Here’s an
Advent prayer of confession from the website of Brummhart Publishing. The
prayer is set up with a sung refrain interspersed between the spoken words of
the prayer. They suggest the use of John Bell’s Jesus
Christ, Lord of All (from Love from Below, Volume 3
of Wild Goose Songs, published in 1989 by the Iona Community). They have revised the words of the sung refrain slightly from the original.
If you
don’t have access to that particular refrain, you could use another sung
response or a spoken one…or simply leave time for silent prayer.
Prayer of Confession for Advent
We need
you so desperately, O God:
we
need to accept you for who you truly are,
not
what we expect.
Too often,
we
choose flickering candles and bulbs over your true light:
we
choose to hide who we truly are;
both
the sins that shame us,
and
the potential that frightens us.
Hear us as
we confess.
Sung Response:
Jesus Christ, Lord of all, come to
us now.
Find your way among us: Jesus
Christ, Lord of all, come to us now.
Comfort and disturb us: Jesus
Christ, Lord of all, come to us now.
Too often,
we
choose quick fixes over your true justice:
we
choose to be right rather than righteous,
in
our countries, our communities, and our covenants.
Hear us as
we confess.
Jesus Christ, Lord of all, come to
us now.
Listen to the anxious: Jesus
Christ, Lord of all, come to us now.
Contradict the callous: Jesus
Christ, Lord of all, come to us now.
Too often,
we
choose cheap thrills over your true joy:
we
choose to fill our lives with what we can own or ingest,
we
choose safety over surprise.
Hear us as
we confess.
Jesus Christ, Lord of all, come to
us now.
Do not ever leave us: Jesus
Christ, Lord of all, come to us now.
Even when we doubt you: Jesus
Christ, Lord of all, come to us now.
Too often,
we choose our schemes over your plan:
we reject leaps of faith in favor of small, secure steps,
we reject
selfless giving in favor of our own fiscal prudence.
Hear us as
we confess.
Jesus Christ, Lord of all, come to
us now.
Maker of tomorrow: Jesus
Christ, Lord of all, come to us now.
Keep us through the darkness: Jesus
Christ, Lord of all, come to us now.
(Silent
prayers may be offered….)
We need
you so desperately, O God.
We need
your light, your justice, your joy, your plan.
Hear us,
forgive us, and help us accept you
for
who you truly are,
not
what we expect.
~ posted on
the Brummhart Publishing website. http://www.brummhartpublishing.com/
