From 52f4cfcc0a94713ca022d1f8e8369267f2ca9b92 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Gary Talent Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2025 15:52:01 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Add PHBC prayers of confession --- .../Zechariah}/Outline.md | 0 PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240414.md | 38 +++++++++++++ PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240721.md | 44 +++++++++++++++ PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241020.md | 43 +++++++++++++++ PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241215.md | 37 +++++++++++++ PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250215.md | 43 +++++++++++++++ PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250601.md | 51 ++++++++++++++++++ PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250727.md | 53 +++++++++++++++++++ 8 files changed, 309 insertions(+) rename {Zechariah => BookStudies/Zechariah}/Outline.md (100%) create mode 100644 PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240414.md create mode 100644 PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240721.md create mode 100644 PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241020.md create mode 100644 PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241215.md create mode 100644 PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250215.md create mode 100644 PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250601.md create mode 100644 PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250727.md diff --git a/Zechariah/Outline.md b/BookStudies/Zechariah/Outline.md similarity index 100% rename from Zechariah/Outline.md rename to BookStudies/Zechariah/Outline.md diff --git a/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240414.md b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240414.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1767246 --- /dev/null +++ b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240414.md @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@ +Father, + +We, all of us here, were born as rebels against you. +Though you have redeemed many of us here today, we still fall short of the life +modeled by your Son. +Our hearts and actions fall short of his love. + +We are rash to make commitments and often fickle in following through. +We have hurt one another with carelessness and unnecessary words. +We have failed to care for the harm we cause or fail to make amends. +When we are sinned against, our hearts can struggle eek out the forgiveness +that you have bountifully lavished on us. + +We have set our hopes in created things. +We have turned your gifts that you meant to lead us to you into curses that +lead us away from you. +We set our hearts on stories, games, and gadgets. +Our hearts are enamored with these things before any action reveals it, and we +often fail to steer our hearts toward their deeper delight in you. + +We have been prideful. +Even the good is often done in efforts to glorify ourselves apart from you. +We think much of our image before others. + +We have not properly numbered our days to apportion them to your purposes. +We do not treat our tasks as if they are from you. +We strive for ends that you have made futile and vain. +We strive to be placed well in a creation that is passing away, rather than for +the new creation that we do no yet see, as if we do not believe you that there +will be a new creation. + +But you are faithful when we are not. +You will bring the new creation and deliver us from these bodies of death, from +the flesh that serves sin. +Until that time, please continue in patience with us. + +We ask this in the name of your righteous Son, Christ Jesus. +Amen. diff --git a/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240721.md b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240721.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c6060e4 --- /dev/null +++ b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20240721.md @@ -0,0 +1,44 @@ +Father, + +We come before you right now to recognize our sin. +We come before you to confess that we have not lived according to your purpose +and design for us. + +We have failed as your image and as stewards of your creation. +We have failed in your call to exercise dominion over creation, and have +submitted ourselves to worshiping creatures rather than you, our Creator. +The creation that you made us to be benevolent stewards of suffers because we +love it wrongly. +You made us stewards of your creation, and we have brought death upon it. +We twist and contort your image in the world, and then set our hopes in that +contorted image. + +We have scorned your design for us. +We are ashamed of your noble callings for us. + +We have trained our hearts to delight in and esteem mockeries of the Gospel, +mockeries of your manifold wisdom. +We allow our entertainment to breed in us, sympathy for and celebration of +things you have declared detestable. + +Masquerading cowardice as compassion, we fail to speak the truth. +Masquerading animosity as compassion, we use the truth for harm. +In this we fail as Christ's body. +We fail as the body of him who is your perfect image. + +We are in many ways disciples of our culture, rather than your Son. +We are in many ways disciples of whichever popular faction of our time seems +best to us, rather than your Word. +Whether we are stalwart devotees of tradition, progress, or moderation, we too +often set our course according to the ideas of men without ever truly +consulting your Word. + +But by your Word, we know that you gave your Son for us, and so we come to you +now seeking the peace with you that is bought by the blood of his cross, that +we may share in his life. +We ask your forgiveness for our sin, that you would deliver us both from the +from the consequence of our sin and from our sin itself, that we might image +you rightly. + +We ask this in the name of your righteous Son, Christ Jesus. +Amen. diff --git a/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241020.md b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241020.