A warning!
Ezekiel 34 v1-6
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father,
by your Holy Spirit come speak your word to us today.
Help us to open our hearts and souls to you and make our honest confession to you.
We have not loved you Lord with heart and soul and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbour as ourselves.
We confess our unfaithfulness,
pride, hypocrisy and greed in our lives.
We confess our self-indulgent appetites and ways that exploit others,
for those whom we have neglected within our care.
[pause and wait in God’s presence and lay before him whatever you need to in confession]
Renew us by your Holy Spirit,
that I may lay down my life for you and for my neighbour
and proclaim your love
through Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd. Amen.
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written by Fyfe Blair
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