Call to Confession
The kingdom of heaven is a realm of reconciling love. Trusting in the promise of reconciliation, let us acknowledge our sin before God.
Prayer of Confession
O God, King of glory and Lord of justice,
we confess that when we proclaim your coming,
we are quick to envision your judgment
for everyone except ourselves.
You know, more than we can admit,
how many times we have failed to serve you.
We have ignored you when you sit begging;
we have turned away when you starve to death;
we have been all too happy to let your suffering go unnoticed.
We have denied your sovereignty and exiled ourselves from the kingdom of heaven.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Assurance of Grace
Sing with joy to the Lord,
because our righteous Judge
is our loving Redeemer.
I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ,
we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God!
By the power of the Holy Spirit
we will live in joy and mercy.
Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Echo Hill Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids, IA
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