Pastor:
God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Congregation:
Pastor:
Hear also the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, how he saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Minister: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Congregation: Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart.
With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments.
God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day, and hallowed it.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not kill.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not steal.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and write all these Thy laws in our hearts, we beseech Thee.
Hear also what our Lord Jesus Christ saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
OUR FATHER which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.
"Concerning the ordinary confession which is done in common with the whole people, beside the fact that it is approved by the mouth of God, no one can despise it when one considers its utility, for then in every assembly that we make at the church we present ourselves before God and his angels, how can we better begin than by the recognition of our unworthiness? Perhaps some one would reply that we do that in all prayers, that is, that we always confess our sins in praying. But on the other hand, if one recognizes our nonchalance and self assurance, no one can deny that it is a holy ordinance and that it is useful to admonish the Christian people by such an express act of humiliation. Although of course the ceremony which God commanded for the people of Israel belongs to the elementary things of the law, nevertheless the thing itself is far more than merely elementary. As a matter of fact, we see that those churches which are well organized have adopted the custom that each Sunday the minister pronounces a confession, both in his own name and also in the name of the people, in order to show the guilt of the whole company before God, and demand pardon; this practice has certainly borne its fruit. In fact it serves as a key to open the door to prayer both in general and in particular."
Confession Minister and People
ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men; We acknowledge and confess our manifold sins; Which we, from time to time, most grievously have committed; By thought, word, and deed; Against Thy divine majesty. We do earnestly repent; And are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; The remembrance of them is grievous unto us. Have mercy upon us; Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; For Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake; Forgive us all that is past; And grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please Thee in newness of life; To the honor and glory of Thy name; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon Minister
ALMIGHTY God, our Heavenly Father, who of His great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto Him, have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all your sins; confirm and strengthen you in all goodness; and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Taken from the service of Holy Communion
Presbyterian Book of Common Worship
Almighty, eternal, merciful God and Father, we poor sinners confess that we have sinned in many ways against You and Your commandments:
We confess that we have not believed in You, our one God and Father, but have put our faith and trust more in creatures than in You, our God and Creator;
We confess that we have erected idols in our hearts, and bowed down and served them;
We confess that we have misused Your Name, that we have sworn falsely or lightly by it, and have not professed it or kept it holy as we ought;
We confess that we have not kept the Sabbath holy, nor have we rejoiced in the work of six days but have grumbled against it and been negligent;
We confess that we have not honored our parents, and have been disobedient to them and to all those to whom we owe honor and obedience;
We confess that we have not respected life, but have murdered in our hearts, venting our anger against our neighbors whom we are to love;
We confess that we have been unchaste; we acknowledge all our sins of the flesh and all the excess and extravagance of our whole lives in eating, drinking, clothing, and other things, and our intemperance in our thinking, seeing, hearing, and speaking;
We confess that we have stolen. We acknowledge our greed; we admit our love of the world and the things of the world; we have dishonestly gained and kept what we have, and greedily held what belongs to others;
We confess that we have borne false witness, that we have been untrue and unfaithful toward our neighbor, that we have shaded, twisted, and denied the truth;
We confess that we have coveted the possessions and spouses of others; we acknowledge in summary that our whole life is nothing else than sin and transgression of Your holy commandments and an inclination toward all evil.
Therefore, we beg of You, O heavenly Father, that You would graciously forgive us these and all our sins. Keep and preserve us henceforth that we may walk only in Your ways and live according to Your will; through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, our Saviour. Amen.
Lord God! Eternal and Almighty Father, we acknowledge and confess before Your holy Majesty that we are poor sinners, conceived and born in guilt and in corruption, prone to evil, unable of ourselves to do any good, who, by reason of our depravity, transgress without end Your holy commandments. Therefore, we have drawn upon ourselves, by Your just sentence, condemnation and death. But, Oh Lord! with heartfelt sorrow, we repent and deplore our offenses. We condemn ourselves and our evil ways, with true penitence, beseeching that Your grace may relieve our distress. Be pleased to have compassion on us, O most gracious God, Father of all mercies, for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And in removing our guilt and our pollution, grant us the daily increase of the grace of Your Holy Spirit, that acknowledging from our inmost heart our own unrighteousness, we may be touched with sorrow that shall work true repentance, and that Your Spirit, mortifying all sin within us, may produce the fruits of holiness and righteousness well pleasing in Your sight. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty and most merciful Father; We have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; According to Your promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O merciful Father, for His sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life; To the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
O eternal God and merciful Father, we humble ourselves before Your great Majesty against which we have frequently and grievously sinned. We acknowledge that we deserve nothing less than eternal death. We are unclean before You and children of wrath. We continually transgress Your commandments; failing to do what You have commanded us, and doing that which You have expressly forbidden. We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way. We acknowledge our waywardness, and are heartily sorry for all our sins. We confess to our humiliation and to the praise of Your mercy that our transgressions are innumerable, and that our debt is so great that we cannot even begin to repay. We are not worthy to be called Your children, nor to lift up our eyes heavenward to You in prayer.
Nevertheless, O Lord God and gracious Father, we know that You do not desire the death of the sinner, but rather that he should turn to You and live; we know that Your mercy toward those who turn to You is infinite; and so we take courage to call upon You from the depths of our hearts, trusting in our Mediator Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. Forgive all our sins for Christ's sake. Have compassion upon us in our infirmities. Wash us in the pure fountain of His blood, so that we may become clean and white as snow. Cover us with His innocence and righteousness, for the glory of Your Name. Deliver our understanding from all blindness, and our hearts from all willfulness and rebellion. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession - Minister and People
ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who dost admit thy people unto such wonderful communion, that partaking of the body and blood of thy dear Son, they should dwell in Him, and He in them; we unworthy sinners, approaching to thy presence, and beholding thy glory, do abhor ourselves, and repent in dust and ashes. We have sinned, we have sinned, we have grievously sinned against Thee, in thought, in word, and in deed, provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. The remembrance of our transgressions and shortcomings fills us with sorrow and shame. Yet now, O most merciful Father, have mercy upon us; for the sake of Jesus Christ, forgive us all our sins; purify us, by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, from all inward uncleanness; enable us heartily to forgive others, as we beseech Thee to forgive us; and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please Thee in newness of life; to the honor and glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon - Minister
Hear now the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the Gospel to all that repent and believe: As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Therefore, unto as many of you, as truly repent of your sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, with full purpose of new obedience, the holy scriptures announce and declare, by the authority and in the name of Christ, that your sins are forgiven in heaven, according to his promise in the Gospel, through the perfect merit of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Congregational Amen
Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that You are justified when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me . . . Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow . . . Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not send Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit . . . The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You wilt not despise.
Most holy and merciful Father, we acknowledge and confess before You our sinful nature - prone to evil and slothful in good - and all our shortcomings and offenses against You. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from Your ways, in wasting Your gifts, in forgetting Your love. O Lord, have mercy on us, who are ashamed and sorry for all wherein we have displeased You. Teach us to hate our errors, cleanse us from our secret faults, and forgive us our sins for the sake of Your dear Son. And O most holy and loving Father, send Your purifying grace into our hearts, we beseech You, that we may henceforth live in Your light and walk in Your ways, according to the commandments of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.