The Chibi News Daily Reflection
Hello, my name is Johnny Dade and I'm a vicar in the Church of England
It was Elton John who famously sang the words, Sorry seems to be the hardest word
Isn't that the truth? The book of Psalms in the Bible is rich with poetry and song about contrition and penitence
In one psalm, King David is moved to confess a litany of crimes and moral failings, including infidelity and murder, both of which he'd sought to bury under a heap of lies and evasion
Society's response to moral failure is often either to bury it or to shame the offender
Interestingly, Jesus does neither of these. We are invited, instructed actually, to expose our sin and our failings to the light
To own up, to fuss up and to accept the consequences. But, as David found, what we discover through confession is a God of mercy
a God who pardons even the vilest offender. This is why the 18th century slave trader turned abolitionist John Newton
was able to say, Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see