It's a BIG Deal

"I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin."  Psalm 32:5b

Have you ever apologized to someone for some wrong you committed...  ever asked someone to forgive you only to have them shrug their shoulders and say something like, "Don't worry about it, It's no big deal.  It doesn't matter?"  Have you ever responded that way to someone?  In my case the answer to both questions is yes and it drives me crazy.  I don't like it when someone says that to me or when I say it to someone else.

Why does this bother me?  Well think for a moment about what we are saying to someone by such a response.  If someone apologizes and you  respond, "It's no big deal" you are implying to them that they aren't a big deal to you.    You are implying that they just aren't important enough in your life for any wrong they might do to really hurt you.

Think about how the LORD responds to our confession.  David writes, "I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin."   Our Lord never responds to our confession with words like, "It's no big deal," because in His eyes our sin is a big deal.  It matters to him because we matter to Him.  So He responds, "I forgive you."  With those words He makes plain just how serious our sin is and how much He loves us. With those words He is saying that He loves us so much that He is not wiling for our sin to separate us from Him.

Instead, rather than hold our sin against us, He gave His one and only Son.  Rather than punish us for our sins, He punished Jesus in our place.  That's what was happening through the cross and empty tomb of Jesus.   Jesus redeemed us from the curse of sin by Himself being cursed for us.   God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."   Jesus "was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification."  Your God loves you so much that rather than make you live with the pain sin deserves, He endured that pain for you.

Even having done all that, our Lord is not finished.  He provides the means of grace - the Gospel and the Sacraments - by which He forgives our sins. Two weeks ago, in the blog, I wrote about the First Act of our worship service – the invocation that recalls for us our baptisms.  Well the Second Act is Confession and Absolution.  Sin is such a big deal that the first and second Word God speaks to us in worship is the word of His forgiveness. I read a post online this week reminding me that confession of sin is a wonderful thing, but absolution (forgiveness) is even better.  One of the great joys of being a Pastor is that every Sunday I am privileged to stand here and be His mouthpiece.  In response to your confession, my joy is to say to you, “Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die or you and for His sake forgives you all your sin.  As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.”   What’s more, if some particular sin is really troubling you, God provides the gift of private confession.  You can come to your Pastor in complete confidentiality, confess the troubling sin or sins and hear God’s assurance of forgiveness spoken personally and privately to you.  Yes God so wants to assure you that you are forgiven that He provides a real live person, a Pastor whom He has called primarily to speak to you His marvelous words, “I forgive you.”

So when someone does apologize and ask your forgiveness, it is a big deal.  At that moment, the most loving words you can speak are these words, “Yes what you did hurt.  But you matter more to me and to Jesus than any hurt.  I forgive you and more importantly the Lord forgives you.”  That is a BIG Deal.  Amen.