God’s creation and God’s creatures. May God guard us from disasters, but may we instead of focusing on those things around us that threaten to take our lives, give our lives as Christ first gave his life for us. May it be so, in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen. | | |
|
| | 2/28/2010 |
Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
In the 1950s and 1960s, millions of young boys had a hero that they looked up to with great admiration. His name was Mickey Mantle. The guy from the small town in Oklahoma made it big as a centerfield playing switch-hitting slugger with the New York Yankees. He was the All-American boy who won 7 World Series titles with the Yankees between the years 1951-68, and little leaguers all over the country wanted to be just like him. He was the typical, “sports role model” for the youth of his day – adored wherever he went, kids looked up to him. He could do no wrong in their sight.
What people didn’t know about Mickey was that he lived a very troubled life. He was plagued by knee injuries and pain – he wrapped them heavily before each game just to make it through. All of the men in his family before him had died young, so Mickey (not thinking that it was because of all of the zinc that they inhaled working in mines) thought he was destined for the same fate. As a result, he drank heavily – after becoming sober, he realized just how much he was abusing his body when he kept telling the same funny stories from his career over and over, and they all involved him being drunk…except that they weren’t funny anymore. In part, his lifestyle also led to his wife and all four sons becoming alcoholics as well. Mickey died in August of 1995. In eulogizing Mantle, sportscaster Bob Costas described him as "a fragile hero to whom we had an emotional attachment so strong and lasting that it defied logic." Costas added: "In the last year of his life, Mickey Mantle, always so hard on himself, finally came to accept and appreciate the distinction between a role model and a hero. The first, he often was not. The second, he always will be. And, in the end, people got it."
It is always dangerous to adopt a famous person as your role model. As has been proven time and again, fame and wealth often exacerbate the addictions and weaknesses of people so that they experience the fall that is inevitable in life when we put our trust in something other than God. And when a person in the spotlight falls, oh how great is that fall. As Paul closes his letter to the Christians in Philippi, he urges them to join in imitating him. When you think about it, that is a pretty bold statement, isn’t it? He is telling them, “If you are looking for a role model of how to live a Christian life, look no further than right here – I am the one; me and the others who live according to the example that I have set.” It would be one thing if Paul had a perfect record, but when you consider that he started his career off by persecuting and killing followers of Christ, and that this letter he is writing is being penned from prison, then it seems quite absurd that he would suggest himself as a role model.
It was an interesting proposition in that society even to think about Paul as a role model. Prison is so dishonorable today, but in Paul’s time, it was even more so. We are told that in Paul’s society, all the transactions of life – the decisions a person made, the goals to which one aspired, - all of them passed through the honor/shame filter. And universally, that filter was set with careful attention to increase honor and decrease shame. Paul had two strikes against him: he preached Christ crucified, the most shame-filled manner of death, and he sat in a cold, dark prison cell which also brought no measure of honor at all to a person. For his readers to even consider adopting his life as the model for their lives would be preposterous. But that is what he is asking because, as he says in his letter, those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ have their glory as their shame. Paul talks about how his citizenship is in heaven, and that is how we are all to live. When you come to think about it, that is what it means to live a faithful life. In a commentary on our first lesson about Abram and his faithful life, Dennis Tucker Jr. says, “living a faithful life is about leaning forward into the vision of God for the world even when the horizon extends far beyond our own lives.” That is a great definition of the faithful life, isn’t it – leaning forward into the vision of God for the world…even when the horizon extends far beyond our own lives. Sounds a lot like what it means to live as a citizen of heaven even while we are yet citizens of earth! Living a faithful life often goes against how the filters of the world say we should live, just like living like Paul went against the filters of the Roman society of his day.
One of my favorite seminary professors, the late Walt Bouman, often told us about a conversation he had with a family in East Germany when he visited there during the height of the Cold War in the 1970s. The family had a daughter who was quite an athlete – she was being groomed as a possible Olympic swimmer. The parents had been involved in the church before the wall went up, but this daughter was too young. When Walt asked the family if their daughter had been baptized, they said, “No, there is no benefit in it.” In other words, with the communist government, the benefit for her swimming career was to stay as far away from all things religious as they could. To be baptized might put that possibility of fame and wealth at risk. Walt always marveled at that, but I dare say the world is filled with people who do the same thing today. Even though that communist government is long gone and that wall is in pieces scattered in museums around the world, the kingdom of God remains strong and vibrant, and as citizens of that kingdom, we are called to take on the lifestyle of Paul, and Abraham – people of faith.
