Lord, our Creator,
you made us in your own image and invited us into your presence,
but we rejected your call and desired to be made in our own image.
Together we confess we ignore your voice in our lives,
and are unwilling to walk the difficult path of righteousness.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, our caretaker,
you established right patterns of relationship and community for us,
yet, like Cain, we step away from these patterns and into destructive ones.
We confess the ways in which our lives and relationships do not follow your models,
and the ways in which we have failed to act for the good of your Kingdom.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, our sustainer,
your wrath was provoked by your people’s persistent sin,
yet you demonstrated your mercy to Noah and his children.
Today we continue in these patterns and again provoke your wrath.
We lament that, whether through wanton destruction of your creation
or through our inaction, we cause pain to those creatures
you have put in our care and to one another.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, our perfect guide,
you called Abraham out of his homeland to make him a great nation,
yet despite this evidence of your faithfulness,
we are unwilling to listen to your promises.
We confess our paths lead us away from you
and we are deaf to your voice calling us back.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord Most High,
you called your people to long journeys for the sake of your kingdom and your glory.
We ask you now to illuminate our path,
as without you, we would be lost in the wilderness,
and without your word, we are buried in sin and grief.
Triune Lord, we humbly pray,
Amen.
If desired, this prayer may be followed by “Dawning Light Of Our Salvation” by Wendell Kimbrough and Bruce Benedict.
