Prayer - Confession

Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

I recently read an article that asked, “Have you discovered the great joy of confession?  Some do not consider confession to be a great joy.  Instead, they see it as a painful and humiliating experience.  But perhaps some need the humiliation of an honest confession to help break them out of their sin.  Others, those who sincerely seek the abundant Mercy of God, will take great delight in confessing because they see the glorious effect it has upon their soul.” The article goes on to say,  “Seek to love confession.  Pray that it becomes something that you long for as you anticipate the wonderful fruits of this holy purification.

Notice that the writer of Proverbs makes it plain that confession and renouncing uncovers the Mercy of God. The loving kindness of God becomes evident. This is no romantic fickle love.

I turn again to the words of Fred Buechner; “Romantic love is blind to everything except what is lovable and lovely, but Christ's love sees us with terrible clarity and sees us whole. Christ's love so wishes our joy that it is ruthless against everything in us that diminishes our joy. The worst sentence Love can pass is that we behold the suffering which Love has endured for our sake, and that is also our acquittal. The justice and mercy of the judge are ultimately one.”

God of Grace, you call us to be different from the world, but the world is seductive, and so we come here to be strengthened. God of Vision, you hold before us an alternate way of life, different priorities, different loyalties, different values. But we know that the world is not only seductive but powerful, and so we are drawn in to following its priorities, accepting its values, showing loyalty to its gods. God who blesses the meek, the peacemakers, the merciful, forgive us when we lose sight of these qualities, when we misunderstand their role in the world. Amen

Prayer - Confession

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

Once more in this text we come across the dual aspect of confession, the seeking through repentance the forgiveness of God and the telling forth of our faith in Christ’s saving grace. Such grace has a cost.

The words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer have always challenged me, “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Need we say anymore today.

We are so easily confused by what the world tells us, Watching God,

that we forget the stories of faith we heard as children.

We are so fearful of tomorrow,

we are not aware of your Spirit with us today.

We are so busy wondering, 'what if?' or 'suppose?'

we cannot hear the promises you whisper to us.

So once again, Gracious God,

have mercy on us.

You know our hearts so well

—touch them with your grace.

You see our deepest fears

—heal them with your peace.

You hear our secret longings

—speak to them of your hope.

This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen

Prayer - Confession

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

The passage Luke 9:18-22 brings up explicitly the ‘fundamental question’: who Jesus is to us, not in a merely intellectual sense but in a personal sense. Is he a leader, a friend, a judge, a teacher, a father, a combination of all?

In the context of confessional prayer we may well ask God to look lovingly at how we answer that question, “who do you say that I am?” It may be in the habits of our lives, in the patterns of our attention, rather than in our statements and verbal professions; we express who Jesus is to us by how we live and how we act.  In prayer we ca offer all our thoughts, words and actions and ask that God receive them graciously.

Our life of faith is based on the fact that we ourselves have made this confession of faith in Jesus. The Lord appreciates very much our act of faith in him, especially when we thank him for the depth of the love he has shown through his Passion, Death and Resurrection. This is the space out of which we make our prayer to God

Lord, to follow you I too must embark on a personal discovery of who you are. Give me the grace to walk this faith-journey. May I not keep you at arm’s length by putting a protective shield around myself, but help me rather to daily embrace you on the path of discipleship, with its pains and joys. Amen 

Prayer - Confession

This week we turn to our second aspect of prayer - confession

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

What picture does the word confession conjure up in your mind? In a real sense, the biblical interpretation of the word confession is two fold; a statement admitting to one’s  guilt and/or where  we make a confession of our beliefs or feeling.

Clearly, our text for today speaks of the former in the first place. 

In a real sense, to confess your sins to God is not to tell God anything God doesn't already know. However, until we confess them they are the abyss between us and God. When you confess them, they become the bridge.

Yet our text for today covers both meanings of confession, the admitting before God our wrong doing and a sign of our faith that we believe God has the power to forgive. We must be aware that our confession entails not just clearing the decks of past wrongdoings; it also involves a genuine desire for a reform of life, a real change in our behaviour. If my confessions over the years do not seem to change very much, it may well be that in making them I have paid too little attention to the present and the future. 

How often have we heard the good news of forgiveness and restoration? Yet, we are still reluctant to believe. God offers us new life, yet we are afraid to let go of the old. Let us confess our doubts and fears to the One who waits to make us whole.

We use a lot of words, Gracious God, but do little to turn them into deeds. Instead of being of one heart and soul, we choose sides and form groups of folks just like us. Blessed with great grace, we have trouble sharing it with those who need it the most.

