Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +3, Year A

Call to Confession

All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things are mine,
[a] says the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look,
to the humble and contrite in spirit,
who trembles at my word.
(Isaiah 66:2) Let us humble ourselves before the Lord, and with fear and trembling, approach the throne of grace and seek forgiveness.

Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +3, Year A

God, forgive us.
We are so full of ourselves,
expecting better treatment than even you received
when you walked among us,
and our feelings are hurt
when we are ridiculed and taunted and persecuted
for following you.
We are quick to give up,
to keep silent,
to change sides,
to forget what we have been taught,
or to bury it deep within.
In fear of rejection,
of being disowned by those we love,
we cower ...
we fail to speak up ...
we gloss over ...
we reject the one who has loved us
from the beginning of time
and with him,
all those he loves and calls his own.
Forgive us, we pray,
and grant us courage
to proclaim from the housetops
that which you have taught us about love
and grace
and the worth of every child of God who lives.

Assurance of God's Grace

If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. (Romans 10:9-10) 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.