Prayers of Confession on the Kingdom of God
True Love
Merciful Jesus
Give us courage to deny privilege
to lay down favor and safety
in order to take up the cross of opportunity and justice
Too often we fail to do this
Merciful Jesus
Give us courage to deny consumerism
to lay down convenience and gratification
in order to take up the cross of sustainability and generosity
Too often we fail to do this
Merciful Jesus
Give us courage to deny comfort
to lay down apathy and ease
in order to take up the cross of service and true love
To often we fail to do this
The congregation is invited to offer their own prayers of confession
Merciful Jesus
Our King and our Neighbor in Need
You forgive us and offer us a better way
Reveal your true love in us and through us
Faith and Works
Prayer and Action
Now and Forever
Amen
True Love © 2010, updated 2023 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
Prayer of Confession for Christ the King Sunday
Royal One, grant us strength
to serve and keep on serving
to risk and keep on risking
to love and keep on loving
Holy One, grant us faith
to stand, trusting all will be revealed
to bow, knowing all will be revealed
The hidden will be brought to light
hidden actions of our hands
hidden motives of our hearts
hidden words, hidden thoughts
your hidden presence
When you come
Find us gracious
Find us generous
Find us faithful
Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
The congregation is invited to offer their own prayers of confession. The worship leader concludes with
words of absolution.
All Brought to Light © 2020 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
Adapted from Matthew 13:18-23
Pastor: “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.”
All: We have ignored Your Word, O God, and You discipline us for our willful rebellion. Have mercy, O God.
Pastor: “As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.”
All: We have been weak, O God, during tribulation and persecution, and we have not looked to you for strength.
Pastor: “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”
All: O God, we have cared more about riches and cares of this world rather than eternal things.
Pastor: “As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
All: Make our hearts good soil, O Lord, so that we might yield a great harvest of praise for Your Name. Do it in us, for we cannot do it on our own.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Inspired by Mark 4:26-34
Leader: King Jesus, you taught your disciples a great deal about your kingdom, and we confess that we have thought much more about our own kingdoms than about yours. In fact, you are the king over all creation, and we are not.
People: You are the King over all creation; we are your humble servants.
Leader: We confess that we have acted like the kings and queens over our lives, and we have not regarded your reign nearly as much as we ought. In fact, we have tried to keep your sovereign rule as far away from our lives a much as possible.
People: You are the King over all creation; we are your humble servants.
Leader: We ask that you renews our hearts to love and cherish your authority and power. We want to obey you, we want to serve you, and we want to follow you.
People: You are the King over all creation; we are your humble servants. Help us love and worship you. Amen.
Dustin Ray
Inspired by James 2:1-17
Lord, help us to be a people known for the ways in which we live out our faith by loving and serving all people, even those who, in the world’s eyes, have little to offer us. By treating them with dignity and respect, we demonstrate that a different kind of kingdom is at work in this world. It is not a kingdom of tit-for-tat, where relationships are seen as commodities for exploitation and advancement, but rather it is a world where we see the value in each human life, no matter their circumstances. Help us to be that kind of community,
Amen.
Stuart Strachan Jr.
Dear God, we confess that we have sinned and need Your forgiveness. We want to do things on our own, without You. We have been distracted from Your Word and behave as if Your instructions were vague. We are unworthy of Your grace and undeserving of your forgiveness. We’ve failed You once again. God, thank You for being merciful. Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to guide us. May we experience the Spirit’s presence more clearly every day. Give us the focus to follow Your Word and Your ways. Show us the way to your Kingdom and Your grace. Help us when we’re in trouble and guide us away from the darkness of this world. Show me what you want me to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, by the 2017 Confirmation Class
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.
We search for joy and meaning in our world. We look for it in our careers, our social circles, and along many of our paths in life. But these things are often fleeting, and our search is unsustainable. God forgive us for not seeking Your kingdom first. Remove those blinders that prevent us from seeing what You are doing in the world and in our lives. Help us to have our eyes focused only on You. May we seek the ultimate treasure which is Your salvation. Help us to trust that we are a forgiven people, who find joy in the assurance that we are Yours. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Everyone: Holy God, we live our lives struggling in our own burdens and failing to trust You with all the things that hold us down.
Leader: Your Scripture says, “Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”
Everyone: We chase material things and success that fades. We prioritize our schedules above our faith.
Leader: Your Scripture says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
Everyone: We live as if hope doesn’t exist. We fail to see the bigger picture of the needs of the world that You have called us to serve.
Leader: Your Scripture says, “He saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done, but because of His own purpose and grace.”
Everyone: We carry grudges, avoid conflict, and live in dysfunctional relationships instead of seeking wholeness and reconciliation.
