A Short Reflection on Confession
March 3, 2013 | Anita Retzlaff            

Lent is a wonderful season; it is nurturing and provocative because it is a time when we are encouraged to be reflective and really honest with ourselves. It is a time when we think carefully and consider the ministry and suffering of Jesus.  It is a time when we think deeply about our relationships, our ministries and what is important in life.

Without using many words I want to reflect a moment upon our understanding of confession. It seems to me that confession is the connector between our experiences of praise and our experiences of assurance.
The first set of music that we have heard from A Buncha Guys is a beautiful testimony to the goodness of our Creator and the awesome nature of God. It is relatively easy to praise God when we are feeling good. When things are right with the world it makes perfect sense to thank God for all the things that we enjoy in life.  We are grateful for family, friends, meaningful work and community connections.

The Guys final set, as you can see in your bulletin, will focus on assurance; that experience of feeling God’s nearness, love and encouragement. But in the gap lies confession.  Between the experiences of praise and assurance exists the need to own up to what’s real. Between praise and assurance all the things of life happen.  Some of it provokes great pain and guilt and sometimes despair.  Even when we live with praise in our hearts we stumble and we disappoint ourselves and each other.

So there has to be a way to journey toward assurance and I propose that experience is confession.  We need some way of owning up to our shortcomings and facing life’s disappointments. In confession we humble ourselves, become vulnerable and honest with God and we ask for forgiveness so that we can get on with life again. 

Repentance, that act of admitting our sin and failure, is not groveling but rather a healthy seeking after God’s grace. Confession bridges the gap between what has been given and what is promised. It is a faithful place to inhabit from time to time. It is Lent. God is waiting for us…