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Confession
At Baptism
God
of
Life
In
the midst
of our darkness you are the light.
But
when we
get too cocky and certain about things, you come to
plunge us into darkness once more.
In
the midst
of our suffering, you are our comforter.
But
when we
get too comfortable, you come as the hungry one, the stranger,
the refugee, and call us to a life of costly mercy.
God
of
Life
We
confess
that we are all too unfamiliar with your ways.
You
call us
to be baptised with the baptism of Christ:
to love and to care for the earth’s most wretched;
to suffer and die for the cause of truth and justice.
Instead,
we
buy the dream of the advertisers:
that one might escape all of that,
that one may hide in the shiny happy world of money & property
and beautiful people.
Oh
how
wretched we have become!
Forgive
us
God.
Knock
us
around a bit so that we come to our senses.
Show
us anew
where the good way is,
and
help us
to walk it with all our hearts.
For
in Jesus
you showe us the way:
that in dying there is life,
in stillness there is dancing,
in poverty there is plenty.
Amen.
In the
In the
beginning when the earth was made,
God
brought forth life and light from the watery depths.
And
God
saw that it was good . . .
But
look what
we have done!
In
the
clouds of industry the light is hidden;
And
life itself struggles for breath
amidst
the stench of human greed.
God,
have mercy on us!
All sing: Kyrie eleison (x3)
In the
beginning when the earth was made,
the
land emerged and burst forth with vegetation.
And
God
saw that it was good . . .
But
look what
we have done!
With
‘green revolutions’ and the love of money
we’ve
endangered the variety on which all life depends.
Christ,
have mercy on us!
All sing: Christe eleison (x3)
In the
beginning when the earth was made,
the
sea
was filled with fish, and the sky with birds,
and
the
land with creatures from God’s secret purpose.
And
God
saw that it was good . . .
But
look what
we have done!
Our
brother
the Thylacine
and
our
sister the Pig-footed Bandicoot
wander
the bush no more.
God,
have mercy on us!
All sing: Kyrie eleison (x3)
Listen to
what God
says:
A
shoot shall
come out from the stump of Jesse,
and
a branch
shall grow out of his roots.
He
shall not
judge by rumour or by so-called ‘common sense’.
With
Righteousness he shall judge for the little ones,
With
justice
he shall decide for the one most vulnerable.
The
dingo
shall live with the kangaroo,
the
calf and
the croc and the emu together;
and
a little
child shall look out for them.
Isaiah
11.1,
3, 4, 6
Therefore
Christ has this word of grace
for
all who
lament their complicity with all that is wrong in the world,
who
come to
God with a broken and contrite spirit:
Your
sins are forgiven.
Thanks
be to God!
At Sorry Day (May 26th)
Ancient
Spirit of
we
confess
coming to a land not our own
to
rape and
exploit it for profitable ends
to
use it as
a rubbish-heap for our undesirables.
Lord,
have
mercy,
Lord, have mercy.
We
confess
coming to a people not our own
whom
we
hunted and enslaved like wild animals
whom
we chose
as the bearers of our sin.
Christ,
have
mercy,
Christ, have mercy.
We
confess
coming to a spirituality not our own,
a
Way inscribed
in the land itself,
which
we
ridiculed and hunted as witchery.
Lord,
have
mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
We
confess
that the land we exploit is a sacred place;
that
the
people we enslave bear your image;
that
the
religion we denigrate is able to speak of Christ.
Lord,
in your
mercy
forgive
and set us free
At Social Justice Sunday
Because
kids are dying of malnutrition
while
we have
more food than we need
Lord,
have
mercy: Lord, have mercy.
Because
people are crippled by unpayable debts
while
we save
for our latest dream
Christ,
have
mercy: Christ, have mercy.
Because we
pray for justice
but
lift not
a finger to help a neighbour in need
Lord,
have
mercy: Lord, have mercy.
At
Christmas
In
penitence and faith, let’s confess who we are before God . .
We
are people
who easily forget that Christ has come amongst us.
Lord,
have
mercy: Lord, have mercy.
We
are
people who forget to seek for the presence of Christ in our everyday
experience.
Christ,
have
mercy: Christ, have mercy.
We
are
people who forget to earnestly pray that Christ’s reign of justice and
peace will come on earth.
Lord,
have
mercy: Lord, have mercy.
On
this
day of days, when God becomes a human being, it also becomes possible
that
human beings may be reunited with their Creator. In the Christ of
At the Reign of Christ
Lord, we are your people, the sheep your pasture. We are the ones who look to Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. But sometimes we become so secure in our status as your chosen ones that we forget that you are the Creator of the whole world, and that you have a plan for others as well. For those who are not of our own sheep-fold.
