Prayer of Confession, E5C

Call to Confession

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8) Let us confront our failures honestly, and seek God's mercy:

Prayer of Confession 

Forgive us, God, for we have sinned.
Our stewardship of your creation
and all that you called good
is far from faithful
and less than loving.
In our arrogance, we choose 
to rely on our own invention
rather than on your abundant provision.
You provide light and air and energy,
but we build elaborate grids
and depend on electricity.
You provide water,
but we pollute it with poison
and overuse it, 
so that many who need it to live
go without.
You populated the earth with seeds
and plants
and fruit-bearing trees,
and we have engaged in unsustainable practices,
over-cultivating and deforesting
to the point of degradation.
In your vast imagination, you made creatures
of every size and shape and color and species,
and we have destroyed their habitats
and made them extinct by hunting for sport.
Forgive us, we pray.
Remind us that misused dominion and authority
are harmful to everyone
and every thing.
Move your Holy Spirit within us,
that we might renew our sense of responsibility
as heirs of all that is according to the privilege
of our kinship to the Creator. 

Assurance of God's Grace

He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14) Friends, hear the Good News: in the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God!

Since God has forgiven us 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.