A Liturgy For Reconciliation

Lent and Advent are the two penitential seasons of the church year. They are times of preparation and waiting. The most important way we as Christians prepare for the coming of the Christ, the one who reconciles us, is to examine ourselves and repent of sin. The following liturgy is set within the context of Advent. By changing the prayers and Scripture readings, it can be suitably modified for other seasons of the year.

The Service Opening Hymn Greeting and Introduction

May the Lord's grace, mercy, and peace be with you.

We need to need Jesus. Reconciliation is the church's attempt to have us all enter into the many centuries of longing in the human heart until the coming of Christ. Too easily we presume Jesus in our Christian lives. We, too, need to know our deep need of his coming in our lives .… again and again and again. Opening Prayer

God of mercy and love, you sent your only Son to redeem us and your Spirit to fill us with life. Touch our minds and hearts with the saving power of your word. Stir up in us our need for Jesus our Savior. Strengthen our desire to seek out and live the way of life to which he calls you. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

First Scripture Reading Isaiah 6:1–8 Response Either an appropriate Psalm or a hymn Second Scripture Reading Luke 1:39–45 Homily

A Litany of Confession

Let us turn to God and beg his forgiveness. For having thought too little about who you are and our need for you: Forgive us, Lord. For not having sought the kind of freedom you offer us: Forgive us, Lord. For reaching out for a salvation only in terms of our own preferences and interests: Forgive us, Lord. For not having noticed people who are sad: Forgive us, Lord. For having so often lacked understanding for others: Forgive us, Lord. For having evaded our calling as Christians: Forgive us, Lord. For having been so full of ourselves and our own wants: Forgive us, Lord. For the absence of peace among us: Forgive us, Lord. For failing to share our life with those who need it: Forgive us, Lord. For retreating from our responsibilities and going our own way: Forgive us, Lord. For having lived with so little confidence in the future which you will give us: Forgive us, Lord. Let us pray:

For the fearfulness of our love, for all our sins of selfishness and self-sufficiency, we ask your forgiveness, Lord. May we know this forgiveness which you offer us. May this new heart which you promise to create in us be felt in our lives and in our community. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

A Confession and Absolution Sign Proclamation of Praise for God's Mercy (a sung penance) Final Prayer

O God, you gladden us year after year with the promise of our redemption. Grant, we pray, through the intercession of Mary the mother of Jesus, John the Baptist his herald, and all the holy ones—the women and men who have waited for and proclaimed his coming—that we who now prepare for the Christmas coming of our redeemer may also welcome him without fear when he comes as our judge. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Final Blessing and Dismissal May the Lord bless you and keep you. Amen. May he let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. Amen. May he lift up his countenance to you and give you peace. Amen. May almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let us go forth in the love and peace of Christ. Thanks be to God. Closing Hymn Commentary Opening Hymn. The hymn should be appropriate to the Advent season and should help gather the community in a unified spirit ready for the call to be reconciled. One example might be "?O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.?" Greeting and Introduction. The greeting and the introduction could be done by the presiding minister. There is also the possibility of another minister introducing the reconciliation theme. The greeting reminds us that it is God who calls and gathers worshipers. The introduction focuses on the particular need of reconciliation at this time. The introduction should attractively invite all present to ready their hearts. Opening Prayer. Since the introduction has invited the participants to ready their hearts, the presiding minister sums up the prayer in words that once again help focus their need for forgiveness and their desire for reconciliation. First Scripture Reading. A lector or another minister proclaims the Word of God. The first reading is taken from any part of the Bible other than the Gospels. Once again, the biblical selection should be appropriate to the focus of the service. Response. The community is to be actively involved in some form of response to God's Word. The recitation or chanting of a Psalm or the singing of a hymn provides a way of establishing a dialogue between God and the community of faith. Second Scripture Reading. The second reading is a passage from one of the Gospels; it can be proclaimed by the presiding minister or by another. Homily. The presiding minister is ordinarily the homilist, allowing the Word of God to be a light in the midst of darkness and a sword which pierces through the human situation. Pastoral advice, exhortation, and guidance make up the homilist's contribution to the participant's lives. A Litany of Confession. The confessional litany is usually led by a lector or minister other than the presiding one. The litany stimulates a kind of examination of conscience for the individual. At the same time, the litany is an attempt to capture the sense of mutual support of all in the community in the church's task of reconciliation and forgiveness. A Confession and Absolution Sign. The active participation of the community members is elicited by some sort of movement or gesture. For example, each person could come forward to be sprinkled with cleansing water by the presiding minister, or each could come forward to kiss a cross. There is also the possibility of each penitent's coming forward to the presiding minister and declaring, "?I am a sinner. I confess [mentioning one repented sin].?" It is important that the presiding minister sum up the effect of the repentant gesture by declaring God's forgiving and welcoming love after all come forward. There is also the possibility that individual absolution can be declared as each comes forward. Proclamation of Praise for God's Mercy. After the presiding minister has spoken God's mercy on the repentant sinner, the dialogue is once more engaged by means of a hymn or a common prayer of the community. This hymn or prayer should speak of a purpose of amendment and a thanksgiving to God for mercy. Final Prayer. The presiding minister sums up once again the prayer of the community in its thanks and in its resolution for living the Christian faith with greater fidelity. Final Blessing and Dismissal. The presiding minister speaks God's blessings on the community members as they individually and as an ecclesial identity enter into their ordinary flow of life. Closing Hymn. The closing hymn is again appropriate to the season and to the service, e.g., "?Wake, Awake, the Night is Dying.?" The ecclesial identity and the social support of each person of the community for the other are symbolized by the blending of voices in a song of praise to God.