Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. – Nehemiah 9:2

 Today's Scripture Reading (October 7, 2020): Nehemiah 9

"For all have sinned." The words belong to the Apostle Paul (Romans 3:23) writing to the Romans in the first century C.E. Of course, the term "sin" is somewhat archaic. We don't actually like to think of it that way anymore. I mean, sin is horrible, and we aren't that bad, right? Shouldn't the concept of sin be reserved for those who have really messed up, like maybe those who are spending their lives in prison for their transgressions?

But all have sinned. The idea of sin really just means "missing the mark." So, maybe it is easier to think of sin as an archery term. In archery, if you aim at a target and miss, you sin. It doesn't matter if you miss by an inch or let your arrow fly in the opposite direction of the target. Either way, you sin. And since not even the best archers can always put the arrow exactly where they want it, from any distance, we all sin, at least, some of the time. For, even in archery, all have missed the mark.

Maybe the real question, even when it comes to sin, is "were even trying." I have always felt that we give Peter a rough ride that wasn't deserved. Yes, Peter denied. And maybe, like Peter before those awful events on "the night that Jesus was betrayed," we think that the last thing we would do is deny Jesus. But there is another truth that we need to understand about that night. Peter showed up. Peter was the one who stepped out of the boat and then sank because his faith was not enough. But Peter's faith was more than the eleven disciples who stayed in the boat. And on "the night that Jesus was betrayed," Peter and John at least showed up, rather than hiding away like the rest of the disciples. Peter missed the mark, but the disciples who were not named Peter and John didn't even show up. Peter might have missed the target, but the rest of the disciples let their arrows fly in the opposite direction. So, maybe we need to give Peter a bit of a break.

Israel had sinned. The Tanakh or Hebrew Bible gives us a relatively detailed account of how badly they had missed the mark. And part of getting spiritually healthy was admitting how badly they had sinned. But they didn't just pray a generic prayer that said, "Father, forgive me of my sin." They itemized their sin. God, I missed the mark, and this is how I did it. And it is not only how I did, but this is how I know my parents and their parents missed the mark as well. And I promise to do better.

I believe that we, like Israel, are called to be people of "short lists." We confess our sin, itemizing them frequently so that the list never grows very long. And these times of confession are not just an assault on our self-image; they are times of self-improvement, as we commit to doing better in the future.

Because, sometimes, all it takes to stop us from our sin is the sure knowledge that we are going to have to confess it to someone, even God, later.    

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 10