We have been talking about wrath on the blog today–God’s wrath. I had this on my mind as I was reading Evening Prayer and came, as always, to the Confession of Sin. We confess our sins, at least in part, to avoid the very wrath we have been talking about today. But how does this confessing get done? Here are the words Episcopalians use, taken from Rite II of the Book of Common Prayer:
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
I am wondering how people in other denominations confess their sins, to whom they confess them and how they reckon regarding absolution. And I am wondering if my fellow Episcopalians feel “forgiven” after they read the words above.