Confessions

1. Confessions Fourth Petition Lord’s Prayer

2. L Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, • C have mercy and hear us. Our Father, who art in heaven, • hallowed be thy name, • thy kingdom come, • thy will be done, • on earth as it is in heaven. • Give us this day our daily bread; • and forgive us our trespasses, • as we forgive those who trespass against us; • and lead us not into temptation, • but deliver us from evil. • For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, • forever and ever. Amen WORSHIP

3. C . I believe in God, the Father almighty, • creator of heaven and earth. • I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. • He was conceived by the power of the • Holy Spirit • and born of the virgin Mary. • He suffered under Pontius Pilate, • was crucified, died, and was buried. • He descended into hell. • On the third day he rose again. • He ascended into heaven, • and is seated at the right hand of the Father. • He will come again to judge the living and the dead. • I believe in the Holy Spirit, • the holy catholic Church, • the communion of saints, • the forgiveness of sins, • the resurrection of the body, • and the life everlasting. Amen Worship - 2

4. L Show us your mercy, O Lord, • C and grant us your salvation. • L Clothe your ministers with righteousness. • C Let your people sing with joy. • L Give peace, O Lord, in all the world; • C for only in you can we live in safety. • L Lord, keep this nation under your care, • C and guide us in the way of justice and truth. • L Let your way be known upon earth; • C your saving health among all nations. • L Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten, • C nor the hope of the poor be taken away. • L Create in us clean hearts, O God, • C and sustain us with your Holy Spirit. • L The Lord be with you. • C And also with you. Worship - 3

5. L We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, • that you have this day so graciously protected us. • We beg you to forgive us all our sins and the wrong which we have done. • By your great mercy defend us from all the perils and dangers of this night. • Into your hands we commend our bodies and souls, and all that is ours. • Let your holy angels have charge of us, that the wicked one have no power over us. • C Amen • L Let us bless the Lord. • C Thanks be to God. • L The + Lord bless us, defend us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. • C Amen Worship - 4

6. Each of you go to a different room in the church building and • make a list of every thing in it. • Then next to each item, write down your answer to the next question (below) • How did this get here? Experience

7. The Lord’s Prayer • Give us today our daily bread. • Q. What is this? • A. In fact, God gives daily bread without our prayer, even to all evil people, but we ask in this prayer that God cause us to recognize what our daily bread is and to receive it with thanksgiving. • Q. What then does “daily bread” mean? • A.. Everything our bodies need such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, fields, livestock, money, property, an upright spouse, upright children, upright workers, upright and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, decency, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like. Discussion & reflection:

8. Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread, • John Calvin, 1558, These words remind us that, unless God feed us daily, the largest accumulation of the necessaries of life will be of no avail. Though we may have abundance of corn, and wine, and every thing else, unless they are watered by the secret blessing of God, they will suddenly vanish, or we will be deprived of the use of them, or they will lose their natural power to support us, so that we shall famish in the midst of plenty. • Write down a new list of everything you really, really, absolutely do need, • everything that makes your life possible. Discussion & reflection:

9. Luke 11:3 Give us each day our daily bread • Ireneaus of Lyons (c. 180) Now if any man set Luke aside, as one who did not know the truth, he will, [by so acting,] obviously reject that Gospel of which he claims to be a disciple. • What does it mean to take God for granted? Can you give a couple of examples? • Is there a consequence for not thanking God? Discussion & reflection:

10. Tertullian (c. 199) Since, however, the Lord, the Foreseer of human necessities, said separately, after delivering His Rule of Prayer, “Ask, and ye shall receive;” and since there are petitions which are made according to the circumstances of each individual; our additional wants have the right—after beginning with the legitimate and customary prayers as a foundation, as it were—of rearing an outer superstructure of petitions, yet with remembrance of the Master’s precepts. • Whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer, • after we pray as we were taught, we may also include our particular needs second. • Write down a list of everything you need right now. Discussion & reflection:

11. Luke 12:22And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? • Clement of Alexandria (c. 200)  And sufficiency is a condition which reaches its proper end without excess or defect. The mother of these is Justice, and their nurse “Independence;” and this is a condition which is satisfied with what is necessary, and by itself furnishes what contributes to the blessed life. • Put these words of Clement of Alexandria in your own words. Discussion & reflection:

12. Can we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, say (yes say it out loud three times.) • “I commit myself to simplicity, • to having only what I need, • to value • protecting my relationship with God • protecting my neighbor, • protecting the environment, • by living simply?” • Now, write down what it means. Discussion & reflection:

13. Luke 6: 24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. • Chrysostom (354-407) Now Jesus calls mammon here “a master,” not because of its own nature but on account of the wretchedness of those who bow themselves beneath it…to have mammon for your master is already worse itself than any later punishment and enough retribution before the punishment for anyone trapped in it…more grievous, one falls away thereby from the highest blessing – to be God’s servant. • So what do you want? To be God’s servant? Discussion & reflection:

14. How much do you need (write down your answer to each): • Warm food? • Air conditioning? • A cell phone? • Internet? • Decent clothes? • Friends? • Sports? • Vacations? • Could you live like a monk, without all of the above? If not, why not??? Discussion & reflection:

15. We pray, “Lord, give us this day our daily bread…” • Daily means what we need today. • Daily means what we need today. • Daily means what we need today. • God is generous giving what we need and more. • Are we generous in giving back to God? What are you giving back to God? Discussion & reflection: