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call to confession / declaration of forgiveness

confession: what story?

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Call to Confession

Scripture reminds us not to think of ourselves more highly than we should, for we fool only ourselves and obscure the image of God. When we confess our sin, God’s truth and life shines in us. Before God, with the people of God, let us confess to our brokenness. Let us pray.

Prayer of Confession

God, you are a storyteller, and you made us in your image. You call us to share your story in our words and in our actions.
But more often our lips are sealed. We are afraid to tell your story. We think we don’t know enough, and we are afraid of offending. We prefer to keep you to ourselves.

~silence~

Your word, O Lord, is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
Forgive us for letting the book gather dust on the shelf, and the story gather dust in our hearts.
Speak to us, and through us, Lord.
Help us to know you so well that we cannot help but love you, and to love you so much we cannot help but serve you, sharing your good news in every place, for it is in doing your will that we find perfect freedom. Amen.

Declaration of Forgiveness

The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting—God’s story began before time and continues through and beyond us. As people forgiven and free, let us believe and live this good news: In Jesus Christ, we are loved and can love. Thanks be to God! Amen.

 

Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL.

confession: caught up

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Call to Confession
There are many ways to get out of relationship with God, and when we do life can feel like a set of tires with all the air gone out of them. We are flat and friendless, limp and lifeless, lost and loveless. Our loving God wants to hear from us, wherever we are stuck on the side of the road. Let us confess the things standing between our hearts and God’s mercy as we pray together.
Prayer of Confession (Unison)
Gracious God, forgive us. We get caught up in the demands of the world and forget You. We run out of time to pray. We convince ourselves we know what is best. We doubt that You care about the details of our lives. We break down where we could build up. We forget You love us. We do not remember You can bring new life even when it seems all hope is gone. Forgive us for the ways we have broken our ties to You.
Silent Prayers of Confession
Words of Assurance (Responsive):
Minister: Sisters and Brothers in Christ, hear the Good News: all is forgiven.
ALL: Our loving God has heard our prayers.
Minister: We who felt dead are now alive in God’s grace and mercy.
ALL: We thank God for it.
Submitted by Rev. Martha Spong.

confession: naming our sin

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Naming Our Sin (following the hymn “Source and Sovereign, Rock and Cloud” described in the Glory to Godsampler this way: “These scriptural names and images of the Triune God express a theological view reinforced by the structure: the stanzas deal, in turn, with each Person of the Trinity and the refrain affirms their unity. The swirling patterns of the Welsh tune add much energy to the text.”)

L:  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Remembering this promise of God, let us pray together.

P:  Holy God,  Each name for you in scripture and song tells a story of what you have done for us.  We confess that we limit ourselves to a few names, a few stories, and only a few memories.  We confess that we forget all the different ways and times you have shown us mercy and grace.  We confess that we don’t spend enough time remembering your promises which give us comfort in our present struggles and hope for the unknown future.  Forgive us, Gracious One, and help us to remember your faithfulness to your covenant this day and always.  This we pray in the name above all names, Jesus our Lord.  Amen. 

Hearing God’s Forgiveness

L:  When the flood waters covered the earth,

P:  God remembered Noah.

L:  When she grieved for children she didn’t have,

P:  God remembered Rachel.

L:  When the Israelites groaned under the oppression of the Egyptians,

P:  God heard their groaning, and God remembered the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

L:  When we confess our sins, God hears us and remembers the promise of the gospel:

P:  Our sins are forgiven on account of Christ’s name.

L:  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

 

Submitted by Rev. Stephanie Boardman Anthony, First Presbyterian Church, Hudson, WI.

prayers for Trinity Sunday

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Prayer of Invocation (Unison)

Sovereign God, we look at the things You have made, the works of Your hands, and we stop to consider them with awe. From the intricate immensity of the universe to the specific singularity of a flower, Your works astonish us. Who are we mortals that You pay attention to us? We wonder at your love for us and rejoice in your presence, praying in the name of the Creator, the Christ and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Call to Confession

The book of Proverbs tells us that from the beginning of time, since before the creation of the Earth, there has been wisdom. Wisdom cries out to all people. But we do not always listen. We do not always care to listen. We do not want to know wisdom’s way. Let us bring our confessions to God together.

Prayer of Confession (Unison)

Great Wisdom-Maker, You arranged the world in beauty and brought humankind to life upon it. You want what is best for us. You provide us with guides and examples. You even came to be among us in Jesus Christ. We confess that we do not always pay attention. We admit that we do not always listen. We own up to taking the shortcuts and the easy ways because sometimes we cannot handle the truth. Forgive us, we pray, for the things we can acknowledge and especially for the things we try to hide from ourselves and You.
Silent Prayers of Confession

Words of Assurance (Responsive)

Minister: Beloved Children of God, the Maker of all Beauty, Goodness and Wisdom offers forgiveness to each and every one of us.
ALL: Amazed and relieved, we breathe in the Spirit of Forgiveness.
Minister: God is ever and always healing us, renewing us and preparing us for deeper understanding through the Holy Spirit. This is the good news that brings new life.
ALL:  We thank God for it. 
Submitted by Rev. Martha K. Spong, Sabbatical Pastor, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

confession: we think too highly

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Call to Confession

It is tempting to gloss over our sin and focus on our strengths, but God calls us to focus on the strength of Christ, not ourselves. God, who is faithful and just, offers us a new way to live, and so we join together to confess our faults and failings. Let us pray.

Prayer of Confession

All: God, we are prone to think too highly of ourselves. We forget that it is you who are good, you who are the greatest. We forget that you call us to do your will, not the other way around. When we have fallen into arrogance, forgive us. When we have allowed our good intentions to stand in the way of your grace, forgive us. When we have directed attention away from you, forgive us. Empty us of all things that do not give glory to you, so we are ready to be filled with your love.

 ~silence~

One: We pray in the name of the One who emptied himself in order to live your will. Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

Hear and live this good news: Love could not be contained in the tomb and will not be constrained by our understanding! Christ is risen, bringing forgiveness and hope to all people. Alleluia! Amen!

 

Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL.