Open confession


 

Advent Confession

inspired by Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11

Holy God,
open our eyes to the presence of your Spirit
upon us, within us, among us.

For our apathy in the presence of oppression,
Forgive us.

If we have contributed to the brokenheartedness of anyone,
Forgive us.

For our participation in systems that enslave,
Forgive us.

When we are deaf to your good news,
Have mercy and open our ears.

When our mouths remain too tightly closed,
Loosen our lips with songs of praise.

Hear our prayer, O God, and forgive our sins.
Hold us in your mercy, now and forever. Amen.

 
~ author unknown, posted on re:worship


From the blog
Theme: God makes all things new  [prayer sheet]
3 Prayers for Advent
Hard of hearing
 

Asking One, ask us

A prayer of adoration and confession

inspired by Matthew 7:7-11, Luke 11:1-13

Seeking One,
you are the beginning and the end of our search.
Finding One,
you are the alpha and omega of all discovery.
Asking One,
you are the voice and the silence of our exploration.
Giving One,
you are the fullness and the emptiness of all yearning.
Persistent One,
you never abandon your search for us,
nor tire of our repetitive to-ings and fro-ings.
Receiving One,
you endlessly welcome us home,
and spread before us a feast
in the face of our constant requests for mere morsels of bread.

Search us, O God,
and find within us the secrets we hide.
Ask us, O God,
and receive from within us the pain we bear.
Keep knocking at the door of our lives
until we open our wills to your purpose,
our lives to your life, and our yearning to your hope.

When we forget to seek you and discover that we have lost our place:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

When we ask once and leave it at that:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

When we draw back from knocking, lest we disturb you:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Strengthen our courage; bolster our endurance;
spur us onward in your way in our world
through the power of the Holy Spirit
and the name of Christ.
Amen.

 
~ written by Anita Monro and posted on re:worship


From the blog
When hot and bothered
Good grief
In the school of prayer with the Celtic Saints
 

Make us a chalice

Collage by Irene Bom

 

Prayer of Confession

(inspired by Matthew 25:31-46)

God of the people,
you have called us to walk humbly before you
and to share in the struggle with the least of these,
yet we have failed to live up to this call.
Today, we come before you
asking your Spirit to empower us
to be agents of transformation for the world.
Make us a chalice from which all the oppressed
can find the living waters of God,
who calls us to live a life of service, of humility,
and of reconciliation with you, with creation,
and with the world. Amen.
 
~ posted on Many Voices. http://www.manyvoices.org


From the blog
Hot-hearted in serving thee
Making, making, making
Theme: Come to the waters  [prayer sheet]
 

Change from the inside out


 

Prayer of Confession

(based on Romans 12:1-8)

Merciful God,
we confess how easy it is for us to begin to adopt
the attitudes and actions of the world around us;
to let our lives be shaped by contemporary culture
rather than by Your call.

Lord, in Your mercy,
hear and forgive.

We confess how often we think of our own interests first—
more concerned with our own status and well-being
than with the well-being of others.

Lord, in Your mercy,
hear and forgive.

We confess that we have not always treated one another
as valued members of Your Body, the Church;
that we have allowed intolerance and resentment to tear us apart.

Lord, in Your mercy,
hear and forgive.

We confess that we do not always acknowledge You as Lord,
trusting in our own abilities and following our own goals
rather than submitting ourselves to Your will and Your call.

Lord, in Your mercy,
hear and forgive.

Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, transform us.
Change us from the inside out,
so that our words and our lives would bring honour and glory to You,
our Saviour and Lord.
Amen.
 
 
~ from re:worship
 


 
From the blog
We bring our stories
Full of air
Waters of baptism
 

Grow to maturity


 

… speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

 


Prayer of Confession

(inspired by Ephesians 4:1-16)

God of unity and love,
place within each of us
a spirit of hope and community.
Have mercy upon us
when we speak without love
or act without humility.
Cleanse us with the living water of your grace.
Create in us willing hearts
to live in patience and gentleness.
Raise us up to be your children,
growing toward maturity
in faith and love.
Strengthen this church,
that we may be a model
of ministry and unity
for all the world to see.
In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.

~ adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual 2009. Posted on re:worship
 

Hard of hearing


(Photo: Irene Bom)

Prayer of Confession

(inspired by 1 Samuel 3, John 1: 43-51)

God of grace, in the days when your word was rarely heard and when visions were scarce, you broke into Samuel’s life and called his name … and he said “Here I am, speak, for your servant is listening.”

We confess that often so many voices clamour for our attention that your word is again hard to hear. Forgive us if you have called us to be prophetic witnesses or to use our gifts to serve you, and we have not heard, or have been unwilling to respond.

Lord Jesus Christ, you met Philip and Nathanael on the road and said “Follow me” – and they did … We confess that we do not expect to meet you on the familiar roads we travel and so we fail to discern your presence or your call on our lives.

Holy Spirit, you empower us to recognise and to respond to the invitation of Jesus to follow him, even when that means travelling on unknown and unfamiliar paths …

Merciful God, take from us all that hinders our hearing your voice and fill us anew with the Holy Spirit that we may joyfully respond to Jesus’ call on our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Assurance of Forgiveness

(based on 1 Corinthians 6: 20)

The good news is that even if we at first do not hear the divine word addressed to us, God calls again and again. When our words and actions separate us from God, the Apostle Paul assures us that Jesus was prepared to pay the price to restore us to God. Paul writes: “You were bought with a price; therefore glorify God …” (1 Corinthians 6:20)
 
~ written by Moira Laidlaw, posted on re:worship
 


 
From the blog
Prayer poem: Not forsaken
God loves stories
Word study: Shema
 

I hear you


(Photo: Irene Bom)

 
I’m subscribed to the GOODNEWSLETTER – a weekly dose of five good news stories to counter cynicism and despair, to awaken hope.

