Litany: Psalm 51 and Psalm 103

Here’s a responsive litany of confession and assurance, contrasting verses from Psalm 51 with verses from Psalm 103.  The congregation (or a second reader) is invited to read Psalm 51 (in bold print); the worship leader reads Psalm 103 (in regular print).

Litany of Confession

(Psalm 51 & Psalm 103)

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love.

Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

            Our God is merciful and gracious,
            slow to get angry, and full of unfailing love.

Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.

For I recognize my shameful deeds—they haunt me day and night.

            God will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;

I have done what is evil in your sight.

You will be proved right in what you say,

and your judgment against me is just.

            God has not punished us for all our sins,

            nor does he deal with us as we deserve.

            For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

            so great is his love for those who fear him;

            as far as the east is from the west,

            so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

I was born a sinner—from the moment my mother conceived me.

            God is like a father to his children,

            tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

            For he understands how weak we are;

            he remembers that we are only dust.

You desire honesty from the heart;

teach me to be wise in my inmost being.

            For our days on earth are like grass;

            like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

            The wind blows, and we are gone—

            as though we had never been here.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and make me willing to obey you.

            For the love of the Lord remains forever

            with those who fear him.

            His salvation extends to the children’s children

            of those who are faithful to his covenant;

            those who obey his commandments.

The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit.

A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

            Our God is merciful and gracious.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

~ Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Prayer of Approach: Mark 4: 35-41

Here’s a prayer of approach and confession inspired by Mark 4:35-41 (the account of when Jesus calmed the storm).  It was written by the Very Rev. John Christie.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

(inspired by Mark 4:35-41)

Lord God of all Creation we come to you from our storm-tossed lives to seek your peace; we come to you with our questions and uncertainties, our worries and anxieties, we come to you from our joy and our happiness-- each emotion a kaleidoscope of our feeling in life’s changing patterns.

More than all of that we come to you because of what you have done for us in the love of Christ who bought our freedom by his sacrifice on the Cross and showed us new life in his resurrection life. We bless you for the love which has no dimension of length breadth or height, coming as it does from the perfection your being. We come to you knowing that sometimes we have received your grace in vain.

We have not relied on your word or wisdom, we have not shown any concern or compassion when we should have; we have not loved our neighbour as we love ourselves. We have remained silent when we should have spoken and spoken when we should have been silent.

We seize the moment to ask you from our discordant lives for yet another chance of hearing you say to us ‘Your sins are forgiven’. May the mark of that forgiveness be your grace in us as we respond with grace and gratitude to your love.

Eternal God as we ask that you accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray that from the grace we have received, what we say and what we do will enable those around us to glimpse the life of the your Son -- who calmed the storm with words which still echo down the centuries, ‘Peace be still’ …..Amen.

— written by the Very Rev. John Christie, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/ Visit that website for other excellent lectionary-based worship resources.

Prayer of Confession: Mark 4: 26-34

Here’s a thoughtful prayer of confession based on Mark 4 (or Matthew 13:31-32)  It was written by Moira Laidlaw.

Prayer of Confession

(inspired by Mark 4:26-34, Matthew 13:31-32)

Lord Jesus Christ,

we remember with gratitude those people

who generously sowed the seeds of faith in our lives. 

Pause for a time of reflection

Above all. we recognize how you have blessed our lives

with the gift of the Holy Spirit

so that our faith has miraculously and mysteriously grown. 

We confess the times we fail to involve ourselves

in planting any seeds of faith in the lives of others;
the times when our personal agendas become more important than yours;
the times when we have denied others the opportunity to expand their faith

through our lack of interest or involvement;
the times when our lives become so entangled with the values of the world

that we forget what you have said and done and promised.
  
Lord Jesus Christ, we know that when we become disconnected from you,

our lives becomes parched and unfruitful and our faith becomes stunted and dry. 

Bless and renew our lives, we pray,

so that we remain connected to you at all times and in all places, 

strengthening our faith to expand and, growing strongly and vigorously, 

to bear the fruit of your mercy, your love, your undying life.  Amen.

