During our time of confession, there is a short time in which you are urged to confess Your individual sins. The time there is not short because we are trying to encourage you to trivialize whatever sin you may be confessing. Nor is it because we do not want you to have time to gather your thoughts.
Rather, our desire is to have you as a people confess your sins in an on-going way. Sin is to be confessed to God when it is committed, at the first opportunity. We are not wanting any of you to gather your sins up, saving them for Sunday. This part of the liturgy is simply a disciplined reminder of the need each of us has to confess sin in an ongoing way.
We do this every week, and so it ought not to catch anyone by surprise. We observe the Lord’s Supper every week, so you ought not to be astounded when we come around to it again. These things are done so that you might confess your sins together with your brothers and sisters, and to be fed together with them. If you have been confessing your sins regularly as you ought, then this time should be a time when you confess your owns sins generally. If you have drifted, and you have a small backlog, then confess your sins at this time, and use it as a reminder to spend the service getting your heart right. If the Lord reveals something to you as we approach this time (and we should be asking for this), then confess your sin honestly, and take the first opportunity to make confession.
Our Lord’s words about leaving your gift at the altar do not apply to participation in the Supper. You may need the strength of the Supper to go make it right with your brother. If you like, you may refrain from putting anything in the offering (for that is the real parallel) until things are right with your brother. With these things in mind, let us turn to confess our sins.