Divine Service: Confession and Absolution

The preparation for worship each week in the liturgy of the Divine Service begins by making the sign of the cross over ourselves as we speak the Triune name of God that was given to each one of us in our Baptism. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the rite of Holy Baptism, the pastor made the sign of the cross both upon your forehead and upon your heart that marks you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. The mark of the cross is like a brand on a sheep or horse that identifies who we belong to; we are marked on the forehead, which indicates that our minds belong to God. We are marked upon the heart, which indicates our hearts belong to God. In Holy Baptism, the only true God gave you His name, and that is precisely what a husband does to His wife in Holy matrimony, and we become the bride of Christ. The bridegroom who lays down His life for His bride brings her home to His Father's house to live with Him forever. The invocation prepares us for our Lord's coming by reminding us who we are; we are God's children, we are the Son's wife, we belong to Him, we have His name, and we are His. 

But before we are fully prepared for Jesus to come to us and for us to meet Him, there is just something that has been weighing heavy on our hearts that we need to get off our chests. We know, we know that He sees right through each and every one of us, and nothing is hidden from His sight. So as long as there are things we do not want Him to see in us, we do not want Him to come to us, but the liturgy gives us the words to say that need to be said. No ifs, no buts, no excuses, no shifting the blame. I, no one else but I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I, and no one else but I, am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them.

So rather than speaking for ourselves and defending ourselves before our Lord, which is what we are all preprogrammed to do, the liturgy has us speak against ourselves. Because the Scriptures are clear when our Lord comes again in judgment, it is not those who call themselves holy whom He is looking for; they do not need a Savior except for maybe a few innocent false here and there. Our Lord is looking for sinners who know they are sinners and who also believe He is gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love, and who loves, who loves, who loves to forgive sinners. It is not those who have purified themselves but those who are humble and who have humbled themselves and, from their knees, welcome Him to purify them with His absolution. To hear Him say those precious words, "I forgive you all of your sins." 

-Pr. Paul Nielsen