READ
Psalm 32: 1-5
1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
REFLECT
Step One
You probably will recognize the following phrase: “Hi. My name is Tom and I’m an alcoholic.” That’s the way that over 120,000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings will begin this week in over 100 countries across the globe. The phrase will be repeated in even more “twelve-step fellowships” where people battle other addictions, compulsions, or life destroying conditions.
Some groups, such as Celebrate Recovery, will modify this greeting to eliminate the idea that addiction is something that is a permanent part of them with phrases such as, “Hi. I’m John, a believer who struggles with alcohol”. The importance of the exact wording is debatable; what is not is the principle of confession these words employ.
Confession runs throughout these programs. It is found in the first words of the first step those seeking recovery claim as their own when they repeat, “We admitted we were powerless over…”
It appears again in the fourth step in the “searching and fearless moral inventory” the participant takes of themselves and then shares with a trusted sponsor. In the eighth step, those seeking wholeness begin to make a list of all they have harmed and make amends to them.
There are good reasons why “coming clean” about our sin is healing. In the Psalm, King David contrasts confessing his sin with the pain of hiding it. He describes a deep malaise that penetrated his body, mind and spirit when he sought to hide his sin.
He tells us that admitting his sin, however, resulted in joy – a joy that he describes in the first verse using the plural. When literally translated it can be read as “O the joys of,” “O the blessedness of,” …or even “blessing upon blessing.”
Experience shows that the “blessedness” David speaks of takes several shapes. When one becomes open about his sinfulness, he allows himself to receive help. Prayer, encouragement and accountability are impossible until we admit our faults and weaknesses. Since shame thrives on secrets, confession breaks its power by matching being known with being accepted and loved.
Perhaps the greatest impact is the connection it provides with God and others. As we confess, we are aware of our common humanity with others and of our mutual dependences on the mercy and love of God. Reconciliation with those we have wronged becomes possible.
Perhaps this is the reason that it is the first of 12 “Psalms of Instruction” (“miskal”). It seems that confession is not only the first step toward recovery from alcohol and addictions, but also on the pathway to a deeper relationship with God.
We as Christians are quick to agree to the theology of sin. Yet true recognition of our own sin and sinfulness is too often kept at an arm’s length as we seek to maintain our appearance in others’ eyes.
Scripture teaches us that such distance keeps us from God’s deepest blessings. I’m likely not the first one to wonder if our local churches could learn something from the example of the twelve-step groups and begin our services in the same manner they do – “Hi. I’m Jim and I’m a sinner.”
RESPOND
Questions to Consider
- Are you in need of a blessing from God?
- Is there something you need to confess to someone?
- Something you need to confess to God?
Prayer
This is a prayer of general confession from the PCUSA “Book of Common Worship.” It is a good place to begin confessing your sins to God. Here, it appears modified to make it personal.
Gracious God, my sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what my lips tremble to name, what my heart can no longer bear, and what has become for me a consuming fire of judgment. Set me free from a past that I cannot change; open to me a future in which I can be changed; and grant me grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.
Blessings,
Rev. James R. Needham, PhD, MDiv