Prayer of Confession, P+10A

Call to Confession

Jesus called us hypocrites, saying "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said:
8 ‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
    teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ ” (Matthew 15:7-9) 
Let us confess the ways in which we dishonor God with our hearts and minds and actions and seek God's mercy:

Prayer of Confession

Give ear to our prayers, O Lord!
Attend to our cry.
Our lips are not free from deceit.
Instead, O Lord, we continue to perpetuate lies
that threaten to destroy the very fabric of our society:
lies about people,
lies about processes,
lies about purpose.
If you test our hearts,
you will indeed find wickedness.
We have chosen the way of the violent,
wielding weapons of war
and weapons of words
and weapons of propaganda.
Our steps have slipped
as we have followed a path that leads to
idol worship
and greed
and self-involvement.
Forgive us, we pray!
Show your steadfast love
in spite of our misdeeds.
Awaken us to what is good and right and faithful.
Be for us a refuge of courage and hope
and open our eyes to behold your glory
as you work to resolve the pain we have caused
in our sinfulness.

Assurance of God's Grace

But law came in, so that the trespass might increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so grace might also reign through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21) 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.