~ written by Moira Laidlaw, and posted on Liturgies Online.  Visit that site for many other lectionary-based worship resources.  http://www.liturgiesonline.com.au/

Prayer of Confession: Ascension

Here’s a prayer of confession inspired by the suggested scripture texts for Ascension Day.  It was written by Rev. Malcolm Macdougall, and posted on the Starters for Sunday website.

Prayer of Confession

(inspired by Luke 24: 44-53, Acts 1: 9-11)

“You are witnesses of all these things….” Luke 24: 48

Too often, Lord God,

we are hesitant in our proclamation;

seeking safe and suitable opportunities to speak of our faith.

Too often, Lord God,

we are half-hearted in our service;

reluctant to stand out from the crowd or to attract criticism.

Too often, Lord God,

we live as if dependent wholly on our own resources;

relying on our perceived skills and modest insights.

Too often, Lord God,

we look to the clouds for our inspiration,

in the vain hope of finding you there.

Forgive the poverty of our efforts and the frailty of our faith

and open wide our hearts and minds to the immanent presence

of our Risen, Living and Ascended Lord Jesus Christ .

In his name we pray and say together:

“Our Father …”

~ written by Rev. Malcolm Macdougall, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/

Ascension: Prayer of Confession

Here’s a prayer of confession for Ascension from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

The Call to Confession
While we claim to celebrate the ascension of our Lord,
the way we live proclaims our lack of faith
in his power to deal with the world.
Let us confess the incongruity between our faith and practice.
Let us pray:

Our Prayer of Confession
We come, O Lord, on this day of glory to confess our lack of trust.
While we sing of your lordship over all creation,
we have too often acted as though you are powerless
in the face of today's events.
Help us to live with confidence in your presence today
and in hope for life with you forever. Amen.

~ from It’s a Good Thing He Left: John 16, posted on the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship website. http://worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/it-s-a-good-thing-he-left-john-16

Prayer: Opening the Windows

Here’s a prayer of confession from Terri on the RevGalBlogPals’ A Place for Prayer blog.

Prayer

O God, You who are always doing a new thing,

we confess that we sometimes close windows

against the fresh air of new ideas,

against the noise of other people’s worries,

against the winds of change.

God of every place and time,

we confess that we often draw the curtains

against people who are different,

against world news or community concerns.

Forgive us our insulation in our locked homes,

our shuttered churches,

the security systems on our hearts.

Open up our lives,

and let your Spirit blow through. Amen.

— posted by Teri on the RevGalBlogPals A Place for Prayer blog. http://revgalprayerpals.blogspot.ca/

Prayer: Abundant Life

“For God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only Son….” John 3:16

God, you loved this world so much

that you sent your own son, Jesus Christ

to live and die among us,

in order that we might have life.

Forgive us for keeping that abundant life to ourselves,

for jealously hoarding your generous gifts,

for choosing self-interest over compassion and justice.

Teach us what it means to live as children of the light,

generously sharing your abundance

with our brothers and sisters in need.  Amen.

— Christine Longhurst, posted on the Canadian Foodgrains Bank website. 

For more prayer resources on this blog, see the Scriptural Index of Prayers at the upper right side of the page.

Confession: John 3: 14-15

Here’s a thoughtful invitation into confession from Steve Garnaas-Holmes. It was posted on Unfolding Light.

Invitation to Confession

(inspired by John 3:14-15

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
so must the New Human be lifted up,
that whoever trusts may have eternal life.
~ John 3.14-15

You have to look your evil in the face to be healed.
The snakes that plagued the Hebrews in the desert
were their betrayal come back to bite them,
their being Eden's serpent.
The cure was to gaze at their sin.

So we gaze upon the Crucified One, our victim,
and look our awfulness in the eye
and only there grasp forgiveness,
and only then become truly alive.

On the cross is lifted up
our racism, our violence, our materialism,
our deep seated me-first-ism.
Posted there is our last text to God,
“I'll let you know when I need you.”
We look at it, look at it hard,
to get free of the lie that we're just fine,
the lie that keeps us from knowing
how deeply we are forgiven,
how vastly we are blessed,
how infinitely we are loved. 

~ written by Steve Garnaas-Holmes and posted on Unfolding Light. https://www.unfoldinglight.net/

Prayer of Confession: Transfiguration

Here is a prayer of confession and words of assurance for Transfiguration Sunday. It was written by the Rev. Dr. Renee C. Jackson, and posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website.