Forgive your people those many times in our history when we have persecuted and killed people simply because they are not Christians. Forgive us, even today, when we look with suspicion and fear at people whose faith is different to our own.
In a moment of quiet, we search our hearts and confess our own injustice, our own prejudice. . .
At any time
Crucified
and risen God,
we
thank you
for your amazing love.
Even
while we
were lost in our sin,
still
entangled in the wrongness of this world,
you
took our
breath away with your forgiveness.
Grant
us the
breath of your Spirit to sustain us
as
we seek to
walk in newness of life. Amen.
At Easter
God of
mercy,
in
Jesus you
came to look for the lost,
you
came to
look for us . . .
But such
compassion is . . . dangerous,
When
you
confronted the powers of fear and of hatred,
you
were
mocked, tortured and killed by evil men.
The
sky went
dark, the moon turned to blood.
It
was like
the whole universe was struggling for breath . . .
But then
something strange happened.
In
your
anguish, we found our joy.
In
your
disfigurement, we found a god we could understand.
In
your
wounds of love, the whole universe found its healing . .
As the
buried grain brings forth a harvest,
as
the pangs
of labour give way to joy,
so
Christ
died and is risen,
risen
to fill
the whole universe with God's light . . .
And so we
worship you, our God.
For
you did
not abandon us to our evil ways.
In
Christ the
world is made new.
Alleluia . . . Alleluia . . . Alleluia . . .
At
Baptism
Loving
Lord, even before we were knit together in our mother’s womb, you knew
every day ordained for us, and loved us with an everlasting love. Yet
we so
easily forget that we are so fearfully and wonderfully made.
Lord
have
mercy. Lord have mercy . . .
Lord
Jesus, you know us so very well. You are closer to us than our own
breathing.
You know who we are and call us to find ourselves by following you. Yet
so
often we turn aside from your path, and make for ourselves masks by
which we
hide our true identity, even from ourselves!
Christ
have
mercy. Christ have mercy . . .
Merciful
God, in baptism each of us pledged ourselves to you, soul and body,
saying
"I am no longer my own, but yours". But we are adept at using and
abusing our bodies as though they were ours alone. We don’t look after
these temples as we ought. We forget that our bodies are part of
Christ’s
own body.
Lord
have
mercy. Lord have mercy . . .
At any time
God of mercy
Forgive
us
our riches while so many are poor,
forgive
us
our full stomachs while so many are hungry,
forgive
us
our laughter while so many are weeping,
forgive
us
our idolatrous yearnings for status and success,
while
true
prophets are spurned and ridiculed.
God of mercy
In
Jesus you
gave us an opportunity to let go of these things,
to
put aside
all that maims and poisons.
In
your
grace, you gave us an opportunity to be healed, to start again.
We want to
embrace that healing now.
We
want to be
free for the new life you offer.
Touch
us with
your lovingkindness.
In
your
compassion, bring us to life once more. Amen.
At
Jubilee/ Reconciliation
Because
we
do not honour your name, or look for the coming of your kingdom
in our
relationships and our politics,
Lord
have
mercy: Lord have mercy.
Because
we
hesitate to share our food with the hungry,
and
our water
with the thirsty,
Christ
have
mercy: Christ have mercy.
Because
we
are slow to forgive our debtors after the way you
have
forgiven
us,
Lord
have
mercy: Lord have mercy.
In
a world
so weary of doing good, it is easy for God's children to become weary
of doing
good as well. But our God is one who strengthens the weary of heart.
Those who
wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall rise up on
wings like
eagles. They shall run and not be tired. They shall walk and not be
faint. Hear
then Christ's word of grace to us: Your sins are forgiven. Thanks
be to God.
At Any time
Living God
When
we are
hurt and in pain
save
us from
that cold which paralyses our breathing,
our
moving,
our feeling;
and
save us
from the impenetrable mist of our loneliness.
When we
want to curl into a coma,
when
we want
to enter that numb forgetfulness,
open
our
hearts wide.
Warm
us with
neighbours,
comfort
us
with strangers,
help
us to
breathe in the presence of hope once more,
that
our
wounds may be healed. Amen.
At any time
Loving
Lord,
sometimes
we
don't use the freedom you've given very well.
We
fight with
each other over things that aren't important,
and
keep
silence over things that are.
We
litter and
consume the beautiful earth
instead
of
loving it as God's own body.
We
sneak away
when a friend needs our help,
and
hide away
when we could use some help ourselves.
We
are quick
to have a go at each other,
but
slow to
offer words of encouragement or care.
