Gold frankincense myrrh confession

Holy God accept our prayers tonight
You asked for all of our being, our thoughts and actions,
our creativity and expression
What do we give you?
We think back two millennia to when the Christ child was born
What would we give the baby?
What does a baby need?
What does the baby ask of us?
What gifts did the baby receive?

Gold - a gift for a king
A metal so precious that we have died and killed for it
We treat your creation like it wasn’t our home
We’ve robbed the earth and left its wounds open to infection
Forgive us for not giving you the best of us
What’s the point of offering you the religious bits if the rest is kept closely guarded?

Think of the best parts of your life
Give them to God

Frankincense - a gift for God
The fragrance of worship, God’s eau de cologne
Worship giving God the honour that is due
Forgive our efforts to worship you only when it is convenient to do so
And with people that we choose, making outcasts of our brothers and sisters
Forgive us when our actions make our words of worship meaningless

Think of your worship
Give it to God

Myrrh - a gift for a mortal
The smell of a cover-up to hide death and decay
But nothing is hidden from you
Forgive us for denying the reality of pain, suffering and struggle
Do we get angry and shout at God?
Or do we bury our pain?

Think of your sufferings
Give them to God

[Mike Rose]