Confessional Readings
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on 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, forever. Amen.
Benjamin Keach’s Catechism (1693)
Question #1
Leader: Who is the first and best of beings?
Congregation: God is the first and best of beings.
Question #2
Leader: What is the chief end of man?
Congregation: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
Responsive Reading adapted from the First London Baptist Confession (1644): Article #1
Leader: The Lord our God is but one God; whose subsistence is in Himself.
Congregation: [His] essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself.
Leader: [He possesses] immortality, [He dwells] in the light, which no man can approach unto.
Congregation: [He] is, in Himself, most holy, [in] every way.
Leader: [He is] infinite in greatness, wisdom, power, [and] love.
Congregation: [He is] merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
Leader: [He] giveth being, moving, and preservation to all creatures.
Congregation: In him we live, and move, and have our being. Praise be to God!
Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
Question #1
Leader: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
Congregation: That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul,
in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way that
not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven;
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.
Question #4
Leader: What does God’s law require of us?
Congregation: “You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.”
This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Westminster Larger Catechism (1647)
Question #1
Leader: What is the chief and highest end of man?
Congregation: Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.
New City Catechism (2012):
Question #1
Leader: What is our only hope in life and death?
Congregation: That we are not our own but belong, body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.
Question #2
Leader: What is God?
Congregation: God is the creator and sustainer of everyone and everything. He is eternal, infinite, and unchangeable in his power and perfection, goodness and glory, wisdom, justice, and truth. Nothing happens except through him and by his will.
Question #20
Leader: Who is the Redeemer?
Congregation: The only Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, in whom God became man and bore the penalty for sin himself.
Question #21
Leader: What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God?
Congregation: One who is truly human and also truly God.
Question #22
Leader: Why must the Redeemer be truly human?
Congregation: That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin; and also that he might sympathize with our weaknesses.
Question #23
Leader: Why must the Redeemer be truly God?
Congregation: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective; and also that he would be able to bear the righteous anger of God against sin and yet overcome death.
Question #24
Leader: Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die?
Congregation: Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life.
Corporate prayer adapted from the works of French Catholic priest Father Esther Bouquerel* (1912):
O Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
[Wherever] there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much to be consoled,
[but may I seek] to console [others].
[O Lord, with your help], let me not seek to be understood,
as much as [I seek] to understand.
[May I not seek] to be loved [by others],
as [much as I seek] to love [those in need];
for it is in giving that one receives;
it is in self-forgetting that one finds;
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned;
it is in dying that [we are] raised to eternal life. Amen!
*Bouquerel is pronounced “boo-keh-rrrehl”
Prayer written by Shmona the Martyr of Edessa (288):
Lord God, you cheered David’s heart during his worst troubles.
You gave power to Daniel even against the lions.
You made the children of Abraham victorious.
Without you, not even a little sparrow falls.
Now, Lord, take note of the war being waged against us.
You know how weak we are, by nature.
The enemy is trying to separate your workmanship from your glory.
But look upon us with compassion.
Keep the lamp of your commandments shining brightly within us,
against all attempts to extinguish it.
And by your light guide our paths.
In your mercy allow us to enjoy the happiness that is in you.
For you are blessed forever, world without end. Amen!
Responsive Reading Adapted from Psalm 136:
Leader: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Congregation: For his steadfast love endures forever.
Leader: Give thanks to the God of gods.
Congregation: For his steadfast love endures forever.
Leader: Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
Congregation: For his steadfast love endures forever.
Prayer crafted by Ambrose of Milan (4th century):
Call forth your servant, Lord.
I am bound with the chain of my sins,
my feet fastened and my hands tied, buried in dead thoughts and works.
Yet at your call I will go forth free and will be one of those who are sitting at your feast.
Your house will be filled with the aroma of precious ointment.
If you have stooped down to redeem anyone, preserve me.
I will be pulled from the fire, away from this world’s vanities,
to a place where I can hear the choir singing.
And now I will continue serving not in my own strength,
but by the grace of Christ, and I will sit among the guests at the heavenly table. Amen.
