Worship through Prayer
Good, good Father, we come to you this morning in the name of your son, our brother, Jesus Christ. We praise you that you are perfect Father; we praise you for your great compassion, everlasting love and steadfast faithfulness. You are perfect in all of your ways.
We praise you for the gift of children. This morning we praise you specifically for L, A and Hl. We rejoice in the precious gift of M, M, S, N, and N. We praise you for C, A, S, E, C and O. We bless your name for C, A, and E. Bring each of these children to faith at a young age that they will never know life apart from trusting in and greatly treasuring Jesus.
Grant these parents wisdom and grace and patience and self-control as they seek to raise their sons and daughters in the gospel of our Lord. We ask your blessing upon C & K, N & I, M & C, K & N, R & C, S & C, C & T, R & S, and myself & P.
Use not only these parents, but each and every covenant member to raise the children among us in the discipline and instruction of our Lord. Make the RKids classroom and homes and Community Groups places of fruit-bearing gospel soil. Shape and mold all of us through our children; remind us all of you, our perfect Father in heaven.
Father, we pray for those without fathers and mothers. We pray for DC127 – use this ministry to care for those in the foster care system in DC. Grant our members joy in serving alongside this ministry. Comfort those here this morning who find moments like this hard. Comfort those of us who have been taken advantage of by those who were supposed to act as fathers and mothers in their lives. Pour your grace out on those of us who grieve the loss of a father or mother. Lavish your everlasting love on those of us who desire to have children, but for some reason only known to you they cannot. Remind those of us who desire to be married so they can be a father or mother of your never-ending faithfulness.
Holy Spirit, minister to our inmost parts this morning. Whisper to the depths of our soul, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.” Bring us to the Living Water of Christ this morning. Whisper to the depths of our soul, “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Remind us of our free redemption in Christ Jesus. Help us, O God, help us delight in the rich, soul-satisfying feast of Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit help us rest in the abundant pardon for our sin found in Jesus. Holy Spirit help us rejoice in the reconciliation we have with our Father in heaven. We plead with you, O Lord, help us understand and live in light of what it means that we are forever loved and cherished and honored by you.
We confess our sin freely this morning. We confess that we have lied and pursued romantic immorality. We confess that greed has gripped our heart and our lust has materialized itself in virtual fantasies while staring at a computer or phone screen. We confess sharp words toward our spouse. We confess we have disciplined our children out of anger and resentment. We confess our idols of comfort and efficiency worshipped at the expense of dismissing and marginalizing others. We confess our resentment toward the church, this church. We confess that we often try to pay off our sin before coming to you. We confess our gossip and our grumbling. We confess our self-righteous comparisons to make ourselves feel better. We repent, Lord. We repent of our sin against you. We repent of our sins against made in your image. Forgive us, we cry.
And we run to the cross. We run to the One who was pierced for our transgressions. We look to him as he was crushed for our iniquities. We rest in the Jesus who bore our sins. We praise you that he was willingly chastised that we might be cherished. We praise you that Jesus rose again that we might have life. Oh, what joyful news this is. Inflame our souls with a deep joy in Christ. Infuse our thoughts with gospel-soaked truths about who we are in Jesus. Holy Spirit, cause these truths to not be stale and academic, but sweet and precious.
Use us Lord. Use us to minister the gospel to one another. Give us the grace to speak compassionate, encouraging words to each other. Give us the grace to enter each other’s suffering and joys. Use us to advance the gospel in Washington, DC and beyond. Make us heralds of the good news of Jesus to our neighbors and the nations. For those here not trusting you this morning Lord, grant them faith in Jesus. Help them see satisfaction found in him alone. We pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who face physical persecution. Encourage them. Use their sufferings to advance the name of the suffering Servant, Jesus Christ. Thank you for your word. We praise you that it does not return void but restores and gives life. We pray all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Worship through Prayer
Father, we come to you this morning in the name of Jesus. We come praising you for who you are – holy, righteous, beautiful, slow to anger, abounding in love, eternally satisfying. We come praising you for what you have done, are doing, and will do. Jesus, we praise you for your sin-paying death and life-giving resurrection. Holy Spirit, we praise you for opening our eyes that we might behold Jesus in all his glory.
