Prayers of Confession on the Cross
Adapted from Psalm 106
Pastor: “Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.”
All: You have blessed us and delivered us from trouble. You’ve been so kind to us, but we have forgotten your good works, your faithfulness, and your grace. We have been faithless.
Pastor: Because of the good work that Jesus Christ did in his life, and because of his death on the cross in our place, you have forgiven those of us who have trusted you. Forgive us for the sins that we continue to commit and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
All: Look upon our distress and remember your covenant with Jesus Christ. “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.”
Submitted by Dustin Ray
“It is finished.” With those words, You declared victory. Sin, death, and evil lost their power. We are the church: Each of us recipients of Your victory. In Jesus, we have won! But often we deny Your victory. We allow sin, evil, and death to reign as if we do not have a Savior. When challenged in our faith, we throw up our hands in defeat. We fail to rely on You. Lord, we are sorry for our failures. Cause us to trust Your words and to stand firm in Your victory. Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
We have been created by God, to be loved by God, and to receive our identity from God. But in our everyday lives, as we go about our work, school, interacting with our family and friends, we don’t always behold God and receive our identity from him. We call other things holy. So as we come before God in worship this morning, we acknowledge that and we pray that our whole lives will be formed in worship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father, there are parts of our lives where we don’t acknowledge you as Lord:
Often we are unsatisfied with who you have made us to be
We seek validation from others more than we seek it from you
Lord Jesus, there are parts of our lives where we don’t acknowledge you as Saviour:
Often our first response to challenges in life is problem-solving rather than prayer
Instead of being shaped by your cross, we try to avoid pain and suffering
And this disconnects us from our neighbours
Holy Spirit, there are parts of our lives where we don’t look to you for hope:
Often we fear the unknowns of the future
Or we put our hope in technology, education, or celebrities
And don’t believe that you are working all things for good
Father, we come before you and acknowledge our weakness and our distraction.
We believe and trust you Lord, help our unbelief.
Renew us through your Holy Spirit
And give us the same heart as Christ Jesus
To love you with all our heart
And love our neighbour as ourselves
Amen
Jacob Traeger
Leader: Scripture teaches us that there is one good and holy God; that we were created in God’s image, to commit ourselves to Him, to do good works, to reflect His glory, and to know Him as loving Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Genesis 1:27, Ephesians 2:10, Isaiah 60:1-3, 1 John 3:1, Luke 2:11)
All: I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.
Leader: The scripture teaches that God has given us commands for our own good and the good of our community, but that each of us has failed in thought, word and deed. We have sinned, and the punishment is death. (Deuteronomy 6:24-25, Romans 7:18-20, Romans 6:23)
All: I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.
Leader: The scripture teaches us that Jesus Christ has ransomed us from this punishment through his sacrificial death on the cross; that death has lost its sting; that there is no fear; that love abounds; that someday every single person will see Jesus for who He really is; and that anyone who believes these truths is a new creation whose life is on a new trajectory: the old life has passed away and new life has come! (Mark 10:45, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, 1 John 4:18, Philippians 2:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
All: I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
God of grace, we look to your son, today, who began his journey to the cross. As we trace his footsteps to Jerusalem, please give us your grace. For we know that we are called to follow Jesus, to carry our own crosses, to go where you lead. But we fail to follow you so often. Lord, please renew our resolve to follow you as we silently confess our sins to you now.
Time of silent reflection.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
We confess, Gracious God, that we are a forgiven people who still need forgiveness. As Christians, it is easy to take this forgiveness for granted, and leave our lives unchanged. It is tempting to sin boldly in the false assurance that all is pardoned automatically. Remind us again of the good news that your son Jesus Christ took our sin seriously enough to die on the cross. Forgive us for presuming upon your grace, and for committing all our sins, as we continue to confess in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Loving, good, and kind God, you sent your Son to endure the cross so that we might know you. You desire a relationship with us, and you are interested in the condition of our hearts. Too often our hearts are devoid of passion for you. Too often we drift through our days, ignoring you. Please kindle our hearts for knowing you as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Adapted from “The Precious Blood” in The Valley of Vision
Leader: Blessed Lord Jesus, before your cross I kneel and see the heinousness of my sin, my iniquity that caused you to be made a curse, the evil that provokes divine wrath.
All: Show me the enormity of my guilt by the crown of thorns, the pierced hands and feet, the bruised body, the dying cries. Your blood is the blood of incarnate God; its worth is infinite, and its value is beyond all thought.
Leader: Sin is my sickness, my monster, my foe, my enemy, born in my birth, alive in my life, strong in my character, intermingling with my every thought. Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light?
All: Yet your compassions reach over me, your heart rushes to my rescue, your love endured my curse, your mercy bore the stripes I deserved. Let me walk in humiliation, bathed in your blood with a tender conscious, triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Father of mercies,
Your word is like a double-edged sword. When we read about the humility, the sacrifice of your son, in comparison with our own lives, we are convicted of our sin. We have not humbled ourselves in the ways that you have called us to. We have bragged of our accomplishments, boasted of our talents, acting as if we are the ones responsible for all the good things that come to us. But when we read your word, we are laid bare, and we see our own failure to live a humble life, a life according to your easy yoke. But we come to you grateful, that you are not a God who holds grudges, but your mercies are new each morning. Help us to continuously turn over to you our pride, our insecurities, that we may embody the beauty and the power and majesty of Jesus Christ in our own lives, through the power of your Holy Spirit, Amen.
Stuart Strachan Jr.
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