In 1997, at age 49, Oklahoma State Football Coach Bob Simmons' kidneys were failing. He needed a new kidney but the wait for a donor organ averaged 2 years. One afternoon in November 1997, Linda, his wife laid on her bed praying for guidance. An answer came to her -- she would give Bob one of her kidneys. Bob resisted, but Linda kept pushing the idea. She was a suitable match. Being a registered nurse for 25 years, she knew that there is a risk that things could go wrong whenever surgery of any kind in involved. She wanted so much to keep Bob's dream of coaching and of course her husband alive. Linda said this: "I was trying to get him to understand this was a gift from God."
Bob finally gave in and on the morning of March 10, 1998 as both husband and wife were being prepped for the procedure, Linda reached over and told Bob everything would be fine. Her heart was "celebrating" she said, pumping wildly, because she knew a miracle was at hand. Six days after the surgery Bob returned to practice. But what struck outsiders was the sacrifice of Linda. It took months before she recovered. When Bob first addressed the team after the surgery, he couldn't describe Linda's act without breaking into tears. Simmons said: "This is about a loving gift from my wife and the glory goes to God.”
I think that the life Paul is calling us to is a life of sacrifice. There is nothing logical about sacrificing oneself or one’s belongings for anyone or anything else, but leaning into the vision of God means doing just that. Jesus calls Herod a fox in our Gospel reading today – and then later says that he has desired to gather the children of Jerusalem together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. Who else but the mother hen would put her life between her chicks and a fox, even though she doesn’t stand a chance against him? That is what Jesus has done for each of us, and during Lent we are called to consider how we are and will be called to sacrifice in our lives for others as well – even and especially when there is no benefit to us in this life. Our citizenship is in heaven, that reality that so often extends far beyond our own lives. Abram didn’t live to see his descendants numbered as the stars, extending from Egypt to the Euphrates. Paul didn’t live to see followers of Jesus extend all around the world. But by putting aside that which was most beneficial to their own lives, they benefitted all of us citizens of heaven who have come after them. These are role models for all of us. We may indeed have sports heroes, but we must be careful not to make them our role models.
As Paul said in his letter I say to you: stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. | | |
|
| | 2/21/2010 |
Luke 4:1-13
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Are you like me, you just don’t feel quite “into” Lent this year? Oh, my family and I are taking on the disciplines that we usually do – giving up some food or foods, reading Luke’s Gospel at the dinner table, attending the Wednesday worship times, trying consider how we can give more of ourselves in sacrifice to God and others; but I am not sure that we are as “into it” as we usually are. Maybe it’s the whole “solemn, somber attitude” thing I am having a hard time with.
I can think of two reasons why for me Lent is different this year. The first reason is the economy. It seems like people in our communities have had to sacrifice and cut back for the last one to two years because of the uncertain markets, loss of jobs, and a lack of confidence that things will get better any time soon. You have to admit, though, things are not as bad as a year or so ago, and the experts tell us that the employment numbers are the last to reflect any kind of recovery; but tell that to one of the many people in this congregation, in our families or in our neighborhoods who are looking for a job right now. They are more than just a number, they are faithful people – mostly hard-working folks who are frustrated cannot understand why they are in the situation they are in. Living as one of these people – or living close to one of these people – makes one wonder why it is necessary to impose a voluntary 7 week denial on our lives. Already so many are doing without certain things because they just cannot afford it.
The other reason that for me Lent is different this year is quite frankly the weather. Boom, blam, pow – we have been hit three times in a row with snowstorms that have elevated this month to the snowiest February on record in this part of Ohio. The sad part is, we are not even done with the month, and there is a chance that we are going to get hit again tonight. It has been a long time since Christmas – that joyous season where we like a little snow to make things festive. Now, it is downright getting old. We want SUN! We want warmth! Pitchers and catchers have reported to Florida and Arizona for Spring Training, and we are eager for the rites of spring and the baseball season to begin. We are tired of the gloom – the sun is staying out later in the day, but until recently the high temperature has been about 10-15 degrees below average so we cannot enjoy it. If you consider “40 days in the wilderness” a euphemism for Lent, you might say that we have been enduring a cold, white wilderness already – maybe not for 40 days, but for the last few weeks. We are all itching for something to celebrate, not 6 more weeks of penance! We are yearning for something to make us shout out our Alleluias – but we have put that word away for this time.
Unfortunately we live under the misconception of an “if-then” life: IF we are faithful in everything, THEN we will get everything that we need in life. IF we work hard at our job, THEN we will always be fulfilled and have enough. IF we treat people right around us, THEN we will receive back the goodness we share. These beliefs remind me of the description of the devil’s words of temptation spoken to Jesus in our Gospel lesson today: IF you command this stone to become bread, THEN you will have something to eat. IF you worship me, THEN I will give you all the kingdoms of the world. IF you throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple, THEN the angels will catch you before you strike the ground. The temptations of an “IF, THEN” life can be frustrating and can make us question if indeed there is a God, and if he truly loves us and is capable of providing for us as he has promised to do.
