Yes We Can: 1 John 1:5--2:2 - Second Sunday after Pentecost

 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; ⁷ but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, ² and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (NRSVue)

Back in 1978, when the green Lutheran Book of Worship hymnal was published, a pastor from our synod took great offense at the wording of the prayer of confession (which we prayed earlier this morning).

He specifically objected to the words “We confess that we are in bondage to sin.” During the synod assembly, he stood up before the crowd and shouted, “I am not a sinner!”

He even used a marker to black out those words in every single hymnal in his church. 

I imagine the assembly was as baffled by his actions as we are. You need not know the bible by heart or have read all the volumes of Martin Luther to understand that every human being is a sinner. 

Denying human sinfulness is like insisting the earth is flat.

Still, his belief about himself isn’t as uncommon as it may sound.

Unlike Mary Poppins, we know we’re not perfect. We make mistakes and sometimes do the wrong thing. But we see ourselves as morally better that some people. The real sinners are the thieves, the murders, the war criminals. People we judge are morally inferior. They believe things we find to be outrageous. They’re lazy and entitled. They make bad choices. They don’t love their country. They’re dangerous. They’re deranged. They are inferior. “They are not like me.”

These self-righteous attitudes and prejudices are the very essence of our partisan divisions in this country. They fracture churches and denominations. They spawn so many of the abominable behaviors we see so often, like bullying and the verbal abuse of service workers. They are the root causes of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and all the other ugly -isms and phobias. Certainly, these prejudices motivated the murders of the Emanuel Nine or the Buffalo supermarket shooting. Just the same, these attitudes are the root cause of out-of-control political correctness infecting so many of our institutions—such that you say or do something without hostile intentions, and someone’s calling you a monster.

Like it or not, believe it or not, the dividing line between good and evil runs straight through every human heart, including yours and mine. There are no moral scorecards. Even though you are clearly not guilty of having committed the same evils as hatemongers and tyrants, you still need the fullness of God’s mercy. Each one of us is guilty of the very sins we are so quick to identify in others. Sometimes, we take offense to people who meant us no harm. And sometimes, even the best of intentions fall into sin. As much as we want to show God’s love to all people, without prejudice, still, we fall short.

No one can stand before the throne of Christ and claim merit above anyone else. What makes sin such a painful subject is the fact that you feel the hammer of divine judgment coming down on you. It reveals the most devastating truths about you. But please understand--God’s judgment is never about condemnation. It’s not a guilt trip. It’s not a report card. It’s an act of mercy. The hammer of judgment shatters the hardness of your hearts so that God’s grace and forgiveness can come rushing in. It shatters your self-righteousness and judgments of others so that reconciliation and healing can begin.

When we face crises and controversies as forgiven sinners, the mercies we receive from God become greater than anything that would have otherwise divided us. No longer do you see the world in terms of “us versus them” or “winners versus losers;” “who’s right” and “who’s wrong.” People of hope don’t have time for any of that. 

The public witness of the Church has nothing to do with winning the culture war. It has everything to do with feeding the hungry. Creating safe spaces for children to be loved, supported, and mentored. For lost souls to have home. For broken hearts to have healing. For every person to discover the God-given purpose for their life and live that out. 

These are the very things we are asking for when we pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done.” How do you know that God’s kingdom has come? When people love the neighbor as themselves. When you have that, you will have peace and justice.

All dividing lines that pit neighbor against the neighbor end at the cross. At the cross, God’s grace brings you over from the side of sin to the side of righteousness. When the blood of Jesus Christ puts to death the power of sin inside your heart, we, as forgiven sinners, take that victory to the streets. Yes, we can grow our worshiping community. Yes, we can give promising futures to our children. Yes, we can meet the challenges of our time. Because “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”