confession
confession: reluctance
Call to Reconciliation
How often have we heard the good news of forgiveness and restoration? Yet, we are still reluctant to believe. God offers us new life, yet we are afraid to let go of the old. Let us confess our doubts and fears to the One who waits to make us whole.
Unison Prayer of Confession
We use a lot of words, Gracious God, but do little to turn them into deeds. Instead of being of one heart and soul, we choose sides and form groups of folks just like us. Blessed with great grace, we have trouble sharing it with those who need it the most. Forgive us, God of love. Forgive us, as we step out of our shadows into your light. Restore us, as we reveal our brokenness. Hear us, as we proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and our God.
(Silent Prayers may be offered)
Assurance of Pardon
L: This is the good news we have declare: God leads us out of the shadows to walk in the light of Christ.
P: This is the word we have heard: our faithful God forgives our sins and raises us to new life. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Thom Shuman, author of Lectionary Liturgies.
confession and pardon: forgetting the resurrection
Prayer of Confession
Living Lord, Loving God of this Easter Season—we confess that we have already forgotten the Resurrection. We are already back to our old ways, clinging to consuming, scrambling to be “good enough” and trying to do too much. We have fallen back into the trap of thinking that we are gods, that the welfare of the world and of our lives depends only on us. We have already taken more than we should —forgetting that you want to first carry our lives and our loads. How quickly O Lord have we forgotten you, just one week since Easter. How quickly have we made ourselves back into gods. Help us to realign our lives and our faith, once again. We pray these things in the name of Jesus—our Friend, always offering us a fresh start and forgiveness. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon (adapted from I John, 2 in The Message)
“But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of God the Creator: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s.” Remember these ancient words, remember God’s Love for you, that is beyond all understanding. Remember that you are forgiven, and do not forget your God. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Shannan Vance-Ocampo, Watchung Avenue Presbyterian Church, North Plainfield NJ.
confession: walking reluctantly
(inspired by Ann Weems’ poem “The Walk”)
For those of us who walk along this road reluctantly, Lent is not our favorite time of year.
You call us to rest and reflect, O God, but we’d rather be more active – planning and scurrying around. The Lenten season is too contemplative to suit us. Besides we don’t know what to do with piousness and prayer. Perhaps, Merciful God, we’re afraid to have time to think, for thoughts come unbidden. Perhaps we’re afraid to face our future knowing our past.
Give us courage, O God, to hear your word and read our living into it. Give us the trust to know we’re forgiven, and give us the faith to take up our lives and walk in your path.
submitted by Rev. Shannon Meacham, Pastor, Ashland Presbyterian Church, Cockeysville, MD
prayer of confession and assurance of pardon – wash and be clean
God of grace, you call us to wash and be clean,
but we are proud.
You offer us a simple solution to our dis-ease,
but we think we are important enough for wonders and grand acts.
In those times when our pride blocks our sight of your graciousness,
wash the scales from our eyes, that we may see.
For those times we grow too sure of our own importance,
forgive us.
…time of silent prayer…
Here is Good News! God is willing to cleanse us from our pride, our blindness, our stubborn insistence on having things “our way”. Through God’s grace we are washed and forgiven.
Thanks be to God! Hallelujah! Amen.
submitted by Gord Waldie, St. Paul’s United Church, Grande Prairie, Alberta
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