We know that, even though in the Lord’s Prayer we ask that God lead us not into temptation (or save us from the time of trial) that trials and temptations will still come. Our reading closed with the line, “he departed from him until an opportune time.” That not only referred to the devil and Jesus, but it refers to the devil and us as well. The fact that many have bought into that “IF, THEN” mindset means that the devil is alive and well in his temptation activity. The sad part is we are often coerced into tempting God ourselves in the same ways that the devil tempted Jesus. Someone Wednesday evening after the worship service told me a joke about an Irishman driving around a big city, unable to find a parking spot. He said, “O, Lord, IF you would provide me a parking spot, THEN I will go to mass every week, tithe my income and give up my whiskey.” Immediately a car pulled out of a spot along the street just ahead of where the man was driving. The man immediately said, “Never mind God, I got one right here.” How often do we become the tempters of God by how we respond to the challenges of our lives!
In his explanation to the sixth petition of the Lord’s Prayer – lead us not into temptation – Martin Luther says, “God, indeed, tempts no one; but we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us, nor seduce us into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice; and though we be assailed by them, that still we may finally overcome and gain the victory.” This story about Jesus intentionally subjecting himself to the devil’s temptation by fasting in the wilderness for 40 days is one that we can identify with. It seems that when times are most challenging, we often encounter more things around us that draw us away from God. I sit writing this sermon in a Panera Bread restaurant a few days into Lent, having freshly promised to refrain from eating any kinds of sweets until Easter, and a kind gentleman approaches with a tray of freshly baked chocolate cookies, offering one as a free sample. Oh, why couldn’t this have happened before I entered this time in the wilderness! I think I was the only person in the whole darn place to say, “No thank you,” but I did manage to muster the will power to turn him away. That may be a minor example, but things like that happen a lot – like Jesus being confronted with the temptation to turn bread into stones after going for so long without food. Physically, it would not have hurt him – just like a small cookie sample would not have damaged my diet – and it probably would have been the best thing for Jesus’ health if he would have actually done it. But spiritually, it was a discipline to which he committed himself, and he knew it was important not only for himself, but for all of us sinners in the world, that he resist caving to the idea. Many people are talking about Tiger Woods, especially after his statement Friday. Tiger is sort of secluded now – tucked away for months in a treatment facility. But one day he will have to venture into the wilderness where the things that brought him to his sin will tempt him once again. We all are like him – and through our faith in Jesus Christ, we can overcome those urges and trials to make it through whatever wilderness it is we experience.
As much as it might pain us to do, we are entering into the time of Lent. We have put away the alleluias, we have put away the upbeat music, and many of us have put aside some of the things that give us pleasure in life, whether it is food, drink or activities. Even though it seems that much of life has been “wilderness-like” for a while now, we are entering a spiritual wilderness. We know that we will be tempted to say, “My life has been hard enough for these last couple of years, why should I focus on these spiritual disciplines of self denial, prayer and giving now?” We are tempted to think that God does not want us to be miserable in life one minute longer, so why not commit our time to selfish pleasures instead of reading the Bible and worshiping God? We are tempted to think that living a Christian life has gotten us nowhere, so it is time to get cut-throat in how we go about providing for our families and dealing with the world around us. These thought, trials and temptations will enter our minds, especially during times where we are susceptible – especially during the wildernesses of lent and of life in general. Our great prayer as we enter this time is that we may not be seduced into misbelieve or despair, so that God may indeed provide for us the final victory that we yearn for at the resurrection of Easter. May God be with us in all of our wildernesses so that we are not drawn to tempt God with our questions, thoughts and prayers, but that we are strengthened through the power of the Holy Spirit to always trust in God as our creator, savior and Lord. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. | | |
|
| | 2/17/2010 |
“Confession”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Before my message, some announcements in regard to our Lenten services this year:
-Focus on the parts of Luther’s Catechism. Today – confession. In the weeks to come: Ten Comm. Apostles’ Creed, Lord’s Prayer, Holy Baptism, Sacrament of Altar. Readings from scripture and Luther’s Large Catechism will be shared (today pg. 13 of bulletin).
-Midweek Lenten Offerings will be designated to fulfill our commitment to our partnership with LSS – back cover info about what they do.
-beginning next week, simple meals – after 11:30, at 6:00.
-Spaghetti Dinner rescheduled for Sat. 6:00 – 7:30.
A confession is something that most lawyers will tell you is the worst thing you can give if you are questioned by the police in connection to a crime. Watch any cop show today like CSI, NCIS or Law and Order, and you see interrogators freely asking questions in a room alone with a suspect until they either get an answer or the person “lawyers up” – evidently the minute he asks for a lawyer, that is when the one-on-one questions must cease. Wouldn’t it be easier in life if people didn’t commit crimes, or if they did, they admitted to it and took their punishment? Unfortunately, that’s not the way it is.
