Five Minute Friday: Remember

It's Friday, woot woot! A day for cleaning and preparing and anticipating guests. A day for a fabulous Five Minute Friday with the Gypsy Mama and wonderful women all over the face of the earth. You are more than welcome to join us! Just scroll down and click the button on the right. But first, read this:)

Five Minutes- no edits, no givesies backsies. Writing on today's prompt: Remember

GO

So this post could just be one giant "to do" list, right? Because I don't remember a thing unless I write it down.

And my children just wait patiently as I verbally scroll through my family roledex until I hit the name that belongs to them. It's hard to remember.

But I really should share this one. It's something I'm going to remember for a very. long. time.

A guest pastor preached the other night at our church. He compared confession and absolution to using the facilities.

I kid you not.

It was one of those sermons that had the kids sniggering, the adults dumbfounded ("Is he saying what I think he's saying?"), and all of us paying attention. After the service, my 7 year old ran frantically around the church surveying the parishioners. "What was your favorite part? Mine was the sermon."

So anyway, he goes through the processes needed to go, but then the craziest thing sticks in my mind. The word for forgiveness means "release." As in, "You are released from your sin, your debt, your waste."

Flushed down a spiritual toilet, I suppose, never to be seen again.

He remembers your sin no more.

Maybe this is a bit crude for our refined sensibilities, but in a world that revolves largely around the bowel movements of other people, it resonates with me.

It makes me think twice before I go swimming in the sewage of past sins.

And it reminds me that if I want to spend time remembering the consequences of my indiscretions, I can look no further than the cross and empty tomb. The cleansing waters of my baptism. And I am clean.