Loving
Lord, forgive us.
In
Jesus you
showed us a most excellent way:
a
way of
honesty and courage.
Grant
us
courage today, that we may address ourselves
and
each
other,
with
the
words of God's freedom on our lips:
Your
sins are
forgiven!
Thanks
be
to God!
At any time
Merciful
God:
Forgive
us
for holding our pain inside.
Help
us to
share it with caring friends,
to
name it
out loud
that
the
burden might not be so heavy.
Forgive us
for clutching our possession so.
Help
us to
share our fortune with the poor
and
with the
stranger at our gates,
that
your
gifts may be evermore given.
Forgive us
for hiding our sins in secret
places.
Help
us to
confess our sins to you
and
present
honest faces to one another,
that
we might
awake to the joy of forgiveness.
Forgive us
for holding our love inside.
Help
us to
give to each other out of our truest selves
that
the love
of Jesus might grow within us
and
the
Amen.
At
any
time
Merciful
God:
We
are weak
and pathetic,
yet
there is
so much strength in us!
We
are cold
and heartless,
but
our
hearts go out to the needy!
We
love evil
and avoid doing good,
yet
we are
lovers and dreamers of peace!
Merciful
God:
In
Jesus
Christ you became like us,
so
that we
might become like you.
In
your
mercy, forgive our ambivalence
and
make us
alive with your pure, single-minded, love.
Amen.
At any time
We lazily
cling to all that is miserable and
degrading;
we
love
stagnation more than life in all its fullness.
Save
us from
laziness, O God.
Lord,
have
mercy: Lord, have mercy.
Forgiving
God, we are a people who live in
fear.
We
are scared
of the unknown and of all that's genuinely new;
we're
afraid
to die, we're afraid of transformation.
Save
us from
fear, O God.
Christ,
have
mercy: Christ, have mercy.
Loving God,
we are a forgetful people.
We've
forgotten that we are your children,
heirs
of God
and all that belongs to God.
Save
us from
forgetfulness, O God.
Lord,
have
mercy: Lord, have mercy.
At
any
time
God,
in
Jesus you showed us the way to joy.
But
somehow
it’s easier to be miserable,
to
stick with
what’s known and familiar,
even
if that
robs us life’s riches.
I
guess
we’re afraid, God.
I
guess
we’re afraid of what might happen if we let you in,
what
renovations you might make to those houses within.
I
suppose we
forget that you love us deeply,
that
you’ve got our best interests in mind,
that
you long
to tend our souls
like
the
angels do the gardens of heaven.
Lord,
today we want it all to change.
All
the lies
and the sneaking around.
All
the fear
and the guilt and the feeling sorry for ourselves.
Come
like a
loving gardener.
Come
like
Peter Cundall and prune away the rubbish.
We
want to be
roses for you God,
a
garden of
your own planting,
a
sweet-smelling offering to your love.
Please
forgive us our attachment
to
all that
is miserable and ugly.
Make
us the
beautiful souls we were destined to be.
In
Jesus name
we pray. Amen.
At any time
O God our
friend and companion,
we
are people
who cheerfully praise you when all is well,
yet
we
quickly forget your goodness during the tough times.
In your mercy, forgive us.
We are
people whose lips speak of 'good news
for the poor',
while
our
hearts turn aside from the needy all around.
In your mercy, forgive us.
We are
people who believe that Jesus is Lord,
yet
we daily
pay homage to the gods of Money and Success.
In your mercy, forgive us.
We are
people who yearn to unlock the
mysteries of your love,
yet
we invest
so little time in prayerful listening.
In your mercy, forgive us.
God our
Companion, we believe that you love
us.
But
we
confess our failure to be the people you call us to be.
We
take
refuge in Jesus, whom came as the suffering one
who
bears the
sins of the world.
In
him our
sins are forgiven.
In
him we
dare to hope for a brighter future.
Lord, in your mercy, set us free. Amen.
At any time
Lord,
you
have
given us your Spirit of Love (hands to heart)
But
we keep
that love to ourselves (one hand out in a 'stop!' sign).
You
have
given us your Spirit of Joy (hands up, saying 'whoopee!').
But
we prefer
to mope around (head hung, pout on face).
You
have
given us your Spirit of Peace (hands in monkey-grip).
But
we hit
out at each other when we can't get our way (hit out).
Loving
Lord
(reach up), forgive us (hands crossed over heart).
Set
us free
from our sins (hands at sides, palms forward)
and
make us
whole once more (standing, arms outstretched to heaven).
