Prayer of Confession, L1B

Call to Confession

Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters[a] in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. (Hebrews 2:17-18) Let us confess our sin before God, and seek God's mercy.

Prayer of Confession 

Here we stand, Lord,
feeling like we have been wandering in the wilderness
far longer than we bargained for.
Yet we are still wrestling with demons,
still wrestling with our propensity for power
and the desire to retain it
and to keep structures that abuse it.
In spite of the pain and despair all around us
and motivated by greed and/or selfishness,
we still hoard our resources
while others are struggling to survive.
Arrogant and egotistical,
we expect God to bless us,
to protect us,
to place us above our neighbors, allies, and friends.
In the name of all that is holy, God,
transform us.
Grab hold of our hearts in this barren landscape
and teach us humility
and faith,
that we might be re-oriented
for the kin-dom work that awaits us
outside our doors and outside this wilderness experience.

Assurance of God's Grace

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested[a] as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) In the name of Jesus, 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 day.