Here’s a prayer of confession based on the scripture texts for Proper 27A (November 6, 2011). It was written by Moira Laidlaw.
Prayer of Confession
God of Israel and God of Jesus Christ, we would not be here if you had not chosen to touch our lives with your love. We cannot hide our wonder that you should choose to enter our world and our lives in person - in Jesus. Yet we confess that we sometimes have trouble in our decision-making when faced with questions of whether we wholeheartedly serve you or not. We are often tempted to put other than you first in our lives—when we are faced, often daily, with choices which affect how we live as your faithful people—choices about how we share the gifts you have given us.
Forgive us when the choices we make reflect not your glory but our own selfishness.
Forgive us when the choices we make revolve around judging or condemning others without first listening to their stories.
Forgive us when the choices we make contribute to our own prosperity and wellbeing while ignoring the needs of others.
Forgive us when the choices we make diminish our awareness of you, O God, in the midst of those who suffer.
Gracious and loving God, strengthen us where we are weak with the renewing power of your Spirit so that the choices we make clearly reveal our identity as your faithful people, and as sincere and devoted followers of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord - in whose name we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Forgiveness
Out of love for the world, God chose to share our humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The good news therefore is this:
In Jesus Christ we are accepted, we are loved, we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
Thanks be to God!
— Copyright © Moira Laidlaw, posted on her Liturgies Online website. Visit that site for other great lectionary-based resources.
For more worship resources related to the texts for November 6, 2011 (the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost), click on Proper 27A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
For other resources related to confession, click on Confession or words of assurance in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page, or see this Confession & Assurance index.
