Dear Crosswalkers,
Of course we are living in what some are calling "the age of entitlement." In other words, people think they are entitled to all good things in life, and if they aren't experiencing those good things, they blame a political party, or wealthy people, or their parents, or their environment, and of course, many blame God. The following prayer is satire. It looks at "entitlement spirituality," which is characterized by superficiality, a shallow view of sin, and a perception that God is like a kindly grandfather. This prayer is a contemporary take of a traditional public confession of sin found in the Book of Common Prayer.
Benevolent and easy-going Parent: We have occasionally had some minor errors of judgment, but they're not really our fault. Due to forces beyond our control, we have sometimes failed to act in accordance with our own best interests. Under the circumstances, we did the best we could. We are glad to say that we're doing okay, perhaps even slightly above average. Be your own sweet Self with those who know they are not perfect. Grant us that we may continue to live a harmless and happy life and keep our self-respect. And we ask all these things according to the unlimited tolerances which we have a right to expect from you. Amen.
Compare this with a biblical prayer of confession that is potent and heartfelt and effective, from the book of Nehemiah (1:4-7) -
When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.
This weekend over 60 of our men will be at our annual Men's Retreat at Redwood Christian Park. Our former associate pastor Jerry Ingalls will be leading us in living "The Epic Life." This is a life filled with prayer, trust in God, and a courage to do the will of God. But it all begins with confession; with a brutally honest self evaluation and understanding that we need God's forgiveness for our past, and his empowerment for our future. The Bible says,"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Please PRAY against the entitlement spirituality that is rampant in our culture today, and for a powerful outpouring of confession and cleansing of the Holy Spirit for the men of our church family!
Love in Jesus,
Pastor John Christie
No comments:
Post a Comment