Does everyone really need to participate in a joint confession of guilt?
Joel 2:16 (ESV)
16gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.
A newlywed man was exempted from service, even in wartime. But this does not apply in the case of a joint confession of guilt. Even the greatest happiness needs to be interrupted when there is collective guilt before God.
16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.