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call to confession / declaration of forgiveness

confession: impatient, overwhelmed, and frustrated

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Prayer for Confession (Unison)
Gracious God, we pray for new understanding
because we are tormented by our doubts and mistakes.  
We confess that we have been impatient with your ways.
We have not trusted your wisdom but have insisted on our own ways. We have been so overwhelmed and frustrated by what does not make sense that we have denied your righteousness and your salvation. We have ignored your glory.
We have dismissed your love. Forgive us, Gracious God.
Grant us new understanding.
 
Affirmation of God’s Grace (Responsive)
Leader: Beloved in Christ, believe in the good news.
For God’s love is made manifest in our flesh.
God’s love has been poured over us with
wisdom and understanding.
 People: We belong to God. Alleluia! Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Elsa Peters.

confession: verbs

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Call to Confession

As we continue the season of Christmas,
let us confess our sins,
our actions and our inactions,
that are contrary to the kingdom of the newborn King.

Prayer of Confession (Responsive)

Almighty God,
The verbs of Psalm 147 remind us of your actions:
you strengthen, bless, grant, fill, send, give, make, and declare.
But we confess that our verbs do not always match yours:
we argue, fight, lie, steal, oppress, ignore, refuse, and silence.

    Forgive us, Lord, for what we’ve done to tarnish your holy name.
Give us courage, merciful God, to make our actions match yours.
Help us to shed our sin and join you in your redemptive work.
This we pray in your good and gracious name.  Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that our sin does not have the final word.
God will turn our mourning into joy, God will comfort us,
God will give us gladness for sorrow.
Friends, in the name of the Jesus Christ, you and I are forgiven!
Alleluia!  Amen!

Submitted by Rev. Stephen M. Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY

confession: clothe yourselves

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Call to Confession

Christ has been born and has come before us.
Now let us come before him and confess that which we have done
that is contrary to his peaceful kingdom on earth.

Prayer of Confession

    We are told by your holy word to clothe ourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
But too often we clothe ourselves with hurtful garments;
we clothe ourselves instead with stubbornness, selfishness,
impatience, rudeness, and apathy.
Help us to clothe ourselves with love
that the peace of your son might rule in our hearts.
This we pray in your merciful and forgiving name.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

    Hear the Good News of the Gospel:
God has broken into our broken world
and saved us from ourselves.
With God’s help,
we are now able to put on clothes of righteousness and justice.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.  Alleluia!  Amen!

Submitted by Rev. Stephen M Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY.

confession: restore us, O God

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We are a sinful people in need of restoration,
but sometimes we are too stubborn or ignorant to even realize it.
We are capable of such evil as well as such goodness.
Let us confess our sins that we might be washed of evil
and welcome the goodness that God’s intends for us.

 

Give ear, merciful God, to our confession.
Restore us, O God!
Forgive us for the things we have done.
Restore us, O God!
Forgive us for the things we have left undone.
Restore us, O God!
For the people we’ve hurt, and the relationships we’ve broken.
Restore us, O God!
For the societal illnesses we ignore, and the injustices we dismiss.
Restore us, O God!
Forgive us, for we are sorry and recognize our need of your grace.
Make your face to shine upon us that we might be saved!
Make your face to shine upon us that we might be saved!

 

God has given ear to our confession
and God’s face has shined upon us!
In the name of Jesus Christ, you and I are saved:
saved from our sins,
saved to our faithful savior,
whose steadfast love is gifted to the world!

 

Submitted by Rev. Stephen M. Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY

confession: overstuffed

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Let us follow the Baptist’s cry
to present ourselves before the Lord,.
to repent of our sins,
and ask for forgiveness,
that we might receive the joy of his salvation.

 

John the Baptist gave us wise advice,
he said “whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none;
and whoever has food must do likewise.”
We confess that we do not always do this.
Our closets are overstuffed and our cabinets overflow
while people around the world freeze and starve.
Help us, gracious God, to share the joy of blessing with others around us.
May we remember that as long as there is one cold person left in the world,
as long as there is one hungry person left in the world,
we still have work to do.  Amen.

 

Hear these words of comfort from the prophet Isaiah:
“Surely God is our salvation; We will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the LORD GOD is our strength and our might; God has become our salvation.”
Friends, God has become our salvation, indeed!
Open yourselves to the joy to be found in our forgiveness;
never more are we to be held captive by that which seeks to tear us from God.
Hear the Good News of the Gospel:  we are forgiven.  Alleluia!  Amen!

 

Submitted by Rev. Stephen M. Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY