Confessing our Sins

 

Scripture

 1 John 1: 5-10

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; ⁷ but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  (NRSV) 

 

Devotion

People often look at me strangely when I tell them that the Time of Confession is usually my favorite part of a worship service.  How, they wonder, can I love the part where we make a list of the things we've done wrong?

From a liturgical and theological standpoint, the point of Confession isn't to make a public show of beating ourselves up.  Instead, it is a communal and personal acknowledgement that each of us is far from perfect.  We make mistakes.  We let ourselves be led astray by far-from-Godly impulses.  And because we are so addicted to our sinful ways, we need God's help to turn things around.

 It's difficult to admit to these kinds of thing--especially in a society that prizes perfection and self-made people.  Many of us learn from an early age that we should hide any sign of weakness  so that others can't exploit it.  Jesus challenges us to think differently; for when it comes to sin, the longer we try to hide our struggles, the more lost we become.  What's more, when we keep covering things up, we begin to deceive ourselves.  We begin justifying our actions or refusing to admit that something's wrong.  And once we begin stumbling down that path, it doesn't take long for us to lose any connection we had to God's Truth. 

The Good News is that life doesn't have to be that way.  As with any addiction (and yes, sin is an addiction), the first step to recovery is admitting that we have a problem.  Prayers of  confession ask us to be honest with ourselves about our problems...our imperfections...our brokenness.  They compel us to admit that we can't fix what's broken on our own--that we need help from God and one another.

When we are honest enough and brave enough to shine a light on our struggles and admit that we need help, Jesus does far more than just forgive us for what we've already gotten wrong.  He also graces us with the mental, spiritual, and emotional tools to overcome our additions, impulses, and imperfections.  What's more, he  helps us build the kind of loving and supportive relationships with other people so that we can help each other overcome our worse impulses.

Then--after we have unburdened ourselves of the things we try to hide, have been assured that God still forgives and loves us, and have committed to building relationships that help us overcome sin together--we are in the right state to move forward and hear God's Word proclaimed anew.  It is that Word that can help us take the next steps in turning our lives around to better follow Christ's will as both individuals and institutions.

It took me a long time to build a discipline of confession into my daily life.  Once I did so, however, I learned just how powerful and freeing it can be.  And I challenge you to give it a try for the next week by taking the following steps:

1. . Take 5 minutes of your evening to reflect upon your day.  When were your thoughts, words, and actions not what they should have been?  When did your conscience point out that what you were doing was wrong?  When did you ignore the still, small voice of the Holy  Spirit telling you to do what's right? 
2. Once you've identified those moments, lift them up to God.  Ask Jesus to help you do better.  
3. Open yourself to the Spirit's direction.  Clarity may not immediately, but you will eventually receive Jesus's guidance about what you can to do to 1) make amends; or 2) keep from falling into the same sin again.    
4. Finally, let your guilt and shame go.  Be assured that while there are worldly consequences for the sins we commit,  God has forgiven you and given you the chance to start again.
   

Whatever your struggles may be--whatever sin is the one you fall into more often than others--know that you are not alone.  Every person on Earth is struggling along with you. The Good News is that God is here for us in our weakness.  And once we can admit that we have a problem, the Almighty will help us recover from our addiction to sinfulness...not only as individuals, but a communities and institutions.  We can repent and move forward together as we walk in God's light.       

 

Prayer

Go through the steps 1-4 outlined above (reflect on your moments of sinfulness throughout the day, ask God for help, open yourself to the Spirit's guidance, and let it go).