Prayer of Confession: Hands

Here’s a prayer of confession from Moira Laidlaw’s Liturgies Online website.

Prayer of Confession

Invite people to look at their hands.

Lord Jesus Christ,

you used your hands to heal;

to lift up; to bless;

to sow kindness and tenderness in
desolate lives.
Forgive us when we keep our hands at our sides

when we could be reaching out in love.

Lord Jesus Christ,

you used your hands to bear the burdens of others

and to feed the hungry.
Forgive us when we use our hands to take care of ourselves

without any thought for those who are hungry

or overwhelmed with adversity.

Lord Jesus Christ,

you used your hands to welcome and to include

those who were considered outcasts in the society of your time.
Forgive us when we clench our fists and exclude people

simply because are different from us.

Lord Jesus Christ,

open our hands and our hearts to love as you loved

and to care as you cared. 

Strengthen us to include in our prayers and our fellowship,

those who feel excluded because of such things as their race,

their religion, their sexuality, their gender, their age, their handicap—

whatever it is that creates barriers between people.
Lord Jesus Christ,

help us to accept people as you accept them,

as people made in the image of God,

and precious to God. 

We pray this prayer in your name. Amen

Assurance of Forgiveness
Hear the good news:

there is forgiveness and steadfast love with God

who saves us from all our sins.

God has shown this love for us in that,

while we still were sinners,

Christ died for us.
Thanks be to God!

— written by Moira Laidlaw, and posted on Liturgies Online.  http://www.liturgiesonline.com.au/