Being Disciples Liturgy 5: A confession in a time of overwhelm

Forgive us when in the face of all that is happening in the world and in our lives we find hope hard to cling to

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Forgive us when we shy away from the losses we need to mourn, and when the inadequacy of our words of comfort stop us from standing alongside those who grieve

Blessed are those who mourn for, they shall be comforted

Forgive us when we’ve felt unequal to the task, or insufficiently informed to respond to a prompting from you

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth

Forgive us when we’ve felt burnt out, apathetic, ambivalent or when we’ve mistaken irritation for righteous anger

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied

Forgive us when we have spent too long re-affirming the rightness of our opinions, or the wrongness of others’

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy

Forgive us when our hearts and heads feel too full to process another event, to acknowledge another suffering, to continue to love

Blessed are the poor in heart, for they shall see God

Forgive us when peacebuilding seems like something for the professionals and we don’t seize opportunities to demonstrate your love to others in our everyday interactions

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God

Forgive us when we virtue-signal our self-denial or adopt a cause that you haven’t called us to

Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

[Gillian Wilcox, from April 2022 service Uncommon Ground]