Almighty and loving God, you are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, everlasting, faithful God. You are our rock, refuge, and redeemer. You are the Father of compassion, the God of all comfort. Through Jesus Christ, you are our Father in Heaven. We come praising you in the name of your eternal Son Jesus. We come praising you in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. We come praising you because you alone are worthy to receive our worship.

We come amazed at the abundant grace you have shown to us in Christ Jesus. How marvelous! How wonderful! Our song and prayer shall ever be: How marvelous! How wonderful! Is the Savior’s love for me! Nothing in our hands we bring, Simply to the cross we cling! Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for his perfect righteous life. Thank you for his sin bearing death. Thank you for his triumphant resurrection. Thank you for eternal life, life in your presence, both now and forever more.

Oh, that this would be the controlling message in our lives. For the glory of your name, Lord God, for the exaltation of Jesus Christ, help us to be a church centered on and driven by Jesus. By your grace, help us to preach the name and message of Jesus to ourselves daily; help us to know how to best speak the gospel into each other’s life. Make us a people zealous to share the gospel and make disciples both locally and globally.

We praise you for the work you are doing through XX & XX in Russia. We praise you for the work you are doing through the American Friends ministry. We praise you for the ways our members regularly share the gospel with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers. We praise you for the dozens of discipling relationships that are active among Restoration Church members. We praise you for the Spanish Bible study in Columbia Heights. We praise you for those that gather each Sunday at 930 to labor before your throne. In the name of Jesus, we ask that you would continue to make these things the heartbeat of our church.

For your namesake, O Lord, raise up more workers from this church that we might send them to unreached peoples around the globe. We pray in particular for workers to go to the Middle East to work among the Bedhini Kurds. Right here, right now, set apart a man or a woman to go to this people. Give us grace as we seek to work with others to bring the gospel, and a bible translation to these people who are created in your image.

And help us to work alongside other churches here in DC to make your name known in our city. We thank you for the gospel efforts of Grace Baptist in Arlington and Capitol Hill Baptist. We pray for Bill Ridel and Jon Rees as they lead Redemption Hill. Bless the efforts of Aaron Graham and the District Church as they seek to proclaim the gospel and live it out in radical ways. We pray for Russ Whitfield and Duke Kwon as they plant GraceDC Merdian Hill and Grace Mosaic.

Father as we pray for and work alongside of others, help us also pay attention to our own hearts. Help us to be a people who are marked by repentance. Help us to see the plank in our own eye before looking at the spec in someone else’s eye. We confess that we are a people prone to wander. We are so easily pleased with the fleeting pleasures of this world. We are so easily distracted and quickly turn our thoughts away from you. We are selfish scheming to accomplish our goals even if it comprises our morals or hurts others. We are greedy seeking to acquire as much as we can here on earth because we don’t really trust you. We look down on others either because we think we are morally superior or better looking or have better theology or more capable and gifted; in doing so we forget that everything we have worth having is a gift from you.

Help us understand your grace is meant to lead us to repentance, not indifference. Help us understand your patience with us should not lead us to presume upon you, but rather we should bow in worship of you. We praise you for the truth that in Christ Jesus you remove our transgressions from us; for as high as the heavens are above the earth, that in Christ, your steadfast love is upon us. We praise you that Jesus has done everything necessary that we might know, praise and enjoy you forever.

Give us grace this morning to hear from your word; give us minds to understand, hearts to rejoice, and the will to obey all that you have commanded us. We ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.