Main Menu
SitemapRecentHomeBeliefsLiturgy and PreachingParishEducationArticlesHistoryLinksContactPastor * Pastor's BlogCalendarDirectionsPhotobook
Psalm 143
In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our text for tonight is Psalm 143, which we prayed earlier in the service. We will also be examining the explanation of the office of the keys as we prayed from the Catechism earlier as well.
The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground. That is how Satan works, my friends. Satan follows after the Christian and hounds him until the day he dies. Satan’s one and only goal is to get you to deny Christ and His Word of forgiveness.
As we heard last Sunday, Satan’s greatest weapon of war is the lie. Satan lies and deceives the Christian into believing that you don’t sin. Or, he deceives you into believing that your sin isn’t so very bad, that you don’t really need Christ and His Word of forgiveness.
This is why we as Christians must pray the Penitential Psalms, including Psalm 143 before us. They teach us who we are as sinners who cling to Christ alone and His Word of absolution. The Psalms teach us what the Christian life is all about. They teach us about sin and forgiveness. In other words, we may well say with Luther that the Psalms are a little bible, that teach us everything we need to know to believe in Jesus and go to heaven.
But notice how very common the sins are that are before us. Let’s look at the catechism again.
Which [sins] are these?
Consider your place in life according to the Ten Commandments: Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or worker? Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you been hot-tempered, rude, or quarrelsome? Have you hurt someone by your words or deeds? Have you stolen, been negligent, wasted anything, or done any harm?
There is no murder listed there. No grand theft auto or adultery or rebellion. These sins are a part of your daily life. And notice where they start. Who are you? Father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife or worker. Each of us have a calling, a vocation where God has placed us. This is where God has given you to live and to work. And it is in that calling, in that vocation, that we need Law and Gospel, condemnation and absolution.
Who among us has not been unfaithful or lazy, hot-tempered or rude or quarrelsome? Have you picked a verbal fight with a co-worker or friend because you didn’t get your way? Have you hurt others by your words or deeds? Have you stolen from your employer by not working as you should? Have you wasted the gifts God has given you? Have you stolen from God by not giving to the Church?
These are real sins. To the eyes of the world, these aren’t big sins. They are trifles, nothing to be so concerned about. Yet it is these very trifles that God died on the cross to forgive. If God takes them so seriously, perhaps we should as well.
So that is why we have confession and absolution. God wants these sins gone from your life forever. He wants them cast into the depth of the sea, so that you may arise again as a new son or daughter in Jesus’ name.
This Lent we have taken a journey into God’s gift of absolution. It is easy to focus on the sins, on the act of confession. Some of you have partaken of God’s gift of individual confession and absolution. For those who have done this, you know that it is hard to confess. The words don’t come out right. It’s embarrassing. Or, it almost seems like much ado about nothing. I mean, who cares about how I treat my family or what I did at work or whatever my sin might be?
That is the whole point. God cares. He cares so much He sent His son over to death so that you might live. When Jesus said IT IS FINISHED from the cross, He is talking about your sin. Yes, He is talking about the time you were angry with your wife. He’s talking about the time you nagged your husband and wouldn’t give him any rest. He’s talking about the time you gave your parents the silent treatment and rebelled against their wishes. He’s talking about the time you refused to do what you boss asked of you at work. All of these and more.
We’ve learned a lot about God’s gift of individual confession and absolution this Lent. I know this has been a new journey for many, and perhaps at times a bit strange. For me, I began going to confession and absolution privately with my pastor about four years ago. It has been a hard journey, but a wonderful journey. I can hardly express how much I have learned of God’s grace and forgiveness through this gift. God has so many things to teach you and give you, that He can hardly wait for you to hear His Word.
So flee to God’s Word of absolution! Our Psalmist cries out my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. In a land and a time when sin is ignored or held up as good, flee to God’s Word! He will hold your sins against you, but will forgive you for the sake of Jesus Christ, His Son. That is our hope. That is our trust. That is our life as children of God. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
This page was created on 02/02/2007 and last edited on: 02/02/2007