Cycle C Lectionary 27 Proper 22

10/6/2013 Confession

Sunday Title: Increase Sunday

Sermon Title: Faith and Loyalty.

Previously:

Sunday Title: Cost Sunday

Sermon Title: The price of mustard.

Sunday Title: Keep the Faith Sunday

Sermon Title: “What is Faith?”

Sunday Title: Increase Sunday

Sermon Title: "Increase Our Faith! Do We Know What We Are Asking?"

Scripture Cuttings:

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 ... but the righteous live by their faith.

Psalm 37:1-10 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.

2 Timothy 1:1-14 ...for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

Luke 17:5-10 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

Confession:

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  Without any of our human arrogance let us be honest with God.

    (pause)

  Almighty God,

C: we are so prepared to seek you in times of trouble,

  to put forward our complaint when we are in over our head,

    but we do not offer praise to you

      for the daily sustaining or the unmarked breath

        moment by moment.

Because we do not trust your strength,

  we are weak in recognizing weakness

    and so weakness grows inside our strength.

We lack the patience to wait for your blessing,

  and our pride keeps us unpracticed in faith.

Forgive us Lord for the sins we know in our heart.

Save us Lord from the sins we hide.

    (pause for reflection and self-examination)

P:  You are God...

C: teach our hearts to trust you, increase our faith. Amen

P:  We are right to rely on the power of God. For God saves us and fills our faith’s hope with grace. The grace in Christ Jesus given to us. Through him we are made right with God. Our sin are forgiven. From our baptism we receive the Holy Spirit and now turning to God we may live in the spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. In the name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!

-or-

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  In this beginning let us remember to be sincere...

    (pause for self-examination)

P:  God Most High...

C: the shortest wait diminishes my trust in you.

If you change my plan the slightest,

  I wonder if you listen to me at all.

I pretend my knowledge of you,

  is understanding, and therefore trust.

    But really I am insincere; I only believe what I see.

I claim to have faith,

  but I will not resign my desires.

Still, I want my faith to be strong,

  yet I exercise fear, even when your will is clear,

   and I halt my service the moment I have done "my part."

Lord forgive the sins I name,

save me from the sins I hide.

Increase my faith!   (Pause for reflection)

P:  God's faithfulness is sure even when our faith wavers. We are invited into God's faithfulness through Jesus Christ our Lord. For Christ's sake our sins are forgiven. Do we believe it? Through the Holy Spirit our faith will increase, it will be sincere, potent, patient, courageous, without fatigue, and guided by God's own purpose and grace, all to the glory of the Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit.

C: Amen. -wjw

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!