Lord, we praise you for these new members. Use A, M, R, D, C, J, H, L, J, A and C to strengthen our church; use them to advance the gospel to those who don’t yet know Christ. And use our church to build them up in the faith that they might delight fully in Jesus.
We thank you that there are many other gospel churches in DC faithfully laboring to make Jesus known. Grant our brothers and sisters at 4th Presbyterian perseverance in the faith. Use Washington International Church to magnify Jesus. Grant S and T refreshment as they shepherd the saints at Pillar DC. Use Anacostia River Church to herald the good news of Jesus. We thank you for Redemption Hill and Redeemer Arlington and Cherrydale Baptist.
We pray that your gospel will go forth in DC and beyond. Grant our sister A much joy as she labors for Christ among refugees in the Middle East. Use her to see people trust and treasure Jesus above all things. Continue to give language acquisition to R and E. Give M perseverance as he leads translating the Bible into other languages. Give our brother A wisdom as he seeks to serve Redeemer Church in Leeds. Raise up more men and women from this congregation to take the gospel to the nations. Do this Lord. Do it for the glory of your name and the eternal joy of your people.
Lord we praise you for the gospel zeal and servant leadership of the members of Restoration. We praise you for our Community Group leaders, deacons, deaconesses. Grant each one of these men and women joy in serving and building up the body. Where they are weary give them strength. Where they are energized, spur them on all the more. Raise up more CG leaders. Raise up more deacons and deaconesses. We also praise you for the elders of this church. Thank you for the giftings and careful shepherding and fervent prayers of N, N and C. Encourage these brothers in the work of ministry. Raise up more elders we pray. Raise up men who are ethnically and generationally diverse to serve as elders of Restoration. Do this Lord that Restoration might increasingly reflect your glorious character; that we might display your manifold wisdom. Do it for the glory of your name and the eternal joy of your people.
Father, we thank you for the gift of music. As we praise you in song, vibrate the truth of who you are deep within our souls. As we hear our brothers and sisters sing, cause our souls to rejoice in the truth of the gospel and cause us to long for heaven. We praise you for your Word. As we read your word and listen to the preaching of your Word this morning, Holy Spirit, stir our affections. Remind us of the work of Christ and all that it has accomplished. Do it for the glory of your name and the eternal joy of your people.
And because of the cross, we come to you repenting of our sins, and resting not in our works, but in Jesus. We come to you not only as pardoned criminals, but as your precious children loved and cherished by you. We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your crucified and risen Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name.
Refresh those who are weary. Comfort the hurting this morning. Draw near to those who feel you are far off. Grant wisdom to the confused. Spur on the faithful. Stir the affections of those who find you dull and boring. Work in this place this morning. Do it for the glory of your name and the eternal joy of your people.
Amen.
Worship through Prayer
Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus this morning. We come as your adopted sons and daughters resting in your presence, rejoicing in your grace. We pray for those impacted by hurricane Matthew. Comfort those who have lost loved ones; give strength to those who will have to rebuild homes and parts of their lives. We pray for Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the states along the US coast. Grant first responders wisdom and grace and energy to serve and protect. We praise you for technology that allows us to foresee these types of events coming and minimize the damage that results.
Holy Lord, this morning we pray for the government of the United States. Grant our lawmakers and elected officials wisdom. Surround these men and women with people of upright character and sound judgment. Help our lawmakers not seek personal agendas or political maneuvering, but seek to help those whom they serve flourish. Grant President Obama wisdom these last days in office. As we enter an election, give us the ability to respect those with whom we may disagree. Keep us from hoping in a political party or specific candidate – cause our ultimate hope and rest be in the King of King and Lord of Lord, Jesus Christ.
We thank you Lord that Restoration Church labors alongside many other gospel churches in Washington DC. We ask your blessing upon Capitol Hill Baptist and Grace DC and Redemption Hill. Use The District Church and NCC to advance your gospel. Grant grace to Redeemer City and Waterfront Church and All Nations DC. Use the ministries of Campus Outreach, Chi Alpha, CRU and Intervarsity to reach students with the good news of Jesus.
