Prayer of Confession

Merciful God, the one who forgives the unforgiveable and loves the unlovable,

We confess that we have not loved you with our whole hearts--
We have given ourselves over to material things, things of this world, worry & anxiety,
and not fully to you, O God.
We have failed to be an obedient church--
We have not served your people, or preached the name of Jesus.
We have not concerned ourselves with the salvation of others.
We have not done your will--
We have been driven by our own wants and desires.
We have broken your law--
We have not worshipped you alone,
We have created idols of money, power, and notoriety.
We have not kept the sabbath holy.
We have murdered, if not in deed, in our thoughts.
We have committed adultery.
We have lied.
We have coveted that which was not ours.
We have rebelled against your love--
we have refused to be loved fully, accepted wholly, and renewed completely.
We have not loved our neighbors--
we have not learned their names or heard their stories,
We've had disdain for their music, their children, and their citizenship.
We have not heard the cry of the needy--
We have left mouths unfed, illness untreated, bodies unclothed, and people unsheltered.
Forgive us, we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience--
liberate us to love, laugh, and live as you intended
Unshackle us from guilt and inaction
that we might truly attend to your Word and your people.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

**This prayer is an adaptation of the prayer of confession from the United Methodist Hymnal.