2025 Advent midweek 2
Those of you who joined the last midweek service will remember that this Advent season we are focusing on the catechism, and specifically on the means of grace; Baptism last week, the Lord’s Supper next week, and today, Confession and Absolution.
“But Pastor,” you might ask, “are you saying that our catechism training is insufficient?” Yes! And so is mine. And so is everyone else’s, even Martin Luther said he could never learn the catechism well enough. The Word of God, which the catechism summarizes, is so deep and wide that we could never exhaust our study of it.
There is always more to learn and understand. And most importantly, reading and studying the Word does not just bring knowledge, but deeper faith. John is quite explicit about this near the end of his Gospel, “these [words] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).
That belief, that faith, takes hold of God’s promises and receives the benefits thereof. This is the key to understanding the means of grace, these mysterious vehicles that Jesus instituted for the forgiveness of sins; they are received by faith.
The Sacraments are not just metaphors or symbols, but neither are they magic. God’s grace is not conferred simply by reciting the proper words and following the proper rubrics. The gracious benefits that Jesus promises are received in the Sacraments through faith.
So, if faith is the key, granted by God through hearing the Scriptures (Rom. 10:17), why do we have the Sacraments? Because Jesus Himself instituted them! He told His apostles to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). That work continues today.
Jesus told His disciples to eat and drink His Body and Blood often, for the forgiveness of sins. “This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1 Cor. 11:25). When you receive the Sacraments, you remember, which is nothing less than trusting, the words and promises of Jesus, that you receive His Body and Blood to the forgiveness of sins.
We take the word and command of Jesus very seriously, but we do not go so far as to turn the Sacraments into barriers against salvation. We say that Baptism is necessary, but it is not a LEGALISTIC necessity. God can save whomever He will, including all the faithful who lived before Christian Baptism was instituted. Yet in Baptism we find the sure promise of Jesus, that all who believe and are baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16). The Sacraments are gracious gifts, tangible elements, attached with the word and promise of Christ, to which faith can cling.
Luther wrote, “If I seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will not find it there given.” Nor is it found in the knowledge and remembrance of Jesus’ suffering, for it is not promised there either. “But,” says Luther, “I will find in the sacrament or gospel… which distributes, presents, offers, and gives to me that forgiveness that was won on the cross.”
You can be sure that you receive forgiveness of sins in the Sacraments, because the Word of God, through Whom all things came into being, said you will. You don’t have to understand how this works on a metaphysical level; you simply have to trust Jesus.
The word “Sacrament” is a Latin derivative of the Greek word μυστεριον (mysterion). It indicates the great mystery that God would use the “base things of the world” (1 Cor. 1:28) to distribute His grace.
Μυστεριον is used for “the secret thoughts, plans, and dispensations of God which are hidden from human reason… and await either fulfillment or revelation to those for whom they are intended.” A sacrament is a concrete (visible) means by which the divine and the material are inseparably joined together for the sake of delivering God’s grace, the forgiveness of sins, to mankind.
Now, you good confessional Lutherans are probably thinking to yourselves, “this is all well and good, but I thought you were talking about confession and absolution. That’s not a Sacrament!”
Certainly, absolution does not match the technical definition of a Sacrament, a visible element attached with the command and promise of Jesus. But confession and absolution IS done at Jesus’ command and IS attached with His promise that the forgiveness of sins is truly received, that it is real and binding. And there is certainly something mysterious about it.
When Jesus instituted the apostolic ministry, granting his apostles (His “sent ones”) the authority to forgive and to retain sins, He breathed on them. It’s a seemingly small detail that is easy to miss, but there is no mistaking it. This was intentionally done by Jesus and intentionally written down in John’s Gospel. Jesus did not just tell His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit, He attached that promise with something that they could feel and remember, something, in its own way, tangible.
Of course, most pastors do not walk around the sanctuary breathing on people when the absolution is announced, and I’m sure you all appreciate that, but even without feeling the breath of the pastor, you can remember that the pastor’s authority to forgive sins comes not from himself, but from Jesus, who instituted the apostolic ministry to proclaim His Word and to forgive sins in all times and places.
Some elements of Divine Service setting 3, the historic liturgy, reflect this. Twice during the service, once before the Gospel is read and preached and once before the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, the pastor greets the church with “The Lord be with you,” echoing and invoking Jesus’ gracious greeting to the disciples in the upper room, “Peace be with you.” These are, in effect, words of absolution. You need not fear, because Jesus comes not with condemnation, but with forgiveness and peace for those who trust in Him.
