What do you think of when you hear the word… confession?
Do you get tense and uncomfortable thinking about having to communicate things you have done wrong?
Do you feel guilt and shame concerned if others knew about your sin?
How do you feel about the word sin?
Do you think of confession as a way to restore broken relationships and have the ability to restore the shalom God intended?
I invite you to sit with these scriptures this week…
Proverbs 28:13 No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Luke 15:11-24 What does the parable of the lost son and his brother teach us about confession?
1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
James 5:16a Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed…
This Sunday we will look at the Spiritual Practice of Confession.
Here is my working definition of Confession…
Sharing our deepest weaknesses and failures with God and trusted others, so that we may enter into God’s grace and mercy and experience his ready forgiveness and healing.
What do you think of this definition?
What changes or tweaks would you make?
Why is it hard for us to embrace and practice confession?
Let’s talk about it on Sunday.
~ Pastor Dustin
