"Love covers a multitude of sins."  (1 Peter 4:8)

A few years ago at a Michigan District convention, Pastor Stephen Starke, pastor of St. John, Amelith, a dear friend of mine, asked me to serve as liturgist for one of the morning services at the Chapel of the Holy Trinity at Concordia University, Ann Arbor.  I was to sing part of a responsory choral Psalm.

Regrettably, I was too self-assured.  I told the choir director I didn't need to practice.  The convention choir assembled and prepared diligently.  All their preparation was made carefully and reverently.  And when it then came time for the worship, in the midst of hundreds of delegates, I had the privilege of leading the service. 

The anthem began.  After a few measures, it was time for my solo voice.  I sang confidently followed by an echo from the choir.  I sang a second line.  Again the choir responded with the beautiful language and harmony of the psalm.  As they sang, I casually glanced two or three pages ahead in the sheet music but in turning back realized to my horror I'd forgotten my place.

My cock-sure composure evaporated.  Instantly, my heart and mind raced frantically.  What had I done! 

The choral number was right in the middle of being sung.  The anthem, so carefully prepared by others was thrown into disarray.  I felt like melting into the floor.  I can't tell you what happened in the next moments which seemed an eternity.  Somehow, by the grace of God, the skill of the choral director, and the composure of the choir we reached the conclusion of the anthem. 

You know how it is in church when someone goofs badly.  The mistake grabs attention.  I felt humiliated - and I should have.  Hundreds of pastors and lay leaders had come for worship.  Yet, afterwards, Pastor Starke never said a single word of criticism.  Not one. 

He heard the same thing everyone else had, but friendship, compassion, and Christian love covered the humiliation as if it never happened.  He went even further and dismissed the flub as nothing.  I should not let the sting of my carelessness carry on with self-reproach when my friend had forgiven me. 

Then came another summer and another similar occasion.  This time Pastor Starke, as a contributor to our new synodical hymnal was asked to plan all the worship using the beautiful resources of the Lutheran Service Book.  He asked if I would help again. 

Now, he could have asked someone else for very good reason.  But Christian love really is about restitution.  The way our Lord has always dealt with us is the way of the Father of the prodigal son who restored to his undeserving, wasteful child the full re-instatement and privilege of a son.  The Father never considered the boy anything other than his son.

Love and pardon never pretend sin never happened.  Rather, Christian love expresses and applies real remedy.  The humiliation, regret and embarrassment are so thoroughly covered over - not just temporarily disguised only to pull out again at a later date to shame or hurt someone when you don't feel so generous - but so completely and utterly covered that its remembrance is gone.  Its shame vanishes.  Its very occurrence is covered by love so exhaustive that no evidence of error even exists.

May we be a congregation that always expresses that love in Christ, its encouragement, cheerfulness, pardon and Christian friendship, unity, praise, and hopefulness.  That's what we have, and more, in Christ. We have the love of God which has covered over a multitude of our sins, obliterated them by the cross so that even from the massive amount of our failures, no one can find even a single flaw of which to complain or criticize. 

That is the love of God in Christ.