Use each of us Lord. Use us to see others comes to faith in Christ. Give us such a deep love of Jesus it’s natural for us to tell others about his saving work and life-giving resurrection. Grant us opportunities to clearly proclaim the gospel. Holy Spirit, give us a sweet mixture of boldness and humility, conviction and kindness, toughness and tenderness. Use us Lord to make disciples that delight in the supremacy of Jesus Christ. It’s in his name we pray. Amen.
Worship through Prayer
Merciful and mighty Father, we come to you this morning in the name of Jesus Christ. We come to you filled with the Holy Spirit rejoicing in who you are. We come praising your goodness and resting in your kindness to us. We praise you that you are eternal having no beginning and no end. We praise you that your love is inexhaustible. We praise you that you do not faint or grow weary. We praise you that your understanding is unsearchable. We know that you are God and you are good.
We praise you this morning for the birth of C. Grant the W family much grace as they learn to be a family of five. Help S recover. Use our church to serve them well during these early days. Bring all the W girls – E, A, and C – to faith at a young age that they may never know life apart from trusting and treasuring Jesus Christ.
We also pray for the H family as they get ready to welcome another child into this world. Grant F good health these final few weeks. Give C the grace to serve his wife and children well. Prepare I, W, and L to welcome their sister into the world. Bring salvation to each of the H children Lord that they might testify to your goodness all their days.
We praise you for the marriage of J and L. From this day, from day one of their marriage, cause them to savor Christ above all things. Give J the grace to be a servant leader. Give L the grace to be a strong helper. Use their marriage to display the glories of the gospel as they delight in the supremacy of Jesus Christ together.
Lord we praise you this morning. And we also come pleading. Some of us are tired and weary. Some of us are discouraged and downcast. Holy Spirit, would minister specifically to our brothers and sisters who find themselves like this. Some are here with us. Others decided to stay home. Whatever the case, Lord, refresh and encourage. Give us the grace to be a church where it’s okay to not be okay. Give us the grace to be a church that trades plastic smiles for real, raw relationships. Give us the grace to be a church that bears each others’ burdens; that weeps with those who weep.
We pray for those this morning that have been grievously sinned against. Those who have been taken advantaged of and abused; those who have been violated physical and intimately. We pray for those haunted by what’s been done to them in the past by a friend, father, boss, mother, spouse or someone else. Remind us this morning Lord that you never forget us. Remind us that your mercies know no end. Remind us that even though we may never know the “why?” behind these things, we can trust you, who will restore all things in Christ. Birth in us, Lord, a deep hope of heaven. Draw our gaze to the eternal reality of paradise. All things new. No more tears, disease, death, sin. Forever in your presence with your people enjoy you and all your goodness without end. For the sake of your name, Lord, deepen our longing for our heavenly reward.
Father, as we long for heaven, we’re daily reminded of how much this world is not like that; how broken our world truly is. We turn on the news and we’re barraged with stories of violence and hate – almost too many to keep track. Holy Spirit, grant us the grace to not become calloused and dismissed. We pray for an end to racism and police brutality. We pray for an end against hatred toward police officers. In the name of Jesus, we plead for an end to mass shootings. Comfort all those grieving from the shooting at Townville Elementary School. Help that community heal. We pray for those families still reeling from the loss of loved ones in the past shootings in Orlando and San Bernardino. Use your people to a source of hope and healing; grace and compassion.
Holy Spirit, protect us from self-righteousness. Keep us from thinking somehow we are inherently better than the world around us. We confess our tendency toward pride. We confess that at times we truly think we are good enough to earn your grace. We repent, Lord. Forgive us our sins. We confess that we abuse your grace silently thinking it’s your job to forgive us. We confess that we are more aware of our unmet personal preferences rather than being thankful for all you have given us. We repent, Lord. Forgive us our sins.
