Introduction

The Congregation Council at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., where I am serving as interim pastor, opens its monthly meetings with devotions. These are the thoughts for the March 2010 meeting. The Psalm is the one appointed for the preceding Sunday.

Reading

¹Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
²Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
³While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
⁴For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
⁵Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
⁶Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
⁷You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
⁸I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
⁹Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
¹⁰Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
¹¹Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. (Psalm 32, NRSV)

DEVOTION: Happy in Forgiveness
I don’t know for sure what techniques parents use to discipline their children today, but one of the tools my parents used when I had misbehaved was to send me to my room with the instruction, “Think about what you have done.”

To be honest, I really don’t recall what I did spend my time thinking about. But I would guess I spent time licking my wounds, feeling sorry for myself, and gritting my teeth in anger at the injustice my parents had unleashed upon me.

But in the end, I would come to remorse, or something close to it, ask for forgiveness, and then be restored to my place in family life.

This psalm shares with us the thoughts and feelings that run through our minds when we find ourselves placed in timeout by God for the sins we have committed. There is some brutal honesty at work. The psalmist wastes away from the burden of sin, but upon confessing, finds God to be forgiving, high ground in the midst of the flood of life, a hiding place from predators, and a guard against trouble. And then, speaking from experience, the psalmist says, “Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.” (Psalm 32:10, NRSV)

Discussion

+ What does it feel like to confess a sin and to receive forgiveness?
+ Have you ever used the Order for Individual Confession and Forgiveness in the LBW?
+ If you have misgivings about making an individual confession, what might they be? What blessings might this practice offer?
+ Is there any sin that our congregation is keeping silent?

Prayer

O LORD, be patient with us and help us trust you enough to confess our transgressions to you. By your grace, forgive our sins and be our safe refuge in a dangerous and troubled world; through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.