Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, In whom there are no borders, Who recognizes no nationalities Welcoming all sojourners into the promised land Amen. Trusting in God’s welcome to all sinners and saints, let us confess our sin against God and one another. Eternal parent of all, You created us as your children. As your children we are all related. All parents are our parents, all siblings are our siblings, all children are our children. We have denied our relationship to one another. We have built artificial boundaries out of fear, out of anger, out of desires for control and power. We have shut our ears as brown children cry in cages and looked away as black children lay dead in the streets. We call for justice but forget about mercy. We have divided what you declare whole. We have devalued what you declare worthy. We have defiled what you claim as holy. We have dehumanized one another, the creation you called “very good.” Forgive us for our fear, our desire for power, our thirst for justice without mercy. Forgive us for seeing ourselves as separate and our siblings as other. Help us to see in ourselves and one another what you see in us. Save us from the temptation to separate ourselves from our siblings, from building walls that keep us apart. Empower us to tear down the boundaries that separate us from one another and, inevitably, from you. Strengthen us that we might lift up our voices when your children cry out in pain. May we be for others the refuge we find in you. Renew our hearts, O God, through the power of your son, Jesus Christ. Hear the good news! Jesus came to call us to repentance. Jesus died that we might be forgiven. Jesus was resurrected that we might know eternal life. In his name, your sins are forgiven. Turn towards God and sin no more. Amen. We recognize that for some congregations pieces of this confession may go too far and say too much. We wish that wasn't the case but, as it is, we get it. Edit as you see fit for your context. Do you like what we do? Become a Disrupter: Support our Patreon!
In the wake of the increasingly horrific treatment of immigrants, those seeking refuge, naturalized citizens, and children by the current administration - and also their use of scripture to justify this treatment - we have created a litany to center these issues in scripture and encourage leaders and congregants to lift up their voices with God's call to love our neighbor. All our neighbors. Feel free to tweak and adjust as needed for your setting. Instructions for crediting our site are below the litany. |
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