Leader: Your Scripture says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”
Everyone: We don’t live as if Your promises are true. We don’t give You our whole lives and follow You in the gift of Your forgiveness.
Leader: Your Scripture says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life.”
Everyone: Help us to daily live in the gift of Your forgiveness. Help us to serve and live holy lives out of that gift. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Heavenly Father, we confess that in our pursuit of good, we often miss opportunities to bring you honor and glory. We try to address our shortcomings by compensating for them, rather than by orienting around your will. We seek what seems higher to us rather than what is holy to you. Help us to first seek your Kingdom, and to put your glory ahead of our own. Hear our prayers as we continue our confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Gracious Father, we confess that we have all sinned and fallen short of Your glory. We have neglected and misused Your holy worship. We have dealt unjustly and unkindly with our neighbors. We have not sought first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness. You have revealed Your wonderful love to us in Christ and have offered us pardon and salvation in Him; but we have turned away. We have run into temptation, and the sin we should have hated, we have committed. Have mercy on us, merciful Father. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your holy Name, Amen.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Gracious God, your Son Jesus came not be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. He is our Good Shepherd, whose leadership is less about the love of power, and more about the power of love. This same Jesus called us to follow Him, to lead as He did, to serve as He served, showing others His Kingdom way of life. But we need your forgiveness for thoughtless words, said without love, for hurried decisions, made without your wisdom, for destructive moments, when anger tore, for selfish motives, when our power wounded another. By your mercy, focus our eyes on you, Lord Jesus, And tune our ears to your Holy Spirit. Let our greatest passion be compassion, our greatest strength be love, So that in leading, we never fail to follow You, Through Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Heavenly Father, forgive us when we become so consumed with the details of life that we do not see the opportunities that you have placed before us. Open our eyes to your call to extend love, by communicating with grace and by speaking truth in the world around us. Give us obedient and wise hearts that allow us to see your Kingdom and speak with your words. We pray these things in the name of the one who is your Word, Christ Jesus. Hear our prayers as we continue our confession in silence…
Submitted by Allen Thompson
Dear Lord, You are the King of the world, the Creator of all things, and the Giver of life. You have made us in Your image and invited us to be Your children—the heirs of Your kingdom—and we give You our thanks and praise. We stop now to confess that we have sinned and fallen short of what You would have us be. We have found our identity in earthly things like work, money, family, reputation, our homes, our friends, even our country.
We have worshiped them more than You. We have turned away from being part of Your Kingdom work to satisfy our own agendas. We have broken Your heart with our sin, and we are sorry. Please forgive us. Help us open our hearts to receive the gift of forgiveness that You offer through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Create in us clean hearts and fill us with Your presence. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Dear Lord, we come before You now as Your children who need You. God, You are the Creator of all things, the Giver of life itself. You have made us in Your image and invited us to be Your children and the heirs of Your Kingdom. You have called us to be Your servants and to be part of Your Kingdom work, using the gifts You have given us. We stop now to confess that we have sinned and fallen short of what You would have us be. We have not always followed You or served You with our whole hearts. We have sinned and broken our promises to You, to one another, and to ourselves.
We are sorry; please forgive us. Wash us clean and make us new. Turn our hearts toward You and renew our hope in You. By Your Spirit, give us the courage, the commitment, and the opportunity to serve You each day. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Gracious God, you tend to the earth as your vineyard, longing for it to bring fruit. You want our society and our lives to look more and more like the Kingdom of Heaven. We work against your plans, sometimes by what we do, and sometimes by what we leave undone. We abuse the land, take advantage of the weak, and turn a blind eye to the poor. We fight against your purposes, and we need your forgiveness. Pardon us for these and all our sins, as we continue to pray in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
Almighty and loving God, You created us to love You, worship You, and serve You. But our brokenness and sinfulness tarnishes the beauty and perfection of Your creation. We are hard-hearted and indifferent toward Your Kingdom. We easily forget Your call to love You with all our heart, soul, and might. Forgive us for being preoccupied with ourselves and not fulfilling our call to fully surrender and serve You. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in us.
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Lord Jesus Christ, you call us to high standards, and we continuously fall short. You tell us to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile; to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Not only do we fail to comply with these commands, we find them so outlandish that we don’t even try to live up to them. Forgive us for our failures and for our fatigue; for our stubbornness and for our sin. Hear us now as we continue to confess our sins in silence…
Silent Prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Submitted by Chip Hardwick
LORD, too often we live for ourselves instead of how You have called us. Please forgive us for the times when we don’t strive to bring about Your kingdom here and now. Forgive us for the lack of imaginative vision bring about Your amazing plans You have for Your creation. Give us new eyes to see the world around us as we silently confess our sins to You now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
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
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