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3eaeec0 --- /dev/null +++ b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241020.md @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +Father, + +We were born in bondage to sin. +Though sin was a malevolent master, we clung to it and regarded You as our +enemy. +But for those of us who are called by Your name, You have delivered us from +that domain of darkness to the kingdom of Your beloved Son. + +Yet even now, we are forgetful of what You have delivered us from, and we look +back to a life of not trusting You. +We fail in devoting what You have given us to Your kingdom and glory. +We at times even purpose Your gifts to our old master, sin. + +We forget what You have done for us, and thereby fail in having grateful +hearts. +We forget to ponder the enormity of what You have done for us. +We neglect Your prescribed reminders of Your grace to us. +Often, we partake only by mere accident of being here on the right day, and +even then, too often with thoughtless boredom. + +In what we speak about, we are too often people marked by lesser loves, but not +a love of Christ and his people. +We should be overjoyed with Christ, such that we cannot stop talking about Him. +But our excitement often falls short of looking to the ultimate Treasure. + +We live as though You have not made us stewards of the Truth that is +foundational to why all things were created. +We live as though You have not given us a great calling to live lives that +speak incessantly to the great hope for which creation groans. + +We do not delight as we should in the King that You have given. +We live for lesser kings, for sports, for movies, for games, for family. +We live for our own kingdoms, for prestige and money, for our own +accomplishments. +We live for lesser delights. + +Now, on the grounds that You gave Your Son to redeem us, to pay the debt to +Justice accrued by our sins, we ask that count our record clean. +Based on Your promises, please allow us to take for ourselves the righteousness +of Your Son, Jesus. + +It is in His great and holy name that we ask this. +Amen. diff --git a/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241215.md b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241215.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..659d848 --- /dev/null +++ b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20241215.md @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +Father, + +We, mankind, have sinned against You. +Through our sin, we have brought sickness, suffering, and death into the world. +Not trusting You, we brought the misery of failing bodies and fading lives. +In accord with our sinful nature, our bodies and desires would continually +degrade without Your intervention. + +We have failed in seeking closeness with You. +We neglect Your Word and we do not seek You in prayer as we should. +We do not seek our rest in You. +We often see pursuing closeness with You as a chore, as work rather than rest. +We instead seek rest in our many hobbies and interest, in things good and in +bad, we rest in Your good gifts and also in fruits You have not given us to eat +of. +We can even regard work as more restful than You, who should be our rest. + +We at times only seek You when we have problems. +Even when we do have problems, we still often do not look to You to be our +help. +We come to You only as a last resort, or at other times we seek You only so we +can cover over our laziness. + +We have not regarded with honor, the calling that You give to every Christian +to steward the message of reconciliation. +We regularly fail in joining You in carrying into the world the reconciliation +that You brought forth Christ. +If the first disciples who's ministry of reconciliation we are to continue had +our zeal, we might never have heard of Christ. +We live for ourselves, rather than Your Son. + +Now on the grounds that Christ became sin for us, that He died for us that we +might live for Him, we come to You seeking that reconciliation. +Please, receive us back, and help us to truly live Him who died for us. + +It is in His name that we ask this. +Amen. diff --git a/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250215.md b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250215.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d978dcf --- /dev/null +++ b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250215.md @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +Father, + +We come to you now to recognize that we have sinned against you. +In accord with the nature of our birth, sin poured from hearts into our +thoughts and actions. + +In turning from You, our Creator, we embraced a myriad of sins. +In not trusting You, we blasphemed against Your goodness. +We in turn have lied to cover and enable our sin. + +We regularly fail by neglecting our tasks, prioritizing frivolous achievements +over the things that please You. +We often regard Your Word with mere momentary interest, and we neglect bringing +our troubles to You. +We neglect our brothers, and do not pray for one another with diligence that we +ought. + +We do not boast of our Lord as we should. +We forget that You have given to the Church as her head, Him before whom even +the angels bow down in worship. +Our confidence in His power and glory and the supreme dignity of His name, +our confidence in these things falls far short of what it should. +We do not count it as our glory to be seen with Him, to be mocked with Him. + +We give ourselves to anger, which is the seed of murder. +For our own unrighteous vindication, we relish our enmity with others. +We try to take for ourselves and our own glory, the vengeance that rightly +belongs to You and should vindicate You before any other. + +We have even set out to vindicate ourselves against Your Law. +In Your love, You have sent many prophets to instruct us and warn us, but the +heart of natural man would not receive it. +Even when You sent us Your Son, the Adamic heart seethed at His witness against +us, and we crucified the Lord of glory who forgives sins. + +Yet You did not count that act as unforgivable. +You received the murder of Your Son as an atoning sacrifice to cover for the +sins of all who would hail Him as King of kings. +And so now, on this basis, we come to You seeking the reconciliation that is +bought by His blood. + +We ask this in the most excellent name of Your Son, Our Lord, Christ Jesus. +Amen. diff --git a/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250601.md b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250601.