In “high church” traditions, the worship service generally
includes recitations of confession and absolution each week. Those of us who
attend less liturgical churches may not give much thought to the need for
confession and reminders of God’s forgiveness. Even when there is a moment of
silence for confession, it can be easy to overlook or minimize any sins we
should be confessing. It’s true that we can confess and find forgiveness on our
own anytime anywhere, but there is something unique and important about the experience
of confessing together as the Body of Christ. Tish Harrison Warren writes in Liturgy of the Ordinary:
“When we confess and receive
absolution together, we are reminded that none of our pathologies, neuroses, or
sins, no matter how small or secret, affect only us. We are a church, a
community, a family. We are not simply individuals with our pet sins and
private brokenness. We are people who desperately need each other if we are to
seek Christ and walk in repentance… Because of this, I need to hear my
forgiveness proclaimed not only by God but by a representative of the body of
Christ in which I receive grace, to remind me that though my sin is worse than
I care to admit, I’m still welcome here. I’m still called into this community
and loved” (58).
Although I’m not a big fan of recited prayers, which can
often become meaningless repetition, I do think we all need frequent reminders
of the seriousness of sin and the gracious forgiveness of our loving God. Martin
Luther wrote that “the entire life of believers should be repentance.” And yet
how often do we do so? Rich Mullins shared this story:
“Those of you that are young enough
to go to camp and rededicate your life every year you keep doin’ it, ‘cause
about the time you get to college you’re gonna learn that you have to rededicate
your life about every six months. And then you’ll graduate from college and it
will become a quarterly thing. By the time you're in your 40s and 50s you’ll do
it about four times a day… Never forget what Jesus did for you. Never take
lightly what it cost Him” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNYtYRbH6aI).
What might it look like for your church to adopt more
regular practices confession and repentance? In many churches, the frequency of
communion determines the frequency of repentance for a lot of the members. My
church typically has communion quarterly plus a couple special occasions. Why
does it take a special service for us to give thought to our need for the grace
of forgiveness?
I would challenge all of us to take seriously the call to
confess our sins and to walk in the light with Christ and with one another (1
John 1:7-9).
“The Lord is righteous
in all His ways and kind in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call on
Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:17-18 ESV).
© 2018 Dawn
Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from
pixabay.com.