In response to the pastor’s greeting, the congregation replies, “and with thy spirit.” This is a reminder that the pastor is part of the apostolic ministry, that he inherits the authority that Jesus gave when He breathed on His apostles, saying “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:22-23).
Can Jesus forgive your sins even without a pastor? Absolutely! And He does so whenever you pray for forgiveness. But He wanted to do more for you. He gave you pastors who can boldly declare, “in the stead and by the command of my Lord, Jesus Christ, I forgive you all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Last week I reminded you that your baptism was not your own work, but God’s; you were not baptized into your own name, but into God’s name. In the same way, the pastor does not forgive you in the name of Jake Bennett, but in the name of the Triune God.
This absolution is real, not because of the merit or worthiness of the pastor (thank goodness!), but because of the promise and command of the Jesus, who died on the cross to win forgiveness of sins for you. In response to the absolution, the congregation declares “amen,” which means “yes, it is true.” In recognition that this forgiveness comes from God, that declaration should not be a mumble, be a joyful shout! AMEN!
The forgiveness of sins won on the cross once for all, is distributed continuously, from the beginning to the end of the world. And it is a part of your life, from beginning to end.
Martin Luther considered confession and absolution as simply a continuation of baptism, which is not a one-time event, but the beginning of an entire life of repentance, daily drowning the Old Adam and rising again to new life.
Baptism is a washing of regeneration and renewal, but it doesn’t make you impervious to your sinful nature. You still live in a broken world. You are still surrounded by temptations and trials. You still need forgiveness for the times when you stumble and fall short of the glory of God, as we all do.
The word repentance carries an implication of turning or converting, a shifting of purpose and of loyalties. Every time the world, the devil, and your sinful nature cause a disorder in your priorities, you are called to turn back to God, remembering that He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Exo. 34:6-7).
Repentance properly consists of two parts, contrition and faith. You should be terrified at the cost of your sins, at the punishment you deserve, but you must also remember that Jesus bore that punishment for you, that for His sake your sins are forgiven. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
A lack of either contrition or faith puts you in danger. The only sin that cannot be forgiven is the one for which you do not want forgiveness, either from indifference to God’s will or distrust in His grace. Even small sins can be a real danger. You can train yourself to think “it’s no big deal” so that eventually you cannot even recognize sin.
This is why Jesus authorizes the apostles to retain sin, not as a tool for punishment, but as means to awaken people to the real danger of unrepentant sin. Excommunication, or the withholding the means of grace, is a warning, a call to recognize the hardness of heart that can keep you from receiving the forgiveness of sins.
A heart that does not recognize sin does not appreciate the grace that Jesus offers. Lutherans love to talk about Law and Gospel for this reason. The Law is that word of God that, like a hammer, breaks apart the rock of unrepentant sin that encases the heart so that the Gospel truth can break through with comfort for the conscience and deliverance from terror.
Part of that comfort is the knowledge that any sin can be forgiven, if you have faith. Even Peter, who publicly denied his association with Jesus, not just once, but three times, even he received forgiveness. In a beautiful show of God’s mercy and love, Jesus counters the tripartite denial with a tripartite invitation for Peter to confess his love for Jesus, and hear the command to care for His flock.
Notice that Jesus did not demand Peter’s groveling apology. Neither does He expect you to confess every little sin. If that were necessary, there would never be any peace for the conscience. But peace is what Jesus offers. Trusting in Jesus, we can pray like David, “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.” (Psalm 19:12).
On the other hand, if a particular sin is plaguing you, you should not bear that burden alone. We have a corporate rite of confession and absolution, but our church still retains private confession. Pastor Meyers and I are always willing to meet you privately to hear your confession and to forgive your sins, in the stead and at the command of Jesus Christ.
In the ordination vows, pastors promise before God to never divulge the sins confessed to them. That is something we take very seriously. Pastors will go to jail before revealing confessions, if it comes to that, because the means of grace are too important to allow them to be weakened and diluted by fear of a damaged reputation.
If you cannot think of any particular sins that are bothering you, read the 10 commandments, if necessary, read Matthew 5 and 6. If you are STILL not bothered, confess your sins anyway, so you can hear the gracious words of absolution. Confess with John that “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (But) if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
Hearing that gracious word of forgiveness, you receive through faith what Jesus promised, what is written on that window behind me, Peace. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). AMEN!