We praise you that in Christ there is fullness of forgiveness and reconciliation back to you. Cause our souls to see and savor Christ above all things. Help us more fully understand what it means that we are your sons and daughters. Cause your word to be sweet to us. Give us the passion to encourage and disciple other church members; give us the zeal to share the gospel with those who don’t know Jesus. Advance your gospel in us and through us in NW Washington, DC and beyond. We pray all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
RKids Training
Restoration Kids volunteers,
Thank you for how you serve our church! We want to continue to encourage and equip each of you as you serve in RKids. So, if you did not have a chance to attend the most recent RKids training, please be sure to listen to it below. Also, read the newest RKids policy document, so that you are up to date on all of our newest safety policies and procedures. Finally, click here for a cheat sheet of the excellent tips that Andi and Page shared at the training about how to keep the children engaged during the lesson.
Worship through Prayer
Adoration
Father, how amazingly great the Trinity is! Father, Son and Spirit - all equally God, all different and yet, one. A loving unity!
God, you are God alone. You alone hold power and glory. And yet, this power and glory doesn’t cause division, but it lives in unity. How many groups of 3 people can live in unity in this fallen world? And how many can love one another in this fallen world? The Father cares about the glory of the Son and the Son willingly submits to the will of the Father! And although the Spirit searches the depths of God, He doesn’t become proud and doesn’t try to lift Himself above the Father or the Son.
How many kings have not fallen at the hand of their sons? How many princes have not fallen at the hand of their brothers? How many friends have not betrayed each other on the way to human glory? How many times have pitiful creatures not used knowledge, so-called knowledge, to lift ourselves above our neighbors?
How amazing is Jesus’ trust, love and obedience towards the Father! In good times, it is easy to love the one next to you. But Jesus loved the Father and submitted himself to the Father in the darkest of moments when there was no way out anymore. In the good times everybody is friends with everybody, we are quick to find fault when times are tough. Jesus, however, didn’t lash out at the Father even when things went really bad.
God, you are truly set apart!
Confession
We confess, Lord, that we fall so very short of this glorious standard. Lord, we fall short of consistently loving our brothers and sisters. We sometimes struggle to relate to our brothers and sisters. We make many mistakes in speaking to one another – sometimes are inconsiderate and sometimes we are too numb. Many times we forget to serve one another and sometimes think of ourselves more highly than of our brothers and sisters.
At times we have been quick to pass judgement on our brothers and sisters. And yes, Lord, we have even fallen into the temptation to not think sufficiently highly of the leaders we have.
Forgive us, Lord, for our rebellion against you and for forgetting your promises and wonderful plan and believing the lies according to which we are better than our neighbors. In stead of being a people for your own possession reflecting the glorious image of the Trinity we have allowed ourselves to believe the lies of the world.
Thanksgiving
Lord, we are grateful that in your great mercy, you forgive us and that you direct our steps to a better place. You are a loving father who puts us back on the right path. You are not out to get us and punish us. But you are out to correct us so we can enjoy your presence abundantly both individually and communally.
We are grateful Lord for your awesome grace that you have put us together in community. It is still a broken community, but your grace overpowers the brokenness and overcomes evil with good.
We are grateful, Lord, that we can meet with one another, people from so many different backgrounds, with so many different gifts in so many different stages of life. We thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit to remind us of your promises and enable us to obey them. We thank you that we have the opportunity to serve one another and love one another both in good times and in difficult times.
And how blessed we are to have brothers and sisters not only in this church, but in other churches as well, both in this country as well as in other countries and to be part of a community of believers that spans history and which, one day, soon enough, will gather together and celebrate with you face to face your great accomplishments.
Supplication
Lord, we pray that we would live with your glorious plan in mind, trusting in your resolve and faithfulness which you displayed at the cross. Help us not believe the lies of the world, but very practically love one another.
Help us show mercy to one another and grace. Help us think how Jesus would have thought. Help us seek each other’s well being and seek ways to serve one another. Help us see your work in our brothers and sisters and our own weaknesses in them. Help us be humble and loving, respecting and forgiving one another.
Lord, glorify your name in Washington DC by bringing to you more and more people. Help your churches love one another and work lovingly with one another. We pray that your people in this city would be captivated by the glorious image of the Trinity and of Jesus and live as free people for your glory and not for sin.
In Jesus’ Name
Amen.