Today The Orchard Church in Kingsley, Michigan confessed the sins of the modern universal Church during our worship service.
The idea of confessing for the sins of others is controversial, but this was a prayer in response to our reading of Daniel 9 - on this first Sunday of Advent. After reading Jeremiah, Daniel prayed a prayer of confession on behalf of all of Israel. In the same way, in response to reading Daniel 9, The Orchard Church prayed a prayer of confession on behalf of the Church today.
I wrote the prayer from much input from my friends on social media.
The idea of confessing for the sins of others is controversial, but this was a prayer in response to our reading of Daniel 9 - on this first Sunday of Advent. After reading Jeremiah, Daniel prayed a prayer of confession on behalf of all of Israel. In the same way, in response to reading Daniel 9, The Orchard Church prayed a prayer of confession on behalf of the Church today.
I wrote the prayer from much input from my friends on social media.
Father, Lord God Almighty – you are the Glorious One who keeps all his promises. We, your Church, have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened to your Word.
Father, all righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the people of the Church, the pastors, and deacons, leaders, and congregations.
We confess and repent.
We have honored you with words, but our hearts are far away. We say we love your Word, but abuse and neglect it. We ignore the innocent and have embraced sexual brokenness.
We confess and repent.
We have embraced the yeast of Herod – mixing the politics of this world into the faith that was once for all delivered to the Saints. We have confused the city of man with the Kingdom of God.
We are a double-minded people, swinging from one extreme to the other. Desiring entertainment over discipleship. Too focused on judgment and condemnation or not mentioning sin at all.
We confess and repent.
We stereotype other churches and see them as competitors instead of co-laborers in the Gospel – because we are too often focused on ourselves rather than those around us; filled with arrogance and pride instead of the Great Commission. We have been far too busy building our own empire, rather than serving in the Kingdom of God.
We confess and repent.
We applaud arrogant, proud, boastful, unloving, and unmerciful people while neglecting the poor, single people, the divorced, the abandoned, widows, foster children, and orphans. We have failed to be reconciled to persons of every people, tribe, tongue, and nation as image-bearers of God. We have made comfort our god while tolerating spiritual abuse from our pastors because they know how to twist the gospel to numerically grow a congregation. We have accepted hypocrisy while our pastors sexually abuse the flock because we are more concerned about protecting our name and our reputation than your truth, your justice, and your care for the powerless.
We have been overcome by evil and responded with fearful anger, rather than the confidence and love that comes from you.
We confess and repent.
Now, Lord our God – who brought your people out of the land of Egypt, and who redeemed your people through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus – may your anger and wrath turn away from your Church. Our sin has made us an object of ridicule to all those around us.
Father God, hear our prayer and petition. May your face shine upon the broken Church. Listen and hear us, O God. We are not presenting our confession and prayers based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. Our sins are scarlet, in the Name of Jesus make them as clean as snow. Fill us with your Spirit once again so we might return to our first love and do your will.
Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! Our God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your Church and your people bear your Name.
In the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord we ask you.
Amen.
Father, all righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the people of the Church, the pastors, and deacons, leaders, and congregations.
We confess and repent.
We have honored you with words, but our hearts are far away. We say we love your Word, but abuse and neglect it. We ignore the innocent and have embraced sexual brokenness.
We confess and repent.
We have embraced the yeast of Herod – mixing the politics of this world into the faith that was once for all delivered to the Saints. We have confused the city of man with the Kingdom of God.
We are a double-minded people, swinging from one extreme to the other. Desiring entertainment over discipleship. Too focused on judgment and condemnation or not mentioning sin at all.
We confess and repent.
We stereotype other churches and see them as competitors instead of co-laborers in the Gospel – because we are too often focused on ourselves rather than those around us; filled with arrogance and pride instead of the Great Commission. We have been far too busy building our own empire, rather than serving in the Kingdom of God.
We confess and repent.
We applaud arrogant, proud, boastful, unloving, and unmerciful people while neglecting the poor, single people, the divorced, the abandoned, widows, foster children, and orphans. We have failed to be reconciled to persons of every people, tribe, tongue, and nation as image-bearers of God. We have made comfort our god while tolerating spiritual abuse from our pastors because they know how to twist the gospel to numerically grow a congregation. We have accepted hypocrisy while our pastors sexually abuse the flock because we are more concerned about protecting our name and our reputation than your truth, your justice, and your care for the powerless.
We have been overcome by evil and responded with fearful anger, rather than the confidence and love that comes from you.
We confess and repent.
Now, Lord our God – who brought your people out of the land of Egypt, and who redeemed your people through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus – may your anger and wrath turn away from your Church. Our sin has made us an object of ridicule to all those around us.
Father God, hear our prayer and petition. May your face shine upon the broken Church. Listen and hear us, O God. We are not presenting our confession and prayers based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. Our sins are scarlet, in the Name of Jesus make them as clean as snow. Fill us with your Spirit once again so we might return to our first love and do your will.
Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! Our God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your Church and your people bear your Name.
In the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord we ask you.
Amen.
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