Prayers of Confession on Love
Adapted from Genesis 3:1-6
Pastor: The serpent deceitfully says to the woman, “Did God actually say” what you think He said?
All: O God, we have heard the deceiver’s words, and we have distrusted your word. We have not delighted in your instruction as we ought, and we’ve forgotten and misunderstood your commandments.
Pastor: The serpent deceitfully says to the woman, “God said that you would die if you disobeyed His commandments, but you won’t! You’ll just be more powerful, intelligent, and wise like him!”
All: When we hear that we can be independent of you, O Creator God, we jump at the opportunity. We have loved ourselves more than we have loved you, and this has broken our relationship with you. Forgive us, O God!
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from 2 Chronicles 20
Pastor: O Lord, we are in over our heads. So many are the sins that we’ve committed this past week, and they condemn us in your presence. Only because you love us with a never-ending, unbreaking, always and forever love can we even pray for forgiveness.
All: “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.” We’ve been selfish, we’ve been prideful, and we’ve not loved you and your law.
Pastor: Because of Adam’s sin, we are born with sinful hearts, sinful minds, and broken bodies. When we get up in the morning, when we go throughout our day, and when we lie down at night—our sin draws us away from the God who loves us.
All: This morning, we ask for your forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Not only that, we ask for your help! Renew our desire to love and serve you, to trust in your grace, and to walk in obedience to your law.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
(Prayer of Adoration)
Good and Gracious Lord,
You hold us in the palm of Your strong hand,
working all things for our good and to Your glory.
There is no place we can go
that escapes your notice
and is hidden from your loving attention.
We are amazed by your power
and in awe of Your grace:
Your take what’s inadvertently or intentionally evil
and bend it to Your will and ways.
(Prayer of Confession)
We cover our sin.
Thinking we can hide from You.
we run, afraid you’ll find us out;
afraid that if you – or others – really knew us
no-one would love us.
We try to run our own lives,
and the lives of others,
attempting to be our own gods.
We love you too little,
we love others hardly at all,
and we love ourselves too much.
Hear our silent confession
and our whispers as we name our sin before You;
and, we pray, forgive us!
(Silence … 30-45 seconds)
God of glory, you sent Jesus among us as the light of the world, to reveal your love for all people. We confess that our sin and pride hide the brightness of your light. We turn away from the poor; we ignore cries for justice; we do not strive for peace. In your mercy, cleanse us of our sin, and pour out the gifts of your Spirit, that, forgiven and renewed, we may show forth your gory shining in the face of Jesus Christ.
Time of silent reflection and confession..
Amen.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
O God, we think we love You well on many occasions, but the truth is our love for You is diluted and weak. Our hearts are divided, and our passion for Your Kingdom half-hearted. Our trust in You seems pure only for brief moments. Our affections are drawn away too quickly, and our devotion to You dies far too easily. Forgive us. In Your deep mercy, rekindle our love for You as we see anew Jesus’ love for us. In His name we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Merciful God, we humble ourselves in your presence, confessing our unworthiness and our sinfulness in your sight. We have broken your holy law. We have not sought first your kingdom and righteousness. We have been anxious and troubled about many things, and have neglected the things that belong to our peace. We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves, or done to others as we would that they should do to us.
Most Gracious God, our heavenly Father, who hast given your Son, Jesus Christ, to save your people from their sins; forgive us, we pray; cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and renew a right spirit within us; through the grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
The Book of Common Order, Language Modernized by Stuart Strachan Jr.
Heavenly Father, Your love for us is so very evident. Everywhere we look, we see tangible proof of Your great care for us. Yet, when it comes to following You, we confess that we often don’t surrender our entire selves. We hold back portions of our lives that we would rather control instead of releasing them to Your loving care. Have mercy upon us, Lord. Forgive us for frequently saying one thing and doing another. May our words and our actions line up. Make us willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, knowing full well that You will never leave us or forsake us. We pray this humbly, in Christ’s Name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Holy God, you have shown us the ultimate example of sacrificial love in Jesus. For Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Yet we think of ourselves more highly than we ought. We don’t feel the need to serve in the way that Jesus did. We consider ourselves to be above Jesus. Please give us a proper sense of humility as we confess our sins to you in silence…
Time of silent reflection and confession..
