Confess

Follow Me: Biblical Practices for Faithful Living

 

As we continue our look at different spiritual disciplines we should undertake as followers of Christ, in November, we are going to look at what it means to confess.

 

While it might initially strike us as an odd thing to call a spiritual practice, you could also argue it is, in fact, one of the most basic and powerful ones we do. In fact, it is probably even more prominent in your lives than you may realize. In the first three gospels, Jesus’ first words are calling people to repent (turn around/change their hearts and lives). We begin each service of our weekly worship with a time of confession. Here we name our wrongs and the wrongs in the world and seek God’s guidance for a better path. More personally, one of my favorite and most meaningful prayer practices is the Prayer of Examen, which has been around for centuries. It involves reflecting on your day and, in part, asking yourself where you erred or harmed another. Of course, in thinking about the prevalence of confession as a spiritual practice, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Rosh Hashanah, the holiest time of year for our parent faith, Judaism, which revolves around reflecting on wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness in hopes of a better year ahead. In short, this practice has what all great spiritual practices do. It is shared among faiths and has held importance in the lives of people throughout centuries.

 

Yet as simple and meaningful as this practice is, that doesn’t mean it is easy. In fact, admitting we are wrong means we will have to be vulnerable and humble. And let’s be honest, that can be quite awkward. The difficulty is so strong that we often see examples of half apologies by public officials faced with their errors, who are trying desperately to acknowledge the problem while not looking like a fool. Many of us have probably been there ourselves. Yet as hard as it can be, this practice calls us to boldly and honestly admit we all make mistakes. Both big and small. After all, being able to own up to it is central to our ability to live in good relationships, to learn from our mistakes, and to live as best as we can in this world that is full of traps toward living lesser lives. That’s why it’s worth doing.

 

With that said, I’m excited, though a little timidly, to look at this hard but also freeing practice of confession. It will require us to be courageous. But it seems to me that it is worth it.

 

Be well and do good,

 

Pastor Dan