Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +15, Year A

Call to Confession

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:18) Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy.

Prayer of Confession

God in Heaven, 
the standards you have set! 
Your children literally feed on bitterness
and anger
and wrath
and wrangling
and slander.
We seethe aloud on social media.
Our self-righteous rants are our calling cards.
You want us to release our siblings in Christ
from responsibility?
You want us to forgive?
to cancel debts?
Who will hold your people accountable, God, 
if you are so quick to forgive .... ?
O, God, have mercy on us.
We have refused to obey.
We have stiffened our necks
and enslaved ourselves
to an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
We are so focused on the speck in our neighbor's eye
that we cannot see the plank in our own.
Hear our cries for mercy, O Lord,
and open our hearts to the cries of our neighbors,
for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Including us.
Train us in the way of mercy,
according to the example set by your son, Jesus,
that we might forgive as we have been
forgiven. 
Amen.

Assurance of God's Grace

Our Lord is compassionate, forgiving our iniquities, and choosing not to destroy us. (Psalm 78:38 pp) In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God!

Since God has forgive 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/Zoom-counter today. ;)