This was a prayer I came up with over Christmas. It’s a good example of the way I’m structuring our prayers of Confession and Reconciliation at the moment. Usually the language and imagery is more closely tied to the reading or theme of the day than this. This one’s quite generic - which is why I thought I’d post it here if anyone wants to use it.
General prayer of Confession and Reconciliation
God our Maker,
our Creator,
our eternal Mother and Father;
there are times
when we turn away from you
and forget
your consistent love for us,
and welcome for us,
into your eternal family.
For these times of turning;
God, have mercy.
GOD, HAVE MERCY.
Jesus Christ our leader,
our Saviour,
our friend;
there are times
when we turn away from you
and deny our commitment
to follow your way
and be known as your friends.
For these times of denial;
Christ, have mercy.
CHRIST, HAVE MERCY.
Holy Spirit our companion,
our breath,
our inspiration;
there are times
when we turn away from you,
and refuse to let you lead us
into lives of risky love;
caring for others
as much as we care for ourselves.
For these times of refusal;
Spirit, have mercy.
SPIRIT, HAVE MERCY.
…and if
there is anything else
we need to bring before God
at this time
we do so now in the quiet.
[time of silence]
God did not send the Son
into the world
to condemn the world,
but in order that the world
might be saved through him.
If you turn away
from your sins,
then you turn to God
and are forgiven.
THANKS BE TO GOD.
(Blair Cameron, 2008)