Lent 3 Confession, Placing oneself in community
Being your full self in front of God, confessing your self in the midst of community so you are not alone in your humanity. Confession is about confessing the good and bad of what it mean to be part of the human condition, and hopefully remembering that Jesus was human once too. In terms of the paralytic, his sins were forgiven because of the faith and community of his friends, it was a confessional moment.
Breath Prayer
Inhale: I don’t know everything
Exhale: It’s ok to not know
Inhale: I am me
Exhale: I am enough
Inhale: Today I will not achieve
Exhale: Today I will just be
Call to Worship
Come confess yourselves to Jesus Christ
I come, a full and imperfect human being
And yet, somehow, Jesus promises to be particularly present whenever we gather
Here we are, to confess, to worship to pray
Come let us worship our Lord
Come, let us celebrate and worship today
Call to Confession: God does not leave us where we are, but takes us where we need to be—therefore let us confess our full selves to God, so that we might no longer feel alone.
Prayer of Confession: God, we confess that this whole idea of naming our sins out loud is hard. What if the thing that is named does not exactly apply to me? What if it hits too close to home? Why do we even do this confession thing? Why do I need to say who I am to you? Are you not God? Do you not know me already? And then I remember, that to state who I am, is to reclaim myself. Then I remember that to name my burdens is to lay them at your feet. Then I remember that to name them together, is to remember that no one is suffering alone, that we are in community with one another. Thank you God for giving us a way to practice hope, love, humanity and forgiveness together, remind us that confession is about being our full selves, because you can handle us, we pray. (Silent Confession) Amen.
Prayer of Confession: Jesus, I confess it is hard for me, some days, to believe that you were fully human, and understood all of the emotions, pain and hardship that entailed. However, here I am, putting my whole human self in your hands. Please hold my pain in your hands. I confess that I am trying to trust that you understand hat I am going through—even as I am trusting that you can help me to walk through it, by holding my hand along the way. (Silent Confession) Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the Good News, the yoke of Jesus Christ is light, for Jesus Christ is here not to condemn us but to save us, thus we rejoice In the good news: In Jesus Christ we are Forgiven
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God, let us go into the world remembering that being ourselves is enough. All you want is for us to be our full and true selves. For we are your beloved, and our faith is not about being perfect, but about working to love and serve one another, let us go into the world, and try to be ourselves wherever we go. In Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Taize: My Soul Finds Rest in God Alone
Prayer Activity:
Confessing the Self Option 1:Write down yourself as characteristics only Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Vocational, Spiritual, give them to God as a confessional prayer to “give yourself to God in prayer” as pieces and a whole, a confession that you are pieces and a whole, and God accepts you exactly as you are.
Option 2: Everyone Writes Names/draw a self portrait on a piece of paper, papers are woven together to show how we are are all woven together in community through confession—example here https://theresaecho.com/2012/09/20/interactive-way-to-pray-in-worship-part-ii/
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