Skip to main content

Confession: Getting by with some help from my friends...and God too!

Image from the blog "A view from the balcony."
Confession is a key step in conversion. Confession is repentance actualized.

How do you talk about confession? Clearly it isn't your place to say to a friend,"Here are the issues I see in your life. You need to name these issues, offer then to God in repentance and ask for forgiveness." Your friend would say rightly, "Who are you to tell me what is wrong in my life?"
In fact, you probably don't want to talk about confession directly at all. What is helpful is simply to talk about the issues in your own life and the power of confession for you. In other words you model confession instead of talking about it. The response of your friend is up to him or her, but by your openness you have given your friend the option and the right to be open with you.

What role, if any, did confession (of sin, need or longing) play a part in your own coming to be a follower of Christ?

-------------------------------------------------------


The more I think about confession, the more I think it is or should be the hinging characteristic in the christian life. When I was an enthusiastic teenager, I somehow ended up thinking that as I matured in my faith that I would become more and more independent. I used to tell my Mom from a very young age, "No Mom I'd rather do it myself!" Somehow along the way, I'm better gaining the understanding that as people mature in faith in Christ, they become more dependent or close to Jesus - not less.
Today I think I'd be more likely to say, "I might rather try to do things myself, but now I know I can't - so will you help me?"

Confession is something that falls in the category of humility. Not confessing our sin comes from a place of avoidance, pride and self-reliance. In western society epically, I think that it is difficult to foster an attitude of community because of this fact. People function in a place of individual focus and maintainability, so that the sharing of life can become difficult to accomplish.

The truth of the matter is that we all need each other - even though many times our lives don't reflect that fact. Through confession, I think relationships can thrive and true christian community can be fostered. Without confession to God and others the attempt at living a christian life would be fruitless.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This discussion is an extension of an small group ministry of First Lutheran Church of Jamestown, NY. We are reading and discussing the book Holy Conversations face-to-face each Wednesday at noon and on Facebook throughout the week. Please feel free to join in on the conversation each week!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SWB: Claustrophobia and clearings

Mary Lue shared her host post on business and rest for this weeks Sleeping with Bread Examen. Her words resonated with me in the fact that due to a significant staff change at my office, there is more work to be done and my plate is feeling fuller lately. There have been more meetings, and lots of talking and planning. For the most part, I've felt much more connected to people since I've become more involved in this way, but oddly when I'm done for the day or night - I find myself in need of some quiet. Maybe I'm still sorting and planning in the back of my mind, but silence (even my own) is something I find myself being more and more drawn too. It's like the extra noise, both internal and external, makes me feel claustrophobic . A few days after Christmas, I went into a game store with my son and was overwhelmed by all the noise and activity there. The store was tiny but filled with kids and their parents vying for their video game of choice. My head felt hot, my

Sunny and rainy day friends

There are two kinds of friends in the world: Sunny day friends and rainy day friends. This is a statement that my Mom used to remind me of when I was in the midst of drama or conflict with one school friend of another. There are lots of people that we define as friends, but they are really acquaintances. Two men were out hunting in the northern U.S. Suddenly one yelled and the other looked up to see a grizzly charging them. The first started to frantically put on his tennis shoes and his friend anxiously asked, "What are you doing? Don't you know you can't outrun a grizzly bear?" "I don't have to outrun a grizzly. I just have to outrun you!" This story is funny, but it does help define the distinct difference between a rainy day friend and a sunny day friend. The sunny-day-friend is more concerned with watching out for their own health and wellness, than their friends' wellbeing. On the other hand, a rainy day friend is willing to take risks, work fo

What Summer Camp Means to Me...

  I was around six-years-old when I first went to sleep-away summer camp.  At the time I lived in PA and the camp (through my church) was in Ohio. All school year, I attended Sunday School faithfully partially because regular attendance allowed my family scholarships to help with the cost of Summer Camp. Over the school year, I attended most Sunday's and by the end of the year, my little coupon book was full of stamps - providing me with a scholarship to attend a camp session. I provide this background on how I first got to go to camp, because it is an essential part of explaining what Summer Camp meant (and means) to me.   Going away to Summer Camp gave me a whole new experience of community. The whole process of going to and attending was the first times I experienced, "it takes a village", personally. From the Sunday School Teachers who drove a sedan full of kids to Ohio, to the counselors and staff who supported new campers: through the first 48 hours of homesickness