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Holy God, before whom we kneel in awe, we confess that we have
missed the mark you intended for us. We have yielded to the power
of the tempter and overstepped the boundaries of our humanness.
We have disobeyed you in the neglect of our neighbor. We have
ignored your holy calling and misused the means of your grace.
Our sin cries out for your forgiving touch!
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have
mercy on us and grant us your peace.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "There is no sin so terrible that God's
love cannot overcome and forgive." In the name of Jesus Christ,
you are forgiven!
P: Praise be to God who has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ! In the name of Jesus
Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

Gracious God, forgive us. We have walked with your one and only
Son, Jesus has supported, even carried us in troubled times and
we have refused to acknowledge his presence. We have been foolish
and slow of heart, for we have heard the scriptures and their
interpretation and we have continued to refuse to believe in the
power of resurrection -- for it is not humanly possible. And that
is the point isn't it, O Lord, new life is something we cannot
attain through our own works but only through Jesus and his one
perfect gift of love. Save us from this corrupt generation and
add us into your family.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "It was not with perishable things like
silver or gold that you were saved, but with the precious blood
of Christ." In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: The word of the Lord stands forever! Praise be to God
Almighty! In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

Shepherding God, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have
become the hired hand and abandoned your sheep in the face of
Satan's attack. We have been more concerned for our own lives
than for those whom you have placed in our care. We have come
into your church like thieves and robbers as we have refused to
enter through the gate: Jesus. Our goal has been to control and
possess power over our brothers and sisters. Our interest has
been ourselves and we have been shamed by the example of Christ.
Forgive us, O God and enable us to truly hear the voice of our
Shepherd and Savior, Jesus Christ.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "Jesus bore our sins in his body on the
cross; by his wounds you are healed." In the name of Jesus
Christ, you are forgiven!
P: Praise be to God Almighty! In the name of Jesus Christ, you
are forgiven! Halleluiah!

O God, shield of our mothers and fathers, we have fallen far
short of the plans you have had for our lives. To this point we
acknowledge the disappointment our lives have become, however, we
intend to change, truly we do. No longer shall we stone your
prophets. No longer will we fall asleep in the presence of Jesus.
Never again will we reject your Cornerstone. Maybe you have heard
it all before, but this time it's different. No longer will we
attempt to be yours through our own plans and schemes, but only
through Jesus and your Holy Spirit.
Like newborn babies craving pure spiritual milk we have come
seeking not only your forgiveness, but also your blessing that we
may continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior. Make us into your servants, and then we
shall be free.
(silent prayer)
M: And Jesus said: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in
God; trust also in me." In the name of Jesus Christ, you are
forgiven!
P: Amen! In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

Eternal God, Judge Almighty, pardon our iniquities. No longer are
we eager to do the good you demand. Our fear of you has become an
irrational fear of death and we have forgotten your promise of
resurrection. If anyone does make the mistake of speaking to us,
the only answer we give comes across sharp tongues and through
clenched teeth. Our conscience has become clouded with the
flattery we have heard and the slander we have spread. Your
patience has been rewarded only by our evil disobedience.
Forgive us and enable us to grow through this experience to
become the children you would be proud of and in whom you can
trust.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "Christ died for sins once for all, the
righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." In the name
of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: All praises be to the living God! In the name of Jesus Christ,
you are forgiven! Amen!

O God, Light of the World and lover of concord; we are certainly
sorry for these our misdeeds. Forgive us for those things we have
said, thought or done that has caused a brother or sister to
stumble and fall. Pick them up and return us to your path. In
your hands we still are clay in need of shaping; please remove
the rough corners of our lives and shape us to your will.
Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Pour out your Spirit into my life
that I might overflow with your love. Make me a servant and then
I shall be free!
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "It is by grace you have been saved." In
the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: We are God's -- to the praise of the Lord's eternal glory! In
the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

O Holy God of grace and glory, in whom mercy grows and finds its
beginning. Forgive us and have mercy upon our souls, for we have
sinned against the blessings and commandments you placed upon us
in your Son Jesus Christ. We spend all of our time looking into
heaven and ignore your call to be witnesses in all the earth. We
have been more concerned with the times and seasons of your
judgment and forgotten that you have called us in wisdom and
power to be your agents for salvation in the world around us. We
have chosen the easy path of pious proclamations and forgotten
the hard path of active Christian love.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "As far as the east is from the west, will
God remove your sins" In the name of Jesus Christ, you are
forgiven!
P: Glory and praise to God who in great might has placed all
things under Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are
forgiven! Amen!

