For the Sake of the Ten

As Abraham plead for the righteous,
and those saints who have gone before us call

I confess to you my brothers and sisters.
I have sinned.
Our nation lies in a deplorable corrupt state.
I am to blame.

I borrowed for things that I did not need.
In my comfort I gave only token gesture to
Feeding the poor,
Giving drink to the thirsty,
Clothing the naked,
Sheltering the homeless,
Visiting the sick,
Visiting the prisoner.

My stagnant, greedy spirit threw pittance,
Converting the sinner,
Instructing the ignorant,
Counseling the doubtful,
Bearing wrong patiently,
Forgiving injuries and
Praying for the living and the dead.

How could I serve you in my gluttonous state?
Intoxicated with the temporal,
my vision was obscured.
How could I forsake your abundant grace?


Before you I lie prostrate,
in shame and guilt.
with a contrite spirit,
I turn up my eyes,
and thrust forward my heart to you.
I beg your forgiveness of my debt to you,
and I forgive those who have trespassed against me.
With firm conviction,
I turn to you, and stand.
Here I am Lord, your servant.
I choose righteousness.

All you righteous ones, give answer to
His call,
Hear I am Lord.


GENESIS 18: 20-33
20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. [e] 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare [f] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge [g] of all the earth do right?"

26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?"
"If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it."

29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?"
He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it."

30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?"
He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."

31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?"
He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it."

32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?"
He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.