Prayer of Confession

God of Mercy and Grace,

you come to us in Jesus of Nazareth

to break down the dividing walls of hostility between us:

Yet we maintain walls that separate and isolate.

You give us the ministry of reconciliation:

Yet we nurse our wounds and withhold mercy and forgiveness.

You invite us to join with Peter, James, and John

on the mountain of Transfiguration:

Yet we deny the wonders you have worked in our own lives.

You ask us to acknowledge and share our wealth:

Yet we refuse to recognize and relieve the poverty around us.

You bless our lives with boundless love:

Yet we fail to witness to that love,

and so keep others from knowing you.

Forgive our selfishness, we pray.

Transform us by your Spirit and your Word

into that which pleases you,

the image of Christ.   Amen.

Words of Assurance

Jesus admonished Peter, James, and John

not to tell of what they witnessed on the mountain

until he was resurrected.

But we can tell what we have seen and heard of God’s glory!

Here is the good news:

Jesus lives! He is raised! We are forgiven!

Go, share the vision!

Tell of God’s love! In this God is well pleased!

~ from “God of Awe and Glory,” written by the Rev. Dr. Renee C. Jackson,  Southeast Area Minister for the Michigan Conference, UCC. Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website. http://www.ucc.org/worship_worship-ways

Call to Worship & Prayer: Epiphany 4B

Here’s a call to worship based on the suggested scripture texts for the fourth Sunday after Epiphany. It was based on materials by Peter K. Perry.

Call to Worship

God comes into a world filled with uncertainties and darkness. 

God seeks out the voids of belief and conviction. 

God embraces the wounded and broken. 

God knocks down the walls of division and strife.

God is the candle shining in the darkness of our days.

God is the light of our lives.

God is the one who makes all things new.

Praise be to God, now and forevermore!

Prayer of Approach

Loving God,

whose touch can heal the broken places of life,

touch us today... 

God of peace,

whose spirit of peace can quiet our spirits

of confusion and despair,

reassure us today...  

Forgiving God,

whose call to repentance promises grace upon grace,

place your mercy in our souls today... 

You who heal the sick and liberate the imprisoned,

who bring justice in the midst of oppression

and strength in the midst of weakness,

pour out your spirit of power upon us today.

Open our hearts to new faithfulness,

redirect our waywardness,

and hold us gently in your goodness. 

We confess our need to you,

and we turn to you with hearts filled with hope,

remembering the promises you have made to us. 

May your name be glorified in us and through us. 

We ask it through Christ Jesus,

your only begotten son,

he who is our Lord and our Saviour,

our brother and our friend.  Amen.

— based on materials by Peter K. Perry, and posted on Richard Fairchild’s Kir-shalom website. 

For more worship resources for January 29, 2012 (the fourth Sunday after Epiphany), click on Epiphany 4B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more calls to worship on this blog, click on Calls to worship in the list of “Labels” at the lower right, or see the Call to Worship Index at the upper right. For more prayer resources on this blog, see the Scriptural Index of Prayers at the upper right side of the page.

Prayer of Confession: Mark 1: 21-28

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and confession inspired by Mark 1:21-28. It was written by Cheryl Lawrie and posted on [hold this space].

Prayer of Confession

(inspired by Mark 1:21-28)

God,

we thank you for this extraordinary world

and its reminders of resilience, grace, hope and life:

for when grass shoots break through concrete

when the sun emerges after storms

for when people offer laughter in deep sadness

In these moments we see glimpses of who you are –

and we are grateful.

Yet if we reduce you to being like the cycle of nature

or the best of humankind,

we diminish your power to make the impossible real:

to break apart the impenetrable evils of oppression,

to cast out the very real fears that paralyse us

to banish the insidious demons of judgement and worthlessness

Forgive us God when we do not trust you to deal with the unspeakable awfulness in our lives and world.

In the silence we name the parts of our lives and our world that we believe are

too broken to ever be made whole

Cast out our demons, Lord,

Make us new again

Forgive us when contribute to the brokenness of the world and the lives

of people around us.

In the silence we name the things we have done that separate us

from you and from others

Cast out our demons, Lord,

Make us new again

Forgive us when we trust darkness more than we trust your light.