At any time
God:
Save
us from
bitterness -
that
little
seed of anger
which
grows
like ragwart
and
takes
over all the good ground
in
no time
flat
leaving
our
hearts barren and spent.
Make our
anger
into
a sharp
instrument of cultivation
which
makes
the paddocks
produce
a
harvest.
May
we wield
it with thought
and
direct it
with planning.
Then the
crop will grow
and
we can
have done with anger.
We
will put
the plough away
and
throw a
big party
where
the
poor can eat their fill
and
never go
hungry again.
God, save
us from bitterness.
Make
our
anger count,
for
Christ's
sake. Amen.
At
Easter
Loving
Lord,
in
the
brightness of this resurrection season
we
greet you
as the one who makes all things new.
You
are the
beginning and the end of all our striving.
You
are our
healing and our home.
Lord
Jesus, we love you. We worship you. We adore you.
Forgive
us
when we live as though the resurrection isn't real.
Forgive
us
when we continue in bitterness towards others
or
loathing
towards ourselves.
Forgive
us
when we hoard our riches and refuse to share.
Forgive
us
when we neglect the word of your good news,
and
the
company of our brothers and sisters in the reign of
God.
(Psalm 51 is said or sung: 'Create in us a clean heart, O God')
Loving
Shepherd, you care for all your sheep,
and
especially for the weakest and most vulnerable.
We
wander
from your path often,
but
you call
us by name and search until we are found.
Forgive
us
now, Lord.
Only
say the
word, and we shall be healed. Amen.
At Lent
Loving Lord
We are the people who believe that knowing you is more important than anything else in the world. You are the pearl of great price, the treasure found in a field. For the joy of obtaining you, we declare our willingness to give up everything else, to put away our idols in order to worship you, the one true God.
Still . . . today we gather, a company of liars and cowards. We cling to almost everything else but you. Given the choice between spending time with you and watching TV, we watch TV. When you came to us in the guise of the stranger and ask our help, we say no. Given the choice between common sense and losing ourselves for your sake, we choose common sense every time.
Merciful Lord, as we confess who we are in the silence, hear us, and forgive.
(silence . . .)
Nothing in
the whole creation can separate us
from the love of Christ. Not trouble, nor suffering, nor hunger, nor
danger,
nor illness, nor unpopularity, nor being out of step with fashion, nor
even
death. God loves us. And so I declare to you Christ’s amazing word of
grace to us all. Your sins are forgiven!
Thanks
be
to God!
At Lent
We
need
your forgiveness, merciful God,
for
not
allowing our complacency to be shattered,
for
taking
refuge too often in the familiar and the certain;
for
not
believing in the victory of vulnerability,
for
not
daring to accept your gifts nor claim your promises.
Sung: Lord have mercy (x3); Christ have mercy (x3); Lord have mercy (x3)
Merciful
God,
In
this time
of Lenten reflection, grant us true repentance.
This
is a
time for clarity,
as
when the
bare boughs of winter show us the
true
shape of
the tree in its austere beauty.
Grant
that we
may clear away the clutter of our lives
and
follow
you with single-minded devotion.
Amen.
Based on
a prayer from the St. Hilda Community in London.
At any time
Who we are
is known to God.
Who
we will
be is known also.
At
no point
in any of our stories has God rejected us
because
we
reject ourselves.
We
are God's
beloved children,
heirs
to all
that is God and belongs to God.
Our
suffering
is God's suffering.
Our
joy is
God's joy.
God
accepts
and celebrates the selves
we
find so
hard to accept.
Let us find
our peace, then.
Let
us
receive with a deep thankfulness
that
cup of
God's love
which
is
Christ's forgiveness.
Amen.
At Easter or any time
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
you
came into
this world to save sinners:
Lord
have
mercy: Lord, have mercy.
You
were
tortured and killed by evil men
that
our sins
might be forgiven:
Christ,
have
mercy: Christ have mercy.
You
live
forever, our risen and exalted Saviour,
praying
for
us in the life of God:
Lord,
have
mercy: Lord have mercy.
At any time
Lord, you
search us and know us (search)
Lord,
you
search us and know us
You know
our hearts (hands on heart)
You
know
our hearts
You know
that we have failed to love - (give
heart away)
You
know
that we have failed to love -
To love
ourselves (embrace self)
To
love
ourselves
To love
others (arms outstretched to others)
To
love
others
To love God
- (arms reaching out to the
heavens)
to
love
God -
Lord,
forgive us (down on one knee, penitent)
Lord,
forgive us.
In your
love, set us free (on two knees, arms
to the heavens, then stand up, smiling)
In
your
love, set us free.
These prayers are
© Garry
Deverell of