king

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