we are too comfortable
Last night at a denominational business meeting I attended, we prayed together an adaptation of a Lenten prayer, the original full text of which can be found here. I was particularly struck by the following lines:
In this Lenten time of searching and self-understanding, give us the courage to confess that, by what we have done and what we have left undone, we have failed to love ourselves, our neighbours, and - above all - you, O God.
We are too comfortable with burnout among our leaders.
We are too comfortable with congregational fragmentation.
We are too comfortable with expedience instead of justice.
We are too comfortable with destructive politics in our church.
We are too comfortable with systemic dysfunction.
We are too comfortable with corrosive mistrust and cynicism.
We are too comfortable with neglect and abuse.
We are too comfortable with the process of victimization in the present toxic climate throughout our entire church.
As the governance Board of our denomination, we read this prayer aloud. It was very powerful to admit, acknowledge and own up to these sins. The only time I have done this in a prayer before was either a personal individual (and therefore private) confession, or it was a confession in such vague terms (“Lord, we know that we have all sinned and fallen short of your standards for us”) that it acknowledged my culpability in only a theoretical sense.
But to individually and corporately confess and repent for our sins of ommission, that have happened because we are too comfortable with injustices and problems in our churches - well that is incredibly powerful.
April 7th, 2003 at 4:07 pm
@ 03/28/2003 03:52:
nice looking site.
April 7th, 2003 at 4:08 pm
@ 03/28/2003 08:43:
thanks Jake
April 7th, 2003 at 4:08 pm
@ 03/28/2003 09:28:
I like that that prayer confirms sins of omission as well as commission. Thanks.