Of Brokenness and Redemption

Hello,

I wanted to share a prayer of confession, atonement, admittance, and acceptance that I wrote last week when I was in the hospital.

It is as much a statement of faith as it is prayer of confession.  Sometimes I think that this is in fact the natural theological path, however too often for my taste mainline Christianity sees confession as an end unto itself, rather than a means to a new beginning.

I have chosen to write a response to it that echoes the UCC (United Church of Christ: "Whoever you are and wherever you are on life's journey, you are welcome here") tradition that the Christian part of my family and my psyche practice.

Prayer of Confession 

Sin separates us from G-d.
Sin, not the specific act(s), but the action of sinning, breaks our connection with the Holy.
Brokenness creates space between parts that were once whole.

Our sin therefore, is that we have broken our bonds with G-d,
With Creation,
With Our Neighbors,
And with Ourselves.

We have chosen to sever our ties with wholeness and well-being.

Yet, G-d offers us wholeness through Restorative Justice.
Through the acts of making things right and apologizing for what we have done to harm others,
G-d offers us wholeness.

We steal trust from others.
We must restore that trust through action and deed.
We must restore that trust through love and word.

We have chosen brokenness.
We are called out of our brokenness into wholeness.
We must learn to leave the past where it is,
and choose the future that may be.

We have sinned and we pray for redemption.
We admit our brokenness in exchange for
Help and Wholeness.

Response

Sisters, Brothers, Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Friends, and Family,
the truly great news is that we have been forgiven and redeemed by a G-d more loving than
we are capable of imagining.
G-d sees the wholeness of who we are, and patiently waits for us to see it also.
Today, I see it in myself, and I see it in all of you.
Rejoice for the One who has redeemed us again and again and again, 
Receives us and Renews us this day and always.

Amen.


So, there it is, with minor revisions to the draft.  

Know that I am continuing on my journey to right-relatedness, forgiveness, and wholeness.
I pray that you are as well.

Thank you for being on this journey with me.

Be well, love your neighbor as you love yourself, and remember to actually love yourself.

-Ari