Forgive us, God of love. Forgive us, as we step out of our shadows into your light. Restore us, as we reveal our brokenness. Hear us, as we proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and our God. `Amen

Prayer - Confession

This week we turn to our second aspect of prayer - confession

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

What picture does the word confession conjure up in your mind? In a real sense, the biblical interpretation of the word confession is two fold; a statement admitting to one’s  guilt and/or where  make a confession of our beliefs or feeling.

Clearly, our text for today speaks of the former in the first place. 

In a real sense to confess your sins to God is not to tell God anything God doesn't already know. However until we confess them they are the abyss between us and God. When you confess them, they become the bridge.

Yet our text for today covers both meanings of confession the admitting before God our wrong doing and a sign of our faith that we believe God has the power to forgive. We must be aware that our confession entails not just clearing the decks of past wrongdoings; it also involves a genuine desire for a reform of life, a real change in our behaviour. If my confessions over the years do not seem to change very much, it may well be that in making them I have paid too little attention to the present and the future. 

How often have we heard the good news of forgiveness and restoration? Yet, we are still reluctant to believe. God offers us new life, yet we are afraid to let go of the old. Let us confess our doubts and fears to the One who waits to make us whole.

We use a lot of words, Gracious God, but do little to turn them into deeds. Instead of being of one heart and soul, we choose sides and form groups of folks just like us. Blessed with great grace, we have trouble sharing it with those who need it the most.

Forgive us, God of love. Forgive us, as we step out of our shadows into your light. Restore us, as we reveal our brokenness. Hear us, as we proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and our God.

Prayer - Adoration

Adoration is being with God now and for ever.

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever!” - Revelation 5:13

Have you ever attended a Concert, where you felt yourself transported beyond yourself, where you where captivated by the glorious music.  For me there is one piece of music that places me beyond; the 2nd Symphony by Mahler, also known as the Resurrection Symphony. Out of the initial funeral motif, Mahler move’s to a triumphant end in the final movement.  I wonder if he like John, the writer of Revelation, he had a similar vision of all creation glorifying God. 

However, there is a significant difference between being a passive member of the audience than a playing member of the orchestra.

A minister once asked whether his congregation thought of gathered worship as being more like a concert hall or a banquet hall. If it’s a concert hall, we show up as passive observers and critics, eager to have the itches of our preferences and felt needs scratched. A banquet hall, by contrast, is a communal gathering. We come hungry and in community, ready to participate and share the experience with one another.

So do we see each other as Worship Service Participant or Just a Spectator?

Worship involves an intentional offering of sacrifice to God. Hebrews 13:5 instructs us to “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” But how can we praise God if we aren’t even thinking about him? If we expect to truly worship God on Sunday morning, then we need to prepare both our hearts and minds ahead of time to engage during every part of the worship service, from the congregational singing to the sermon. How can we do that?

Father, please let Your ears be attentive to our prayer for we desire to honour Your Name.  Touch the hearts of those who do not fear You and cause them to love You with all their hearts, souls, and strength.  Remove their stony hearts and give them new hearts that are submissive to You.  Holy Spirit, cause us to hunger and thirst for Your righteousness so that we will be filled.  Teach us how to revere Your Holy Name in true holiness.  Fill us with comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of the Father’s will so that we may conduct our lives in a manner worthy of Christ. Help us to walk in the spirit of humility and to think more of others than we do ourselves. Amen

Prayer - Adoration

Adoration is recognising the Majesty of God.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:9-11

It is often considered that these words from the letter to the Philippians form part of the earliest known hymn of the church. It casts a vision of the fullness of Jesus’ identity. We hear the juxtaposition of Jesus’ humanity and deity. This hymn calls us to imagine the heights of his glory and the depths that he stooped down to in the incarnation.

So, in this instance, adoration is the question of the focus of our worship.

St Francis de Sales once said, “Some men become proud and insolent because they ride a fine horse, wear a feather in their hat or are dressed in a fine suit of clothes. Who does not see the folly of this? If there be any glory in such things, the glory belongs to the horse, the bird and the tailor.”

It was Oswald Chambers who explained “Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have, Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship.”

You, loving God, are the ground of our being and the river of life; you both steady our roots and draw them to seek the living waters.

You are like the sunlight enticing us taller and like the breeze rustling our leaves. You are with us through hard seasons of summer heat, and in the nights when winter’s frost ice the landscape your love warms and sustains us.

You are everything to us.

O let our gratitude be great,

let our praise be plentiful,

let our worship be wonder-full!

Through Christ Jesus your ever-living Son. Amen!