June 1, 2020 in anti-racism, Faith in action
Called to Racial Reconciliation and Healing
Three years ago our Synod Assembly focused on racial justice.
As part of the Assembly’s opening worship there was an order of Anti-Racism Confession and Reconciliation, which was also shared for use in congregations.
Today our city, region, and nation are rocked by the ongoing tensions painfully exposed in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Dreasjon (Sean) Reed, and George Floyd, and the events playing out on our streets.
As our bishops recently affirmed for us, the ELCA is committed to naming and combatting the sins of racism and white supremacy in all of its manifestations.
Now is an especially appropriate time to revisit this collective confession, read and reflect upon it, and use it in corporate worship.
Southeastern PA Synod Assembly 2017
ANTI-RACISM CONFESSION AND RECONCILIATION
Siblings in Christ, baptized into the love and grace of God, we are free to speak honestly about our sin. We boldly name that we do not live as God intends. We lament our human frailties our ‘isms and our fears. We acknowledge that our biases cause harm to the children of God.
In confession, we admit that our best efforts as individuals are inconsistent and do not solve systematic racism or our church’s frailty. In confession, we name our sin. We pause to reflect rather than to react. We dwell in an unsettled place in order to better seek God’s peace and reconciliation.
Let us pray. God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the reconciliation of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
While we still were sinners, Christ died for us.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit,
God promises to forgive us and heal us as the body of Christ.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
For self-centered living,
and for failing to walk with humility and gentleness:
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
For complacency in the face of economic, political, and social injustice
suffered because of race and ethnicity:
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
For our racism and the ways we divide and discriminate between people, resulting in unbroken cycles of inequality and disadvantage:
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
For our misuse of human relationships,
and our unwillingness to see the image of God in others
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
For our systems of shame and blame,
which make us quick to judge and limit compassion:
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
For hurtful words that condemn,
and for angry deeds that harm:
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
For the ways our church participates in systems
that perpetuate unjust treatment, inequalities, and exclusion:
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
For the abuse of privilege without seeing the pain it causes
throughout the whole body of Christ.
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. By God’s grace and by the gift of faith, we look to the future in hope. We are free to repent, to turn around and face our fears. We are free to listen to one another, waiting for hope with all who are alienated and hurting. And we are called to active reconciliation and healing. Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us the power to proclaim the mighty acts of the one who called us out of darkness into marvelous light. Together, we are the body of Christ, co-workers together in God’s new creation.
Amen.
