ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP

CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us – 1 John 1:8 

As we consider different elements of worship and what they mean to us in our summer series, we might sometimes encounter an element of worship that we have never experienced or never considered. For many of us, that will be true with confession and forgiveness, which we talked about in Sunday’s sermon.   

In a traditional service, the opening confession and forgiveness liturgy can be such a part of the routine that you’re not even completely sure what you’re doing and why. In a contemporary service, confession and forgiveness might not even happen. Taking a week to talk about it can feel strange either way. If the series is called “Renewing Worship”, why would we take time to discuss something that could maybe just be ignored completely?  

I contend that confession and forgiveness happens every week in worship, and if we are to renew and be renewed by it, we have to pay attention to it. In a contemporary service, the confessing of our sins and reminder of God’s forgiveness may come to us in the lyrics of a praise song. In a traditional service, the words of the liturgy don’t mean much if we don’t recognize them for what they are. Any time we encounter baptism or communion in worship, we either receive or are reminded of God’s forgiveness through water, wine, and bread.   

It’s happening whether we know it or not. It’s happening, but unless we’re paying attention and letting those words sink into our hearts, it might not mean much for the way we live our faith in the week ahead. As it says in our reading from Sunday, we lie to ourselves if we say we don’t mess up. We make God a liar if we say we don’t need forgiveness. We make our neighbor who hurts and needs our love and care a liar if we say the brokenness in the world isn’t worth y of our attention. When we are intentional about engaging confession and forgiveness in worship, we tell the truth. When we tell the truth, we can be a dynamic part of what God is up to in our lives and the world around us.   

This summer, while we center our Sundays in renewing and being renewed by worship, I hope you’ll let the liberating power of confession and forgiveness work its power on your heart and in your life, no matter how you hear those words in worship. 

Let us pray: 

God, I know I’ve fallen short of what you want for me. I am sorry. I know your gift of forgiveness comes new to me each day. Keep my ears and heart open to hear those promises so I can live abundantly in the joy of your new life. Amen.