Since I am doing Confirmations and Receptions most Sundays, I get to lead the Baptismal Covenant almost once a week. I already thought it was a central part of my theology when I did it four or five times per year in a congregation, but 30 times a year drops it even deeper in my soul. 

I think that in many Episcopal congregations (particularly those that are mostly White, financially secure, and well-educated), despite the actual words of the covenant, what people hear is something more like this: 

“Will you do your best to avoid bad things, and if, occasionally, you should happen to accidentally hurt someone’s feelings or do something a little wrong, say you are sorry and move on?”

The genius of this question is that it assumes the reality of evil; it assumes that sin is normative and not reserved for special occasions. 

I see sin and evil in our world. 

I see sin and evil in our church. 

I see sin and evil in myself. 

Some Sundays I want to yell “simul justus et peccator!” - “at the same time justified and sinner!” - from the pulpit. Admitting to our sin does not make us ineligible for the salvific work of Christ. Admitting our sin and naming evil are critical to our repentance, our amendment of life, and our faith. 

Ignoring our sin,or even worse, denying it is what fractures our relationship not just with God, but with our neighbor. 

If I did not believe that our sins, that my sins, were powerless in the face of Christ’s sacrifice, I might not want to admit them either. Better to cover them up, hide them, and deny them, than to admit the unforgivable. 

But how can we repent and turn away from our major corporate sins of racism or greed or violence without acknowledging their reality?  How can we repent and turn away from our major personal sins of selfishness, betrayal, and hard-heartedness if we cannot know that we are all of those things and the beloved and saved child of God?

So this Lent, before we ask ourselves this question from the Baptismal Covenant, there is an even more basic one: do we believe in Christ’s power to forgive? 

If the answer is no, then there is no need to make this promise. But if the answer is yes—then with God’s help, we will repent and return to the Lord.