Some of our Favorite Calls to Confession
Written by Annette Hill Briggs, unless otherwise noted.
Written by Annette Hill Briggs, unless otherwise noted.
For Ezekiel 34
One: We go about our lives doing what we think we can – until your Word confronts our confidence. Where we have eaten the fat, clothed ourselves, and
slaughtered the fatlings – but have not fed the sheep,
All: In your mercy forgive us, O God.
One: Where we have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, or bound up the injured,
All: In your mercy forgive us, O God.
One: Where we have not brought back the strayed nor sought the lost but judged them with arrogance and harshness,
All: In your mercy forgive us, O God.
~silent confession~
One: Though guilty, we are not condemned.
All: For mercy amazing and grace unknown we are humbly grateful; and anxious to try again to do your will. Thanks be to God. ©
©annette hill briggs
____________
One: We go about our lives doing what we think we can – until your Word confronts our confidence. Where we have eaten the fat, clothed ourselves, and
slaughtered the fatlings – but have not fed the sheep,
All: In your mercy forgive us, O God.
One: Where we have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, or bound up the injured,
All: In your mercy forgive us, O God.
One: Where we have not brought back the strayed nor sought the lost but judged them with arrogance and harshness,
All: In your mercy forgive us, O God.
~silent confession~
One: Though guilty, we are not condemned.
All: For mercy amazing and grace unknown we are humbly grateful; and anxious to try again to do your will. Thanks be to God. ©
©annette hill briggs
____________
For Exodus 32
One: When Moses seemed long gone, the people lost hope and panicked. They stepped back from the truth
they once knew; that God is sometimes quiet but never gone.
All: For moments of divine silence in which we panicked and lost faith, we are truly sorry.
~silent confession~
One: We are God’s beloved; always wanted, always welcome, always secure.
All: We will be confident of God’s presence, always giving thanks! ©
© annette hill briggs, 2011
____________
For Exodus 20
One: When your people failed at rules written in stone, with charity for our weakness, O God, you etched your law upon our hearts.
All: Yet we struggle all the more; resisting your will to go our own way. In your charity you offer us confession and pardon.
~silent confession~
One: Grateful for the grace we have not earned but so require,
All: we accept this new day, to live obediently and by God’s grace. ©
__________
For Isaiah 65:2-5
One: “O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.
All: When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us; you forgive our transgressions.”
~ silent confession ~
One: “You answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation.
All: You are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.”
________
One: Of moments or days when our lives bear witness to anything but your goodness, O God, make us mindful.
All: Our truest longing is to display your love before all people.
~ silent confession ~
One: For the steady confidence of grace in our lives,
All: Thanks be to God!
________
One: For the times we heard you clearly but did not obey, for the times we did not even listen,
All: for the hurt inflicted by our stubbornness, we come for confession right now.
~ silent confession ~
One: Because you never stop seeking us and calling us back to yourself, we are yours alone,
All: Jesus, who is Master, Lord and Friend. Amen!
________
One: Like springs in the desert, God’s grace revives and restores.
All: For revival we come confessing.
~silent confession~
One: Being clean once again and anxious to love God and each other well,
All: we are grateful for God’s grace. Amen.
© annette hill briggs, 2011
___________
One: When Moses seemed long gone, the people lost hope and panicked. They stepped back from the truth
they once knew; that God is sometimes quiet but never gone.
All: For moments of divine silence in which we panicked and lost faith, we are truly sorry.
~silent confession~
One: We are God’s beloved; always wanted, always welcome, always secure.
All: We will be confident of God’s presence, always giving thanks! ©
© annette hill briggs, 2011
____________
For Exodus 20
One: When your people failed at rules written in stone, with charity for our weakness, O God, you etched your law upon our hearts.
All: Yet we struggle all the more; resisting your will to go our own way. In your charity you offer us confession and pardon.
~silent confession~
One: Grateful for the grace we have not earned but so require,
All: we accept this new day, to live obediently and by God’s grace. ©
__________
For Isaiah 65:2-5
One: “O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.
All: When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us; you forgive our transgressions.”
~ silent confession ~
One: “You answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation.
All: You are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.”
________
One: Of moments or days when our lives bear witness to anything but your goodness, O God, make us mindful.
All: Our truest longing is to display your love before all people.
~ silent confession ~
One: For the steady confidence of grace in our lives,
All: Thanks be to God!
________
One: For the times we heard you clearly but did not obey, for the times we did not even listen,
All: for the hurt inflicted by our stubbornness, we come for confession right now.
