The Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth
In the name of Jesus. Amen. It is often easiest to see the sins that we visibly commit. We call this in Confirmation the sins of ‘commission’ – sins that we do with our words and actions. However, there is another side to sin, and that is our sins of omission – sins that we cannot necessarily see – sins from things that we fail to do. Tonight, we will examine a sin of omission – a sin that often goes unnoticed in the Christian life because it is the kind of sin that doesn’t show up. In other words, it doesn’t announce its presence. Indeed, the sin of sloth typically does not erupt in scandal. It does not normally arrive with loud rebellion against God. Instead, it quietly creeps into the heart like a slow fog settling over a North Dakota field. Now, to be clear, the church has historically used the word “acedia” as a synonym for “sloth.” Perhaps acedia is a better word, as the word sloth does not fully capture the depths of what we are tal...
