Grace for the "private, secret, hidden sins"

A Daily Podcast brought to you by Anglican Futures designed to help you pray.

Just confession, some Cranmer, a creed and collects.

Short and simple.

Today we explore the depths of repentance as inspired by Cranmer's reflections and the powerful words of Psalm 51.

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TRANSCRIPT

Hello and Welcome to “In All Our Doings”

- A confession, some Cranmer, a creed and collects. brought to you daily by Anglican Futures. 

Thank you for joining us and we hope these timeless truths will strengthen you for whatever you face in the coming day.

And so we begin with Confession

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Hear the Word of God to all who truly turn to him.

If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

In his second homily Cranmer points us to the example of King David

And St David is ashamed of his sin but not to confess his sin. How often, how earnestly and lamentably, does he desire God's great mercy for his great offences and that God should not enter into judgement with him? And again, how well weighs this holy man his sins, when he confesses that they be so many in number, and so hidden and hard to understand that is in manner impossible to know, utter or number them. And so, he having a true, earnest and deep contemplation and consideration of his sins, and yet, not coming to the bottom of them, he makes supplication to God to forgive him “his private secret, hidden sins”, to the knowledge of the which he cannot obtain. He weighs rightly his sins from the original roots and springhead, perceiving inclinations, provocation, stirrings, stingings, buds, branches, dregs, infections, tastes, feelings and scents of them to continue in him still. Where he says, “Mark, behold, I was conceived in sins”. He says not sin, but in the plural number sins. For as much as out of one fountain, springs all the rest.

Our bible reading today is from Psalm 51 beginning at verse 1

Have mercy on me,^[a] O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
⁶ Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

This is the word of the Lord

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Let us pray

Our Father in Heaven

Hallowed be your name

Your kingdom come

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

Give us today our daily bread

And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from the evil one

For the kingdom the power and the glory are yours now and forever Amen

 

Today’s Collect

Heavenly Father, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you: Look with compassion upon the heartfelt desires of your servants, and purify our disordered affections, that we may behold your eternal glory in the face of Christ Jesus; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Go before us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favour, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, through your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Final Words

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen

 

 

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Bible readings are taken from the English Standard Version with permission from Crossway.  The liturgy comes from the ACNA Book of Common Prayer 2019.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language