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The Discipline of Confession It was probably a few months ago when a series of programme screened on TV which I found disgusting almost to the point of being repulsive. It was a series about a couple of professional cleaners who came into disgustingly dirty and untidy homes and gave them a spring clean. The transformation was obvious. And then a month or two later they would return to see how the tenants or homeowners had fared in keeping their place clean and tidy. The dirty and untidy condition of the home was a reminder of what any house can become like, if the rubbish isn’t put out and the accumulated dirt removed on a regular basis. Every Monday morning , early, a truck comes along our street and collects the rubbish, which we put out week by week. We take it for granted that that is something we all have to do – we have to deliberately remove the rubbish and clean up the dirt which easily collects. What we aren’t so good at remembering is that spiritual and moral rubbish also collects in our lives, and we need to be just as vigilant about that as well. The act of getting rid of that rubbish we call sin, is called confession. We are fortunate in our Anglican tradition that we have built into our regular worship services a time for confession, and a time to be assured of God’s forgiveness. Many contemporary churches have no place whatsoever for confession in their worship services. But the Anglican church recognizes that confession is an important element and part of worship. In fact it is a prerequisite for true worship! How can we worship God freely and openly if there is sin in our lives which blocks our fellowship? I find the parable of the Prodigal Son to be an outstanding example of what Confession involves. I can find four stages in the story which relate to what I call the process of Confession. Stage 1. is Recognition. This is where the Prodigal son began to recognize that he had done wrong. And its not always from pure motives that this recognition comes. He wished that he could fill himself with the bean pods which the pigs ate. He was hungry! But somehow I think he recognized that there was more than just hunger for food – there was a hunger to return home. The first step in a good confession is to recognize where we have gone wrong, or to recognize the sin we have committed, and to face up to it. This requires the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Most often we need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what and where sin exists in our lives. Recognition. Stage 2 is Regret. Often this is linked with Recognition. He came to his senses and realized what he was missing out on - compared with the hired workers at home. If there is no regret for our sin there is unlikely to be a confession to God which is honest and meaningful. Recognition, and then Regret. Stage 3. is Repent. This is the turning point in confession where one is brutally honest with God and with oneself. The Prodigal son could admit to himself and to God and say – “ I will get up and go to my father and say , ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.’ This is the true turning point in the story. It is a declaration of change,- an intention of moving in a new direction. Recognition, Regret, Repent. Stage 4 is Reconciliation. This is the final outcome of confession where the sinner is reconciled to God and to others. Recognition, Regret, and Repentance have each done their work – and now Reconciliation follows. This is where, while even a long way from home, his father sees him, runs to welcome him home and restores him as a member of the family. In our relationships with others and in our relationship with God, sin often comes across our path and fractures our friendship. Recognition, Regret, and Repentance must each be done properly and sincerely in order for the outcome to be Reconciliation . St. John reminds us that forgiveness will surely follow true confession. In 1.Jn.1:8-9 he says “But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep His promise and do what is right; he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.” Let us now take a little time again, to reflect more carefully over our lives and our relationships – both with God and with others. So often we can hurry through the prayer of confession and make it so general that we lose all sense of the seriousness of sin. Let us pray for the light of God’s Spirit to shine into those dark corners of our lives and reveal any areas of our self which needs bringing to God in confession. Let us pray. (A moment of silence) |
