Our Ministry, Worship: "Let Us Pray" - AFC 1997

Honest Confession:"Let Us Ask God to Forgive Us"

Ps. 51:1 - 12; 1 John 1:8-9; Gal. 6:2; Romans 14:7

Confession: an honest word about ourselves before God

In Reformed worship, confession and pardon cannot be separated.

The call to confession invites us to trust in God's mercy by naming our sin and asking for pardon.

Sin is broader than any individual's specific sins, because it encompasses all that separates humanity from God

Sin is part and parcel of the human condition; it's the way the world is . It defines the difference between life as we know it and life as God intends it. Sin is real, pervasive, and destructive; we disbelieve or ignore it, only at our own peril.

The essential context in which Reformed Christians believe in the gravity of sin, is the sovereign love of a faithful God who made us for good, redeems us for better, and refuses to let us go. We dare to confess our sin because we trust in the abiding mercy of God.

We are not engaged in guilty grovelling or therapeutic penitence. The confession of sin is straight talk about the ground we stand on. It is affirmation of who we are and on whom we rely. Joined with praise, it is honest engagement in the one relationship around which all of life revolves.

In the Reformed tradition, confession is preparation for hearing the Word of grace, rather than the response to hearing the Word.

• Are you comfortable with confession? Why?
• What do you think about confessing the sin of society in addition to your own "infractions of the law"?
• What is the benefit of naming wrongdoing, failures, and shortcomings as "sin" instead of illness, weakness, antisocial behavior, or an other appropriate word?
• What is the significance of confession before hearing the Word?
• Isn't it rather discouraging to sincerely confess sin on Sunday morning and receive assurance of pardon, all the while knowing the same ritual will be played out the following Sunday morning? Why can't we confess and get forgiven once and for all?

We can live each day acknowledging our need and God's provision.
This is good news for a world not joyful, not free, not holy, not yet whole.