August 2023
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
-1 John 1:5-10
Almost every week during Sunday worship, those who attend here at First Presbyterian Church have the opportunity during the liturgy to corporately confess their sins. Often, our worship leaders prompt us with this very passage from Scripture, quoting John: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Then we pray about the ways that we, as a church, tend to miss the mark when it comes to living faithfully according to God’s law of love.
We say we’re sorry, but it takes a greater depth of honesty and vulnerability to actually contemplate our sin and allow the Holy Spirit to draw us into genuine repentance. Our enemy, Satan, doesn’t want us to recognize our desperate need for change or the power of God’s unmerited forgiveness towards sinners. We are tempted to think: we’re not so bad, or at least: other people are worse than I am.
Those thoughts prevent us from making that prayer genuine, and stunt our spiritual growth and connection with Jesus. Moreover, in corporate confession, we are praying as a people, not just as individuals. In other words, together we are lifting up the sins of the whole church, not just mine and yours and those of this particular fellowship. We are also praying on behalf of our sisters, brothers, and neighbors in faith. So even if not every thing listed in that prayer applies to you, it is still good to confess it so that together the church may remain humble. A Christian must never feel beyond the need for daily grace and mercy from God.
Sometimes I feel pretty good about how I’m living. At other times I feel awful. But at ALL times it is appropriate to repent and allow God to do the work in my heart that he knows better than I do that I need. My feelings don’t always reflect reality.
In all things, we rejoice that we serve the God of light, mercy, goodness, justice, love, and truth. Let us likewise live with honesty, and not deceive ourselves or others when it comes to the fact that we are still sinners under God’s merciful reconstruction.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matthew