Alas, O Lord!
Alas, O Lord!
The great and awesome God
Who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness
For those who love Him and keep His commandments
We have sinned
Committed iniquity
Acted wickedly
Rejected authority
Rebelled ostentatiously
We have turned aside from Your commandments and ordinances
Not listening to Your unfailing Word
We have scorned Your Son, the incarnate Word
We have twisted Your law into legalism
And Your freedom into license
Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord
But to us open shame
As it is this day—
to our families
to our children
to the dwellers in the city
to the inhabitants of the country
to those who are nearby and those who are far away
in every corner of the world
Because of our unfaithful deeds
Which we have committed against You
Open shame belongs to us, O Lord
To our mayors, our governors—all our politicians
Our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, our sisters—all our beloved
Because we have sinned against You
To the Lord our God belongs compassion and forgiveness
Yet we have rebelled against Him
To the Lord our God belongs perfection and holiness
Yet we have not obeyed His voice
To the Lord our God belongs justice and truth
Yet we have rejected His teachings which He set before us
Indeed all the world has transgressed Your law
And turned aside, not obeying Your voice
So Your chastisement has been poured out on us
Along with the curse
As it is written:
the soul who sins will die
the wages of sin is death
there is no peace for the wicked
the way of the treacherous is hard
sinners shall not stand in the judgement
Yet we have all sinned against Him
Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken
Against us and against our rulers who rule us
To bring on us great calamity
For under the whole heaven
The wrath of God has been revealed against all wickedness
As it is written in Your Word
All this calamity has come on us
Yet, we have sinned
We have not sought the favor of the LORD our God
We have not turned from our iniquity
We have not given attention to Your truth
Therefore the LORD has kept the destruction in store
And brought it on us, upon our very heads
For the LORD our God alone is righteous
In all His deeds which He has done
But we have not obeyed His voice
O Lord, our God!
You who brought Your people Israel
Out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand
You who brought Your Church out of the slavery of sin
By the mighty cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts
Let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away
For the sake of Your glorious name
According to the greatness of Your compassion
Blot out our transgressions
The iniquities of our fathers is higher than the highest heavens
Our sins send a stench up to the very throne of God
We have become a reproach to all those around us
Surely we have sinned
Surely we have been wicked
But now, our God
Listen to the prayer of Your servants and to our supplications
And for Your sake, O Lord
Let Your face shine on Your desolate people
O my God, incline Your ear and hear!
Open Your eyes and see our desolations!
See Your people, called by Your holy name
For we are not presenting our supplications before You
On account of any merits of our own
But on account of Your great compassion
On account of Your steadfast love in Christ
O Lord, hear!
O Lord, forgive!
O Lord, listen and take action!
For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay
Because Your people are called by Your name
Save us, O God, for the glory of Your name!
Let the knowledge of the LORD cover the earth as water covers the sea
Send Your gospel to every nation, tribe, people, and tongue
Deliver Your elect from the domain of darkness
Humble Your Church for its love affair with the world
Bring Your people Israel to trust in the Messiah
Establish Your glorious kingdom
Set Your King, Your glorious Son upon the throne forever and ever!
Photo by Natalie Breeze on Unsplash