Since we are now in the month of October and our thoughts are turning to the Reformation celebration, I thought we would, in the spirit of the Reformation, do something different in our worship services this month. An important element of the reformation was the return of worship to the people. Before the Reformation, worship was largely an act performed by the clergy and witnessed by the people. The service wasn’t even in a language that the average person understood. Luther sought to change that. He translated the bible into the language of the people, wrote hymns that the people could easily sing, and helped them to understand what the different parts of the service were about – why they said what they said, why they did what they did, and what it all meant.
Luther understood that worship is not about rules, rituals, and rights but about prayer, proclamation, and praise. Jesus once said, “8 ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”[1] Luther did not want such things said about the people that gathered for his worship services and neither do I want such things said about you who gather for mine. To that end, for the next three weeks we are going to examine our worship. We are going to examine our worship that begins with confession. We are going to examine our worship that gathers us around the Word. We are going to examine our worship that concludes with thanksgiving. Today we examine worship that begins with confession.
It is our culture and custom here to enjoy lively conversations with our fellow believers before our worship service begins. This is a good thing, a God pleasing thing, it is part of the encouraging that is written about in Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” That lively conversation, however, though encouraging, may not always be the best tool for concentration and focus. And so we sing an opening hymn. The voices of different people, from different places, with different needs, wants, and desires join together as one holy nation, one royal priesthood, one people belonging to God. As one body the opening hymn leads us to the front door of the Divine, it ushers us to the hour of our worship.
We sing our opening hymn. Hymn 302 – Lord, to You I Make Confession.
Having been united by our opening hymn as we come to the hour of our worship we then stand at the door to hear the first words of our liturgy.
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately we notice our worship isn’t about me. It isn’t even about you. Our worship is about the one true, holy, and triune God. It is about God the Father who “sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”[2] It is about God the Son who was “pierced for our transgressions… crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”[3] It is about God the Holy Spirit who “saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.”[4]
Like a doorman or butler in the house of God, I remind you whom our worship is about, whose door you are knocking upon. You acknowledge your understanding of this by singing “Amen”. Your “amen” says, “Yes it is true.” Yes, I have come to worship the one true God. Yes, “all the things that seem important outside of this hour are as nothing compared to what is about to take place.”[5] Yes, I have come knocking upon the door of the Divine.
The congregation replies “Amen”.
You speak the “amen” with such familiarity, no doubt because you have said it so often. But I wonder, would your voice be so steady and your tone so sure if you truly understood what it means for you to stand in the presence of The Almighty God? I invite you to consider your standing with these words.
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
I invite you to come before that loving God with a true heart. We all have our secrets; secrets that we keep hidden from everyone. Secrets that we cannot imagine what people would think of us if they knew who we really were, what we have done, where our minds have wandered. We all have our secrets. We work hard to conceal those secrets. We work hard pretending to be someone we are not. We work hard to build this false façade before our fellow man. But before God I invite you to be true. In Jeremiah 23:24 God says, ““Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.” God knows your secrets. He knows who you are, what you have done, where your mind has wandered. Before God there is no point in being anything but true.
You instinctively Know what I say is true. The good you may have wanted to do, you have not done. Rather, the evil you did not want to do, has been done. And yet you know you are not a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Rather, you are a sinner standing before the outstretched arms of a loving God. And so, with hopeful voice you reply…
“If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
A true heart leads to confessing lips. When you truly see yourself as part of the all that “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”[6], when you understand that the wages of your sin is death[7], then you will want to confess. You will not bargain with God, you will not make excuses, you will not justify actions. Filled with guilt and shame and self-loathing you will fall down at the foot of the cross and beg for forgiveness.
You will cry out. “Holy God, gracious Father” I confess! I confess that I am a sinful by nature. My every thought, word, and action is tainted by sin that I inherited from my parents. I like king David was “sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”[8] And as if that were not enough reason to damn me there is more. I continue to sin daily. I have not loved you with my all. I have not loved my neighbor as myself. All my “righteous acts are like filthy rags.”[9] I should be punished. I deserve to be punished here and now, and in hell eternally.