O God, ruler of all creation; Forgive us, we pray. Because we
have made the station of one's life; we have made the nationality
of one's heritage; we have made the color of one's skin; we have
made the gender of one's body and thoughts; we have taken our
human condition as the rule for faith. In judging others we have
neglected to consider your judgment upon us. Forgive us, cleanse
us of our iniquity and place us once again upon the path you have
chosen for our lives.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "Everyone who believes in Christ receives
forgiveness of sins through Christ's name." In the name of Jesus
Christ, you are forgiven!
P: Not in vain have we believed in the power of the gospel. In
the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

Giving God, you did not even withhold the life of your Son Jesus
for our sake. Forgive us, for we require much more of our
brothers and sisters, than you do of us. We can reach no
agreements, except those to agree to disagree and we have
forgotten the power of shared faith and resources. The needy
stand among us, as we refuse to cure them. We are far more
concerned with the material requirements of human life, than the
power with which you touch us to testify to Christ's
resurrection.
Forgive us, most merciful God and weld us again into one people
for one purpose -- your salvation of the world.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "We have one who speaks to God in our
defense -- Jesus Christ who is the atoning sacrifice for our
sins." In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: Thanks and praise be to God! In the name of Jesus Christ, you
are forgiven! Amen!

O Jesus, Name above all names, Mighty Redeemer; send your
forgiving Spirit upon us, for we have sinned and fallen short of
your example and life. We have denied the power of your
resurrection and in the presence of the Pilates of this world
delivered you up time and time again. In our own thoughts of
righteousness we have judged and passed sentence upon our
brothers and sisters without a thought for your grace. We have
called for the destruction of this sinful world and neglected to
consider your call for its redemption. We crave power, even in
our servant faith, forgetting your role and place in creation.
Forgive us Lord. Purge our souls of this human impurity that we
may once again hope in you.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "Your faith which is through Jesus has
given you perfect health and blotted out your sins." In the name
of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: "To this we are witnesses, that repentance and forgiveness of
sins should be preached and lived in Christ's name to all
nations." In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

Shepherding Lord, all we like sheep have gone astray. Forgive us,
gather us in your arms and return us to your fold. The wickedness
and sins of our lives are many: we have clawed our way onto the
shoulders of our sisters to stand above the crowds, we have
abused our brothers to enhance our self-image, we have neglected
and discarded the children in our homes, our nation, our world to
pursue human goals and greed. The only love of our lives has been
ourselves.
Forgive us. Help us. Heal us. Save us and return our lives to you
that we may center upon your love in all that we do and say.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "I am the Good Shepherd; I know my own and
my own know me." In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name
by which we are saved." In the name of Jesus Christ, you are
forgiven! Amen!

Compassionate and loving God; the fruit of your vine has withered
upon the branches of our lives. When the world looks to us they
have seen only reflections of themselves and not your disciples.
Forgive us for those things we have said, thought and done which
have caused hate, fear, strife or sin in our brothers and
sisters. Prune from our lives this tendency towards sin and give
to us the strength of character needed to truly become your
disciples.
Remove our withered and broken lives from the fire of your
burning judgment and enable the words of your love to abide in us
as we do in them.
(silent prayer)
M: And Jesus said: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you." In the
name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: By this gift of grace God is glorified! In the name of Jesus
Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

Gracious God, giver of love, forgive us for our failings, for we
have fallen far short of the life you have shown us in Jesus
Christ. We have become so stingy with our love that we have even
refused to lay down our lives for ourselves, let alone a friend
or stranger. We have neglected, ignored and yes even ridiculed
your commandment to love as you have loved.
Through the power of your loving Spirit come into our hearts and
in the closeness of our faith family make us once again children
of your promise.
(silent prayer)
M: And Jesus said: "You did not choose me, but I chose you that
you should go and bear abiding fruit; so that whatever you ask
God in my name may be given to you." In the name of Jesus Christ,
you are forgiven!
P: For this is the love of God and by it we know that we are
God's children. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Amen!

