As we continue our Lenten journey through this prayer of confession, we are confronted again with sin. This confrontation takes us deeper into what sin looks like, and it is even more uncomfortable than we might expect.
If last week taught us anything, it is that we tend to think of sin as a verb, something active that we do. Yet this part of the prayer takes sin to an unexpected place, the things we do not do. Not action, but passivity. Sin is not only active; it is also passive.
There is a teaching of Jesus that frames this concept with striking clarity. While this is a longer passage than a blog post would normally include, it is worth pausing to hear directly from Jesus how sin can be both active and passive:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46
This pushes us into an uncomfortable place. We expect to be judged for the things we have done, but we tend to forget about the things we have left undone. Serving God is not merely about saying the right things, believing the right things, and avoiding the wrong things. It also includes doing the good things.
Somehow, in a mysterious way we do not fully understand, just as our sins against neighbor, spouse, or child are sins against God, so our generosity toward neighbor, spouse, or child is generosity toward God. In these places Jesus is present through His Spirit, and perhaps in doing so we are even serving angels, as the author of Hebrews suggests (Hebrews 13:2).
One of the ways we show our love for God is by showing love to those around us. This is not to say that our works save us in any way. Rather, our works are the outpouring of our faithfulness to God. They are evidence of a life choosing to walk the path of flourishing.
These acts of service are not merely things we do to please God. They are relational. And perhaps relationality is a good way to understand how both our actions and our inactions affect others.
Merely telling my wife that I love her means little if I do nothing to show her my love. If I say “I love you” and then ignore her the rest of the time, do I truly love her? The things I am not doing speak as loudly as the things I am doing.
Likewise, if I never take time to call or text my best friend who lives thousands of miles away, is he really my best friend? Or am I clinging to sentimentality, calling someone my best friend because they once were, even though I no longer act like it?
Maybe a garden is the best example. A garden requires tending, careful attention, seasonal adjustments, and patient work. We must use the right amount of water, plant seeds suited to the sunlight, prune at the right time, and pull weeds so the fruit-bearing plants can thrive.
But if we do none of these things, or do them poorly, the garden will not bear the fruit it could have, and in the worst case, it may wither entirely.
Bringing this back to our Lenten journey, as we confess our sins, let us remember not only the ones we have actively committed, but also the sins we commit by doing nothing. What evil do we allow by remaining silent? What harm grows because we do not act? Have we become complacent, thinking we are doing enough simply by attending church, paying our tithe, and being good people?
All of that is good, but it is not enough. As we allow Lent to shape us into people who follow Christ on the way of the cross, let us remember that Christ is present through His Spirit everywhere. And we do not take this journey alone. We are called to walk it with God, in service to all who bear the image of the One who created them.
Joshua Strickler 