Here’s an act of confession based on the suggested scripture texts for Proper 6 B (Ordinary 11 B) – the third Sunday after Pentecost. They were written by Peter Bankson.
Prayer of Confession
(inspired by 1 Samuel 15, 2 Corinthians 5:6-17)
Holy God, you call us to live in mystery,
to walk by faith.
Yet we long for plans with goals and schedules.
It’s hard to live by faith.
You call us to place our trust in you,
to live according to your direction.
Yet we want life to make sense
from a human point of view.
It’s hard to live by faith.
You call us to feel the mystery of life,
to marvel at the power of your love.
Yet it’s not easy to accept your promise
that everything old has passed away.
It’s hard to live by faith.
Forgive us, holy maker of reality.
Forgive us for playing god
instead of accepting our humanity.
to walk by faith.
Yet we long for plans with goals and schedules.
It’s hard to live by faith.
You call us to place our trust in you,
to live according to your direction.
Yet we want life to make sense
from a human point of view.
It’s hard to live by faith.
You call us to feel the mystery of life,
to marvel at the power of your love.
Yet it’s not easy to accept your promise
that everything old has passed away.
It’s hard to live by faith.
Forgive us, holy maker of reality.
Forgive us for playing god
instead of accepting our humanity.
Words of Assurance
(based on Mark 4:26-34)
Fear not, for our creator,
the loving maker of all reality,
forgives us, and redeems us from violence and oppression.
God sows the good news in tiny seeds,
inviting us to tend the soil of community,
and marvel as they grow.
In the name of Jesus, who is the Christ, you are forgiven. Amen.
the loving maker of all reality,
forgives us, and redeems us from violence and oppression.
God sows the good news in tiny seeds,
inviting us to tend the soil of community,
and marvel as they grow.
In the name of Jesus, who is the Christ, you are forgiven. Amen.
— by Peter Bankson. Posted on the Worship Elements page of the Ministry Matters website.
