Prayer of Confession, P+9B

Call to Confession

Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,
    and be attentive, that you may gain[a] insight,
for I give you good precepts:
    do not forsake my teaching.  (Proverbs 4:1-2)
Let us confess our failures to follow God's instruction and seek God's mercy:

Prayer of Confession

Sovereign God,
we have failed to follow your ordinances;
we have forsaken your law.
You have told us what is good:
to do justice,
to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with you.
But we choose criminality
and cruelty,
and cockiness instead.
You have summed up your law 
in two commandments:
to love you with all our hearts 
and minds
and souls
and strength,
and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
But we choose to worship idols
and to follow them 
wherever their lies take us
in the name of greed
and abuse of power.
Forgive us, we pray.
Cleanse our souls of all unrighteousness
and restore a right spirit within us:
a spirit of Truth
and spirit of Joy
and a spirit of LOVE
in the name of the One who created us
out of Love in the very beginning
and who loves us still,
in spite of our weaknesses.
In the name of the Redeemer, we pray,
with hope for your promised salvation.


Assurance of God's Grace

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) 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.