`What is Christian Worship?’ Series: Confession
1 John 1: 5 - 10
Confession is a loaded word! It can mean different things:
I confess I am not the best singer in the world.... [I'm hopeless/I'm fishing for compliments]
I confess, -it was me who ate the rest of the cake... [Mild misdemeanour]
There's something I need to confess to you...... [Emotional/personal truth carrying consequence]
Yes, officer.... I confess to the murder... [Factual, -of huge significance and consequence]
This idea of confession comes out of an understanding of having done wrong; or failed to do what we should; or of deliberate 'sin'/action against the welfare of others. In a religious -and particularly for us, a Christian setting, it means having done something against God's Law/wishes/commands etc. It can be an action or a failure to act; an attitude; something we said or failed to say; neglect of the needs of another etc.
Confession, they say, is 'good for the soul'! It's an old expression suggesting that if we have something to confess, it means we are somehow burdened with the knowledge of having done something wrong and need release. This is genuinely a common human experience. To have a conscience about our actions is to have an understanding of right vs wrong; of good vs bad; of consequences to others and ourselves of actions we have taken or thoughts we are harbouring. But then, bring in the whole dimension of faith, and Christian faith in particular, and the standards are raised above those of non-believers. We are asked to live at a higher standard of morality and care of our neighbour.
As a result, Christians are aware always of their inability to live in moral perfection, because of our human nature, but we hold that fact in tension with our understanding of God's help to achieve what seem like impossible standards. His Holy Spirit can nudge us into awareness; whisper what we might do; and challenge us into correct action. God does not ask the impossible of us.
But one more point: false confession is not a sign of virtue. God is not hounding us to make us feel bad for no reason. None of us is morally perfect, but we are equally not always in a state of deep sin. False confessions waste the time of busy police officers. False confessions can sometimes be the 'cover' for not facing up to the real problem. Our heavenly Father knows our hearts. He just wants us to share ourselves with Him, in honest self-understanding and self-acceptance.
Individual confession:
Q: Think of some of the things you have felt guilty about, as a Christian. …... [You do not have to tell everyone the details, just remember them in your head] How did you know you'd done/said/failed to do, something you shouldn't/should have? What did it feel like?
Q: Did you tell anyone else what you'd done?
Q Did you 'tell' God what you'd done? Why would you need to, -He knew already, didn't He? Why would He want to hear you say it?
Q Did you 'confess' to the person/people affected by your 'wrong-doing'? There are questions of whether our private behaviour affects only ourselves or others also. If the latter, then do I have to confess to those others, too?
Q. What did you do to make up for the way in which you had wronged the other person?
We Christians confess our sins to God privately, individually, but also corporately. When we get together to worship, we have a 'corporate ' identity, as well as a personal one. And in the things we do as a church we also have a corporate identity and corporate responsibility. For example, what we do with our corporate money, where is it invested? What about our history re slavery, sexism, abuse of the vulnerable etc.?
Part of public, corporate worship in our church [Anglican/Church of England] is corporate confession. Different words are used in different styles of service. Here is one of them, used since around 1662!! It's in archaic language, but try and read it together and get the sense of its meaning.
“We have offended against thy holy laws, we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare thou those who confess their faults, restore thou those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord; and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.”
Q: What exactly is it saying? Now re-write it in modern English.
Q: And what does confession mean on its own, if it's not followed by contrition [regret] and a request for forgiveness?
So after a 'Confession' prayer, in all our services, when we confess together, there should be a re-assurance and then declaration of forgiveness.
Q. what action do we take after the confession?
The amending of our ways and making up for any damage we may have caused. So, in modern language, in our Communion service, it might look like this:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is
faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.1 John 1:8, 9
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us with confidence draw
near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14, 16
Most merciful God,
we confess that 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 neighbours as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Then the priest leading the service declares us forgiven:
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins
through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all
goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you
in eternal life. Amen. [A deacon or lay person using the preceding form substitutes "us" for
"you" and "our" for "your."]
All this may seem very 'stylised', but when we come together to worship we are acting as a 'Body', as well as individuals. The person leading the worship helps us to confess together, then declares God's promise of forgiveness, so we can be free of guilt and burden if we have been honest in our confession and intention to change our behaviour. But, as a Church, we also have a sense of corporate action and confession.
So what about our corporate sin [as a church] which we confess? And how do we come to a 'corporate' decision about what to do next?
Q: What issues do you think come into this category? [Maybe issues of care of the environment; safeguarding issues; racism -historic and current; economic responsibility...etc.]
Q: How do we address these?
Q: How do we come to a 'common mind' as a church?
Q: What do we do about them?
To finish: Next time you are in church and someone prays along these lines of Confession [owning up to our faults and sins], and Absolution [being declared 'forgiven'], reflect on this study, and feel the connection with one another and with our Heavenly Father.