As the prodigal walks home, he prepares his speech. This is
the confessor’s checklist.
·
I have sinned against God
·
I have sinned against people
·
I am not worthy to be God’s child
·
Please accept me at the lowest level of
acceptance
Anyone with a tender conscience can identify with the
humiliating feelings and conclusions the son came to. First, he acknowledges
that he has sinned against God. All sin is first an act of offence against the
One who created us.
But, it’s not enough to excuse myself before God. I have
also sinned against people. There is no hint of blame in the confession. The
young man accepted that it was his actions that brought him to this dead end.
We must confess that we have sinned by our own
fault, our own most grievous fault. Our sins cannot be called errors in
judgment, nor is there any room to blame them on upbringing or family or mean
neighbors. This is a Reality Therapy of the best sort since we are so prone to
blame our sins on everybody and everything instead of taking personal
responsibility for them. [i]
Before God and the people I sin against, I have forfeited my
worth as a child of God. I am not worthy of belonging to God’s family. I am
hopelessly wrecked and will always fail. I do not understand why God would give
me a chance, but I’m desperate and I’ll take his help if He is willing.
The boy recognized that his father was a good man who was
kind and caring toward even the lowest servant in the house. By comparing
himself to the lowest, he is hoping that the father will take pity and accept
him at a less intimate level than he had as a son.
Our self-speech around sinfulness and repentance often
assumes that intimacy with God is no longer possible if we come to him. We will
take our punishment and quietly sit in the background.
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