~ silent confession ~
One: Because you never stop seeking us and calling us back to yourself, we are yours alone,
All: Jesus, who is Master, Lord and Friend. Amen!
________
One: Like springs in the desert, God’s grace revives and restores.
All: For revival we come confessing.
~silent confession~
One: Being clean once again and anxious to love God and each other well,
All: we are grateful for God’s grace. Amen.
© annette hill briggs, 2011
___________
For Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14
One: The world is a mess, O God, and can ill-afford the complicity of your people. Yet we are fearful and busy and weak.
All: We pray for the courage to shun our fear and embrace your strength already in us, beginning in this confession.
~ silent confession ~
One: We long to follow you no matter the cost, O God,
All: Trusting that we belong to you no matter what. Amen.
________
For Mark 6: 14-29
One: Yikes, Lord. Lent. Again. The season for gleaning doubt from memory. Sin from good intentions. Bringing them into the light of your grace.
To be burned like chaff.
All: We might prefer an easier path, O God. Except we know how it all turns out. Life. Life. And more life.
~ silent confession ~
One: Give us the courage not to skip this part, O God. lest we miss even a fragment of your grace,
All: Within, among & all around us. Amen!
________
For Mark 10: 13-16
One: Jesus said we ought receive him like a little child. But preferring the competency of adulthood we miss the blessing he came to give us.
All: We come confessing our need to do it myself! Forgive us, we pray, O God.
~ silent confession ~
One: We bring our whole selves to you, O God, past, present & future, ready for your blessing.
All: May God’s grace give us new peace, new joy & new courage!
________
For Acts 3: 11-20
One: Loving God, Saving Son and Holy Spirit, we come to you again bearing doubt and fear and ignorance. We come knowing we have failed you,
your people, and your creation in so many ways.
All: But we come also bearing trust in your love and confidence in your grace as we confess our sin to you.
~ silent confession ~
One: Accept these prayers, accept our worship, and accept us, O God,
All: Through your love, we pray. Amen.
________
For Acts 4: 5-12
One: Another week gone by in which we bore witness to injustice and mistreatment of the weak, of corruption, idolatry and concession to evil.
All: For the faith we failed to trust & courage we failed to muster, O God, we ask your forgiveness.
~ silent confession ~
One: In the midst of all that we fear, God is with us.
All: We have hope. We have courage. We have peace. Amen!
________
For 1 Samuel 8: 1-20, 11: 14-15
One: For the wrong we’ve done and the right we haven’t, we come confessing, Oh God. When we knew good and well what you desired of us
and yet chose some other, lesser course.
All: For fear and selfishness, for arrogance and simple pride we seek your forgiveness now.
~ silent confession ~
One: The Holy Spirit within and among us bears witness to your grace.
All: May grace’s courage and strength take root in our lives and in our life together. AMEN.
_______
For II Samuel 5: 1-10
One: By entering into worship, we acknowledge our need of God for grace, for mercy, for help and strength. We coming knowing that to receive these things
we must confess the fear, the reluctance, and the disobedience that currently occupy our hearts, our minds, our lives.
All: Having already come this far into worship, let us confess those things in the way of God’s blessing upon our lives and our life together.
~ silent confession ~
One: All is forgiven. We are empty. We are free. We can begin again.
All: Let us receive all God will give us this day. Amen!
________
For II Samuel 6: 1-23
One: In the silence let us bring to mind whatever keeps us from greater grace, from deeper faith, from joyful life.
All: Let us leave them in God’s care here and now.
~ silent confession ~
One: Mercy and love are continually being poured into us.
All: May we be found merciful and full of love in our lives and in our life together.
_________
For II Samuel 7: 1-14a
One: Forgive us, O God, for crowding every moment of our lives with activity, for living as though life is a contest of busyness and productivity.
All: Help us to hunger for the things you desire for us: peace, rest, refreshment.
~ silent confession ~
One: May the gifts God has chosen for us satisfy us completely, in our lives and in our life together.
All: And may we be grateful, in word and in deed. Amen.
One: The world is a mess, O God, and can ill-afford the complicity of your people. Yet we are fearful and busy and weak.
All: We pray for the courage to shun our fear and embrace your strength already in us, beginning in this confession.
~ silent confession ~
One: We long to follow you no matter the cost, O God,
All: Trusting that we belong to you no matter what. Amen.
________
For Mark 6: 14-29
One: Yikes, Lord. Lent. Again. The season for gleaning doubt from memory. Sin from good intentions. Bringing them into the light of your grace.