Corporate prayer crafted by Clement of Rome (1st century):
Lord, your hand has shown us the everlasting fabric of the world.
You created the earth.
You who are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in your judgments, marvelous in strength and excellence.
You who are wise in creating and establishing what you have made.
You who show pity and compassion; [you] forgive our sins, our unrighteousness, our transgressions, and our shortcomings.
Cleanse us [now] with the cleansing of your truth.
Guide our steps to walk in holiness, righteousness, and singleness of heart.
Help us to do those things that are good and pleasing in your sight. Amen!
Corporate prayer crafted by John Calvin (16th century):
O Lord, with heartfelt sorrow we repent of our offenses against you.
We condemn our evil ways, with true [remorse], [we] plead 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 as you remove our guilt and our pollution, [please] grant us the daily increase of the grace of your Holy Spirit.
[As we] acknowledge you, from our inmost hearts, [may we] be touched with [the] sorrow that shall work true repentance, and, by mortifying all sins within us, your Spirit may produce the fruits of holiness and righteousness, [that are] well-pleasing in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Corporate prayer crafted by John Knox (16th century):
Almighty God, we are unworthy to come into your presence, because of our many sins.
We do not deserve any grace or mercy from you.
If you dealt with us as we deserve, [we should receive your wrath].
We have sinned against you, O Lord, and we have offended you.
And yet, O Lord, as we acknowledge our sins and offenses, so also do we acknowledge you to be a merciful God; a loving and [most] favorable Father; [merciful] to all who [repent].
And so we humbly ask you, for the sake of Christ your son, to show mercy to us, and forgive us all our offenses.
Forgive the sins of our youth, and the sins of our old age.
By your Spirit, O God, take possession of our hearts, so that, not only the actions of our life, but also the words of our mouths, and the smallest thought of our minds, may be guided and governed by you.
[O Lord], to you be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen!
Prayer crafted by Martin Luther (16th century):
Waken our hearts, O Lord, our God;
make [us] ever watchful to serve You and Your purposes.
Trouble us with the smallness of our vision and work.
Trouble us with the greatness of Your command to make disciples of all nations.
Trouble us with Your great love for sinners and our own slowness to make You our greatest love.
Trouble us with the brevity of our lives and time, talent, and treasure not invested in eternity.
Comfort us by drawing us to Yourself with the cords of Your unfailing mercy.
Comfort us, O Lord, with the assurance of our salvation and unending glory with You when we suffer and are afflicted.
Rekindle in us a renewed desire for the coming of Your glorious kingdom, when all wrongs will be made right, when everything that is broken will be made whole, and when we will trade a cross for a crown.
Amen.
Corporate Confession adapted from a Prayer written by George Washington (1752):
O eternal and everlasting God, we presume to present ourselves this morning before thy Divine majesty,
beseeching thee to accept our humble and hearty thanks.
It has pleased you to keep us and preserve us, from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to,
and you have given us sweet and pleasant sleep.
We beseech you to defend us from all perils of body and soul.
Direct our thoughts, words and work, O God.
Wash away our sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb,
and purge our hearts, by your Holy Spirit,
from the dross of our natural corruption,
that we may, with more freedom of mind and liberty of will,
serve you, our everlasting God.
Bless our families, our friends, and our kindred.
Unite us and help us, until our last moment,
when we shall give account before thee,
our bless-ed Saviour, who has taught us to pray!
Increase our faith in the sweet promises of the Gospel.
Give us repentance from dead works.
Pardon our wanderings.
Teach us how to live in thy fear,
and to ever run in the ways of thy commands.
Daily frame us, more and more, into the likeness of thy Son Jesus Christ,
that we may, in thy appointed time, attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. Amen!
Responsive Prayer adapted from St. Patrick’s “Breastplate” (433):
Leader: We are often weak.
Congregation: May the Strength of God guide us. May the Power of God preserve us.
Leader: We often behave in folly.
Congregation: May the Wisdom of God instruct us. May the Hand of God protect us.
