July 18, 2024 

Today’s Reading: Catechism – What sins should we confess?

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:17; Galatians 6:1-18

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:23)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The conscience. It’s our concept of right and wrong. It’s the referee that tells you whether a thought, word, or deed was in or out of bounds. It’s the TV chef who tells you whether the dish that is your life is a delicious masterpiece, pleasing in God’s eyes, or whether it should be tossed in the trash and ridiculed mercilessly. Maybe that was a bit of a stretch. But we’ve all felt the weight of our sins pressing on us. We’ve all had those moments when we’ve felt utterly alone in that sin, ashamed to tell another soul just how bad we are. And in times like those, more often than not, our conscience just isn’t capable of delivering the goodness of the gospel that we need to hear. Don’t get me wrong; God gave us our consciences when He wrote His law on our hearts. But like so many of God’s good Gifts, our conscience is often co-opted for the evil plans and purposes of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature (The Lord’s Prayer– Third Petition Explanation). So what can we do? Where do we turn? Fortunately, the Good News isn’t something that we find inside ourselves, but in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus—all of which are applied to our wounded souls with words. Whether spoken or written, language is the vehicle God has chosen to combat the devil’s wiles. And to speak such words, God has ordained pastors. He has sent His Church into the world with the command to forgive sins and to speak peace into the turmoil of lives wrecked by guilt and shame. If you’ve never been to Confession, talk to your pastor about it! Most of the times that I’ve heard folks’ confession, it started out as a “Pastor, can we talk about something?” conversation. And in most cases, when someone needs to talk with their pastor, sin is at the root of the problem. Private Confession is almost like when you go to your doctor and he instructs you to “tell me where it hurts.” Whether you’ve committed sins or you’ve been sinned against, sin hurts. It damages consciences. It makes us “know and feel” sins in our hearts– but we don’t have to carry these sins alone! Burdens like these were atoned for at the cross, and Holy Absolution proclaims the very same. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, on You I cast my burden– Sink it in the deepest sea! Let me know Your gracious pardon, Cleanse me from iniquity. Let Your Spirit leave me never; Make me only Yours forever. (LSB 608:4)

-Rev. Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, TX.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

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