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Holy God, Your love is amazing, steady, and unchanging. Your love is relentless, passionate, and astounding. We thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus which has redeemed us and restored us to a right relationship with You. We confess that we take this gift for granted; we fail to grasp the significance of the sacrifice; we continue to live as unredeemed people. Forgive us for our sinfulness. Cleanse us. Restore us. And ignite our hearts with a passion to live for You. We humbly ask, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Heavenly Father, forgive us for the times when we take advantage of your unfailing love. You forgive us day in and day out, you never fail us, and you’ll never leave us. As a result, we become complacent, too comfortable with our mediocrity. We fail to strive for the good plans you’ve laid out for our lives. Please forgive us for cheapening your grace. Renew our gratitude for the sacrifice you made for us as we silently confess our sins before you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Eternal God, in whom we gain strength and hope: We thank You for your incredible love. The height, depth, and width of Your love cannot be measured or comprehended. Yet by trusting in the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we may experience it. Praise be to Your Name! Now we confess to You the many times we choose to neither live in Your love, nor to express Your love through our words and actions. We love ourselves instead of loving our neighbors and loving You with all we have and all we are. We focus on our needs and wants; our worries and cares; and our goals and purposes, rather than on Your redeeming and sustaining love. Forgive us, gracious Lord. Free us from our self-centeredness so we may love You and love others, and thus bring honor to Your Name. We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Loving and faithful God,You are holy, righteous, and pure; You are compassionate and just; You are perfect in all of Your ways. But we have slipped away from Your will; we have been selfish and self-centered; and we live for today instead of for Your Kingdom. You have called us to be pure and blameless in Christ, but our hearts burn in desire for impurity and we make believe that our lives are whole and healthy. Remind us that Your love is endless and without Your love we would be lost. Bring us to the turning point of repentance. Forgive us. Restore us. Redeem us. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious and faithful God, You have created us to love You, You have redeemed us to belong to You, You have gifted us to serve You. But we are a fickle and double-minded people. Sometimes we bear good spiritual fruit, but other times our hearts are hard, our worries are immense, and our wills are weak. Forgive us for our sinfulness. Transform our hardened hearts into a rich and fertile ground where Your Word can take root. Restore us the joy of Your salvation. We humbly ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious God, you love us deeply yet we take your love for granted. Rather than trusting you, we trust the gifts you have given us. We confess that our misplaced hope and reliance is on money, intelligence, and resources. Help us hope, trust, and lean into you. Grow our love for you, that we might rely on you, and be more generous with all you have given to us.
Submitted by Laura Murray
Loving God, we confess today: We don’t even know what love truly is. We talk about love when we talk about favorite television shows and foods. We talk about love as if it happens to us. We describe love as a feeling. But you describe love your very nature, the core of who you are. You describe love as an act of self-sacrifice. Please broaden our understanding of love as we silently confess to you the times we haven’t shown love…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Our gracious God, you repeatedly move towards us, even when we pull away. You are not deterred by our rejection of you nor our running from you. Your love is persistent. We confess our distrust of your promises and misunderstanding of your character. Restore our faith in your unfailing love so that we might live and love as you have taught us.
Submitted by Laura Murray
Gracious God, Your love for us is unending, unconditional and unfailing. Even when we wander from Your loving arms, Your steadfast love for us is constant. Our love for You can be fickle and feckless. We wander away into the arms of lust, idolatry, and temporary happiness. You know that we will be unfaithful, but You continue to love us and call us Your own. Forgive us for our wayward hearts, our sinful nature and our failure to remain loyal. Thank You for the forgiveness You extend through Jesus. Cleanse our souls and reconcile us back into Your loving arms. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious God, your love is greater than anything we can imagine. Yet, we are quick to run to other loves and forget about you. Forgive us for turning away from you. Help us to remember your relentless love for us, and give us the depth, strength, and courage to love others well.
Submitted by Laura Murray
Almighty and gracious God, Your love is everlasting and filled with patience. We hurt You and others, and, instead of hurting us back, You forgive us. Our pride often gets in the way of our efforts to reveal Your glory and goodness. We try to bear the imprint of Christ throughout the world, yet we often do just the opposite and fail to be the people You’ve called us to be in Your Word. Forgive the sin in our lives and grant us hearts to follow the example that You gave us in Your Son, Jesus.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
O Holy One, we call to you and name you as eternal, ever-present, and boundless in love. Yet there are times, O God, when we fail to recognize you in the dailyness of our lives. Sometimes shame clenches tightly around our hearts, and we hide our true feelings. Sometimes fear makes us small, and we miss the chance to speak from our strength. Sometimes doubt invades our hopefulness, and we degrade our own wisdom.
All-loving God, we confess our motivations are often not influenced by your love. We act according to what will bring us the best outcome. We love ourselves before we love you. Help us to grow deeper into your love, seeing that it is greater than anything in this world. And as we rest and trust in your love, may we love others with the sacrificial love of your son, Jesus.
