CONFESSIONS & ASSURANCE
Litany of Confession
Adapted from Southside Mennonite Fellowship
When Yahweh brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt God said, “You are a people holy to Yahweh your God.Yahweh your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be God’s people – God’s treasured possession.” (Duet. 7:6)
We confess that too often in history the Church and State have twisted “Your choosing us” into justification for the oppression and destruction of others. Grant us the wisdom, humility, and love we need to join You in choosing all of humanity through Christ.
Grant us your peace.
Yahweh said to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.” (Gen. 12:3)
We confess in the United States politics and theology have twisted God’s promises to Abraham into a Zionism that justifies “blessing” Israel with billions of dollars in military hardware while “cursing” Palestinians as terrorists. Grant us the wisdom, courage, and love we need to confront this ideology of Death.
Grant us your peace.
Litany of Confession
Adapted from Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum Liturgy Resource Toolbox
Confident in God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ, let us come before God in a spirit of confession.
Silence for reflection.
O God our Creator,
You created the heavens and the earth
But we act as if we own them.
You gave abundant water and food for all
But we hoard it for ourselves.
You breathed life into every human being
But we close our eyes to the sanctity of all human life.
O God of mercy,
Free us from our sinful ways.
Where walls have been built up
Teach us to build bridges of understanding.
When hearts are hardened
Open them to the sufferings of the neighbor.
When we are oppressed
Preserve our dignity and give us peace.
When we are the oppressor
Change our hearts and reform our ways.
Silence for reflection.
Hear the Good News:
God who is full of grace and mercy has forgiven us all our sins. Through the Son, Jesus Christ, we have been given new life and new hope. Thanks be to God; Christ has broken down the dividing wall. He is our peace.
Amen.
Prayer of Confession and Assurance for Settlers
Adapted from Honoring First People by Addie Domske
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Leader: God, how often have we spoken what we thought to be a joke, only to see the hurt on the others’ face? We did not think that our words would hurt, but they did. How often have we stood by as someone else spoke hurtful words, and did nothing? How often have we allowed a stereotype or a bias to get in the way of actually seeing the individual in front of us?
All: We confess that we do not always see or hear with our hearts. We confess that we do not always act with your justice.
Leader: We sometimes feel that we were not there when the children were taken from their parents and sent away to school. For most, our parents were not there nor were our grandparents.
All: We confess that sometimes we don’t see why we are being held to account for the actions of people that we did not know and, so long ago.
Leader: But, we are the bearers of many blessings of our ancestors of blood or faith. Therefore, we must also bear their burdens and responsibilities. Residential Schools in the U.S. were still closing by 2007; that was in our time and we did not know the truth.
All: We apologize for the actions of our country and our churches in running Indian Residential Schools. We seek your forgiveness for what has been done to your children. We seek acceptance of our commitment to justice and our desire to walk towards reconciliation. We ask for your grace to heal all of us.
Amen.
ASSURANCE
Leader: Forgiving, Merciful, and Righteous One: Forgiving One, your love is higher than the starry heavens. Merciful One, your kindness is deeper than the ocean.
Righteous One, let each of us be the transformation of your love and kindness into energy for speaking the truth and reconciling with one another.
Amen.
Confession at the Wall
Sabeel Contemporary Stations of the Cross
Lord, we confess that we are more easily led by fear than by love. We build walls both from concrete and in our hearts: walls to keep ourselves safe, to keep us in and the other out. Just as this physical wall separates neighbors, divides families and holds people captive, so our walls of pride, anger and fear separate us from those you have commanded us to love, holding them captive in our stereotypes and assumptions.
All: Lord Christ, whose death on the cross tore down the barrier between God and humanity, in whom there are no distinctions of nationality, gender or status, break down these walls of hatred, both the physical and the emotional, in the power of your spirit and for the furtherance of your kingdom.
Amen.