Confession & Absolution
We all have things in our lives we take for granted. For instance, I often take for granted the fact that when I flick on a light switch in my home the lights come on, or that when it is cold or hot outside the thermostat controls the temperature in my home. I often take these things for granted until weeks like this when Austin is shivering under a layer of ice and many people just north of me have no power.
A few weeks ago, I realized there is something about my faith tradition that I often take for granted. It’s something we do in our liturgy as we gather together every Sunday for worship. It is called Confession & Absolution or Confession & Forgiveness. Every Sunday no matter which gathering a person participates in the pastor leads the church in a time of confession. This an opportunity for us to be honest about where we have not fully lived into our God-reflecting image, to confess where we have not loved God, and where we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. The point of confession is not to heap guilt and shame upon our heads. The goal is to create space for us to be honest about our own brokenness and how we add to and participate in the brokenness that is all around us. It’s an opportunity to stop hiding from God, ourselves, and one another and to step into God’s love-filled light so we can begin to experience healing. It’s an act of naming and letting go.
After our sins are confessed the pastor will pronounce absolution, or forgiveness, over the entire congregation. In this pronouncement, the pastor is declaring and reminding each person that their sins are forgiven because of what Jesus has done for them. This forgiveness is a gift that is given to everyone free of charge, and it is a gift that each person needs to be reminded of week in and week out.
Now, this may not sound super spiritual or life-changing. Especially if you experience it week in and week out. I have to admit, that as a pastor, it can often become rote. But a few weeks ago, I was reminded how powerful this public act of confession and absolution can be. A few weeks ago, we had a guest presenter with us for the weekend. This person is a faithful follower of Jesus. They know they are loved and forgiven by Jesus. This person participated in all three worship gatherings on Sunday and at the end of the morning they came up to me and the other pastor and were in tears. I thought, oh no what did we do?
This person went on to explain how powerful it was to confess their sins with other followers of Jesus and then hear from someone outside of themselves the words, “You are forgiven.” This person went on to explain that they knew they were forgiven but hearing those words declared over them brought them to tears.
I had a similar experience years ago when I was on a men’s retreat. There were several young men there, men in their early 20s, who had grown up in church and were faithful followers of Jesus. On the last day of the retreat, we gathered for a worship gathering and during that time we went through Confession & Absolution. And the same thing happened. At the end of the gathering, these young men were bawling like babies. They shared that they had said “the sinner’s prayer” at camp when they were younger. They knew they were loved by Jesus and that he died for their sins. But then they went on to explain that this was the first time they had ever heard someone else pronounce forgiveness over them. It was the first time they had heard the words, you are forgiven, outside of their own mind or thoughts or words on a page.
It's one thing to know something is true in your own heart or mind or to even tell yourself something over and over. It is another thing to hear someone tell you the same thing. I know my wife loves me. I have letters from when we were dating that I could read each day that could remind me of this fact. But that doesn’t keep her from telling me each day that she loves me. I need to hear it. I need to experience it from outside myself. The same is true about Jesus. We need to hear that we are forgiven week in and week out. This pronouncement, when given enough time, begins to form and shape up, even if it feels rote or like old news. It eventually begins to form the way we think about and interact with God, ourselves, and others.
We live in a culture that demands confession. Your sins will be brought to light, which is a good thing. But what it is lacking is any notion of absolution. As the people of God, we possess the Good News that everyone is looking for. We have the medicine to the cancer that needs to be injected into our dying bodies. The medicine is absolution, forgiveness. So, brothers and sisters, hear these words today. Your sins are forgiven because of what Jesus has done for you. Embrace that Good News as you are embraced by the God who created you and loves you.
Grace and peace ‘til we rise in glory.