This week’s GOODNEWSLETTER opens with a wonderful story from Zimbabwe about the Friendship Bench, a groundbreaking mental health programme based on evidence-based talk therapy, offered for free by trained grandmothers in more than 70 communities around the country.

Here’s an excerpt about one of the grandmothers serving her community as part of this programme:

Chinhoyi, who is 72, has lost count of the number of people she has treated on an almost daily basis over the past 10-plus years. She regularly meets with HIV-positive individuals, drug addicts, people suffering from poverty and hunger, unhappy married couples, lonely older people and pregnant, unmarried young women. Regardless of their background or circumstances, she begins her sessions the same way: “I introduce myself and I say, ‘What is your problem? Tell me everything, and let me help you with my words.’”

After hearing the individual’s story, Chinhoyi guides her patient until he or she arrives at a solution on their own. Then, until their issue is completely resolved, she follows up with the person every few days to make sure they are sticking to the plan.

 
On the BBC Future website you can read more about the Friendship Bench and how the programme is spreading to other countries.

 


I Do Believe

I believe in God whose light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never smother it.

I believe in the Word who has become incarnate,
our very flesh and blood,
yet full of grace and truth.

I believe in the blessed appearing of the salvation of our God,
that is for the happiness of all people.

I believe in his name as Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace;
of the increase of his rule and of his unique peace
there will be no end.
The zeal of the God of hosts will do this.

This I surely believe!

 
~ written by Bruce Prewer, posted on Bruce Prewer’s Homepage. (adapted)
 


 
From the blog
Turn to the light
Theme: Good news  [prayer sheet]
Show me the way
 

Open the door, open the window

 

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

 
~ Jesus,  from Revelation 3:20
 


A prayer

O God, You who are always doing a new thing, we confess that we sometimes close windows against the fresh air of new ideas, against the noise of other people’s worries, against the winds of change. God of every place and time, we confess that we often draw the curtains against people who are different, against world news or community concerns. Forgive us our insulation in our locked homes, our shuttered churches, the security systems on our hearts. Open up our lives, and let your Spirit blow through. Amen.

 
~ written by Rev Teri, posted on revgalprayerpals.blogspot.com
 


 
From the blog
Treasure for our times
How good, how pleasant
Embrace the cities and towns
 

In times like these

 

At the height of World War II Albert Camus wrote,

“We must mend what has been torn apart, make justice imaginable again in a world so obviously unjust, give happiness a meaning once more.”

 

Let us keep praying, till justice rolls “on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24)

 


Repenting and lamenting in times like these

You are the God who hears:
hear our prayer today for all who lament or repent.

For those among us who face discrimination every day
because of their skin colour,
we lament.

For those among us with white skin who benefit
from racist systems sometimes even without realizing it,
we repent.

For those among us who have struggled and waited so long
for the Promised Land of freedom and equality,
we lament.

For those among us who have acted in racist ways
and have hurt people of colour,
we repent.

For those protesting injustice who face police brutality
and a justice system rigged against them,
we lament.

For those who think racism is someone else’s problem,
and not a problem for humanity,
we repent.

God of hope, show us how to work for justice together,
standing up for what is right,
stepping in when something’s wrong,
shouldering each other’s burdens,
holding each other accountable,
righting the wrongs we’ve done,
speaking truth to power.

We pray for change, lasting change,
for protection for protesters,
for a de-escalation of violence
and for government leaders who listen.

Deliver us from evil, within and without,
in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen

 
~ written by Carol Penner and posted on Leading in Worship.
 


From the blog
Interpreting the times
Not deserted
Protection for hearts and minds
 

Small talk

 

A prayer of confession by Rev. Christine Sobania to shine a light on how we are relating to God – all small talk or something deeper?


Prayer of confession

Lord, You are only as far away as the sound of our whispers will travel, yet we so often struggle to speak with you intimately. We make small talk sometimes, thanking you for sun and rain, for gentle breezes and low humidity. Though we may be grateful, we know that chatting about the weather is something we do with casual acquaintances and even strangers.

Hear our purposeful prayers.

We maintain substantial vocabularies—collections of words we use for term papers and interoffice memos and for bantering with our buddies. But do we use them to deepen the conversations we have with you?

Hear our purposeful prayers.

Forgive us when we are shallow, seeking a quick blessing or a fast favor from you without being willing to invest fully in a trusting, committed relationship with you. Forgive us when we are one-sided, asking always for mercy and compassion, but not returning the same.

Hear our purposeful prayers.

Forgive us when we approach you begging for guidance and direction, but then neglect to follow your instructions. Forgive us when we cry out with our pressing questions, but then stop listening for your answers.

Hear our purposeful prayers.

May we have another chance to appreciate the fullness of your love? May we try, once again, to shed our self-interest and find joy in serving your interests?

Hear our purposeful prayers.
Amen.

 
~ by Rev. Christine Sobania, from freshlysqueezedliturgy.blogspot.com
 


 
From the blog
Show me the way
Forgiven and forgotten
A new nature