Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +19, Year A

Call to Confession

Seek the Lord while he may be found,
    call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way,
    and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.  (Isaiah 55:6-7)
Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy.

Prayer of Confession

​In utter dismay, Lord, we hide our faces from you,
rendered speechless by our own thoughtlessness.
Over and over, you have reached out to us,
invited us in,
encouraged us to spend time with you,
to feast with you at your Table.
But we were too busy,
too arrogant
or indignant
or both,
and we ignore your invitations
without so much as a thank you.
Or we show up,
dressed casually,
openly displaying our hypocrisy for all to see.
We disrespect you at every turn
because we know we do not deserve 
the genuine hospitality
with which you welcome us.
Forgive us, we pray.
Cover us in the extravagant grace
we fail to extend to others,
and fill our cups to overflowing
with humility
and gratitude,
that we might be transformed
into the people you have called us to be.

Assurance of God's Grace

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles,
    so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” – Acts 13:47
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 day.