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..58b3f2c --- /dev/null +++ b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250601.md @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +Father, + +We come to You as reconciled enemies. +Our old hearts were terminally driven toward a hopeless war against You. +We were unfailingly loyal to Adam's Rebellion. +We were without hope, forever bound in the grip of sin and guilt. +In every thought and deed, even when benevolent to man, we sought to dethrone +You. +But for Your grace, we had no capacity to turn to You. + +Unlike You, we, even now, fail to love our enemies as Your Son told us to. +We return evil for evil, and sometimes even evil for good. +We hold onto our grievances against others. +We pine for justice, even against those for whom justice is already satisfied +through the cross of Christ. + +We have wielded the tongue carelessly and brought reproach upon Your name. + +As the hands and feet of Your Son, who loves us, He would set us to the task of +caring for one another. +We neglect this task. + +We have played the sluggard and have not utilized our time well. +We have prioritized trivial things over our responsibilities. +We have given more thought to the things that please us than to the things that +please You. + +When we do the things that You command, we often are consumed by pride. +We focus wrongly on the excellence of our work when and fail to beseech You, +that You would bless it with fruit. + +We take lightly the blood of Your Son. +We give far to little thought the enormity of the price for which we were +bought, when we turn back to the ways of the nature of our first birth. + +When we do well, we think ourselves sufficient before You. +Though we would never put it to words, we adopt attitudes of thinking we +are worthy of our spot at the Table, rather than recognizing that this Table is +an indictment against us that proclaims our unworthiness. + +Now we ask that You would receive us again. +We ask that You would count us among those for whom Christ is high priest. +We who were washed now reaffirm our reliance on the blood of our King. +Help us as we remember the price of our redemption, as we partake and thereby +proclaim that it is for us that the Lamb died. +Here we see our guilt and our pardon. +We come to You knowing that our plea for mercy is worthless, but the plea of +our great High Priest and His Sacrifice on our behalf is worthy. + +It is in Your righteous Son Christ Jesus that that we come to You. +Amen. diff --git a/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250727.md b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250727.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0b566bc --- /dev/null +++ b/PHBC/PoCs/PoC-20250727.md @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +Father, + +We come to You as a people that has scorned Your holy Name, if not with our +lips, then certainly with our actions. +We were born with hearts that hated You. +We knew better than to oppose You openly. +We knew that You are unassailable and all powerful, and that all Your enemies +we be ground into dust. +Knowing these things, we invented ways to disguise our hate as love. +We believed our own lies and thereby we comforted ourselves. +And perhaps we even impressed others. +But You were never fooled by our ruse. +Our hearts were indeed far from You. + +For those of us who legitimately bear the name Christian, our greatest desire +has been redirected to You, that we may love You truly. +But in our flesh, we still desire many things inordinately and wrongly. +We desire things that we should not. +We esteem Your gifts more highly than You. + +We are too often an ungrateful people. +Even on our most thankful days, we take for granted more blessings than we +could count. + +We bend the truth. +We lie both outright and subtly. + +We have our own standards that fall far short of Your unapproachable holiness. +We pretend our standard is Your standard. +We replace Your Word with vain books and podcasts. +With eloquent words of men, whether voluminous or brief, we sweep the parts +Your Word that we do not like away to an obscure corner and meditate on it no +more. + +We esteem ourselves as living lives far more pleasing to You than we really do. +We think our priorities are Your priorities, that our judgement is Your judgment. +But our lives are stained tar black by sin. +We sin in ways that seem small to us, but the natural consequences of which +will be felt for generations to come in our families and in this church. +Sins that we think nothing of today will make ruin of Your work here in +generations to come. + +Still, in spite of our sheer abhorrence before You, You love us. +You are patient with us. +Unapproachable holiness stoops down in love for those who hated Him. +The unassailable One came in flesh to bear our guilt and pay its great price, +to be mocked, beaten, torn, and pierced by lowly creatures, so the we, though +mired in sin, might have our hearts brought near to You. +Father please, help us to live lives pleasing to You in all ways, that our +lives may more closely resemble the record bequeathed to us by Your Son. + +It is in the name Your righteous Son, Christ Jesus that we pray. +Amen.