Ringing in the New Year

I recently heard a visitor to Japan remark about the bells we hear at this season. He was referring to church bells, jingle bells and Salvation Army bells, none of which I have heard in Japan.

But at the stroke of midnight on New year's Eve, almost everywhere in Japan one can hear the great bells or gongs at Japan's Buddhist temples. According to Buddhism, man has 108 sins and, by hearing the bells toll that number, he can be relieved of all of them.

108? Really? The words of this hymnwriter reflect more accurately the true condition of my human heart and the sin it produces.

No, not despairingly come I to Thee;
No, not distrustingly bend I the knee:
Sin hath gone over me, yet is this still my plea,
Jesus hath died.

Ah! mine iniquity crimson hath been,
Infinite, infinite—sin upon sin:
Sin of not loving Thee, sin of not trusting Thee—
Infinite sin.

Lord, I confess to Thee sadly my sin;
All I am tell with Thee, all I have been:
Purge Thou my sin away, wash Thou my soul this day;
Lord, make me clean.

Faithful and just art Thou, forgiving all;
Loving and kind art Thou when poor ones call:
Lord, let the cleansing blood, blood of the Lamb of God,
Pass o’er my soul.

Then all is peace and light this soul within;
Thus shall I walk with Thee, the loved Unseen;
Leaning on Thee, my God, guided along the road,
Nothing between.

Thankfully, we have a Savior for this infinite sin:

who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,