At St. Paul - Annapolis, we practice corporate confession (and absolution) at the beginning of every service. After a period of personal meditation on our own sins and sinfulness, we give voice to our general sinfulness in unison(-ish):
"Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen."
After this, I (as the pastor) speak these words back to the congregation:
"Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Now how does this work?
Through the Word of God taught or heard prior to confession, we Christians confess our sinfulness, or inability to save ourselves, and our need for God to save us. We lay hold of the salvation God HAS worked for us in Jesus Christ by asking Him to forgive us "for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ." That is asking God to do what He has promised to do.
Then the pastor (in this case, me) speaks for God according to His divine command (John 20:19-23), announcing the forgiveness He has already promised us.
No comments:
Post a Comment