Leader: We spurn your instructions and walk not in the way of wisdom.
Congregation: May the Way of God direct us. May the Shield of God defend us. May the Mercy of God embrace us.
Leader: We forsake your commands.
Congregation: May the Angels of God guard us—Against the snares of the evil one.
All: May Christ be with us! May Christ be before us! May Christ be in us. Christ be over all! Amen!
Modern Confession and Responsive Reading (Based on James 4:1-10)
Leader: Gracious God, we come before You with hearts laid bare. We acknowledge that the conflicts within us—and with one another—come from selfish desires and pride. Forgive us for when we have sought our own way instead of Yours.
All: Lord, we confess that we have fought and quarreled, driven by envy and ambition. We have pursued pleasure and worldly gain, ignoring the peace You offer. We humble ourselves before You.
Leader: You tell us that we do not have because we do not ask, and that when we ask, we often do so with wrong motives. Forgive us for treating prayer as a means to serve ourselves rather than to seek Your will.
All: Lord, have mercy on us. Cleanse us from selfishness and purify our hearts. Help us to come to our senses, grieve over our sin, and turn from it to you in true repentance.
Leader: You call us to draw near to You, and You promise to draw near to us. You oppose the proud but give grace to the humble. Today, we surrender our pride, laying down the need to control our lives.
All: Father, we submit ourselves to You. Strengthen us to resist the enemy and trust Your provision. Lift us up as we bow low before You, knowing that in You alone is true joy and fulfillment.
Leader: In Your kindness, O God, You invite us to repent. Let us no longer be double-minded, but fully devoted to Your ways.
All: We thank You for Your mercy and the grace to start anew. Cleanse us, restore us, and lead us to walk humbly with You. Amen.
Bethlehem Elder Affirmation of Faith (2003)
Article # 2
2.1 We believe in one living, sovereign, and all-glorious God,
eternally existing in three infinitely excellent and admirable Persons:
God the Father, [the] fountain of all being;
God the Son, eternally begotten, not made, without beginning, being of one essence with the Father;
and God the Holy Spirit, proceeding in the full, divine essence, as a Person, eternally from the Father and the Son.
Thus each Person in the Godhead is fully and completely God.
2.2 We believe that God is supremely joyful in the fellowship of the Trinity, each Person beholding and expressing His eternal and unsurpassed delight in the all-satisfying perfections of the triune God.
Prayer of confession (abridged) written by Bernard of Clairvaux (12th century)
O God, my heart is a vain heart,
a wandering and unstable heart.
When it is led by its own judgment,
and lacking divine counsel, it cannot maintain in itself.
Come, Holy Spirit, bring from heaven a ray of your light!
[O God], Father of the poor, giver of gifts,
light of the world, bless-ed Comforter,
[You are the] sweetest refreshment!
[You are] our rest in labor,
our coolness in heat,
our comfort in affliction!
O most blessed Spirit,
fill full the hearts of your faithful people!
Without your influence,
there is nothing in us which is not weakness and guilt.
Oh, cleanse those who are filthy.
Refresh those who are dried up.
Heal those who are wounded.
Bend those who are stubborn.
Cherish in your heart those who are cold.
Guide those who are wandering.
Grant your servants, who put their trust in you,
the merit of your righteousness.
Give [us] final salvation.
Grant [us] eternal joy!
O Lord, hear our prayer,
and let our cry come to you. Amen.
Nativity Prayer written by Bernard of Clairvaux (12th century)
Let Your goodness Lord appear to us,
that we, [who are] made in your image, [would] conform ourselves to it.
In our own strength we cannot imitate Your majesty, power, and wonder,
nor is it fitting for us to [even] try.
But Your mercy reaches from the heavens,
through the clouds to the earth below.
You have come to us as a small child,
but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts,
the gift of eternal love.
[O incarnate Lord], caress us with Your tiny hands,
embrace us with Your tiny arms,
and pierce our hearts with Your soft, sweet cries.
Amen!
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on 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, forever. Amen.
Leader: Who is the first and best of beings?
