Care for Creation & Confession - Day 12

Confession is not an easy practice, but one that is essential to the practice of sabbath. Confession can be miraculous for relationships. Confession can be a gift to yourself. Confession can be revolutionary for a community. Confession is a place where we own up to the ways we have not lived up to our original calling to care for creation. We hurt ourselves. We hurt each other. We lose ourselves in the crowd and "go with the flow" rather than call to question the status quo.


Confession is not regularly talked about because in confession we recognize our mortal place in this world. We are not gods. We are not perfect. We don't have it all figured out. There is not one thing we can do, or purchase, that can lead us to ultimate power. Confession levels the field.

But! In confession, in this leveled field, God comes to us. God makes us new. God takes our brokenness and does something more than what we could do when we "play god." This is scary stuff... to have God see us like that and leave ourselves to God's will. No wonder we don't like to spend too much time with this confession stuff...

So our goal today, is to face this confession stuff; the ways we have not cared for creation. We face this as individuals and as a community. Write or pray a personal confession, but write one for our world too. What would you say if you spoke for your community? Keep your confession between yourself and God, but see what happens when you share it with a trusted friend too. What would happen if you didn't have to hold all of it by yourself?

Practice confession today...

 

Postsecret is a creative example of individual, anonymous confessions held by a community. 

Challenge yourself to create your own postsecret confession. Once you've created it, mail it in, keep it in your journal, or shred it.

Classic Lutheran liturgy of communal confession. Find a small group of people, maybe even ask a Pastor to join you, and practice this confession together.

Practice the Daily Examen. Visit the website to learn more about the Examen, how to make it a part of your day, and visit links for variations of the Examen.

Or simply pray...

Those are just a few simple examples, but I encourage you to check out other forms of confession as well. Which form of confession are you need of today?