12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, ¹³ even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷ To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

You don’t have to know my wife and I long to realize that when it comes to socializing, we are coming from two totally different places. When it comes to Jen, she can walk into a room full of people she doesn’t know and see that as an exciting thing. I walk into that same room, and I’m having what feels like a stomach ulcer as it begins to burst. There have been more than a few occasions when Jen will look over at me as we walk into such settings and she’ll just say, "breathe through it, you’ll be fine. Now lets go introduce ourselves."

The introducing of ourselves to others is a huge step in pulling back the vale of perception, or misperception, so that reality might be able to be dealt with. One of the things that I have learned as I have participated and watched the whole introductory process take place is that even before a word is exchanged, an impression has already been made. Whether it is the way the person is dressed, the look on their face, or what we have heard about that person, it’s next to impossible to start out with a clean slate. That’s why it’s so important that introductions take place because as soon as you put that hand out there and do the whole, "hi, my name is" thing, those impressions begin to run head long into what actually exists.

Now I admit, there are times when those first impressions end up being confirmed. In the same breath I am continually amazed (and most times relieved) at how off those first impressions can be. As soon as the introductions take place you are able to make a much stronger assessment of who that person is, how they relate to you, and how desirous any contact in the future really is. But in order to get to that point, you’ve got to be willing to get to know that other person. That is why I’m grateful Jen was led to introduce herself to me because I’m now able to follow her lead as she introduces us to others.

As I view the scripture lesson this morning, I think that the author has accomplished this task of introduction in regards to the areas of his life where he has fallen short of the path that God would have him walk. When we hear that verse that says, "I was … a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence" the author is saying to everyone who is willing to listen, "I am really well acquainted with the areas of my life where I have been found in neglect, where I have been found to be as grievous a sinner as any among us." The author knows his sin, knows it well, and is willing to name it both for his own personal reflection and for all those who look to him as a leader in the greater church community.

What we hear in these verses is that sin is not something that should be crammed into the deepest and darkest of corners in our life where we can pretend that it doesn’t exist, or at the very least isn’t all that serious. Sin is not something that should be brushed under the proverbial rug. Instead, our sin is something that we need to be willing to know, acknowledge as contrary to how God would have us live, and then name.

Because here’s the thing, as soon as you name that sin, as soon as you are willing to admit that it exists, and that you no longer want it in your life, as soon as you do that, it has begun to lose the power that it holds over you. Much like getting to know someone we don’t know, the biggest hurdle (at least for me) is being willing to get that person’s name. Once we make that introduction, we can then deal with realities (after all, you’re having a conversation with the person), as opposed to all of the images that we conger up that may have no basis in truth. I can’t tell you how many times, prior to meeting Jen, I talked myself into not saying a word to people whom I did not know. In doing that, I ended up not being able to deal with what actually was, but instead all that I had created in my mind.

It’s the same with sin, if your not able to meet it, and name it, God will never be able to work through you to deal with it.

I firmly believe that every good person I know recognizes that they are a sinner, and every sinner that I have ever met has the opportunity to be good. It is the naming of the sin that separates the two. It is the naming of the sin, it is that recognition that empowers those who are good to be as God would have them be.

Continuing the theme that we started last week of having an interactive sermon, each bulletin this morning contained a blank piece of paper. And while we may have done this exercise before (because I can’t remember if we have or not), it is still an extremely important one to take part in. The passage we have heard this morning has given us the wonderful example of a Christian leader naming his sin. In doing that, he was able to allow the movement of the Spirit of God to work through him in such a way that he might be able to be healed. Whether you recognize it or not, you too are a leader in the Christian faith. The fact that you are here in worship I believe proves that to be true. Now I know you may be thinking to yourself, "a leader in the Christian faith? I can’t get a handle on my own life, let alone trying to lead others in theirs."

To such a thought a say, maybe the reason you are not able to accept the position that God has called you to is because you haven’t named the sin in your life. You have allowed the sin to be in control instead of naming it, and handing it over to God so that God might be able to begin the process of healing.

So with that being said, and regardless of whether you agree with me or not, I would like you to at least try this exercise. Take the piece of paper and hold it in your two hands. Close your eyes. Now picture an area of sinfulness, an area that you try and ignore and avoid. Picture that sin. Name it. Whatever it is name it.

Now open your eyes and find a writing utensil. There are golf pencils in most of the pews, and I know that many of you carry a pen with you. Write down the sin that you have named on that piece of paper you’ve been holding. Once you’ve done that, wad that piece of paper up. In a moment a basket will be coming down the aisle in which I would like you to place that piece of paper, that sin that has been named. In the handing over of that named sin, picture it as you handing that sin over to God.

This morning we have rightly heard in our passage that "Jesus came into the world to save sinners". By naming our sin, as our author was able to do, we are able to hand that sin over to God, so that we might begin to be washed clean, so that we might be saved, and ultimately empowered to lead as God has called each of us to do.

Why do we talk about sin so much in church? Because it is by talking about it that we are able to washed clean of it. Don’t ignore or deny the sin in your life. Name it! Name it and allow the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to be unleashed.

Holy God, we have begun the process of naming that which separates us from You. Help us to do that very thing each and every day so that we might be able to have Your healing presence move in and through our lives. Lord, let it be so. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.