Prayer 2790: A Prayer in Dialogue with Confession

Loving Creator,
who knit us together, bone and sinew,
in love and delight,
we sit before You in wonder,
our cup overflowing with gratitude
as we seek ways to praise and worship You.

May we seek to serve you and testify to You,
in thought, word and deed,
for as we claim your Name, Lord Christ,
we are your face in the world.
Let us embody your love and compassion,
and renounce the poison of division
and hatred of neighbor that surrounds us and poisons us.

Let what we have done overflow with the love of God,
testifying, O Holy One,
to your presence and light within us,
making our hearts a worthy habitation for You, O Savior.
Let what we have left undone be only that
which greets our neighbors' pain with silence,
denies injustice in the name of our own comfort,
or denigrates the dignity and value
of those with whom we disageee.

May we love You, O God That Heals,
with our whole heart,
transforming ourselves in the Name of Love.
May we love our neighbors
as much as we love our own selves,
setting their good alongside ours
seeking their flourishing with joy
joy that You have called us
to embody Christ's compassion and healing
for the building up of your kingdom come among us.

May we examine our hearts,
own our wrongs and seek conversion of spirit,
casting aside the works of faithlessness,
that we may be renewed in faithfulness and compassion,

delighting in your will
for the restoration of the dream You had for us
from the foundation of time.

We rest upon your grace, O Merciful One,
and know that all the good we do,
we do by your support and aid,
by being true to your image that dwells within us all.

We walk by faith and hope, led by the Spirit.

Centered within your abundant tenderness,
we place our cares and concerns before You,
O Life-Giver to All,
and ask your mercy to rest upon those
whose needs we now name.

Amen.

This prayer was written in dialogue with this prayer of confession:

Most merciful God, 

we confess that we have sinned against you 

in thought, word, and deed, 

by what we have done, 

and by what we have left undone. 

We have not loved you with our whole heart; 

we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.  

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, 

have mercy on us and forgive us; 

that we may delight in your will,  

and walk in your ways,  

to the glory of your Name. Amen.