Here’s
a prayer of approach and confession inspired by 1 Peter 2:1-10. It was written by Rev Carol Ford, and posted
on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for
Sunday website.
Prayer of Approach and Confession
(inspired by 1 Peter
2:1-10)
Parent
God, Deliverer of our daily bread
we,
Your children, come before You
hungry
and thirsty for the spiritual nourishment
that
only You can provide.
For
we have tasted that You are good
and
we cannot live without Your goodness.
God
in Christ,
Cornerstone
of our fellowship and faith,
we
Your living stones
come
to be built up together
as
Your house,
to
Your design.
For
we are ready to be chiselled and polished
until
we are fit for Your present purpose for us.
Forgive
us, Gracious God,
if
we are feeding ourselves on the junk food of idols
stuffing
full with excessive meals,
our
fridges and freezers
with
much that will go to waste,
and
our homes
with
space and possessions
that
we do not truly need.
And
if we are those of Your children, Lord,
who
are at this moment
having
a hard time making ends meet
then
show us where and who to ask,
where
to seek
and
the doors upon which we should knock.
Reveal
to us who in our faith family
we
might approach for sharing or help.
Living
God,
if
we have lost the life in us
and
become as dry, lustre-lacking, dead stones,
then
forgive us.
Refresh
us with water and Spirit
that
we may emerge gleaming with Your presence
and
filled again with a passion for the Gospel.
Compassionate
God,
in
the quietness now, we make our personal prayers to you:
our
confessions of wrongdoing,
our
needs for healing
and
our offloading of anything that troubles or burdens us.
Through
the silence Lord, hear our prayers.
[silence]
God
whose Spirit interprets our deepest longings
we
praise You
for
Your never-ending and limitless love and mercy.
Now
we are ready to feast upon Your Word to us today.
In
Jesus’ Name we pray. (or into Lord’s Prayer) Amen.
~
written by Rev Carol Ford, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/