Congregation: God is the first and best of beings.
Leader: What is the chief end of man?
Congregation: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
Congregation: [His] essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself.
Congregation: [He] is, in Himself, most holy, [in] every way.
Congregation: [He is] merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
Congregation: In him we live, and move, and have our being. Praise be to God!
Leader: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
Congregation: That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul,
in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way that
not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven;
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.
Leader: What does God’s law require of us?
Congregation: “You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.”
This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Leader: What is the chief and highest end of man?
Congregation: Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.
Leader: What is our only hope in life and death?
Congregation: That we are not our own but belong, body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.
Leader: What is God?
Congregation: God is the creator and sustainer of everyone and everything. He is eternal, infinite, and unchangeable in his power and perfection, goodness and glory, wisdom, justice, and truth. Nothing happens except through him and by his will.
Leader: Who is the Redeemer?
Congregation: The only Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, in whom God became man and bore the penalty for sin himself.
Leader: What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God?
Congregation: One who is truly human and also truly God.
Leader: Why must the Redeemer be truly human?
Congregation: That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin; and also that he might sympathize with our weaknesses.
Leader: Why must the Redeemer be truly God?
Congregation: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective; and also that he would be able to bear the righteous anger of God against sin and yet overcome death.
Leader: Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die?
Congregation: Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life.
[Wherever] there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much to be consoled,
[but may I seek] to console [others].
[O Lord, with your help], let me not seek to be understood,
as much as [I seek] to understand.
[May I not seek] to be loved [by others],
as [much as I seek] to love [those in need];
for it is in giving that one receives;
it is in self-forgetting that one finds;
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned;
it is in dying that [we are] raised to eternal life. Amen!
You gave power to Daniel even against the lions.
You made the children of Abraham victorious.
Without you, not even a little sparrow falls.
Now, Lord, take note of the war being waged against us.
You know how weak we are, by nature.
The enemy is trying to separate your workmanship from your glory.
But look upon us with compassion.
Keep the lamp of your commandments shining brightly within us,
against all attempts to extinguish it.
And by your light guide our paths.
In your mercy allow us to enjoy the happiness that is in you.
For you are blessed forever, world without end. Amen!
Congregation: For his steadfast love endures forever.
Congregation: For his steadfast love endures forever.
Congregation: For his steadfast love endures forever.
I am bound with the chain of my sins,
my feet fastened and my hands tied, buried in dead thoughts and works.
Yet at your call I will go forth free and will be one of those who are sitting at your feast.
Your house will be filled with the aroma of precious ointment.
If you have stooped down to redeem anyone, preserve me.
I will be pulled from the fire, away from this world’s vanities,
to a place where I can hear the choir singing.
And now I will continue serving not in my own strength,
but by the grace of Christ, and I will sit among the guests at the heavenly table. Amen.
You created the earth.
You who are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in your judgments, marvelous in strength and excellence.
You who are wise in creating and establishing what you have made.
You who show pity and compassion; [you] forgive our sins, our unrighteousness, our transgressions, and our shortcomings.
Cleanse us [now] with the cleansing of your truth.
Guide our steps to walk in holiness, righteousness, and singleness of heart.
Help us to do those things that are good and pleasing in your sight. Amen!
We condemn our evil ways, with true [remorse], [we] plead 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 as you remove our guilt and our pollution, [please] grant us the daily increase of the grace of your Holy Spirit.
[As we] acknowledge you, from our inmost hearts, [may we] be touched with [the] sorrow that shall work true repentance, and, by mortifying all sins within us, your Spirit may produce the fruits of holiness and righteousness, [that are] well-pleasing in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We do not deserve any grace or mercy from you.
If you dealt with us as we deserve, [we should receive your wrath].
We have sinned against you, O Lord, and we have offended you.
And yet, O Lord, as we acknowledge our sins and offenses, so also do we acknowledge you to be a merciful God; a loving and [most] favorable Father; [merciful] to all who [repent].
