A Brief Form of Confession.
You should speak to the confessor thus: Reverend and dear
sir, I beseech you to hear my confession, and to pronounce forgiveness to me
for God's sake.
Proceed!
I, a poor sinner, confess myself before God guilty of all
sins; especially I confess before you that I am a man-servant, a maidservant,
etc. But, alas, I serve my master unfaithfully; for in this and in that I have
not done what they commanded me; I have provoked them, and caused them to
curse, have been negligent [in many things] and permitted damage to be done;
have also been immodest in words and deeds, have quarreled with my equals, have
grumbled and sworn at my mistress, etc. For all this, I am sorry, and pray for
grace; I want to do better.
A master or mistress may say thus:
In particular, I confess before you that I have not
faithfully trained my children, domestics, and family for God's glory. I have
cursed, set a bad example by rude words and deeds, have done my neighbor harm
and spoken evil of him, have overcharged and given false ware and short
measure.
And whatever else he has done against God's command and his
station, etc.
But if any one does not find himself burdened with such or
greater sins, he should not trouble himself or search for or invent other sins,
and thereby make confession a torture, but mention one or two that he knows.
Thus: In particular, I confess that I once cursed; again, I once used improper
words, I have once neglected this or that, etc. Let this suffice.
But if you know of none at all (which, however is scarcely
possible), then mention none in particular, but receive the forgiveness upon
your general confession which you make before God to the confessor.
“I want to do better.”
O Christ, Thou Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us and grant us Thy
peace.
Agnus Dei, Lutheran Service Book © 2008 Concordia Publishing
House, St. Louis
Artwork by Ed Rojas, © Higher Things
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