"The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works." - Augustine of Hippo

You may have heard that next Sunday, September 18th, I will begin a 5-week sermon series called, "Sorry! We were jerks." I can imagine some of possible reactions to this title. 1) Wait a minute! I think we're pretty nice at Holy Covenant. We're certainly not jerks. 2) Oh great, five sermons in a row that will make me feel bad about myself. 3) Other congregations or the Church at other times may need to apologize to people for being narrow-minded or judgmental, but not us. Why should we say we're sorry?

OK. Hear me out. :)

The purpose of this sermon series, which we are advertising to 13,000 households to the west and north of the church by sending direct mail postcard invitations, is to earn back the trust of a skeptical public. Many people in our community would assume that Holy Covenant is just like every other congregation or just like their worst stereotype for churches. And, many people really have been hurt or put off by the antiquated ideas, the self-righteous attitudes and the self-centeredness found in many churches. In this sermon series, we are naming some of the sins of the Church - sins from which we are never completely immune - and declaring openly that we at Holy Covenant are choosing to be a different kind of church.  My hope is that kind of transparency will be compelling and intriguing to our neighbors and that they will give us a chance to show them our sincerity and share with them the love of God we have found in Jesus Christ.

There is another purpose for this sermon series. For you and me, who have grown to love the Lord and who represent the Church, confession is good for the soul. Being open and transparent about our flaws and shortcomings, our latent prejudices and our lingering hard-heartedness, frees us to receive the love of God, unconditionally. The fear and pride, that keep us hiding our sins and running from God, dissipate. When we confess our sins and lay them out in the open, the power of the Holy Spirit that can heal us is released and given room in which to work. As Richard Foster writes in Celebration of Discipline, "[Through confession,] our humanity is no longer denied, but transformed."

I learned as a boy, watching Happy Days in syndication, that it is hard to say, "I'm sorry." There may be some uncomfortable moments in worship over the next 5 weeks, when we recognize that even we may not be quite as far along as we'd like to believe. But, there will be powerful moments too - when guests take a chance, walk through our doors, and find a wonderful and unique group of people who earnestly strive to embody God's grace; when we look inside, notice for the first time the splinter in our own eye, and experience the convicting and healing touch of the Lord (see Matthew 7:1-5); when we strengthen our resolve as a congregation to be even more faithful, more authentic, more accepting, more open-minded, and more committed to sharing the love God with our neighbors.

I look forward to seeing you - and many new, unfamiliar faces - in worship!

Pastor Andy Lewis