Why do we conceal our sins rather than confess them, especially when they imprison and distance us from God’s presence and his people? We’ll consider the folly of this approach to the Christian life and the liberating joys of confession flowing from our faith in the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus.

Among the final words of Paul to his “son” Timothy was a reminder of why we do what we do in the church: “the aim of our charge is love” (1 Tim 1:5). No goal is more noble, more demanding, or more gratifying. How do we, as the church, keep our sight set on love as we carry out the ministry of Word, sacrament and discipline? How do we, as believers, faithfully carry out the stewardship of God’s grace entrusted to us so that we build one another up in love?