Prayer of Confession: Joshua 5: 9-12


Here is a prayer of confession inspired by Joshua 5: 9-12. It comes from the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways Archive.

Prayer of Confession
(inspired by Joshua 5: 9-12)
                                   
We confess that at times, O God,
we have kept silence even as we have seen the bodies,
the spirits, and minds of your children waste away.
We have received manna from heaven,
and yet have hoarded and kept it for ourselves,
while others die of hunger physically, and spiritually.                           
Lord, have mercy.

We confess, O God, we have looked with self-righteous judgment
upon those who have strayed away from you
and those who have not come to you.    
We have convinced ourselves of our own righteousness,
and have forsaken the call of Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Christ, have mercy.

We confess, O Holy One, we have longed for you
to regard our prayers, heal our diseases and our land,
and love us more than others.
We know that you have called us to care for the widows and orphans,
to love the strangers and our neighbors,
yet at times we try to hoard your love, O God,
as the Israelites tried to hoard manna in the wilderness.                             
Lord, have mercy. 

O God,
we know that you have given us the ministry of reconciliation
and have called us to be ambassadors for Christ.  
Yet, we have often examined the sin in others
and not embraced them in your love.
Instruct us and teach us the way to go in your love.
Show us how to regard others
not from the limits of a human point of view
but to see them through the eyes of love divine. Amen.

 

~ posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways Archive. http://www.ucc.org/