Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +7, Year A

Call to Confession

In (the days of Jesus) John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:1-2) Let us confess our sin and repent of it, seeking God's mercy.

Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +7, Year A

God of all, you appealed to us
through the apostles
to watch out for those who cause division
and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine
we have been taught.
Yet not only is our nation divided,
our communities are divided ...
our families are divided.
Instead of seeking unity,
we promote division by our words and deeds.
You have called us
through the apostles
to endure hardship and affliction,
but we choose the easy path to destruction
rather than the hard path to wholeness
and life.
You have not counted our trespasses against us
yet we do not behave as ambassadors
of Christ who has claimed us,
redeemed us,
and reconciled us to God.
In your mercy, forgive us, we pray.
Teach us patience with one another.
Weed out our self-righteousness,
our arrogance, and our foolish pride.
Help us to encourage our siblings in Christ
and to do the difficult work of peacemaking
wherever we are called.


Assurance of God's Grace

God has promised that when we confess our sin, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive us our sin, removing it as far as the east is from the west, and remembering it no more. 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.