Father Forgive Us for We Have Sinned!
Father, forgive our trespasses each day, for we are a sinful people who have lost our way. We go to your house on Sunday, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon and walk away thinking that we have done a service to you. We have not devoted our hearts to your service, our ears to your word, our minds to meditation on your word, or our bodies to your work. Rather we give our eyes to unclean entertainments, our hands to making financial gain, our minds to a never ending quest for more of this world, and our bodies to the service of idols. Our hearts and our minds are far from you, even as we call ourselves by your name. We have made a reproach of your name in this world, forgive us oh God!
We slumber in our beds and dream of becoming rich even while the nation that you have given to us becomes increasingly hostile towards you and your holy name. We talk of faith and yet deny your power to heal our bodies, cleanse our minds, fill our spirits, and perform your many miracles. We live our lives in unbelief as our enemies gather strength before us. Save us oh God from the terrible wrath that we so richly deserve, forgive us oh God!
Our temples you have given to us, we have desecrated by our careless living and faithless ways. We engage in the sin of gluttony and call it good. We walk according to the dictates of our appetites and say that we have no sin. When we fail to get our own way, we act like heathen and spread hatred and malice rather than kindness and longsuffering; we call ourselves justified. We adorn our bodies in much finery, we make ourselves appear to have everything that we need, while our souls languish in poverty towards you. We say that we are rich, you say that we are poor and blind, you we ignore and call ourselves wise. Forgive us oh God!
That which is called evil in the sight of the Lord, we call good. That which is called good in the sight of the Lord, we call unimportant. We reward those who walk according to the flesh and we punish those who walk according to the Spirit. We give our ears to false teachers who say that God will wink in the day of judgment, who say that God will not hold us to account for our evil ways. We turn our ears away from the one who preaches righteousness and holiness before the Lord as though our God has not eyes to see nor ears to hear. We have polluted your altar with sick and lame sacrifices, we have built many useless fires, our priests have stolen the choicest of the sacrifices, and our hearts are not purified before your altar. We have embraced the unclean thing, we have turned our hearts to false gods, we value prosperity over the word of our God. Forgive us oh God!
We have defiled ourselves before the Lord and yet we have the nerve to call ourselves your people and to take your holy name in vain. We have profaned your house with our gods of luxury, wealth, comfort, titillation, sexual immorality, pleasure seeking, and man pleasing. There is no fear of God before our eyes, our hearts are unclean, our hands are covered with innocent blood, our meditation is upon the unclean thing all the day long. Save us oh God from the fury of your wrath that awaits those who have turned from your boundless love and holy ways to walk in corrupt paths and who love the works of darkness rather than Him who dwells in the light. We have believed the lies, forsaken the truth and changed the truth of our God into idols which we can touch with our hands. Forgive us oh God!
Father send to us a spirit of repentance, humble our hearts before you, crush our spirits as grapes in the wine vats. Lead us back into the paths of righteousness for your name sake. Teach us your way! If we must become poor in order to become rich in you, then Lord, take away the prosperity, take away our comforts, take away our luxury, but most of all, take away the coldness of our stony hearts. Make us as those who went before us and who gave their lives gladly for you. Give us a heart of thanksgiving and love that we may truly become your disciples once again. Amen