Prayer of Confession, Reign of Christ Sunday, Year A

Call to Confession

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. 9 Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental principles? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? (Galatians 4:8-9) Let us confess the weak and beggarly principles we have allowed to enslave us and seek God's mercy:

Prayer of Confession

Forgive us, Lord.
We come before you pleading
more often than praising,
with grumbles more often than gladness,
with sadness more often than singing.
We enter your courts with a sense of
entitlement rather than gratitude,
with jealousy rather than joy,
with blight rather than blessings.
Our attitudes need a radical reworking,
our hearts, a thorough cleaning.
Hear our prayers for mercy, O God!
Walk with us as we ascend 
from the valley of despair
with our eyes fixed on you
as our eternal Hope.
Make us mindful of your presence with us
every step of the way
that we might remember your faithfulness
and give thanks
in all circumstances.

Assurance of God's Grace

It is the God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6) People of God, 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.