BAPTIST WOMEN

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BAPTIST WOMENS WORLD DAY OF PRAYER, 2009A
prayer of confession
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• We, your Baptist sisters
• in North America, confess

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• that we have too often
• treated the earth
• as if it belongs to us,
• and not to God.

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• We have consumed
• the earths resources

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instead of conserving them for future
generations.
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• We have wasted water,
• food, and energy.

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• We have polluted
• the soil, the sea,
• and the sky.

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• We have
• overheated our homes
• in winter
• and overcooled them
• in summer.

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• We have hopped
• into our cars
• when we should have
• put on our walking shoes.

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• We have lived in bigger houses
• than we needed,
• eaten bigger meals
• than we needed,
• and driven bigger cars
• than we needed.

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• We have built cities
• on fertile soil,
• dumped garbage
• onto farmland,
• and turned forests
• into toilet paper.

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• We have set
• a bad example
• to our children
• and our world

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• of extravagant living
• and an unsustainable lifestyle.

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• We have put care
• for ourselves
• and our comforts
• ahead of concern
• for others
• and their comforts.

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• WE ALSO CONFESS
• that we have too often
• treated the earths people
• as if they belonged to us
• and not to God.

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• We have exploited them
• as sources
• of cheap labor.

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• We have bought
• clothes and shoes
• at bargain prices

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• even when we knew
• they were made
• by underpaid workers
• in unsafe conditions.

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• We have enjoyed coffee
• and chocolate
• and fruit
• from many lands

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• even when we knew
• the growers
• could not afford
• to eat the food
• they produce.

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• We have too often closed
• our eyes and hearts
• to our sisters
• who are suffering

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• because of
• poverty and famine,
• disaster and war,
• economic and sexual exploitation,
• injustice and persecution.

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• Even in our churches,
• we have lavished money
• on ourselves
• while missions to people
• outside the church
• have had to beg
• for our support.

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• We humbly confess
• that we have sinned
• against you,
• our sisters.

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• We have sinned
• against Creation.
• We have sinned
• against our Creator.

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• We repent before God
• and seek your forgiveness.