To be burned like chaff.
All: We might prefer an easier path, O God. Except we know how it all turns out. Life. Life. And more life.
~ silent confession ~
One: Give us the courage not to skip this part, O God. lest we miss even a fragment of your grace,
All: Within, among & all around us. Amen!
________
For Mark 10: 13-16
One: Jesus said we ought receive him like a little child. But preferring the competency of adulthood we miss the blessing he came to give us.
All: We come confessing our need to do it myself! Forgive us, we pray, O God.
~ silent confession ~
One: We bring our whole selves to you, O God, past, present & future, ready for your blessing.
All: May God’s grace give us new peace, new joy & new courage!
________
For Acts 3: 11-20
One: Loving God, Saving Son and Holy Spirit, we come to you again bearing doubt and fear and ignorance. We come knowing we have failed you,
your people, and your creation in so many ways.
All: But we come also bearing trust in your love and confidence in your grace as we confess our sin to you.
~ silent confession ~
One: Accept these prayers, accept our worship, and accept us, O God,
All: Through your love, we pray. Amen.
________
For Acts 4: 5-12
One: Another week gone by in which we bore witness to injustice and mistreatment of the weak, of corruption, idolatry and concession to evil.
All: For the faith we failed to trust & courage we failed to muster, O God, we ask your forgiveness.
~ silent confession ~
One: In the midst of all that we fear, God is with us.
All: We have hope. We have courage. We have peace. Amen!
________
For 1 Samuel 8: 1-20, 11: 14-15
One: For the wrong we’ve done and the right we haven’t, we come confessing, Oh God. When we knew good and well what you desired of us
and yet chose some other, lesser course.
All: For fear and selfishness, for arrogance and simple pride we seek your forgiveness now.
~ silent confession ~
One: The Holy Spirit within and among us bears witness to your grace.
All: May grace’s courage and strength take root in our lives and in our life together. AMEN.
_______
For II Samuel 5: 1-10
One: By entering into worship, we acknowledge our need of God for grace, for mercy, for help and strength. We coming knowing that to receive these things
we must confess the fear, the reluctance, and the disobedience that currently occupy our hearts, our minds, our lives.
All: Having already come this far into worship, let us confess those things in the way of God’s blessing upon our lives and our life together.
~ silent confession ~
One: All is forgiven. We are empty. We are free. We can begin again.
All: Let us receive all God will give us this day. Amen!
________
For II Samuel 6: 1-23
One: In the silence let us bring to mind whatever keeps us from greater grace, from deeper faith, from joyful life.
All: Let us leave them in God’s care here and now.
~ silent confession ~
One: Mercy and love are continually being poured into us.
All: May we be found merciful and full of love in our lives and in our life together.
_________
For II Samuel 7: 1-14a
One: Forgive us, O God, for crowding every moment of our lives with activity, for living as though life is a contest of busyness and productivity.
All: Help us to hunger for the things you desire for us: peace, rest, refreshment.
~ silent confession ~
One: May the gifts God has chosen for us satisfy us completely, in our lives and in our life together.
All: And may we be grateful, in word and in deed. Amen.
For Isaiah 63:7-19
One: The season is upon us, O God, and we come asking for Your help to do it well. When we fret over decorations,
All: help us remember You, adorned with the sins of the world.
One: When we feel the pinch of so many gifts to buy,
All: help us remember Your grace so freely given.
One: When we have worn ourselves out with preparations, help us find You where You have been all along,
All: waiting to welcome us into Your presence, where holiness is not our duty but our delight. Thanks be to God. Amen.
© annette hill briggs, 2015
One: The season is upon us, O God, and we come asking for Your help to do it well. When we fret over decorations,
All: help us remember You, adorned with the sins of the world.
One: When we feel the pinch of so many gifts to buy,
All: help us remember Your grace so freely given.
One: When we have worn ourselves out with preparations, help us find You where You have been all along,
All: waiting to welcome us into Your presence, where holiness is not our duty but our delight. Thanks be to God. Amen.
© annette hill briggs, 2015
For Isaiah 2:1-4
One: How generous you are, O God, welcoming us here again to the confessing place.
Encouraging us to unburden our hearts and minds that we may live and breathe in the light of your love and grace.
All: Grateful for the privilege, we confess everything to you now, O God.
~ silent confession ~
One: For this new day, for this life in you we are so very grateful, O God
All: Let us take joy in every precious moment. Amen.
© annette hill briggs, 2015
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