Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. We come to you this morning in the name of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Perfect Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, and everything in between. We praise you this morning. Your love is beyond measure. Your justice inscrutable. Your compassion never fails. Your holiness unmatched. Hallow your name in Iraq and in India. Hallow your name through underground churches in China and open air churches in Africa. Hallow your name by raising up men and women from this church to carry the gospel to the nations.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, you will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This morning, Lord, we plead for your perfect will to be done here on earth. We grieve yet more reports of shootings and violence. We lament the religious persecution happening around the globe. Fires rage, wars continue, famines go without end, diseases spread. Racism and prejudice practiced often yet so often unnoticed. Abuse runs rampant. We lament and grieve. We release our burdens and worries to you.

Give us the grace to live today in light of the great Day when everything will be united, peaceful, and complete in Jesus. What a blessed Day that will be—no more divided self, but a united heart; no more discord in anything, but the beauty of God in all things; no more meanness anywhere, just the kindness of your kingdom everywhere.

We pray your gospel spreads through healthy churches here in our city. Bless our brothers and sisters at Church of the Advent, Redeemer City and Waterfront Church. Give grace to District Church, Veritas City and Redemption Hill. We pray for the Treasuring Christ Together network. Use the brothers and sisters in this network to foster healthy gospel churches that plant churches that Christ might be treasured. Advance the gospel on college campuses. We pray for O, S, and L as they labor at American University for the glory of Christ. Bless the efforts of B as he leads Chi Alpha and A as he leads Cru.

Father, for the glory of Christ, we pray that each member of Restoration Church would actively and humbly and winsomely and regularly share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Grant us the grace to cultivate meaningful relationships where we declare and display the saving, satisfying grace of Jesus. This morning, Lord, we pray for the elementary children in our church. Grant saving faith to C, O, S, E, W, I, T, J, E, S, Z, J, M, A, and C. From this early age teach these little ones to see and savor Jesus that they might rest in him all their days.

Our Father in heaven, give us this day our daily bread. We come to you this morning fully dependent upon you. You sustain our every need. We praise you for the many ways you have met our needs this past week. We have eaten food and slept in beds. We have clean water to drink. We have loved and been loved. We have enjoyed the aroma of coffee and the sweetness of chocolate. We have seen the leaves change color and the sun shine brightly. We rejoice in these good gifts. Open our eyes to behold the small wonders all around us.

Shift our focus from the immediacy of our fears and hurts, to the grandeur of who you are. When the cares of our hearts are many, remind us that your consolations outnumber them. We pray for those of us who are weary and downcast. Meet our needs in Christ that he might lift our spirits. Use us to speak words of hope and comfort and love to one another. As a church family give us the grace to care for each other well both physically and spiritually. We rejoice with those of us who are encouraged. Spur us on all the more that we might delight in Jesus and help others do the same.

Our Father in heaven, forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lord, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed; we have not loved you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. Forgive us, Lord. We confess the greed that grips our heart and the harsh words that come from our lips. We confess our immorality and pride. We confess our self righteousness and sinful comparisons. We confess longing too much for the comforts of this world while neglecting to hope in the world to come. We plead your forgiveness by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Take his death as ours as we receive his righteousness. We rejoice in the life we have in the resurrected Christ. We rejoice that by our adoption in him, we call you “Abba, Father” and we rest in your unconditional love for us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.Holy Spirit, we praise you that by your work in us, we can take up the armor of God and fight against the schemes of Satan. Give us the grace to do that this week. To put off sin and cultivate godliness. We praise you for the unity of the gospel we have and ask that you, Holy Spirit, would knit us together all the more that we would enjoy Jesus together even as we navigate the trails and hardships prevalent around and inside us.

For yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever and ever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.