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A lot of things have changed in our worship over the past two years. One of the changes we made was to include the confession and forgiveness of sins as a regular part of our service. If you're not used to confession and forgiveness in worship, you may wonder why we do it. Yesterday Frank Musgrave shared a quote with me from a book called A Faith to Proclaim by James S Stewart that explains the importance of confession and forgiveness very well, and I thought I would share it with all of you:

Wherever the church truly proclaims the forgiveness of sins there the healing ministry is verifiably at work. Who can tell the incalculable results of the word of absolution [forgiveness] for the integration of human personalities? Who can say how many demons are being exorcized, how many potentialities of mental trouble, neurasthenia and even organic disease are being rooted out by the assurance pf pardon and renewal?

"I always send my patients," said a distinguished psychiatrist, "to hear Dr. So-and-so preach: he preaches the forgiveness of sins."

"The forgiveness of God, in my opinion," writes Dr. Leslie D. Weatherhead, "is the most powerful therapeutic idea in the world."

Never let us doubt the immense tides of healing energy--for soul and mind and body--which may flow through every Church and every ministry that faithfuly proclaims the apostolic word: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son goes on cleansing us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)