Reflection And Renewal: Call Us Back To Grace And Away From Shame (based on 1 Corinthians 10:13)

Gracious and loving God,

We know we do not always live out what we claim to believe, and we can sometimes be our own worst enemy. Sometimes we turn away from you and from being our true selves. Often, we all-too-easily fall back into our familiar patterns that cause ourselves and others pain, heartache, and hardship.

Forgive us. We know that your grace and love for us is endless.

Help us to have open ears, eyes, and hearts to notice how you call us - again and again - back to love, back to grace, back to your light; and away from the selfishness of and shame from the things we’ve done wrong.

Give us the courage to be willing to be continually made new.

Amen

Reflection and Renewal: Be Willing To Be Continually Made New (based on 1 Corinthians 10:13)

based on "Prayer of Confession" by Beth Merrill Neel 

God, we don’t always live out what we claim to believe. We turn away from you, from our neighbors, and from our true selves. We dim your light within us with our pride, our self-righteousness, and our need for control.

Forgive us.

Help us to remember that your love for us is endless, and that you've told us to love others in that same manner.

Help us to have open ears, eyes, and hearts to notice how you call us - again and again - back to love, back to grace, back to your light.

Give us the courage to be willing to be continually made new so that we can fully love you and all of your creation.