A Confession for Worship

Invitation to Confession

Leader: We come before the throne of God acknowledging the reality of sin. It is not merely our own sin which we confess, but God calls us to also be intercessors confessing the sin of the world. Our sin is magnified in the systems, institutions and alliances we form and the sin of the world finds fertile soil in the ground of our being. Our only hope, and the hope of all the world,  is to face our sinful nature honestly, to repent wholeheartedly, and to open ourselves and our world to the grace and mercy of God.

Prayer of Confession (Unison) (based on Psalm 52 The Voice)

O Lord our God forgive us as we stir up trouble over trifles when it is your unfailing love that should concern us. Our tongues can be as sharp as razors used to slash and tear into the soul of those we encounter in the world. We have fallen in love with evil and have no interest in what is good. We have fallen in love with lies and prefer those lies to speaking what is true. We are beguiled by thoughts and actions which destroy for we have equated destruction with power and have confused vanity with glory.

Have mercy, God, and bring to us your justice and your mercy. Snatch us away from the grasp of evil doers and shield our minds from the onslaught of lies. Let us not delight in the destruction of others, but in all humility recognize and repent of the destruction which dwells within us.

May we, Loving God, place our trust anew in you, the one True God, and live in your kind love all of our days. Humbly, we lay our lives before you, thankful that you receive us as we are and can make us what we were created to be, the people who live the truth of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Silent Prayer of Confession

Assurance of Pardon

Leader: God knows who we are, who we really are. God knows us better than we even know ourselves. So listen and believe the good news: God loves us as we are and provides in Jesus Christ the means to become what we were created to be. God forgives our sin and lays a better life before us. Friends, this is the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

People: Thanks be to God!