In the silence we name the things we think we need to keep hidden.

Cast out our demons, Lord,

Make us new again

Scripture says that those who are in Christ are a new creation;

everything old has passed away;

see, the new has come!

Hear then Christ’s word of grace to us:

‘Your sins are forgiven.’

Thanks be to God.

~ written by Cheryl Lawrie and posted on [hold this space]. http://holdthisspace.org.au/all-of-who-we-are/

Prayer: Mark 10: 24-25

Here’s a prayer of confession and dedication from Jan Berry’s collection of prayers, Bread of Tomorrow. It came to mind when working through the gospel reading for Proper 23B:

“But Jesus said to them again,

‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’” Mark 10:24-25

Prayer of Confession and Dedication:

Spoiled Children

God, You heap your love upon us

like a parent providing for a family’s needs,

embracing a child with tenderness.

Forgive us

when, like spoiled children,

we treat Your generosity as our right,

or hug it possessively to ourselves.

Give us enough trust to live secure in Your love

and to share it freely with others

in open-handed confidence

that Your grace will never run out.  Amen.

~ Copyright © Jan Berry, England, in Bread of Tomorrow: Prayer for the Church Year, ed. Janet Morley (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1992), p. 147. Used by permission.

Prayer of Confession: Commandments

Here’s an act of confession inspired by the suggested scripture readings for Epiphany 5, Year A in the Revised Common Lectionary – especially Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and Matthew 5:21-37. It was written by Rev. Mindi and posted on Rev-o-lution. 

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession

Almighty God,

we confess that we have taken Your commandments

and turned them into rules.

We have criticized those who have fallen short

and selfishly proclaimed ourselves righteous.

We have failed to understand the spirit of the commandments

and the Way that was shown by You to live,

loving God and loving our neighbors.

Forgive us for turning Your law into burdens

for others and ourselves,

instead of a Way to love and freedom in You.

In the name of Christ,

who has given us the Way and leads us on, we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

You are loved.

Love is the Way.

When you love God, you love others.

When you truly lay down your life for others,

you lay down your life for God.

Give yourself to God by serving others.

Know that in God’s love there is forgiveness,

healing, and reconciliation. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Mindi, and posted on Rev-o-lution. http://rev-o-lution.org/

Prayers of Approach and Confession: Proper 22A

Here’s a prayer of approach and confession inspired by the scripture texts for Proper 22, Year A. It was written by Thomas Sutcliffe, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday page.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Loving God, present and near.
You are beyond our words and our understanding.

Help us to remember that You are at once
infinite, boundless, timeless and eternal
but, at the same time intimately entwined with our lives.
You are with us no matter where we find ourselves.

When we have forgotten You
Lord, have mercy.

When we have failed to speak words of love
Lord, have mercy.

When we have neglected the need of another
Lord, have mercy.

Loving God, present and near
help us to recognise Your presence and nearness with us
as we worship together.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ written by Thomas Sutcliffe, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship/weekly_worship/

Prayer of Repentance & Lament

Here’s a prayer from Carol Penner’s Leading in Worship website.

Repenting and Lamenting in Times Like These

You are the God who hears:

hear our prayer today for all who lament or repent.

For those among us who face discrimination every day

because of their skin colour,

we lament.

For those among us with white skin who benefit

from racist systems sometimes even without realizing it,

we repent.

For those among us who have struggled and waited so long

for the Promised Land of freedom and equality,

we lament.

For those among us who have acted in racist ways

and have hurt people of colour,

we repent.

For those protesting injustice who face police brutality

and a justice system rigged against them,

we lament.

For those who think racism is someone else’s problem,

and not a problem for humanity,

we repent.

God of hope, show us how to work for justice together,

standing up for what is right,

stepping in when something's wrong,

shouldering each other’s burdens,

holding each other accountable,

righting the wrongs we’ve done,

speaking truth to power.

We pray for change, lasting change,

for protection for protesters,

for a de-escalation of violence

and for government leaders who listen.

Deliver us from evil, within and without,

in Jesus' name we pray, Amen

~ written by Carol Penner and posted on Leading in Worship. https://carolpenner.typepad.com/leadinginworship/