Unison Prayer of Confession August 2005 and Keeping the Faith

The services this morning at the First Presbyterian Church in Georgetown, Texas were dedicated to the opening of the New Education/Administration Building. It's a wonderful facility and will add years of purposeful service space for this vital church community. I am continuously amazed by the unity and spirit of this church, and this is just an example of what can be done when people are faithful and of one mind.

I believe that God blesses this congregation not because of their works, but because of their obvious faith and trust in Him. My husband and I have benefited tremendously by involving ourselves in this church family and we are thankful for their presence in our lives.

Every service includes a prayer in unison. This was the morning for the unison prayer of confession, which follows:

Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgement. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image; through Jesus Christ, the light of the world.

This is a short prayer that is filled with meaning for imperfect souls everywhere. Following the prayer, there is a silent prayer of confession and then a declaration of forgiveness. Each of us need forgiveness, renewal and freedom from the bonds of our collective sins. Each of us need a chance to put our affairs in order and look toward a bright future where we can stake our claim for peace and know the comfort of being forgiven.

This future of living in the knowlege of being forgiven belongs to us through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. He died so that we would be forgiven our sins and have everlasting life.

This simple prayer is going to be the beginning of every prayer I say this year. I was taught that there is a proper sequence in prayer. First praising God, second confessing your sins, third prayers for the world and for others, fourth asking God for help in your own life and lastly but most importantly, acknowledging Christ as the Son of God. This is a wonderful way to start praying if you are unpracticed at your faith, but I believe that you can pray in any way that is natural to you. If all you can say is "Lord I need you." with sincerity and humility, it is an eloquent beginning to a journey of faith.

This particular prayer goes right to the heart of the matter. Forgiving and being forgiven, accepting our past and putting it in it's rightful place and opening your heart to a future that you can grow and thrive in with the help of God first, then your family and your friends is the only way to achieve true happiness. Grace is a natural state when we are doing our very best to walk in Christ's image.

OftenI read what I write and wonder how I would feel if I was someone else reading it. Please understand that I like to write about what I aspire to, and not necessarily what I have already achieved. Walking a path of faith and goodness is a lifelong task and it takes tremendous effort to keep climbing back up the hill every time you fall. It's that way with my life and with everyone I know. Be encouraged that if I can do it, I know that you can. All of us need a lot of help from God.