Have you ever had the experience of being in a conversation with someone who is going into great detail on a topic that you already know plenty about? Besides being bored, the whole time you are listening, you are thinking: “I get it. I get it!”
I hear Luther’s words in a similar way when it comes to Confession and Absolution. Most of us “get” the part about calling to mind our sins. What we often fail to recognize and believe, however, is the fullness of God’s forgiveness of us through Jesus Christ.
When you hear the words of absolution, of forgiveness, believe that your sins are forgiven.
I don’t know about you, but most of my morning routine is spent on the “confession” side: regret for what I did or didn’t get done yesterday and mulling over the day ahead with anxiety. What if we were to begin each day resting and trusting in God’s forgiveness in Christ? What if we were to make the sign of the cross over ourselves in the shower, remembering our Baptism and claiming once again in the good and gracious truth that we are forgiven?