Confession | Palm Sunday (Year C) | March 20th, 2016

/

Confession

Palm Sunday (Year C)

March 20th, 2016

Here is a confession sequence for Palm Sunday (Year C) inspired by Psalm 118 and Luke 19:28-40.

Call to Confession

As we watch the gates open for Jesus' triumphant entry,
let us open the gates of our own hearts
that we may confess, with all honesty,
the sin that resides within.

Prayer of Confession

Triumphant God,
we join the crowd today,
cheering your entry into our lives.
But how quickly we turn from shouts of joy to taunts of hatred.
Instead of greeting you when the going gets tough,
we choose to greet you only when it is convenient for us.
In the moments when tough choices have to be made,
we build walls to keep people out
instead of bigger tables to invite more guests.
We, the builders of these walls,
have rejected you, the chief cornerstone.
Give us courage to build tables instead of walls.
Give us strength to accept your call upon our lives.
Give us righteousness that we might know the difference
between what is easy and what is right.  Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Friends, 
God's steadfast love endures forever.
There is no wall high or thick enough
to separate us from the love of God.
Jesus marched into Jerusalem to save us
and save us, he will!
In the name of Jesus Christ,
I announce to you that our sins have been forgiven.  Amen!

 

/ / Comment
, , , , , ,
, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stephen Fearing

Stephen was born in 1988 in Cookeville, TN, where his parents met whilst attending Tennessee Tech. Shortly after, they moved to Dalton, Georgia where they put down roots and joined First Presbyterian Church, the faith family that taught Stephen that he was first and foremost a beloved child of God. It was this community that taught Stephen that it was OK to have questions and doubts and that nothing he could do could every possibly separate him from the love of God. In 1995, his sister, Sarah Kate, joined the family and Stephen began his journey as a life-long musician. Since then, he has found a love of music and has found this gift particularly fitting for his call to ministry. Among the instruments that he enjoys are piano, trumpet, guitar, and handbells. Stephen has always had a love of singing and congregation song. An avid member of the marching band, Stephen was the drum major of his high school's marching band. In 2006, Stephen began his tenure at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC where he majored in Religion and minored in History. While attending PC, Stephen continued to explore his love of music by participating in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Jazz Trio, as well as playing in the PC Handbell ensemble and playing mandolin and banjo PC's very own bluegrass/rock group, Hosegrass, of which Stephen was a founding member (Hosegrass even released their own CD!). In 2010, Stephen moved from Clinton to Atlanta to attend Columbia Theological Seminary to pursue God's call on his life to be a pastor in the PC(USA). During this time, Stephen worked at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, Central Presbyterian Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. For three years, Stephen served as the Choir Director of Columbia Theological Seminary's choir and also served as the Interim Music Director at Westminster Presbyterian Church. In 2014, Stephen graduated from Columbia with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Practical Theology with an emphasis in liturgy, music, and worship. In July of 2014, Stephen was installed an ordained as Teaching Elder at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church in Shelter Island, NY. Later that year, Stephen married the love of his life, Tricia, and they share their home on Shelter Island with their Golden Doodle, Elsie, and their calico cat, Audrey. In addition to his work with the people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, Stephen currently serves as a commission from Long Island Presbytery to the Synod of the Northeast and, beginning in January of 2016, will moderate the Synod's missions team.