This confession and assurance originally appeared in the worship service "Good News!—Lent 4: A Fresh Start."
Call to Confession
This is the [insert week] Sunday in Lent, a time Christians historically have reflected upon their lives, identified sin, and repented of it. Of course these are things we should always be doing! But there’s something about the weeks leading up to Good Friday and Easter that makes one consider the cross and the price that was paid for our sin. Hear these words from 1 John 1:8–9: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Let us pray.
Prayer of Confession
Holy God,
as we worship you this day
we do not want to be people who deceive ourselves.
Instead we want to clearly see who you are
and clearly see who we are.
We cannot claim to be without sin.
So we confess our sin before you,
trusting that you are indeed faithful and just
and that you will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Hear our prayer,
for we pray these things in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear these words of assurance from Scripture:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
—2 Corinthians 5:17–18 NIV
As the church today, we share the good news about new life in Christ, about sins forgiven and the restoration of our relationship with the God who made us, who created us in God’s image, and who loves us more than we can even imagine.
Revised Common Lectionary
Year C: Lent—Fourth Sunday in Lent
