Prayers of Confession on Confession
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.
Contempt, a Prayer of Confession
Contempt is so painful
To be dismissed, disregarded
Questioning instead of dignity
Accusation instead of personhood
I have felt its sting and hollowness
As have you, my Jesus
Help me hear the needed messages
Help me let go of what isn’t true or helpful
Heal my wound
Time of silent confession
I have wielded the weapon of contempt fully conscious of its destructive power
I have launched it from conditioning, in ignorance and reaction
You never have, my Jesus
Forgive me and heal all I have hurt
Make my ways like yours, my Jesus
Deliver me from a spirit of judgment, criticism, and contempt
Help me see all as you see them- beloved and needed
Especially those who are hard to love
Time of silent prayer
I am most ashamed of aiming contempt at you, my Jesus
For rejecting you, judging you
Making demands of you
I am so very sorry
Forgive me, renew me, abide in me so there is
More of my true me
More of you and your ways
More of your grace extended through me
For the healing of the world
Time of silent prayer
Contempt, a prayer of confession © 2016 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
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
Most holy and merciful Father: We confess to you and to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, Lord.
We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, Lord.
We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
We confess to you, Lord.
Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,
We confess to you, Lord.
Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.
Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, Lord.
Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to you, Lord.
Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,
Accept our repentance, Lord.
For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.
For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.
Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.
Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,
That we may show forth your glory in the world.
By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,
Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.
Book of Common Prayer: A Litany of Penitence for Ash Wednesday, Seabury Press, 1977.
Eternal and Glorious God, You are merciful, kind, and forgiving. You hear us when we confess to You. We admit we do not focus on You with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. A day devoted to You is rarely attempted. We neglect to rest our hearts and minds in You, for we keep going in our power and never stop. We do not attend to Your Word, for we live by the words and idols of our age. We fail to worship with Your people, for we give priority to many other commitments. Forgive our sin, and help us to walk in Your ways to the honor of Your name. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious God, you call us to draw near but we keep our distance. We are afraid of your direction and discipline, so we avoid honesty and confession. Father, help us trust in your goodness and your grace, believing that your correction brings life and joy. May we live in the light of your love so that others might see and draw near to you.
Submitted by Laura Murray
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In humility and faith, let us confess our sin to God.
Loving God, this morning we bring You our confession. Hear us, Lord. We confess we have gone astray. Shepherd us, Lord. We confess we often love You half-heartedly. Make us whole, Lord. We confess we trivialize Your sacrifice. Give us perspective, Lord. We confess we find most of our strength in ourselves. Be our strength, Lord. We confess little zeal for Your glory. Give us passion, Lord. We confess we’ve done so many things wrong. Forgive us, Lord. We confess we often don’t love You well. Love us, Lord. We ask these things in the Name of Jesus Christ, who exchanges our confession for abundant life in Him. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
I confess to God almighty, before the whole company of heaven, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and pray God almighty to have mercy on me.
May almighty God have mercy on your, pardon and deliver you from all your sins and give you time to amend your life. Amen.
I confess to God almighty, before the whole company of heaven, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and pray God almighty to have mercy on me.
May almighty God have mercy on your, pardon and deliver you from all your sins and give you time to amend your life. Amen.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
Thomas Cranmer, The Book of Common Prayer, Great Confession for Morning and Evening Prayer.
Almighty and most merciful Father; We have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; According to your promises declared unto humankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
Thomas Cranmer, Book of Common Prayer, Language Modernized by Stuart Strachan Jr.
Merciful and Holy God, We bow before You in heartfelt confession, acknowledging that we are a broken people, living in a broken world. This world is dark with the stain of sin. Your design for creation has been corrupted by the abuse of power, the appetite for lust, and the enslavement of our wills. We allow evil to go unchallenged, and become passive and indifferent to Your call to engage the world with the Gospel. Forgive our sinfulness. Our sins of commission and omission have separated us from You, from others, and from the world You seek to redeem. Amen
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord Jesus Christ, you are quicker to forgive us than we are to brings our sin before you. We worry that the sin we carry is too deep for you to pardon or too evil for you to bear. We forget that you are a God of second chances—that you forgive us and send us back out to serve you again. Remind us again by your Holy Spirit that our reluctance to ask for your forgiveness is a sin that you long to forgive. Pardon us for this and all of our sins, as we continue to confess in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
We pause this morning to confess our sin to You. We enter into confession with both gratitude and reluctance. We’re grateful we have a gracious God to whom we can confess, but we’re reluctant that a deep confession might push the limits of that grace. So we confess, but not too deeply. We admit our wrongdoing, but omit the specifics. But You know our hearts, O Lord. You see what is done in secret. You hear our anxious thoughts, and know our evil deeds. Forgive us for our deceptiveness even in our confession. Lead us into the depths of our brokenness, that we may experience the heights of Your love. And then teach us how to exhibit Your love to a world that is broken. In the Name Jesus Christ, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Dear Lord, we stand before You this day, remembering that You have called us to come before You in prayer and confession. We confess that we often choose not to remember that we belong to You and instead give our allegiance to the world. We forget that You are constantly reaching out to us in love and grace, offering the better way. We confess that we are sinful, stubborn, and unresponsive. We think, say, and do things that hurt You, others, and ourselves. We get stuck in our ways and can’t or won’t listen to Your voice. Please forgive us. Pour out Your Holy Spirit on us. Breathe into us Your forgiveness, hope, and joy. Restore to us the joy of Your salvation and grant us a willing spirit to sustain us. In the name of Jesus we pray.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Repent and Return, a prayer of confession
Based on Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
ONE VOICE: Joel 2:13
Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful
ALL:
We drift away from our true home
We forget we are Your beloved
We forget we are not God
Rend our hearts, O God, as we repent and return
ONE VOICE: Joel 2:13
Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful
ALL:
We succumb to the temptations of money, sex, and power
We ignore the cries of our sisters and brothers
We focus only on ourselves
Rend our hearts, O God, as we repent and return
Time of silent confession
ONE VOICE:
Remember who you truly are
Let God be God in your life
Begin again with God
ALL:
No despair, for there is mercy
No fear, for there is grace
We return with all our heart
Lead us home, Lord
Lead us home
Repent and Return © 2016 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Wilderness Prayer
God of the Ages
Our Deliverer and Provider
We bow in humility before your grace
You feed us with the divine
Your word
Your body
You quench our thirst with living water
A stream in the desert
You guide our feet through snares and snakes
You free us from slavery to sin and self and shame and death
You lead us the long way to holiness and home
Test our hearts
Have we exalted ourselves?
Have we forgotten you?
time of silent reflection and confession
Reveal the truth to us, O God
Exposed by your unrelenting light
Wiped clean with your Wilderness Wind
Grow in us wholehearted allegiance
that our blessing and devotion may never waver
that we may always recognize and trust your desire to do us good
Amen
Wilderness Prayer © 2017 by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com