REFLECTIONS ON THE CONFESSION OF SIN God of all mercy, We confess that we have sinned against you, Opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, And in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, The evil we have done, And the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us Through our Savior Jesus Christ, That we may abide in your love And serve only your will. Amen. I am coming across this confession of sin more frequently in worship lately. 1 It caught my attention the very first time I said it because of the repentance for “evil done on our behalf,” which strikes me as a very apt description of our societal treatment of animals who are not our pets. If only, I find myself thinking, those saying the confession had the vaguest idea that there was anything to confess in regard to their diet, their wardrobe, or their entertain...
