Prayer of Confession: Mark 6

Here is a prayer of confession followed by words of assurance inspired by Mark 6:7-13 and 2 Corinthians 12:9, two of the suggested scripture readings for Proper 9, Year B. They were written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.

Prayer of Confession

(based on Mark 6:7-13)

Holy One of Nazareth,
We see you calm storms, heal illness, even restore life,
Yet we still struggle to trust you.
You send us out,
But we want to stay home.
You provide partners for the journey,
But we want to go it alone.
You give us authority over evil,
But we don’t know how to use it.
You say we need only the clothes on our back and a staff in our hand,
But we pile the car full of food, clothes, tools and toys.

We make sure our phones are charged and our GPS is on.
You tell us to accept hospitality,
But we don’t like to put people out.
You say that if people are unkind, 

we should simply shake the dust off of our feet,
But we would rather get mad and post about it on Facebook.
We have much to learn from you, Jesus, 

about traveling gracefully through this life.
Forgive our failings and grant us a deeper trust.

Assurance of Pardon

(from 2 Corinthians 12:9)

Hear these words from Christ:

“My grace is sufficient for you,

for power is made perfect in weakness.”

So go forth in the power of the almighty,

who forgives you and loves you. Amen.

~ written by Joanna Harader and posted on Spacious Faith. https://spaciousfaith.com