Listen

The one whose wrongdoing is forgiven, whose sin is covered over, is truly happy! The one the Lord doesn’t consider guilty— in whose spirit there is no dishonesty— that one is truly happy!

When I kept quiet, my bones wore out; I was groaning all day long— every day, every night!— because your hand was heavy upon me. My energy was sapped as if in a summer drought. Selah So I admitted my sin to you; I didn’t conceal my guilt. “I’ll confess my sins to the Lord,” is what I said. Then you removed the guilt of my sin. Selah

That’s why all the faithful should pray to you during troubled times, so that a great flood of water won’t reach them. You are my secret hideout! You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of rescue! Selah

Psalm 32:1-7

Think

Through forgiveness found in Christ, we can find true happiness. Speaking our wrong-doings, our secret truths, sharing with God the personal and corporate* sin we are part of – all these can help us find release, peace in our souls, and move us toward true happiness.

Confessing sin isn’t a magic button – one click and our problems solved. But opening ourselves up to God – who knows us and loves us – can begin the work of healing and bring relief from long-held guilt or sadness.

Confession is first about acknowledging that something is wrong. When it comes to those shared, corporate sins, it’s harder to see the part we play in the sin. This is because we don’t personally make the decisions that affect us or others negatively. For example, much of our clothing is made overseas, often in sweatshops with terrible working conditions, some using child laborers. Learning and confessing these sins and our own role in the problem can help lead us to action, as individuals, as local and national churches, using our voice, our vote, and our buying power to effect meaningful change.

David Burroughs

 

*Corporate sin is a term used by theologians to talk about sins that are committed by groups, communities, or societies. It can also be referred to as social or communal sin.

Pray

God, I confess my sins today to you, right now.

My private sins…

My corporate sins…

I want to learn to be part of the solution – your solution. Teach me, God. Move me, God. And I promise to do my part in bringing your healing to the world – starting with me, my family, and my community. Amen.

Go

May God give you grace never to sell yourself short; grace to risk something big for something good; grace to remember that the world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.

William Sloane Coffin