It’s that time again! The time when all of Pulaski scours their garages and storage units and every corner of their home for anything they can put out on the side of the road for amnesty week! All week, you’ll drive around seeing old and worn mattresses, broken electronics, broken furniture, and huge cardboard boxes. Why? Because all year we hoard the stuff we don’t really need, then finally part with it when everyone else is.

Sometimes, Christians do this. We hold on to things that we should clearly get rid of. Things like lust, strife and envy (Rom. 13:13), anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language and lying (Col. 3:8-9). We hold on tightly to these things even though we know we should get rid of them. We try to hide them in the garages and closets of our hearts, but we’re holding on to them nonetheless.

Amnesty week makes it convenient to get rid of our junk, but it’s not so convenient to get rid of the sins we’re hoarding in our hearts. There is rarely a good time to purge our hearts of the filth we’ve let set up shop, but that’s where you come in.

The church is a family that observes amnesty week every week. Each time we come together, we should be cultivating an environment where people can come and unload their spiritual baggage. Now, think with me to the physical amnesty week. Why do most people end up putting their stuff out on the side of the road? For me, at least, it is because I see my neighbors put their stuff out there and I remember, oh yeah, I’ve got stuff I need to get rid of too! As forgiven sinners, we should put our sinful stuff out there for others to see. We shouldn’t put up a facade that we’re wholly righteous and always have been. Instead, we should readily confess our sins one to another (James 5:16, 1 John 1:9) which will in turn encourage others to get rid of the sins they are still holding on to.

Why don’t more people walk to the front and confess that they’re sinful? Could it be that we’re not cultivating an amnesty-week attitude? Could it be that instead of feeling free to confess (and thus be forgiven!!), sinners feel guilty or ashamed to let on that they’ve been hoarding spiritual junk? Let us all, as God’s chosen priesthood, cultivate an attitude of amnesty week within our congregations. Let us not let on that we’ve never had and don’t continue to have sinful baggage. Instead, let’s readily admit our failures and always be ready to encourage and exhort others toward true faithfulness.

I know that I am not perfect. It is my aim that in telling you that (not that you didn’t already know), and clueing you in on the fact that I’m desperately trying, that perhaps you will feel free to confess that you stumble, too. If we’ll all freely confess, we’ll all be freely forgiven. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?