Welcome to AnchorCast, a weekly podcast of homilies and sermons from Christ our anchor Anglican Mission in Nashville, Tennessee.

So today I want to talk about sin.

So I can already hear groans.

Of course a priest wants to talk about sin.

But I want to talk about sin in a bit of an unexpected way.

So you’ll note of course that we did the first reading a bit differently today in that we did it responsibly.

And I don’t know about y’all, but my heart sinks at some of the commandments.

Because I know I personally have broken quite a few.

And breaking one of the big ten hurts in a special way.

And asking for God’s mercy like we do in the responses, that doesn’t feel great either.

There’s an element of shame.

In our epistle reading today, St.

Paul is feeling a bit of the same way.

He hates sinning and yet it still continues to happen in his life.

Each and every day he sins.

He feels the shame and he feels the disappointment.

And I’m the same way as Paul, and I think many of y’all are too.

Despite our best intentions, we sin.

We sin in thought, word, and deed, as the liturgy says.

We sin daily.

But there is good news to share.

No matter how deeply we’ve sinned, Jesus has gone that low for us.

There is no sin too deep for the love of Christ.

There is no sin that he hasn’t already paid for.

So while we still feel shame, and while it still pains us to think about the agony we put our Lord through, there is great joy.

Jesus has indeed paid it all.

In Jesus Christ, we are truly forgiven for our sins.

All of them.

They are all nailed to the cross, and with his resurrection, no longer hold us back.

So we need to cling to Jesus.

We need to remember that we are dust, remember that we are unworthy sinners, and remember how low we’ve gone, but we also must remember his love.

We must remember his outstretched hand, and remember that he will never leave nor forsake us.

Jesus is truly the way, and Jesus truly loves you.

Just a few minutes ago, we declared and confessed our sins, and just a few minutes ago, I declared forgiveness in the name of Jesus, and that was entirely true.

You are a sinner.

You are forgiven.

So we can all walk away today knowing that we are loved, knowing that we are cleansed in his precious blood, knowing that we are redeemed, knowing his desire is to be with us forever.

Blessed man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death, thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Christ Our Anchor is an Anglican mission in East Nashville that meets on Wednesday evenings for prayer and fellowship.

Follow us at ChristOurAnchor.org to learn more about the work God has called us to in East Nashville.

And join us on Wednesday evenings at 5.30 as we live into what Jesus has called his church to be.

Everyone is welcome.