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Why Confess?
- By Branon Dempsey
- Published August 31, 2009
- Worship Theology
- Unrated
Branon Dempsey
Branon Dempsey is the Editor-at-Large for PraiseCharts Live as well as the Director and Founder of Worship Team Training: a ministry for local church worship ministries. He has studied and been trained by members of Maranatha! Music and Integrity Music for worship ministry and composition. Branon lives in Cypress, Texas where he is also a Worship Leader/Songwriter and has been in ministry for over 17 years. Read more articles and blogs by Branon on PraiseCharts Live or visit him at www.worshipteamtraining.com. Check out the new sponsor Landing Page of Worship Team Training on PraiseCharts.
I did not grow up in a liturgical church. My background is more on the non-denominational side. Later in life, I did attend and serve in Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian and back again to the Baptist/Christian/Bible churches. You can say that I am a church mutt, only to please and follow Him - not man. I believe that there is much to learn from other faiths, provided that they are Scriptural. One thing I truly appreciated from some of these churches was their focus on confession. Every church has their own way of doing things. Some churches anchor in their heritages, while others have stepped away to embrace new and fresh encounters with God. I believe that we are to sing a new song unto the Lord. I also believe that we are to learn from the heritage of our faith. I sense that in most churches, our time of worship is reduced to singing. Our time of prayer is reduced to announcements. Our time in the Word is reduced to presentational speaking. Our time of confession is reduced to the offering.
Now when I say the word confession, I do not mean the wooden walls of a booth, where a priest is veiled on the other side. I am meaning confession as an act and breath of worship. Prayer has a beautiful way of guiding our emotions to God. Confession is no different, we acknowledge and unpack our emotions, hurts and failures before God. It is also where (not limited to) we experience His manifold of grace and mercy. Confession is where God meets us just "as" and "where" we are. In fact, confession is a worshipful response. It is where we respond to God according to his mercy, giving thanks for providing the Christ as our atoning sacrifice.
Confession and consecration for the priests in Exodus was never easy. The priests laid their hands on the head of an animal as a sin offering. This identified themselves with the atoning work of the sacrifice. They acknowledged that the animal was suffering the punishment they deserved. From this act, they praised and thanked God for providing the sacrifice that covered their sins in making them acceptable and clean before the Lord.
In our services today, much has changed, thankfully to Christ from Calvary. What has not changed is the human need to connect to Christ as our Forgiver and Priest of Mercy to God the Father. May we take time in our services (and private times) to honor, confess and acknowledge His atoning work.
Let us now come to Him and lay our hands of faith on the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. May we become aware of our insufficiencies only to lean fully on His all-sufficiency. Let us confess that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Our lives our hidden in His, for we can run to Christ and be fully embraced as the prodigals into the arms of a merciful Father. Through Him alone we find forgiveness of sins, and to Him alone we glory in the cross of his everlasting work, everlasting love and everlasting covenant. (Jn. 1.29, Gal. 2.20, Col. 3.3).
Now when I say the word confession, I do not mean the wooden walls of a booth, where a priest is veiled on the other side. I am meaning confession as an act and breath of worship. Prayer has a beautiful way of guiding our emotions to God. Confession is no different, we acknowledge and unpack our emotions, hurts and failures before God. It is also where (not limited to) we experience His manifold of grace and mercy. Confession is where God meets us just "as" and "where" we are. In fact, confession is a worshipful response. It is where we respond to God according to his mercy, giving thanks for providing the Christ as our atoning sacrifice.
Confession and consecration for the priests in Exodus was never easy. The priests laid their hands on the head of an animal as a sin offering. This identified themselves with the atoning work of the sacrifice. They acknowledged that the animal was suffering the punishment they deserved. From this act, they praised and thanked God for providing the sacrifice that covered their sins in making them acceptable and clean before the Lord.
In our services today, much has changed, thankfully to Christ from Calvary. What has not changed is the human need to connect to Christ as our Forgiver and Priest of Mercy to God the Father. May we take time in our services (and private times) to honor, confess and acknowledge His atoning work.
Let us now come to Him and lay our hands of faith on the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. May we become aware of our insufficiencies only to lean fully on His all-sufficiency. Let us confess that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Our lives our hidden in His, for we can run to Christ and be fully embraced as the prodigals into the arms of a merciful Father. Through Him alone we find forgiveness of sins, and to Him alone we glory in the cross of his everlasting work, everlasting love and everlasting covenant. (Jn. 1.29, Gal. 2.20, Col. 3.3).