Prayer of Confession, P+18A

Call to Confession

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. (I John 4:7-8) Let us confess our lack of love and seek God's mercy:

Prayer of Confession

You called to us to listen, O God,
to incline our ears to you,
but we did not ...
we do not.
We have chosen, instead,
to create our own stories
where our dependence on God
loses its significance
in the stories that feature us
as our own heroes.
We committed to tell your stories
to our children, 
but we do not.
We have chosen, instead,
to tell them stories
where they are their own heroes,
so that they never learn what it means
to trust in you
for deliverance,
so that they learn what it means
to facilitate your deliverance
for those around them.
Forgive us, we pray.
Help us to pause 
in order to marvel at your wonders,
to acknowledge your mercy,
to wonder at your faithfulness
and your goodness
to your people.

Assurance of God's Grace

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17) 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.