For Sunday

Reading of the Law of God

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, Jesus said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.” Mark 8.34-35

Confession of Sin

Our Father, we know what Jesus requires of us. We hear His call to discipleship. But we don’t like self-denial. We find cross-bearing too hard. In this we are so very like our neighbors. In this we sin. We humbly ask that You would forgive us. We ask that You would change our hearts some more by Your Holy Spirit. We ask this only because of Jesus, our faithful Savior. Amen.

Declaration of Pardon

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2.1-2

God, the Father of mercies, has reconciled the world to himself through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, not counting our trespasses against us, but sending his Holy Spirit to shed abroad his love among us. By the ministry of reconciliation entrusted by Christ to his Church, receive his pardon and peace to stand before him in his strength alone, this day and evermore.

The Book of Common Prayer