Call to Confession
Like the rich Pharisee, we believe that if we do all the right things before God, we will have earned God’s favor. Yet God does not want our pretenses and posturing. God says to us, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” So let us drop the barriers between us and God and our neighbor and call out like the tax collector, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” confessing to God together in prayer the things that keep us hurting and broken…
(Suggest using a part of one of the Reformed confessions of our heritage in honor of Reformation Sunday.)
Assurance of Forgiveness
We have called out to God and God has heard our cries. God’s merciful Spirit is poured out on all people. Our Creator has offered us forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ, for we have humbled ourselves before him and sought his mercy, and so we shall be exalted. For these abundant gifts of God’s undeserved grace, let us stand and sing praise.
submitted by Rev. Rebecca Page Lesley, Suffolk Presbyterian Church, Suffolk, VA
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