Here’s a litany of confession based on Matthew 22:34-40, one of the suggested scripture readings for October 23, 2011 (Proper 25A). It was written by Moira Laidlaw.
Litany of Confession
(based on Matthew 22: 34-40)
LEADER: Jesus calls us to love God with all our hearts..
VOICE 1: All our hearts?
VOICE 2: More than our families and friends, our homes,
VOICE 1: All our hearts?
VOICE 2: More than our families and friends, our homes,
our jobs, our cars, our computers, ........?
LEADER: More than all of these
LEADER: More than all of these
because when we love God with all our heart,
it is that love which influences us
and enables us to act lovingly
towards not only family and friends—
towards not only family and friends—
who may be easy to love—
but towards others who may not be so easy to love.
VOICE 1: And we realise that people matter more than things.
VOICE 1: And we realise that people matter more than things.
All: Forgive us, O God when we fail to put you first in our lives.
Pause for silent reflection
LEADER: Jesus calls us to love God with all our soul
VOICE 2: Our whole being?
VOICE 1: More than anyone or anything we invest energy in?
LEADER: Jesus calls us to love God with all our soul
VOICE 2: Our whole being?
VOICE 1: More than anyone or anything we invest energy in?
Music, sport, art, gardening, - any of our hobbies...?
LEADER: More than all of these because when we love God with all our soul,
it is God’s dynamic love which directs how we use our energy,
LEADER: More than all of these because when we love God with all our soul,
it is God’s dynamic love which directs how we use our energy,
our interests, our power.
Who we are and what we do can then be used
to benefit others as well as ourselves.
All: Forgive us, O God when we fail to put you first in our lives.
Pause for silent reflection
LEADER: Jesus calls us to love God with all our mind.
VOICE 2: Surely not all of our mind.
VOICE 1: More than our thirst for knowledge, our learning in schools
LEADER: Jesus calls us to love God with all our mind.
VOICE 2: Surely not all of our mind.
VOICE 1: More than our thirst for knowledge, our learning in schools
and beyond, the books we read,
our advances in information technology, .......?
LEADER: More than all these
LEADER: More than all these
because when we love God with all our mind,
it is God’s creative love which then inspires our thoughts
it is God’s creative love which then inspires our thoughts
and our will
so that our wisdom and knowledge are shaped
by God’s kingdom values of justice and mercy, love and peace.
All: Forgive us, O God when we fail to put you first in our lives.
Pause for silent reflection
LEADER: Jesus calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves.
VOICE 1: Forgive us, O God, when we go along with society’s concentration
on selfish needs over against selfless deeds.
VOICE 2: Forgive our self-centredness and enlarge our vision
LEADER: Jesus calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves.
VOICE 1: Forgive us, O God, when we go along with society’s concentration
on selfish needs over against selfless deeds.
VOICE 2: Forgive our self-centredness and enlarge our vision
to see all people as neighbours.
All of us loved equally by you.
All of us loved equally by you.
Pause for silent reflection
LEADER: Merciful God, forgive our weaknesses
and strengthen us with your Spirit
to love you with all our heart, soul and mind
and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.
Help us to know the peace of your forgiving love.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Assurance of Forgiveness
Hear the good news:
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Assurance of Forgiveness
Hear the good news:
God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Those who believe in him are not condemned. (John 3;17,18a)
In Jesus Christ, therefore, 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 this text, or other texts for October 23, 2011 (the nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost), click on Proper 25A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
