Confession

I was sitting in class today, and the idea of confession struck me. Not a mere concept, but the actual need for confession in my own life. Interestingly enough, I had read on the web earlier today of a church that has somesort of web-based confessional. This has apparently been widely utilized by a great many people. Perhaps that was the seed for my later thoughts.

In any event, I've been feeling somewhat distant from the Lord lately - someone say, guess who moved? - and I've just been feeling kind of empty, almost spiritually lethargic of late. Some of that may be tied to some stuff that I've had going on that I've been working through. However, I believe much of it to be a combination of demonic attack/spiritual warfare and my age old struggles with my own sinful nature (i.e., the sins of the flesh). Starting this new season of full time seminary studies is a prime time for the devil to afflict and inflict me with temptations and attacks. At the same time, I know myself well enough to know that at times of stress (yes, I feel a whee bit stressed these days), my own sinful nature asserts its own selfishness.

The need for confession is a generally a regular part of most main stream or Main Line Protestant orders of worship. It is a part of worship that prepares those worshiping to confess their sin(s) in order to receive pardon, and be reconciled with God and with one-another. Personally, I enjoy the prayer of confession from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. Please feel free to join me:

Most merciful God,we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,by what we have done,and by what we have left undone.We have not loved you with our whole heart;we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,have mercy on us and forgive us;that we may delight in your will,and walk in your ways,to the glory of your Name. Amen.

My hope is not that God would give me the will-power not to commit these sins anylonger, but rather that He would continue to transform me to be more like His Son, Jesus Christ. To be filled with the fruit of the Spirit is to be transformed into the very character of Christ Himself. This, too, is my prayer. I have sinned against the Lord in thought, word, and deed. I have sinned by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved God with my whole heart, nor loved my neighbors as I love myself. I am truly sorry, and humbly repent. I believe that God's grace is so great that He will, for the sake of His own Son, Jesus, have mercy on me and forgive me. And I will delight in His will, and walk in His ways, to the glory of His name. Amen.

Do you need to confess to the Almighty God who created you and loves you?

a quick note from class

okay, class starts in less than ten minutes, but my esteemed professor hasn't arrived yet. So I'm sitting here, killing time, trying to figure out something significant, important, or just witty to write about, but the truth is that I don't really have anything to put down except this...

I'm excited about this class because of the professor. I've had Adelekan twice before for both Systematic Theology 1 & 2. He's sharp, insightful, and has quite the gift of encouragement. I'm hoping to learn more from this godly man, and hope that I will learn as much in here as I did in my last two classes with him.

In any event, this is my short note from class. Hope that wherever you are, whatever you're doing, you're doing well. God's best blessings to you!