And so we humbly ask you, for the sake of Christ your son, to show mercy to us, and forgive us all our offenses.
Forgive the sins of our youth, and the sins of our old age.
By your Spirit, O God, take possession of our hearts, so that, not only the actions of our life, but also the words of our mouths, and the smallest thought of our minds, may be guided and governed by you.
[O Lord], to you be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen!
make [us] ever watchful to serve You and Your purposes.
Trouble us with the smallness of our vision and work.
Trouble us with the greatness of Your command to make disciples of all nations.
Trouble us with Your great love for sinners and our own slowness to make You our greatest love.
Trouble us with the brevity of our lives and time, talent, and treasure not invested in eternity.
Comfort us by drawing us to Yourself with the cords of Your unfailing mercy.
Comfort us, O Lord, with the assurance of our salvation and unending glory with You when we suffer and are afflicted.
Rekindle in us a renewed desire for the coming of Your glorious kingdom, when all wrongs will be made right, when everything that is broken will be made whole, and when we will trade a cross for a crown.
Amen.
beseeching thee to accept our humble and hearty thanks.
It has pleased you to keep us and preserve us, from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to,
and you have given us sweet and pleasant sleep.
Direct our thoughts, words and work, O God.
Wash away our sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb,
and purge our hearts, by your Holy Spirit,
from the dross of our natural corruption,
that we may, with more freedom of mind and liberty of will,
serve you, our everlasting God.
Unite us and help us, until our last moment,
when we shall give account before thee,
our bless-ed Saviour, who has taught us to pray!
Give us repentance from dead works.
Pardon our wanderings.
Teach us how to live in thy fear,
and to ever run in the ways of thy commands.
Daily frame us, more and more, into the likeness of thy Son Jesus Christ,
that we may, in thy appointed time, attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. Amen!
Congregation: May the Strength of God guide us. May the Power of God preserve us.
Congregation: May the Wisdom of God instruct us. May the Hand of God protect us.
Congregation: May the Way of God direct us. May the Shield of God defend us. May the Mercy of God embrace us.
Congregation: May the Angels of God guard us—Against the snares of the evil one.
2.1 We believe in one living, sovereign, and all-glorious God,
eternally existing in three infinitely excellent and admirable Persons:
God the Father, [the] fountain of all being;
God the Son, eternally begotten, not made, without beginning, being of one essence with the Father;
and God the Holy Spirit, proceeding in the full, divine essence, as a Person, eternally from the Father and the Son.
Thus each Person in the Godhead is fully and completely God.
2.2 We believe that God is supremely joyful in the fellowship of the Trinity, each Person beholding and expressing His eternal and unsurpassed delight in the all-satisfying perfections of the triune God.
a wandering and unstable heart.
When it is led by its own judgment,
and lacking divine counsel, it cannot maintain in itself.
Come, Holy Spirit, bring from heaven a ray of your light!
[O God], Father of the poor, giver of gifts,
light of the world, bless-ed Comforter,
[You are the] sweetest refreshment!
[You are] our rest in labor,
our coolness in heat,
our comfort in affliction!
O most blessed Spirit,
fill full the hearts of your faithful people!
Without your influence,
there is nothing in us which is not weakness and guilt.
Oh, cleanse those who are filthy.
Refresh those who are dried up.
Heal those who are wounded.
Bend those who are stubborn.
Cherish in your heart those who are cold.
Guide those who are wandering.
Grant your servants, who put their trust in you,
the merit of your righteousness.
Give [us] final salvation.
Grant [us] eternal joy!
O Lord, hear our prayer,
and let our cry come to you. Amen.
that we, [who are] made in your image, [would] conform ourselves to it.
In our own strength we cannot imitate Your majesty, power, and wonder,
nor is it fitting for us to [even] try.
But Your mercy reaches from the heavens,
through the clouds to the earth below.
You have come to us as a small child,
but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts,
the gift of eternal love.
[O incarnate Lord], caress us with Your tiny hands,
embrace us with Your tiny arms,
and pierce our hearts with Your soft, sweet cries.
Amen!