Years ago, after an evening of moral failure, I attempted to reconcile with God while on a run, wrestling with whether I meant my recitation of the common confession. A Run with the Confession I woke up with a moral hangover. I tried to fall back asleep to avoid the guilt and shame swirling in my…
How to Make a Self-Examination of Sin
When a leech wants to snack on your leg, it secretes a local anesthetic so you do not become aware of its bite. This way, the leech can remain undetected and keep leeching. Leeches are horrible critters; I only bring them up as an analogyโsin is the same way. When we commit a sin, we…
Let Us Kneel Before The Lord: The Biblical Basis for Kneeling in Worship
Anglicans kneel a lot: in prayer, in confession, and at communion. We often surprise visitors from other traditions with our frequent kneeling. Why do we kneel so often? In short, kneeling is Biblical Worship, Bodily Worship, and Beautiful Worship. Kneeling as Biblical Worship The Bible associates kneeling with worship, especially prayers of confession, thanksgiving, and petition. Kneeling in the Old Testament Consider…
Confession: A Rookie Anglican Guide to the Reconcilation of Penitents
When I first explored Anglicanism, I was surprised when I came across the Reconciliation of Penitents in my Book of Common Prayer. I was shocked as I read through the rite: this was confession! But wait, isnโt confession a โCatholicโ thing? We can approach God without going through a priest! Itโs one of the hallmarks…
Confession of Sin: Things Left Undone
There is something in the Anglican service that really makes me uncomfortable. It is not something I encountered often before I experienced the classic Christian liturgy. At the Confession of Sin, we pray: Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, But…
Confession and Mercy in an Age of Justice
Justice? A few months ago here in Waco, Texas, where I live, a man was given 50 years in prison without parole for stealing a rack of pork ribs. He was a repeat offender, and he had threatened to pull a knife on the grocers who caught him with the rack of ribs tucked up his…
