Reformed Evangelical Synod of America

INVOCATION

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Glory be to the one true God,
and may his mercy and grace be upon us forever. Amen.

[PSALMODY]

One of the Penitential Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143) may be sung or recited at this point.

[READING]

A reading from Sacred Scripture may be proclaimed at this point.

THE DECALOGUE

Hear the commandments of God to his people:

I am the Lord your God who brought you out of bondage.
You shall have no other gods but me.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

You shall not make for yourself any idol.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

You shall not invoke with malice the Name of the Lord your God.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Honor your father and your mother.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

You shall not commit murder.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

You shall not commit adultery.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

You shall not steal.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

You shall not be a false witness.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

All these Commandments were summed up by our Blessed Lord when he taught us: “The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and write all your laws on our hearts, we pray.

CONFESSION

My brothers and sisters in Christ, having been put in mind of God’s just laws and our need for his mercy, let us now humble ourselves in his presence as we confess our sins.

The assembly bows or kneels in silence for a time, considering their sins and beseeching God’s mercy and forgiveness. After an appropriate amount of time has passed, the people join together in the following corporate confession, drawn from the Prayer of Manasseh.

O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven,
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and of all their righteous offspring:
You made the heavens and the earth,
with all their vast array.

All things quake with fear at your presence;
they tremble because of your power.
But your merciful promise is beyond all measure;
it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.

O Lord, you are full of compassion,
long-suffering, and abounding in mercy.
You hold back your hand;
you do not punish as we deserve.
In your great goodness, Lord,
you have promised forgiveness to sinners,
that they may repent of their sin and be saved.

Unworthy as I am, you will save me,
in accordance with your great mercy,
and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.
For all the powers of heaven sing your praises,
and yours is the glory throughout all the ages. Amen.

The presbyter stands, turns to the people, and says:

I ask you now, my brothers and sisters, in the presence of God who searches out even the depths of our hearts:

Do you believe and confess that by the Fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, whom God created in true righteousness, holiness and innocence, each of you also are in all things frail, fallible, and sinful, unable of your own strength to stand before the Judgment Seat of God?
This I believe and confess.

Do you believe and confess that, lacking the grace of Christ, you are deserving of nothing, save God’s just and eternal judgment?
This I believe and confess.

Do you believe and confess that the one, perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ took away the power of sin, death, and the devil, and that, by grace through faith, you may obtain justification and salvation unto eternal life?
This I believe and confess.

Do you believe and confess that God, who resurrected our Lord Jesus Christ will, by him, raise us also from the dead, and clothing our mortality with immortality, translate us into His eternal glory?
This I believe and confess.

Believing as you do, I now ask: do you promise and resolve that, in gratitude for this grace, you will dedicate your entire life to the Lord and, even now in this present world, live as his redeemed to the glory of God?
This I promise and resolve.

All this, together with you, I too believe and confess, promise and resolve.

The presbyter pronounces the Absolution.

Our heavenly Father has been merciful to us, and, for the sake of the sufferings, death, and resurrection of his Son, he forgives us all of our sins. Therefore, by his authority as a called and ordained servant of the Word, I declare to you who truly repent and faithfully believe his holy Gospel, the entire forgiveness of all your sins.

On the other hand, by the same authority, I declare to those among this assembly who refuse to repent and believe that, so long as you continue in your impenitence and faithlessness, God has not forgiven your sins, and the full measure of your iniquity shall be rendered unto you on the day of our Lord’s just judgment.

The presbyter offers the following prayer.

Almighty and everlasting God, direct, sanctify, and govern, both our hearts and bodies, in the ways of your laws, and in the works of your commandments; that, through your mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul, through the merits and mediation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.