Holy Saturday Devotion
by Alexis Waack
Have you ever had to confess something? When I think of the word confess, I get a negative feeling. I remember times I had to confess to lying or hurting someone. It does not always feel great to confess to a sin that you have committed. Typically, a consequence comes along with confessing to bad words or actions. But have you ever thought about confessing happy things? The word “confess” isn’t always bad; it simply means to “tell or make known.” To speak something that is true. In church, we confess our sins, but we also confess our unity with those around us when we say the Creed. We can see and hear that other people are saying the same words as us, which means they are admitting they believe what we believe.
Paul writes about confession in Philippians 2:11. He writes, “And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” I like to think about what Jesus’ return will be like. What will it sound like? What will it look like? Many things are uncertain. But we can be sure that when Christ returns, every tongue will confess him as Lord. And until that time comes, we can look to examples of God’s glory and his power to bring people into the knowledge of Christ.
Many people confess Christ as Lord in the Bible. There are strong figures like John the Baptist, Peter, and even Simeon and Anna, who confessed Christ when he was an infant! There are also those who doubted but eventually confessed clearly as well. All of these people confessed Christ to the glory of God the Father. But one more person comes to mind when considering those who confessed Christ. Immediately after Jesus’ death, the Roman centurion who was guarding Jesus’ body confessed, “Surely he was the Son of God.” This man had a hand in Jesus’ death. He watched, or even helped, as soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross. He heard the pain and suffering that our Savior endured. But after seeing the events of Jesus’ death and the effect it had on the earth and the people, he confessed Christ as God.
What a moving statement this is. And what a comforting one, too! The Roman centurion, who had a hand in Jesus’ death, was able to confess him as God. You and I had a hand in Jesus’ death. Our sins nailed him to that tree. Our filthy rags kept him on that cross. But what a blessing it is to know that he wiped us clean, and we can confess his glory. He took away our sins. He took away the sins of that centurion and all who nailed him to the cross. We can all confess Christ to the glory of God!
As we walk towards the end of this Holy Week, remember Christ’s forgiveness. Each day, we doubt and sin. We add to our number of sins. But Christ paid for those sins. He was nailed to a tree for them. And because of that truth, we can praise and confess him as King and Savior. So go out and confess Christ, knowing that he did all this for you.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice. Remind me that you washed away all my sins with your death on the cross. Give me strength to go out into the world, confessing your name. To God be the glory, Amen.