Here’s a prayer
of confession inspired by Isaiah 55: 1-5.
It was written for Lent 3, Year C, by Rev. Eliza Buchakjian-Tweedy.
Prayer of
Confession
(inspired by Isaiah 55:1-5)
God of
abundance, you have promised to provide us with more than mere survival; in
seeking to satisfy our deepest hungers, we shall find an even more profound
sustenance than human imagination could envision.
In your holy love, you have given us so much: talents and treasure in unlimited supply. But often, we spend these on superficial needs. We throw away our plenty on little hungers and petty desires. We seek the fleeting delight of novelty, of prettiness, and of veneer. We follow the urges to momentary importance; to the notice of a fickle society more interested in noise and sparkle than in mundane sturdiness. We chase after happiness while neglecting joy; we chase after romance while neglecting love; we skim the surface while fearing the depths.
God of grace, we are hungry. God of mercy, quench our thirst.
Forgive us, we pray, for our fearfulness, as we rely more upon our own human illusions of control and satisfaction, even though we know that these illusions separate us from you. Forgive us for not trusting in your grace, in your abundance, in the covenant promises that you have renewed with every generation. In Christ, may we learn to love you more than we love ourselves. Amen.
moment of silence
Assurance of Pardon
Come, all you
who are thirsty. If you take the first step, if you are willing to plunge
once again into the waters and to emerge into new life, you will receive a love
beyond all you can envision.
We turn our hearts to God, and by grace our hungers are satisfied, our
thirsts are sated; through Christ we are made whole; by the Spirit we are led
forth as God's people. Amen.
~ written by Eliza Buchakjian-Tweedy, Pastor at First Church Congregational, Rochester, NH. She blogs at http://sermonizing.wordpress.com/
