We sinned in Confirmation class.

Got your attention, huh?

Yeah, I mean we talked about the topic of sin last week—but I also think it’s accurate to say that all of us probably sinned at some point during the hour, too.

I know I, for one, thought a few unkind things when Pastor Scott threw a dart—literally, a needle-sharp projectile—at the dartboard when I was standing next to it.

I mean, right next to it. I could have been impaled.

It was, however, a good way to make sure I never forget the point (get it, point?).

The word “sin,” he explained, actually means “to miss the mark.” Out of alignment. Skewed. Out of joint. Off. He demonstrated this by sending a dart sailing right past the dartboard. (Seriously, the guy has terrible aim. I’m lucky to be alive.)

The reason that sin is a problem, I think, is that it gets in the way of our relationship with God. It’s not that there’s some magic “should” list out there and we’re horrible if we break a rule on it. And it’s not that God’s up there keeping score on all the bad things we do.

Rather, God wants to be in a relationship with us. And when we sin, it gets between us and God. It gets in the way of that really good relationship. It causes us to “miss the mark” in a big way—to miss the whole point of living in right connection with God.

Jesus shows us how to live like that. One of his fancy names, Immanuel, means “God with us.” Not “God judging us” or “God counting our sins” or “God telling us what to do”—just with us. That’s the most perfect kind of relationship we can have: knowing that God is with us.

And that’s something worth aiming for.