THE CHAPLAIN’S CHAT
The Rev. Susanne Methven, Chaplain
And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship, let us…confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy (BCP, 79).
Our weekly prayer services at Saint Simeon’s begin with a sentence from scripture and then a confession. We begin this way so that our hearts are prepared for worship. The worship leader says, “Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.”
In the silence that follows, we have a chance to examine our own lives. God knows who we are and what we have done, but confession helps us to state for ourselves whatever gets in the way of loving God and our neighbor.
We depend on the mercy and forgiveness of God. We start our prayer, “Most merciful God.” The confession itself is shaped around the Summary of the Law Jesus himself uttered in response to a question by a scribe, “Which commandment is the first of all?”
The first is this, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.
—Mark 12:29-31
This Summary of the Law is stated positively. Our aim, as people of faith, is to fulfill these commandments. The Greek word most used for sin in the New Testament holds the idea of “missing the mark,” as when an archer misses the bullseye. There are many ways to “miss the mark”: in the ways we think, in the ways we talk, and in what we do…or don’t do! We have a simple sentence that sums up our confession: “We have not loved you [God] with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.”
Confession, we hope, leads to being sorry and to wanting to change. Speaking our confession aloud with other people reminds us that we are not alone in “missing the mark.” The power of confessing together is that we realize we are all in need of God’s forgiveness. The good news is that God wants to forgive us through his Son Jesus Christ. We are freed from “missing the mark” so that we can live fully as God intended. We are assured that God gives us strength to walk in God’s ways with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
Having confessed, we open our lips to sing. We join in praising God with words written 350 years ago and a tune composed nearly 475 years ago:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
We sing a loud “Amen” at the end! We are prepared for worship, which continues with scripture, prayer, and more singing.
