Confession and Absolution
God asks us to confess our sins and authorizes the church through its pastors to forgive sins. He pronounces the absolution (forgiveness) on behalf of Christ who said, "'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'" (John 20:21-23).
Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
Hebrews 10:22
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:8
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,
and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Psalm 32:5
O almighty God, merciful Father,
I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor sinful being.
Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
John 20:19-23
Amen
God asks us to confess our sins and authorizes the church through its pastors to forgive sins. He pronounces the absolution (forgiveness) on behalf of Christ who said, "'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'" (John 20:21-23).