The following prayers were written by Theodore Gill for morning prayers at the WCC central committee meeting of 13-20 February 2008. They reflect the themes and the spirit of the nine WCC assembly to date. You are invited to adapt them for your own use in celebrating sixty years of fellowship in the World Council of Churches.

Amsterdam

Confession (based on the prophecy of Isaiah 55: 6-7)

L: Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way,

and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Let us turn to God in prayer and repentance.

At the Amsterdam assembly in 1948,

the World Council of Churches vowed on our behalf that “we intend to stay together”.

We confess that we have frequently resisted your will towards unity,

and we succumb to division in our churches.

God, have mercy upon us. In your grace, transform us.

By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, lead us to true unity and fellowship,

for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

Assurance

L: Hear these words of assurance from Psalm 103, 11-12:

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far he removes our transgressions from us.

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Evanston

Confession (based on the prophecy of Isaiah 55: 6-7)

L: Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Let us turn to God in prayer and repentance.

At the Evanston assembly in 1954, the World Council of Churches vowed on our behalf that we would “grow together” despite the experience of “sharp differences in theological viewpoint”.

We confess that we have yet to overcome many of our sharpest differences,

that we are too quick to criticize,

that we are slow to listen and to learn what we have to teach one another.

God, have mercy upon us.

In your grace, transform us.

By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, lead us to mutual understanding

and a common purpose rooted in the gospel of your son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

Assurance

L: The apostle Paul assures us that:

“ … having been justified by faith, we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(Romans 5:1)

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. 

New Delhi

Confession (based on the prophecy of Isaiah 55: 6-7)

L: Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Let us turn to God in prayer and repentance.

At the New Delhi assembly in 1961, the World Council of Churches vowed to build “one fully committed fellowship, holding the one apostolic faith, preaching the one gospel, breaking the one bread, joining in common prayer and having a corporate life reaching out in witness and service to all”.

We confess that a common table and the sharing of one loaf elude us still,

that common prayer remains a subject of dispute,

that common witness too often is blocked by rivalries among Christians.

God, have mercy upon us.

In your grace, transform us.

By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, lead us to work and worship together,

that we may share in one Eucharist to the glory of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

Assurance

L: Hear the words of the prophet Joel:

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart,

with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments.

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and abounding in love.”

(Joel 2:12-13)

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Uppsala

Confession (based on the prophecy of Isaiah 55: 6-7)

L: Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Let us turn to God in prayer and repentance.

At the Uppsala assembly in 1968, we the members of the World Council of Churches recognized that, even though “the church is bold in speaking of itself as the sign of the coming unity of mankind”, social networks and political instruments that act for peace and justice “often seem more effective than the church itself”.

We confess that our rhetoric continues to outpace our results.

God, have mercy upon us.

In your grace, transform us.

By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, lead us to live and act in ways

that will lend credibility to our claims

and bear authentic witness to your eternal Word in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

Assurance

L: Listen to this proclamation:

“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. “

(Isaiah 65: 17-18)

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Nairobi

Confession (based on the prophecy of Isaiah 55: 6-7)

L: Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Let us turn to God in prayer and repentance.

At the Nairobi assembly in 1975, we as the World Council of Churches promised to take the lead in establishing

“a just, participatory and sustainable society”.

We confess that this winter’s news from Nairobi,

and from so many other cities and nations,

mocks our best intentions and demonstrates

that sincere efforts have not been enough to bring in the age of social justice and peace.

God, have mercy upon us.

In your grace, transform us.

By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, lead us to that justice which the prophets announced,

and to lives fulfilled in love, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

Assurance

L: Listen to these familiar words:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have everlasting life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

(John 3: 16-17)

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Vancouver

Confession

L: At the World Council of Churches Vancouver assembly in 1983, the members of the Council vowed to join in “Christian resistance to the demonic powers of death in racism, sexism, caste oppression, economic exploitation, militarism, violations of human rights and the misuse of science and technology”.

We confess that these threats are as great today as they were a quarter-century ago, and our attention to them wavers.

Let us confess our sins and ask for God's forgiveness.

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

All: God, have mercy upon us. In your grace, transform us – and deliver us from evil. By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, renew our commitment and lead us to a more effective resistance to the demonic forces of hatred and destruction, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

L: Hear these words from 1 John 1:5.

This is the message that we have heard from him and announce to you:

that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.

All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Amen.

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

Canberra

Confession (based on Isaiah 55: 6-7)

L: Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Let us turn to God in prayer and repentance.

At the Canberra assembly in 1991, we in the World Council of Churches realized that “repentance must begin with ourselves”,

admitting that “we have become aware of our own failures in understanding, sensitivity and love”.

We confess that we persist in denying our own faults while pointing to specks in our neighbours’ eyes;

we use even ecumenical and interfaith dialogue as occasions to claim our own superiority.

God, have mercy upon us.

In your grace, convict us of our sin and transform us.

By the guidance of your Holy Spirit,

lead us to a faithful dependence upon you alone,

for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

Assurance (from 1 Timothy 1:15)

L: The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance,

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners –

of whom I am the foremost.

This is the good news of the gospel:

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Harare

Confession (based on the prophecy of Isaiah 55: 6-7)

L: Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way,

and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Let us turn to God in prayer and repentance.

At the Harare assembly in 1998, we as members of the World Council of Churches vowed to “journey together as a people of prayer”, pledging to embody “a continuing growth toward visible unity – not only as assemblies and ecumenical gatherings but each in every place”.

We confess that too many of our churches continue to serve as monuments to denominationalism, and our congregations are torn by strife.

God, have mercy upon us.

In your grace, heal and reconcile our communities

so that we may become worthy agents of healing and reconciliation

throughout your Creation.

By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, lead us to know

that we are called to be the one people of the Triune God,

for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

Assurance

L: So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation:

everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ,

and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

(2 Corinthians 5: 17)

Friends, this is the good news:

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Porto Alegre

Confession

At the Porto Alegre assembly in 2006, we dedicated our lives to your service – so that our common prayer as Christians

            “…may never be empty words

            but an urgent response to your living Word –

            in non-violent direct action for positive change,

            in bold, clear, specific acts of solidarity, liberation, healing and compassion,

            readily sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.”

We confess that we continue to speak too many empty words, that we do too little for positive change, that we do not share the good news of Christ readily enough.

God, have mercy upon us. In your grace, transform us: transform our communities, transform our churches, transform society, transform the world. By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, lead us into your future as people of the living God, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Sung Response : Kyrie eleison

Assurance

The gospel, as foretold in the prophecy of Isaiah (53:5)

But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.