Confessing Evangelical

This month's George track token Lutheran piece in Modern Reformation (see previous post) is a wonderful short piece on the last page of the magazine by Revd John Arthur Nunes, titled "Come to the Mercy Feet" . Revd Nunes begins by observing:

I guess it's vogue in our culture. Confession Lite: spilling peccadilloes all over people whom we don't really care about , or hope to ever see again: "I'm gay", "I'm cheating", "Church isn't my thing". Raw confession without refreshing absolution - the serum - that only comes after spiritual authenticity (2 Cor 7:10).

Knowing sin will drive you to your knees - from birth we are plagued with an expansive and corrosive plague. In the Lutheran tradition, we use phrases like miserable sinner ... heartily sorry, and sincerely repent to describe this reality. Then words like boundless mercy describe the Conqueror who travelled here to stomp all over the head of sin, death and the devil for us.

Revd Nunes then goes on to describe the woman described in Luke 7:36-50, who washed Lord's feet with her tears and anointed them with ointment, contrasting her with a young woman he met on a plane who told him that, "For me, life is like totally all about getting to know people". He continues:

Outside of Christ, we are more sin-wrecked than what's imaginable. At the feet of Christ, our faith receives more purifying forgiveness than can be comprehended. CS Lewis once quipped that the Holy Eucharist is the only thing more sacred to behold than people. We daily confess. Christ eternally forgives. Faith totally knows this.