Submitted by Laura Murray
Heavenly Father, You are a God who reaches out to us with love and compassion, and You clearly teach us to do likewise. Yet we confess we often do not demonstrate love for our neighbors. We have walked right past people in need, missing opportunities to serve and connect. We also justify our prejudices against others instead of finding reasons to build bridges of conversation and understanding. Have mercy on us, Lord. Restore us to right thinking. Teach us how to be agents of grace once again. May we be restored in this way for Your glory, we pray in Christ’s Name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Almighty God, you love us, but we do not love you fully. You call, but we do not always listen. We often walk away from neighbors in need, wrapped in our own concerns. We often condone evil, hatred, warfare, and greed. God of grace, help us to admit our sin, so that as you move toward us in mercy, we may repent, turn to you, and receive forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.
Holy and merciful God, in your presence we confess our sinfulness, our shortcomings, and our offenses against you. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love. Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we are ashamed and sorry for all we have done to displease you. Forgive our sins, and help us to live in your light, and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Almighty God,
you love us, but we have not loved you.
You call, but we have not listened.
We walk away from our neighbors in need,
wrapped in our own concerns.
We condone evil, prejudice, warfare, and greed.
God of grace,
help us to admit our sin,
so that as you come to us in mercy,
we may repent, turn to you, and receive forgiveness.
Hear us now as we continue to confess our sins in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Lord Jesus, you send us out into the world in your name, but we prefer to stay safely behind. We are nervous, and unmotivated, and uncertain. We love to think about how you love us, but we are much more reluctant to show that love to others. It is especially hard to care for those who challenge, insult, or disrespect us. Strengthen us that we would live up to your call to love even our enemies. Forgive us for our sins, these and all others, as we continue to pray in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Adapted from the Brief Statement of Faith
In sovereign love, you O God created the world good
And make everyone equally in your image,
Male and female, of every race and people,
To live as one community.
But we rebel against you; we hide from you, our Creator.
Ignoring your commandments,
We violate your image in others and ourselves,
Accept lies as truth,
Exploit neighbor and nature,
And threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care.
We deserve your condemnation.
Let us continue to pray in silence, confessing our sins before God and asking for forgiveness.
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Lord Christ, we confess our willingness to be loved but also our reluctance to love. We confess our readiness to accept your forgiving love but also our refusal to forgive. We confess our eagerness to grasp your offer of redeeming love but also our resistance to follow you without question. In this Advent time, forgive us our failure to respond as we should. Come to us anew, and by your grace, assist us to receive you with joy, as the shepherds; with gratitude, as Simeon; with obedience, as Mary; with love, as you have loved us. Even so: come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from “Spiritual Helps” in The Valley of Vision
Pastor: Eternal Father, it is amazing love, that you sent your Son to suffer in my place, that you have given me your Holy Spirit to teach, comfort, and guide me. Because of Jesus’ death in my place, you have forgiven me, a wretched sinner.
All: May my hard heart experience your pity, not your wrath. Although I am prone to evil, dead to goodness, and resist the prompting of your Spirit, do not abandon me. Continue to be gracious!
Pastor: Keep me feeding in the pastures of your delightful Word, rejoicing in Scripture because there you are found. Let all your fatherly dealings with me make me a partaker of your holiness.
All: Grant that in every fall I may sink lower on my knees, and that when I rise it may be to loftier heights of devotion.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Holy God, Your love is amazing, steady, and unchanging. Your love is relentless, passionate, and astounding. We thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus which has redeemed us and restored us to a right relationship with You. We confess that we take this gift for granted; we fail to grasp the significance of the sacrifice; we continue to live as unredeemed people. Forgive us for our sinfulness. Cleanse us. Restore us. And ignite our hearts with a passion to live for You. We humbly ask, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Loving God, you command us to love you and to love our neighbors wholeheartedly. This is a lifelong struggle for us. As we confess our inability to follow this commandment, please help us to find creative ways that we might grow in our capacity to love you and love others. We come to you in silent confession of our failures to love as you do.
Time of silent reflection.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors, and we have refused to hear the cry of the needy.
Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The United Methodist Book of Worship
(Prayers of Adoration)
Holy, Holy, Holy – Father, Son and Holy Spirit: three times holy:
We love you – though we struggle to fully comprehend You.
We follow you – though we don’t know where you might take us.
We praise you – though we see only glimpses of your glory and wonder.
We trust you – because You’re worthy of our belief, trust and faith.
(Prayers of Confession)
Yet, we admit there are times our love, obedience,
praise and trust leave much to be desired.
Too often our love’s only a passing feeling and not a lasting action;
we obey only when it’s convenient;
our praise is limited to when things are going well
and our trust is more in ourselves than in you.