Maybe that is why people balk at making private confession to a priest or pastor nowadays. If you don’t tell anyone about it then no one may know the truth; and if that is the case, you get off scot-free. The only problem is, we people are wired with something called, “conscience” and we suffer from our sins in many ways other than what is doled out by the legal system. Consequences which come naturally to our lives as a result of our lifestyles are unavoidable. An alcoholic who continues to drink too much may never commit a crime or may get away with drinking and driving multiple times, but the damage to his body and relationships and family can still be devastating.
Another reason I think that people do not make confession a part of their lives of faith is that they don’t want to tell a mortal person their sinfulness. We do not need an intercessor between us and God, and sharing with a clergy person is taking a risk that we will be judged and treated differently. I can tell you that I have heard only a handful of people within the realm of the office of the confessional, and each time I personally feel the burden of God’s mercy and grace which compel me to judge not (many times because I see in the sins of the one confessing the sins that I carry with me as well) and to pronounce with all confidence and conviction the words which proclaim a person forgiven.
Jesus gave to the church the office of the keys – that if we forgive the sins of any they are forgiven; and if we retain the sins of any, they are retained. In his brief exhortation to confession from the Large Catechism – which you can see on page 13 at the back of your bulleting – Martin Luther points out that there are indeed two parts to confession. The first is our part: “when I lament my sin and desire comfort and restoration for my soul.” The second part is the most important, and it is God’s part: “when he absolves me of my sins through a word placed in the mouth of a man.” He goes on to tell how in the history of the church of his day, more emphasis was placed on getting the first part right – being perfect and complete in every detail of one’s confession. It was so intimidating that, “people despaired of confession, and nobody could feel his conscience at peace or have confidence in his absolution.” According to Luther, the consequence was that this wonderful act of God surpassed being useless – it became a burden and bitter, thus resulting in harm and destruction of souls.
The major difference between the confessions that police seek and the confessions that we are encouraged by God to share is in the desired outcome. Our legal system wants to find out who is guilty because they need to be punished, either by incarceration, fine, or other community service; God wants our confession so that we can understand how we are all guilty and in need of the forgiving power of his Son, Jesus Christ. Confession as a practice of the faithful drives us toward the wonderful mercy of God who made us, redeemed us, and still empowers our lives. Today we have not only heard the words that for many years we shared every single Sunday morning during our time of corporate confession – “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sin, he who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” – but we have also heard the foundation of God’s relationship with his people, the Ten Commandments. Now, if we see in these laws our conviction as people who daily fall short of God’s expectation for us, then we are starting to understand the whole reason we need to open up to God, either silently in church or behind closed doors, or with a confessor, one who shares in confidence along with God NOT the desire that sinners be condemned and perish, but the desire to have the guilt that drives us to despair lifted from our shoulders so that we can forgive others who also need that mercy just as much as we do.
I don’t expect that, as a result of this message today my phone will start ringing with more and more people that desire to make confession to God with me, but I do want to put the invitation out there that to do that is part of my call to the ministry of Word and Sacrament, and I take that very seriously.
I have come to find out that the name, “Shrove Tuesday” – while people would indeed eat the foods that they were denied in Lent – has nothing to do with fattening up. Shrove is the past tense of the word shrive, and to shrive is to obtain absolution for oneself by confessing and doing penance. At one time, yesterday was a day when clergy would shrive, or hear confessions of parishioners as they began their Lenten journeys of deep personal examination and reflection. That isn’t part of our own particular tradition, but as I mentioned before I am always available for anyone wanting to share their personal confession if they want a different experience than silent corporate confession which we do most every Sunday morning at the beginning of our worship time. In the ELCA’s new hymnal as in the green Lutheran Book of Worship there is a liturgy for Individual Confession and Forgiveness. The pastor begins in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and says, “You have come to make confession before God. You are free to confess before me, a pastor in the church of Christ, sins of which you are aware and which trouble you.” At this point, the penitent says, “Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned in thought, word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone.” Then, the person may, if they wish, confess those things that burden him or her. After that, the penitent shares these words, “I repent of all my sins, known and unknown. I am truly sorry, and I pray for forgiveness. I firmly intend to amend my life, and to seek help in mending what is broken. I ask for strength to turn from sin and to serve you in newness of life.” Sometimes the pastor will now engage the person in conversation, counsel and comfort at this point. Finally, the most important words of all come from the pastor: “Cling to this promise: the words of forgiveness I speak to you come from God. In obedience to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The peace which surpasses all understanding, keep your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.
This is the aim of all confession to God – whether individual or corporate: the peace of God which is only possible through his love and mercy. May we confess regularly and know that peace; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|