Lent: Do not sin again

More often than not we think confession is enough to get us salvation.  In this story of our gospel lesson today Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."  Do not sin again is the part that is so difficult to practice.  Repentance is a part of our charge after we confess our sins to God.  God's grace and mercy, love and forgiveness are not like a "magic wand."  God does require us to change our sinful ways.  Confessing our sin is only the first of a 2 part process in being forgiven by God. Confession is not that difficult for most of us but it is repentance that is really difficult to practice.


I remember going to the movies without permission from my parents while i was in middle school.  I was caught coming home from the movies with my friends.  I confessed having broken the rules of my parents.  My father told me that it was alright for tonight but I must not do it again.  I very easily said, "yes father."  I repented until the next time my friends asked me to go to a movie at night.  Then I forgot all about my promise to repent and I went out to the movies with friends again.  Then I got caught again by my parents.  It went on a few times until I understood that I really needed not to keep sneaking out of the house unless I had permission from my parents.  


Let's consider this lent, not only confession but repentance from our sins.


Prayer: Great and merciful God, teach us how to repentance from our sins daily.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

John 7:53-8:11

⁵³Then each of them went home, 8¹while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.²Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. ³The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them,⁴they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. ⁵Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ ⁶They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ ⁸And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. ⁹When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ¹¹She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’]] 

Psalm 128 Ezekiel 36:22-32 John 7:53—8:11