One Again | A Confession for Unity
Erica L. Grimm: Metaxu (Take Strength from the Sun and Heave)
Erica L. Grimm: Metaxu (Vespers)
LEADER: Gracious and Heavenly Father, we come before you with contrite hearts, mindful of the great gap between how you see your Church and how we live out Your love in our lives.
LEADER: Lord, the world is full of forces that seek to divide us. Please help us to see them for what they are. To return to you with our whole hearts, asking that you break the chains that bind us to these persistent and irresistible forces.
ANTIPHON: I want to be one again, with God and with you.
I want to be one again, in spirit and Truth.
LEADER: Lord, even now, as we gather as your church, we know that there are people in this very congregation with whom we feel divided. Please, Lord, loosen our grip on the conflicts that weaken our church body, our witness, and our ability to love others.
ANTIPHON: I want to be one again, with God and with you.
I want to be one again, in spirit and Truth.
LEADER: Lord Jesus, in the quiet of this moment, help me to look with new eyes at the walls I’ve put between myself and members of my own family. Show me the idols that keep me from seeing my own actions, and how they hurt others. Give me the courage to let those idols decrease, so that You may increase in me and in my family.
ANTIPHON: I want to be one again, with God and with you.
I want to be one again, in spirit and Truth.
LEADER: Gracious Spirit, I know that you have called us to be reconcilers, but I’m not sure I’m up to the task. I truly believe that my opinions are right and that they represent your highest and best. Forgive me for my sinful self-righteousness. Help me pray sincerely for the desire to care more about all humanity, than about my own certainty and preferences.
ANTIPHON: I want to be one again, with God and with you.
I want to be one again, in spirit and Truth.
LEADER: Jesus, Lord of all life, I know that nothing is impossible with you. In this moment, may your gracious forgiveness of all my sins be a wellspring of healing for my own prideful, fearful heart. Please let these prayers be more than just “words” we say at church. Make them the very foundation of my being. Create in me a heart that longs to be one again with all your children.
ANTIPHON: I want to be one again, with God and with you.
I want to be one again, in spirit and Truth.
LEADER: The Lord of Life has heard your confession. In His name, you are forgiven. And now, as we are reconciled to God, may we be reconciled to one another by sharing the peace of the Lord in a new way. Let’s close our eyes now and picture one person, or problem, or people group with which we find ourselves at great odds. It is to them that we say this day, “Peace of the Lord.”
We will now have a time of SILENCE that we may know His peace.
Amen.
*artwork by Erica L. Grimm.