The Small Catechism – part 214
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Mark 4:39–40
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
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From the Confessions: The Small Catechism, Confession of Sin
What sins should we confess?
Before God we should acknowledge ourselves guilty of all kinds of sins, even those of which we are not aware, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer. To the confessor (pastor), however, we should confess only those sins which we know and which trouble us.
Pulling It Together: The storms of life howl upon us, and we are frightened. The obvious example, as I write this, is the coronavirus. We shrink before the tempest, yet muster enough courage to rush out and purchase more toilet paper, soap, and sanitizer than we could use in a month of Sundays. Meanwhile, God is in our boat; Jesus is right here with us.
Now, that does not mean we should not take precautions, that we should not be sensible. It does mean, however, that we should not panic. God cares about our situation (Mark 4:38). But there is another situation that Jesus cares about as much as the storm. He cares about our faith. Have we still no faith? Can we trust God through these times? Perhaps the sin we should be confessing is lack of faith — not a trust that God will wipe out the virus, but that he would calm the storm, the one that rages within us.
Prayer: Use the storm, Jesus, to increase my faith in you. Amen.
Click here for resources to learn the Ten Commandments.
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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