All who sin deserve to be punished by the Holy God. You cannot change the fact that God is Holy, but you can plead for his mercy. You say, “I’m sorry.” Meaning, I understand what the wage of my sin is. I feel the burden of my guilt. I am ashamed of what I have done. I wish that I could undo what I have done but I cannot. I can only tell you that I intend to never do it again. God, I ask that you help me to never do it again. God, I ask you to have mercy on me.
We confess our sins- “Holy God, gracious Father; I am sinful by nature and have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved others as I should. I deserve your punishment both now and forever. But Jesus, my Savior, paid for my sins with His holy life and innocent death. Trusting in him, I pray: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
For a few moments a sickening silence hangs in the air as we contemplate our transgressions. All pretenses have been dropped. All sin has been exposed. Like the tax collector in Jesus’ story we stand at a distance, humility bows our heads low, with hands clenched to our chests we have begged, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.”[10]
We have come to this hour of worship, we have knocked upon the door of the divine. For a moment we cannot help but wonder, “Will He invite us in?” Sensing our apprehension, knowing our insecurity, God sends His spokesman to assure and comfort. Like the father of the prodigal son who saw his son still a long way off went running to him, threw his arms around him and kissed him[11]. Like that father, the pastor turns to face those who have confessed. With the sound of his own confession still ringing in his ears the pastor says something that must nearly cause a riot in heaven for Jesus tells us “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”[12] How much rejoicing must there be for those angels when all the people of God gathered here today confess their sins and hear their pastor say to them...
“Our gracious Father in heaven has been merciful to us. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
The door of the divine has been opened wide for you. You who were once far off, you who were once separated from God by sin have been invited into His house! Saint Paul assures us, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”[13] Jesus has paid for all your secrets. The blood that was shed on the cross has paid for all your sins. You have been atoned, that is your relationship with God has been restored; you are now at one with God!
As a called servant of Christ, because God “gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists[14],” and gave me to be your pastor and teacher I get to announce to you what God has done. I get to assure and comfort you that you are forgiven. This is not a right I have earned. This is a privilege I have been given. Jesus said, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven.”[15] By Jesus’ authority I forgive you your sins. Therefore, they are forgiven. Here and now they are forgiven. In heaven and for eternity they are forgiven. Because of Jesus, God promises he will “remember your sins no more.”[16] The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in full agreement with the words I have spoken. You are forgiven.
In response to His forgiveness you say, “Amen”.
This time your “amen” is understandably more jubilant and confident. Yes, God has heard my confession. Yes, God has been merciful to me. Yes, I am forgiven. It is true, O God what your pastor has said. I believe. I trust. And so I say, “Amen.”
As the door of the Divine swings open, you begin to understand the words of the psalmist who proclaimed, “15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” Indeed, it is from this holy house that all blessing flow. Here your needs and the needs of all people are met. Before you cross over the threshold, it seems right that you should pause to pray for others who are in need of blessings only God’s mercy can bestow. Noticing your hesitation, the butler steps forward to lead you in such a prayer.
“In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well‐being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.”
As you enter into His house for a visit with the Divine, you hear the song of the angels being played. The butler invites you to join your voice with theirs; he invites you to join them in giving glory to God in the highest. It is an invitation that strikes you as the most natural of things to do. When God sent his Son to be with us the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”[17] Now because of that same Son who came to be with us, we in this hour of worship get to be with God. Does it not seem natural for us to sing the song of the angels? Does it not seem natural for us to sing of His glory and proclaim His praise, to express our thanks and awe-filled adoration? Yes! Singing of His glory is what we must do, it is what we have to do, and it is what we want to do. And so, we join our voices and sing the Gloria.
The congregation sings the Gloria
Our Worship begins with confession. For sinners like you and me it can begin no other way. For only through confession are we able to enter into the house of God for a visit with the Divine. Next week we will talk more about that visit as we examine worship that gathers us around The Word. At this time, I invite you to stand for prayer…
[1] Matthew 15:8-9
[2] Galatians 4:4-5
[3] Isaiah 53:5
[4] 2 Timothy 1:9
[5] Daniel Deutschlander
[6] Romans 3:23
[7] Romans 6:23
[8] Psalm 51:5
[9] Isaiah 64:6
[10] Luke 18:13
[11] Luke 15:20
[12]Luke 15:10
[13] 2 Corinthians 5:21
[14] Ephesians 4:11
[15] John 20:23
[16] Isaiah 43:25
[17] Luke 2:14