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 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

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 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/

Wilderness Confession

Here’s a corporate act of confession inspired by Exodus 13:17-22. It was written by Greg Scheer as part of a worship series called “Wilderness,” focusing on stories from Israel’s journey. Greg writes, “We think it will be appropriate in our current time of quarantined meandering.”

Call to Confession

God calls us into the desert,

but we follow reluctantly.

Let us confess our sins

and commit ourselves

to following the path God has chosen for us.

Prayer of Confession

Saving God,

like Israel before us

we are filled with joy when you deliver us from bondage

and we praise you when you vanquish our foes.

Yet we are less trusting when you lead us into the desert:

the long way,

the unknown path,

the journey of trial, trust, and refining.

Forgive us for questioning the path you have chosen for us.

Forgive our complaining along the way.

Forgive the times we’ve stumbled 
when the journey was long and hard.

Deliver us from our Egypts.

Lead us on our unexpected journeys.

Sustain us in our deserts.

Bring us to our promised lands.

Words of Assurance

The same God who delivered Israel from her slavery

is the God who delivers us from our slavery to sin.

God has made a way to freedom through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God!

The same God who gave Israel

a pillar of cloud by day 
and a pillar of fire by night

is the God who sent the Spirit to lead and to guide.

Let us follow with joy!

Amen.

~ written by Greg Scheer. His website is GregScheer.com https://gregscheer.com/

Prayer of Confession: Skeptics

Here is a prayer of brokenness/confession following by words of assurance from Rev. Mindi’s Rev-o-lution website (link below.) The prayer of confession was inspired by events in John 20.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
(inspired by John 20:19-31)

Creator God,

we confess that at times we are skeptics.

At times we doubt that You exist

because of the evil we have seen in the world.

Oppression, marginalization, and plain hate still plague our world,

and it is hard to see Your love and light.

Sometimes, even those who bear Your name

do not walk in Your ways.

Help us to see Your goodness in this world.

Help us to know Your love.

Fill us with Your love and goodness,

so that we might love one another,

and lift up one another in faith. Amen.

Words of Assurance/Blessing

(from Psalm 27:13-14)

The psalmist says,

“I am sure I shall see the goodness of our God

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong,

and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!”

Know that you do not wait alone.

God has given us one another for this journey of faith,

to help one another.

Know that you do not wait alone;

Christ is with us.

Be encouraged, and encourage one another.

Go and share the Good News. Amen.

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

Easter Confession

Here’s a thoughtful act of confession for Easter Sunday from Greg Scheer.  

Call to Confession

Christ has risen

and we have risen to new life with him.

Yet we must confess the ways we have

continued to remain in our tombs of sin and death.

Prayer of Confession

Living Lord,

when we stand before the empty tomb

we don’t always feel the joy of resurrection.

We feel fear, doubt, and distrust.

We feel empty.

Forgive the fear that paralyzes us at the brink of new life.

Forgive our doubt of your love.

Forgive our distrust of your surprising, joyous plan.

Fill our emptiness with your glorious light.

Raise us to abundant new life

for the glory of your name.

Words of Assurance

Wake up, sleeper!

Rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.

Sisters and brothers,

Christ has forgiven our sins.

Christ calls us to new life.

Christ will lead us into righteousness.

Amen.

~ written by Greg Scheer, http://www.gregscheer.com/

Epiphany Prayer: Light in the Darkness

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and confession for Epiphany. It was written by Cheryl Lawrie, and posted on [hold this space].

Prayer for Epiphany

We thank you God that you know what it is to be human

Fragile and vulnerable,

searching for ways to stay alive in dangerous and complicated times

We thank you that you know the struggles and temptations

of living in darkness.

And we thank you that you give light to the world.

We confess that sometimes it’s easier to stay in the shadows,

where things can stay hidden,

where people can’t see our cracks and flaws.

Cast your light on our darkness

and forgive us, God of love.

We confess that we have at times brought darkness

into the world by our anger, our selfishness, our violence.

Cast your light on our darkness

and forgive us, God of love.

We confess that we are sometimes skeptical of light

and find it easier to trust its absence.

Cast your light on our darkness

and forgive us, God of love.

And in this silence,

bring the confessions that are on your heart and mind

into the light of God’s love

[silence]

We know in faith that God restores and renews,

and that our sins are forgiven.

Thanks be to God.

~ written by Cheryl Lawrie and posted on [hold this space]. http://holdthisspace.org.au/