Prayers of Confession

God of mercy and forgiveness:

You have placed us in a wonderful and beautiful world. Yet, we have spoilt it through our greed, through our neglect and carelessness, and we have put its life in danger. Forgive us.

You are a bountiful provider giving us more than we need. Yet we are so unwilling to share; so many go hungry, so many have no place to call home. Forgive us.

You have placed us in communities and taught us to love our neighbour, to care for one another, and to support each other in times of need. Yet, too often, we only think of ourselves. We neglect the needs of others, and too easily walk by on the other side. We fail to love sacrificially and seek only to blame others for their situations. Forgive us.

You have created people in your image and know each hair on every head, yet we fail to get to know others. We seek difference rather than finding what we have in common. We reject those who are not like us. We seek to have power over, and to control others. We have cause misery and fear, through conflict, violence and war, despite your commanding us to love our enemies and treat the foreigner residing in our land as one of our own. Forgive us.

Help us to see the world and all your creation anew. Take our broken souls and remake us, worthy of the name "children of God."

Amen