Each verse could be used independently (one per week) during the confession sequence.
Submitted by Rev. Stephen Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY. Permission is given for use in worship–please do not remove copyright information.
confession
confession: justice is too hard
O God, You are faithful to all generations—from the beginning of time, you have called all kinds of characters to be your people. When we forget that their story is our story, forgive us. When we admire them from afar while insisting that kind of faith isn’t practical for us, forgive us. We confess that your justice is too hard for us to do, and we prefer to create our own. We confess that we do not often bear the fruit you expect of your vineyard, resisting your kingdom’s way when it conflicts with our desires. Forgive us yet again, and plant your word of justice deep in our hearts and lives. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, The Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL
confession: limited love
Holy Love, first and last, you offer yourself to us completely and call us to your life. Yet we are afraid, for your Way demands much of us. We confess that we are often quick to judge and slow to forgive. We confess that we choose that which does not satisfy, even as you offer us abundant life. When our fear overrides your call, forgive us. When we act from our own limited love rather than your expansive grace, forgive us. Reach down to us again, lift us up as a mother lifts a child to her cheek. Cast out our fear and fill us with the breath of your Spirit, that we may live the love we see in your Son, Jesus the Christ, in whose perfect name we pray. Amen.
confession: other kings
Call to Confession
Come, people of God, let us confess our sins.
Let us confess how we have fallen short of God’s plans for us.
Come, to the font to be redeemed.
Let us come to the waters of our baptism to be cleansed.
Prayer of Confession
You, God, are our one and only King.
We beg your forgiveness for the other “kings” that we kneel before:
money…
power…
gossip…
self righteousness…
racial privilege…
We beg your forgiveness, we who are broken and torn apart
by our own doings and un-doings.
Guide us to be your servants.
Lead us to trust in you as the only king we need.
Direct our faith in your sovereign power
as we strive to follow your Son,
through the power of your Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
We have done wrong to God our king
but the good news of the gospel is this:
God has chosen mercy over vengeance.
Together, through the waters of our baptism,
we have been cleansed of our sin
and are redeemed as beloved servants of a merciful King.
Alleluia! Amen!
Submitted by Rev. Stephen M. Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY
confession: love, promise, call
God we thank you that you love, you promise, you call—in that order. We confess that we often see you in reverse, believing we must earn your regard. When we see you only as a rule-enforcer, forgetting that obedience to your way is true freedom, forgive us. When we see you as doling out rewards we think we have earned, forgive us. When we are so consumed with the letter of your law that we miss your Spirit, forgive us. Guide us again into your path and lead us in your truth—the truth of unending love. Amen. ~silence~
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL
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