After the Invocation, after we call upon the Lord to be in the midst of us, we immediately move to Confession and Absolution. Which, of course, makes sense. If we call the Lord to be with us, we must then ask for His forgiveness so that we stand in His holy presence with joy and not trembling. However, most people don’t enjoy doing this. I don’t say this as an insult but more of a fact. The act of confessing something that you did wrong is widely regarded as difficult. I don’t have to tell you that. You know this to be true. Look at how we act toward one another in regard to saying sorry. Generally, we have to work up the courage to say that we are sorry and more often than not we just say, “I am sorry.” The response being, “It’s ok,” or “It’s fine.” But is that really the proper way to do these things? Think about how much more impactful, meaningful, and genuine an apology (confession) sounds when you actually name the thing that you do wrong. Instead of the “I’m sorry” that just assumes we all know what is going on the Lord teaches us to be specific. “I’m sorry that I sinned against you in this way by doing or saying this thing.”
The response to such a confession is also important. In the pre-marital counseling sessions I’ve been blessed to do, I have often reminded couples that the right response to a confession is to say, “I forgive you.” The Lord doesn’t teach us that we are tell people that their sins against us or sins against others is “ok” or “fine” or that we “shouldn’t worry about it.” Instead, we say “I forgive you” as if to say “I know that you have wronged me and I will not hold this against you. Christ has covered this sin as well as my sins. I love you.” If this is the way the Lord has taught us to confess to one another, how much more so should we also confess to God in such a way. That is why there is more than a moment of silence before we recite our corporate confession together on Sunday mornings. It is not silence for silence’s sake. Instead, we take that time to actually confess before God the sins that burden us. More importantly we hear His comforting words of the Absolution. The Lord comes to us willingly and joyfully full of grace and mercy for His people. So next time we confess together, remember how much God loves you. His responses are not flippant but full of wonder and love. God says, “I forgive you and I love you.”