Lord, we have sinned, without considering how much You love us. You see our sins more clearly than we can ourselves. Lord, You know when we are indifferent to Your Word, the Bible; how often we forget to pray; the times we come unwillingly to worship; and yet we turn to You when we are in trouble. Lord, You know when we are untruthful and when we think evil of others. You see our anger and unfairness to our friends. You know how hard it is for us to forgive. Forgive us and make us clean, so that we can obey Your call to take up Your cross and follow You. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The words of the gospel for those who repent and believe:

Comfort, comfort my people, says Your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.  (Isaiah 40:1-2)