"No More Guilt" - Psalm 32 - March 25, 2001

This past week, Commander Scott Waddle, captain of the USS Greenville surprised the U.S. Navy during the hearing process. Against the advice of his attorney he publicly stated that he was solely responsible for the sinking of the Japanese fishing ship Ehime Maru and the death of nine people. Rather than seek immunity he confessed that while under his command his crew did not act responsibly.

That took tremendous courage on his part and it is very possible that he will face a court martial. His statement also included a sincere apology to the nation of Japan and the families who lost loved ones. Commander Waddle said, "This court and the families need to hear from me." I believe that his open confession and act of humility may help him in the long run. In fact, some of the Japanese family members welcomed his apology.

In Psalm 32 David tells us his experience with the forgiveness of sins. He states that the first step in receiving forgiveness is to confess our sins to God. This, however does not have to be a public announcement. Instead it is a private matter between us and God. The key is to be completely honest and forthright.

It sounds simple enough but in reality it is not a common occurrence in the life of most people. Most of us don’t ask God to forgive us. We use the passing of time to erase our guilt. Or we ignore it completely, banking on forgetfulness as the automatic eliminator. Some just remain in denial because they are too stubborn to humble themselves before God and admit they are in need of God’s forgiveness.

David says that when we resist the need to confess to God our sins we are like a mule, who doesn’t want to budge. Rather than speak we remain silent. What we fail to understand is that our silence blocks the power of God to intervene and set us free. By being "closed" our sins remain within us. Unfortunately that leads to stress, despair, feelings of hopelessness, even physical or emotional pain.

Gary Smalley, who wrote, Hidden Keys to Loving Relationships, says that a major cause of disharmony in relationships is "a closed spirit." A closed spirit exists when there is a resistance to talk or discuss our problems with others. Instead they avoid others. They don’t ask for advice. There are no feelings of warmth or caring. They become unresponsive and negative.

A person reopens their closed spirit by being gentle, listening, touching and finally by asking for forgiveness. I believe we take the people we love for granted, just as we take God for granted. We don’t realize the value and essence of asking for forgiveness. Of course we first have to admit to ourselves that we have done something wrong. That is difficult to do but it becomes easier when we live in the habit of asking God for forgiveness on a regular basis.

To experience the forgiveness of God we have to break the silence. We have to speak and honestly tell our story. The next step is to be open to the grace of God. We can’t receive God’s forgiveness when we don’t believe it can happen.

This past month we began a new program here at the church. We started a men’s breakfast. I had a hunch that some of our men would be interested in a morning fellowship. At our first breakfast we had 22 men. I had no idea it would be that popular. It just goes to show you that when you are willing to be open to something new, good things can happen. God has a way of blessing us.

The same is true for forgiveness. It happens when we are open to it. I have to admit that it sometimes never occurs to me to ask, even the little things. This psalm has helped me to see the need to be contrite and be in the habit of confessing my sins to God.

And finally, having confessed our sins and subsequently received the forgiveness of God we are called to be witnesses to God’s grace. In other words there is a responsibility to live as people who are righteous. Being righteous does not mean just being good. Being righteous means we are living witnesses to the reality of God’s grace.

Take Paul for example. He didn’t focus on Judas as a sinner. He talked about himself. He didn’t talk about Peter denying Jesus, he talked about himself. But, he also talked about how gracious God was to him and how the forgiveness of God changed his life.

Our lives too can experience renewal and change when we are willing to break the silence and confess our sins. There is no limit to God's mercy, especially when we are open to it. And, it continues to be more profound for others when we are willing to tell our own story of God’s amazing grace.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio