Fear in Private Confession
As was suggested last week, Private Confession allows for the declaration of the gift of forgiveness up close and personal. And just so, it can be more encouraging and reassuring in overcoming doubts so that we can cling to our Lord’s promise of mercy.
At the same time, the idea of going to Private Confession can be frightening for a number of reasons. First, it can be scary in its unfamiliarity. Do Lutherans actually believe in Private Confession? And does anyone take advantage of it? And what might I expect if I were to contact the Pastor to make confession and to receive absolution in person? And then secondly, there can be a number of reasons why confessing your sins out loud in the hearing of another person can be overwhelming. After all, it is private and personal!
Concerning the lack of familiarity I will share a couple of things. First, it is helpful to reflect in the Small Catechism what Luther had to say about the practice. I will resend by email the Small Catechism so you can reflect on it. And secondly, it is helpful to actually look at the rite of Individual Confession And Forgiveness in the Lutheran Book of Worship on pages 196 and 197. I will also send an adaption of the rite to you this week by email. The rite itself, with its rubrics, helps to educate and acquaint you with the practice.
As a Pastor, I stick to the script, so in looking over the rite you would largely know what to expect. I cannot emphasize enough that the recipient of your confession is not the pastor, but the Lord! But it is in the hearing of the Lord’s ambassador so that he can audibly speak the absolution in the Lord’s stead.
Concerning the difficult aspect of disclosing personal sins before your Pastor, I intend to deal with that matter in the upcoming weeks in this column. Stay tuned.
Since You Asked…
Why is the Triune Name of God repeated so frequently in our worship services?
The mystery of the Trinity is one of the most distinctive elements of our Christian Tradition. Christianity is not alone in claiming to be monotheistic (belief in one Supreme Being, one god). But Christianity holds that this One, True God has revealed himself to us as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Scripture teaches that God the Father has revealed himself through God the Son and in God the Spirit. Only the Son can be seen, and only through the Spirit are we enabled to believe in the Father and the Son. And so we often invoke the name of the Triune God in the mystery of our faith.