This article is part of a series that contains the following article and resources:
Genuine Sorrow...Wholehearted Joy—Confession: The Why, When, and How of Confession
Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5 | Palm/Passion Sunday|
This service of confession is part of a series for the season of Lent based on the texts of the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C, but can be used for non-lectionary services as well. Each prayer begins and concludes with a stanza from "God, Be Merciful to Me" a setting of Psalm 51. For thoughtful fodder on the place of confession in worship see the article by the same author, "Genuine Sorrow...Wholehearted Joy: The Why, When, and How of Confession
LENT V
Scripture
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8
Call to Confession (Romans 5:8, Hebrews 4:16)
The proof of God's amazing love is this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us. Because we have faith in him, we dare to approach God with confidence, trusting that God will forgive our sin and cleanse us from every kind of wrong.
Let us confess our sins to Almighty God.
Prayer of Confession
God, be merciful to me; on thy grace I rest my plea.
Plenteous in compassion thou, blot out my transgressions now;
my transgressions I confess; grief and guilt my soul oppress;
I have sinned against thy grace, and provoked thee to thy face.
God of compassion, in Jesus Christ you did not disdain the company of sinners but welcomed them with love. Look upon us in mercy, we pray. Our sins are more than we can bear; our pasts enslave us; our misdeeds are beyond correcting. Forgive the wrongs we cannot undo; free us from a past we cannot change; heal what we can no longer fix. Grace our lives with your love and turn the tears of our past into the joys of new life with you.
Gracious God, my heart renew, make my spirit right and true;
from my sins O hide thy face, blot them out in boundless grace.
Cast me not away from thee; let thy Spirit dwell in me;
thy salvations joy impart; steadfast make my willing heart.
Assurance of Pardon (1 Timothy 1:15, 1 Peter 2:24)
Hear the good news! The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness.
Receive the good news of the gospel:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
