LiturgyLink

a community creating for the relentless return of Sunday

You are here: Home / Archives for idols

idols

Confession: our own people

By Leave a Comment

Covenant-making God, you have brought us into freedom
and showed us what it means to be your people.
We admit to you that sometimes we would prefer to be our own people.
We confess before you and one another that we have made idols—
of busy-ness, of possessions, of jobs,
of celebrities and politicians, of the news cycle,
of our own desires and traditions.
We proclaim the words of your commandments while ignoring their spirit.
We have believed the lie that we must earn your love by following the rules,
forgetting that you chose us first, saved us first, loved us first,
long before commanding us to live your way.
Forgive us, O Lord our God.
Show us once again your gracious favour, to the thousandth generation,
that we might live according to your word.
We pray in the name of the One who fulfils all righteousness, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

(A block with the tablets of the commandments may be placed near the rainbow and name blocks.)

 

Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson

Liturgy for other weeks of the Lent B Old Testament series may be found here.

Approach and confession: idols

By Leave a Comment

God of love and justice, you are alpha and omega, beginning and end…and in between you are the breath of life, the rock on which we stand and the hand that holds us fast. We come into this place, gathered as your people, listening for the voice of your Spirit, still speaking in the wilderness of our hearts. We know your commandments, we can say all the right words…and yet we confess to you that our lives are not always a demonstration of your love. We have looked for loopholes, or created reasons to follow our own way. We admit that we have trusted in other gods—gods of money, security, family, or power. We are on a first name basis with the gods of greed and jealousy, and we are loathe to turn away from the god of privilege. Our everyday actions often proclaim any number of idols, and we come now to ask your forgiveness and help. We cannot leave them behind without your strong hand to guide us in the right way. Give us once again the joy of your grace, and set us on the sure foundation of your word. It is in you, lord, that we live and move and have our being. As you forgive so freely, fill us again with the blessing of creator, redeemer, and sustainer, that we may show your glory in every word, thought, and deed. We pray in the name of Christ, whose faithfulness is our hope and our light, and who taught us to pray together…

 

Submitted by Rev Teri Peterson, Marchmont St Giles parish, Edinburgh Scotland

confession: misplaced passion

By Leave a Comment

Glorious God, you are everywhere present, and yet so often we try to confine you within our walls. We confess that we have believed some spaces, and some people, and some objects, to be holier than others. We confess that we have obscured your presence, ignored your Spirit, and focused our attention on ourselves. We confess that we have often worshipped our buildings rather than you.

Forgive our misplaced passion, and flood this place with your glory once again—and not only this place, but us, your people. Fill us with your Spirit that we may be your living Temple, offering sanctuary to your world.

~silence~

All (sung): Come and fill our hearts with your peace  (Taize)

 

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

confession: we worship so many things

By Leave a Comment

God of our ancestors, Creator of our universe, Lord of our lives, we worship so many things.  With our time and our energy and our money, we worship so many things. We worship financial stability, we worship material possessions, we worship education, we worship “success,” we worship family, we worship tradition.  Yet you have clearly commanded us to not bow down and worship idols that we have created for ourselves.  Forgive us Lord.  Have mercy on our misplaced worship.  

Silent prayers of confession

Gracious God, forgive us and heal us of our unholy habit to worship anything other than you.  For you are our God, our Creator, and our Lord, and you alone are worthy of our worship and praise.  So send your Spirit to inspire us to worship you with our whole selves: our time, our energy, our financial decisions, our relationships, and our very lives. Amen.

Submitted by Rev Berry French, Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, Black Mountain, NC.

confession: we don’t like kings

By 1 Comment

We don’t like Earthly kings so much anymore, Lord. No, we don’t. We’ve moved on in this New Century, and have created other things to rule our lives: our cell phones, our favorite sports teams, our shopping malls, our Facebook pages, our calendars crowded with to-do lists and appointments, our worries, our bills to pay…it seems we have agreed to serve just about everything and everybody -except for You. Forgive us. May Your Kingdom come, to a place right here in our hearts, where you rule as our Good Shepherd, with love, compassion and forgiveness. Amen.

Submitted by Jerie Messer Lukefahr, via the comments!