Lying about Confession

Sermon for the nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

As sacramentalists, 

we are often asked,

"where is that sacrament in the Bible?"

Many of our brothers and sisters

say that there are only two sacraments,

namely, Baptism and the Eucharist.

Martin Luther thinks 

that there are three: 

he believes that 

Confession is a Sacrament, too.

Of course,

we believe that there are seven

at least.

In being present 

and hallowing the wedding at Cana

with His first Miracle,

Our Lord gives us marriage as a sacrament.

In breathing on His Disciples

He gives us the Holy Ghost

to confirm them for the task 

of spreading the Gospel.

In being anointed for His death

and rising again

He sanctifies the oil of unction

with which we are prepared 

for our own death

and resurrection.

In giving His authority to His disciples

over unclean spirits,

in commanding them to baptise,

in commanding them to say the Mass,

in giving them authority to remit sins,

and in offering Himself as victim

He institutes and sanctifies Holy Orders

and gives the Church the priests and bishops

that it needs to give His grace to all those who thirst for it.

And what of confession?

Where do we see Our Lord 

actually administer the forgiveness of sins 

as a sacrament?

[PAUSE]

Well, you've just heard it!

"Take up thy bed and go unto thine own house."

That doesn't sound like 

what the priest says to us 

when we make our confession,

does it?

Look at the context.

The paralysed man 

comes to Christ on his bed,

paralysed and fearful

carried by the love of his friends.

But Our Lord knows Him,

He knows this man needs assurance.

This man needs to know that 

whatever he has done wrong,

however he has sinned 

so that he has had to suffer this palsy

as a punishment,

he can be forgiven

and whatever has caused this palsy

can be lifted. 

And so Our Lord gives that assurance,

But see how the scribes sneer!

"How dare this man blaspheme!

"Only God can forgive!"

You see their doubt that 

Our Lord's absolution of sins

is real.

You see how they 

cannot see 

the grace of God at work.

And so,

Our Lord shows them.

[PAUSE]

"Take up thy bed!"

We see the fact that

if the man's palsy is removed 

at a word 

from Our Lord,

then his sins must also 

be removed at a word. 

Sin is not just a legal wrong,

it is a sickness,

and Our Lord has come 

to be our physician

as well as our advocate in Heaven.

Here, in this room, 

surrounded by friend and foe

Scribe and Disciple

Sinful and Holy

a man's sins are really absolved

just as his paralysis is really removed. 

This is the sacrament of Confession

demonstrated by Our Lord

and bestowed upon His disciples

as the authority to remit or retain sins.

[PAUSE]

We will always be challenged by those

who do not believe that 

there are seven sacraments.

But they are there, and in the Gospel, too.

Most chiefly,

they are there for us to use

and be strengthened and healed,

because that's exactly why 

Our Lord gave them for us.

The sacrament of Confession

is real

and it is for our healing and wholeness.

It is there for us 

to be released from the paralysis of guilt

and freed to serve Our Lord 

in happiness and joy.

[PAUSE]

There are those who say,

"you don't need Confession."

Are you going to take that lying down?