Prayer of Confession, E2C

Call to Confession

Open to me the gates of righteousness,
    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
    the righteous shall enter through it. (Psalm 118:19-20)

Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's righteousness:
Prayer of Confession

Forgive us, God, 
for we have sinned.
We fail to praise you ...
to lift up your name in your sanctuary ...
to acknowledge that you are Creator,
Redeemer,
Sustainer ...
to name the miracles you have performed ...
to sing of your surpassing greatness.
Have mercy on us, we pray,
for we have laid down our trumpets and harps
to take up weapons of war,
we have ceased to dance in joyful celebration
to ignite a war of words on social media
where we can hide behind our screens
and drop grenades 
and watch them self-destruct,
we have silenced our loud, clashing cymbals
in favor of isolation
of echo chambers.
Our desire is not for everything that has breath
to praise you,
but for everything that has breath 
to praise us.
In the name of all that is holy, 
we beg your mercy.
Re-right us in the midst of your self-revelation
and remind us that you alone 
are sovereign,
and humble us by the broad expanse of ocean,
by the majesty of mountains,
by the wonder of the universe,
by the vast diversity of your creatures,
by the vivid hues of a sunset.
by the miracle of life itself.

Assurance of God's Grace

If, because of the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. (Romans 5:17-18) Hear the Good News: In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God!

Since we have been forgiven in Christ, let us also forgive one another.
The peace of Christ be with you.
Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this week.