Prayers of approach and confession for Epiphany Sunday – Year C

God-with-us:
This morning we will hear the story
Of pilgrims from the east searching for you
Rejoicing at their discovery,
Kneeling before you in adoration.

We confess that we do not seek you with the same hunger.
Forgive our comfort.
Our settling for easy answers that fail to really satisfy
Our turning aside from truths that would challenge us.
Kindle within us a desire to see your face.

Silence

This morning we will hear the story
Of a child born into poverty and danger
A refugee family fleeing violence.

We confess that we do not seek you
In the faces of those who are different from us.
Forgive our hearts that are hardened,
Our minds that are closed,
Our turning aside from those who are in desperate
circumstances.
Kindle within us a desire to see your justice.

Silence

This morning we will hear the story
Of precious gifts being offered
Gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

We confess that we are more accustomed to taking
than giving.
We use our resources selfishly and wastefully
We strip and plunder the earth without thought of our impact
On delicate ecosystems and on the generations to come.
Forgive our greed.
Kindle in us a desire to see the flourishing of the earth and of all people

Silence

Gracious God, forgive us and renew us.
Set our hearts on fire with love.
Ignite within us a desire for truth, a desire for justice,
A desire to seek you and a readiness to find you
In the ordinary moments of our lives.

God is good! God is faithful! God is merciful!
And God comes to us, in vulnerability, again and again,
to show us how much we are loved.
Thanks be to God!