Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus

Pastor: God sent the prophet Ezekiel to the Israelites in exile to preach repentance and deliverance.  They were an unfaithful, hard-hearted, rebellious nation who refused to obey the Lord or submit to His will. 

As we come to worship this day, we humbly acknowledge our unworthiness before Almighty God, for we are no different than Ezekiel’s generation.  We too are a rebellious, hard-hearted people who have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. But we are not left to fear God’s wrath, for His Word says that “if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Silence for personal confession

Pastor: Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another by praying together the words of Psalm 51:

People: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Amen.

Pastor: God is faithful to His Word to forgive and restore. The Lamb who sits upon the throne says to us, “Behold, I make all things new.”

He alone has the power to transform us from the inside out. Rejoice, therefore, that in Christ, you are a new creation – loved, forgiven and free; the old has gone the new is here! His living waters flow through you.