Forgive us, as in the quiet we tell only you
what we’re too ashamed to say before anyone else. (silence… )
All: Lord God
So often our love feels shallow
We act out of love
But then expect something in return
We are impatient
We envy
We boast
We are slow to forgive
Fill us with your Holy Spirit
Open our hearts again to your love
So that we are filled with your joy
And pour out your love to others
Leader: Paul writes: “ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away … For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Our love is only a pale reflection of the incredible love of God. The love which endures is the love Jesus carried with him to the cross, taking on himself your sin, your separation from God, and all those times your love has fallen short. God’s love keeps no record of being wronged. It never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. God’s love means that you are forgiven.
Submitted by Jacob Traeger
Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Most Holy Lord, we speak with eloquence, but have no love. We speak truth to power, pontificate, and smugly consider our knowledge superior to others, but display little to no charity. We give sacrificially for the causes that we believe in and enthusiastically boast about them, but remaining loveless and unmoved, we make no forward progress. We are a people of our own way, resentful, complaining; we take pleasure in the displeasure of others. We elevate our own comfort at the expense of those in pain. We lack love. For this, we express our sorrow and plead for Your forgiveness.
Scott Bullock
Lord, we confess that we do not love you with our whole hearts
And we do not love our neighbour as ourselves.
We seek the blessing of others
Rather than the blessing of your grace
We seek comfort in wealth
Rather than a generosity which reflects Christ
We live as rulers of our own kingdoms
Rather than sons and daughters in yours
Have mercy on us
Humble us
And make us hungry again for life with you
Amen
Jacob Traeger
Jesus, forgive my false following
my misplaced priorities
my misuse of power
my mistreatment of your good gifts
Forgive me for believing destructive voices
Forgive me for using you instead of loving you
Reorder my consuming
Feasting on your presence
You are my bread, my drink, my life
Nurture true faith and trust in me
Time of silent confession
Lisa Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
Adapted from Psalm 51:1-5
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
According to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from by sin.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
So that you are proved right when you speak
And justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Adapted by Bud Thoreen
Holy and merciful God, we confess to you and to one another, and in the company of the communion of saints, that we have sinned by our own fault, in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have not done. We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength; nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven. Have mercy on us, O God, and restore us to a life of obedience. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer by Bud Thoreen
Even as we eagerly await your return, Lord Jesus, we must confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart, with our entire mind, nor with all of our strength. We have loved our rituals and our ruts more than you. Forgive us our complacency and our unwarranted fear of death. Your sacrifice has once and for all covered all our sins. We trust your salvation. Amen
Bud Thoreen
Jesus, we thirst
We thirst for love and belonging
We thirst for security and provision
We thirst for truth and hope
We thirst for healing for our wounds
We thirst for mercy for our sin, our guilt, our shame
Time of silent confession
Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
We bring before God those times when God’s Kingdom and love have not shaped our lives, asking to be forgiven and made new.
Lord Jesus, too often this week you have only been a small part of our lives
We long for the seed of your love to grow fully within us
But it has sat dormant as we’ve looked elsewhere for joy
Take away from us all those things we hold onto
Which prevent us from receiving your Kingdom
Fill us with the joy of your love, so that it would fill every hour of our days
Shape us as citizens of your Kingdom
So that in all of our interactions we are filled with your presence
And bring your Kingdom near to others.
Amen
Eternal God,
Your love for us is without end,
yet our love for you and for one another is weak,
often interrupted by self-centeredness … distrust … vindictiveness.
Whenever we come together to pray to you,
we have to acknowledge that much of our life
deserves your displeasure,
that our life together is too often disfigured by our pride and self-love.
Forgive us, we pray, and restore us to fellowship
with you and with one another.
For Jesus’ sake, amen.
Church of Scotland
Dear God, my Heavenly Father,
My heart is unclean, but you can purify it.
My heart is full of darkness, but you can illuminate it.
My heart is sad, but you can comfort it.
My heart is wicked, but your love can change it.
My heart is cold, but your love can warm it.
My heart is weak, but you can strengthen it.
My heart clings to the earth, but you can fill it with heavenly desires.
My heart is full of sin, but you can adorn it with all virtues.
My heart is wayward and inconstant, but you can make it content.
Come then Holy Spirit and fill me with your love. Amen
Gertrude the Great (1232-1291)
Inspired by Matthew 8
Lord God,
We confess the smallness of our faith.
At those times when our lives seem stormy
we worry that you are asleep and don’t care about what happens to us.
When things are going well, we are quick to take the credit
and slow to give you thanks.
We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbour as ourselves.
There are times when we are so focussed on our needs
That we miss the ways that you want to bless others through us.
You are the God who commands the winds and the waves
Yet you are also the God who draws near to us in love
Renew us with your Holy Spirit, draw us out of ourselves and deeper into your love
For Jesus’ sake
Amen.
Jacob Traeger
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