Loving God, forgive the inadequacies of our lives, for we have
sought to live with you and not under Christ or in and through
your love. Like the disciples before us we have not believed the
words of your witnesses for in the "reality" of this world it all
seems like nonsense. We too have walked away from your empty tomb
wondering what has happened, and how we can explain it. We have
forgotten or neglected the power of simple faith in you.
Forgive us, and return us to the fold of your loving arms.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "Why do you look for the living among the
dead?" In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: Thanks be to God who has given us the victory in Christ Jesus
our Lord! In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

O Christ, in the fire and persecutions of this world we have
found only the temptation to deny and degrade your name and
gospel, and not the Spirit to stand firm in our faith. We have
rationalized our lives to the point that we no longer believe in
your ability and power to act for us in this place. Your angels
are no more a part of reality than the characters of comic books
or any other mythological hero. In the end we have chosen to obey
each other, rather than God.
We are truly sorry Jesus; forgive us and in the power of your
Spirit enable us to believe and trust in you alone.
(silent prayer)
M: And Jesus said: "Peace be with you!" In the name of Jesus
Christ, you are forgiven!
P: May God be praised on earth and in all the heavenly places. In
the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

O God, we admit that too often we live on the surface of life. We
are afraid of the depths, though we try to hide many things deep
within us. We are haunted by the knowledge that we have hurt
others by our own selfish acts. We are harassed by the
realization that our sense of priorities and laziness have
prevented us from responding to situations where we might have
made a creative difference. What gets into us, God, to make us
miss the mark of our Christian love time after time?
Help us, O God. Make us again to know the peace and joy of
believing.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "There is no sin so terrible that God's
love cannot forgive." In the name of Jesus Christ, you are
forgiven!
P: The mercy of God is everlasting. In the name of Jesus Christ,
you are forgiven! Amen!

Saving Shepherd, forgive us, for your voice is so familiar to us
that we have begun to take it for granted. You know us even
better than we know ourselves, and while no one will ever be able
to snatch us out of your loving hands, all we like sheep have
gone astray. We have listened to the wolf-songs of Satan and left
the security of your fold only to enter the jaws of death in this
world.
O Lord Jesus, forgive us and gather us back into that one
community of your Body in this world, that we might enter into
your world to come.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "What God promised to our ancestors, has
been fulfilled for us in the raising of Jesus, through whom the
forgiveness of sins is proclaimed." In the name of Jesus Christ,
you are forgiven!
P: Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and
strength be to God for ever and ever! In the name of Jesus
Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

Mother and Father God, you know better than we do, and so we
confess the failures of our love and the confusion of our lives.
We know how often our world is torn by hatred and
misunderstanding, and how much this pains you. We know that while
we are not personally responsible for all of this dissension, we
are guilty of some of it. For there have been times when we have
let small differences mushroom into vast difficulties; while at
the same time we have ignored important understandings that
should have drawn us together in love.
For our tendency to push hate before love, and angry accusations
before patient understanding, forgive us, O God.
(silent prayer)
M: And Jesus said: "I make all things new. To the thirsty I will
give water without price from the fountain of the water of life."
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: Thanks be to God who preserves all who love the Lord Jesus. In
the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

O Jesus, forgive us. We have tried to disassociate love from
obedience and so make your love into only some kind of warm inner
feeling, while seeing obedience as only something we must require
of others ... and not of ourselves. We have felt the touch of our
Counselor, however we have refused to remember all that the Holy
Spirit has taught us about you. To our scientific minds the fact
of your resurrection is not enough to empower our belief. We so
dearly want proof, and when we are given it, we attempt either to
discredit that truth or the one who brought it.
Lamb of God, forgive us and spare us, that we might know the real
and true presence of your peace.
(silent prayer)
M: And Jesus said: "Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do
not be afraid." In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!

Precious Jesus, forgive us. Time and time again your servant
witnesses have entered our fellowship and loudly proclaimed your
gospel. Each and every time we have heard them we ignored their
message, ridiculed their person, distorted their facts, and
simply refused to believe them. We have refused to go into the
world for you, we even balk at the idea of speaking of you with
the person next to us in the pew. Our condemnation is sure.
Forgive us, O Lord and save us for your work.
(silent prayer)
M: Hear the good news: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be
saved." In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
P: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation! In the
name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen!