Worship through Prayer
We confess that we are often not careful with our words. We speak rashly in anger, or thoughtlessly without regard for the feelings of our neighbor. We speak to tear down, rather than to build up. We talk of frivolous things while neglecting to speak of the beauty of your Gospel. We are so often quick to speak but slow to listen, and quick to be aroused in anger. We come to your church and hear your words and then go away unchanged, as though we had never heard in the first place. We do not restrain our tongues and we do not sufficiently care for the disadvantaged among us. We allow the influences of the world to control our passions and desires rather than resting in you, and so we worship the gods of money, power and independence.
Thank you that you sent Jesus to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to overthrow the kingdoms of the world so that we can be freed of our fruitless strivings for worldy achievement to instead live in humble submission to you. Thank you for the forgiveness found in Christ so that we do not need to feel the shame of guilt for the ways in which we sin, because we have been washed clean by the blood of the lamb. We pray that you would guide us as we seek to live in light of your gospel, and walk in holiness, motivated not by self-righteousness, but by worship of your good works in us.
Thank you for those who serve our church behind the scenes, who work in ways that are often unseen and unthanked. We know that you see them, and thank you for gifting them in a variety of ways so that the body will be complete and the needs of our church will be met. We pray that you would bless their service and use it for your glory, and that you would sustain them as the faithfully serve. And we pray that you would continually raise up people in our congregation who are seeking to serve and enable them to plug in where they are needed so they can use their talents for the advancement of your kingdom through the ministry of Restoration Church. Thank you for the ways you are doing this already, and we pray that you would continue to do it and continue your blessings of provision on this church.
We pray for our elders who are away from us this week. We pray that you would give them rest, and restore their souls for the work that they will need to do when they return and that you would enable them to love their wives and children well through this time of rest. We thank you for a plurality of elders so that the burdens of ministry can be shared and our church can continue to function during periods of rest for the elders. We thank you for Chris, for bringing him into saving knowledge of you and building him up in righteousness, and gifting him with the ability to teach so that he is able to work with our other elders to shepherd us. We pray that you would speak through him as he comes to preach to us this morning and that you would work in the hearts of us here as we listen to him, so that we would go away loving you more and serving you better.
We pray for other pastors throughout and around our city who will be preaching this morning. We pray that you would bless the proclamation of your word at Capitol Hill Baptist, at GraceDC, at Del Ray Baptist, and at the many other faithful gospel preaching church in the area. We pray that you would help their pastors speak about you faithfully and that you would use their sermons to see people come to know you.
We pray also for the nations. We pray that you would bring the light of your gospel into areas where the physical terrain makes it difficult to go. We pray that you would send workers to people groups that live in relative isolation, and that you would work among them to plant local churches in those communities.
For the sake of your name we ask these things, and pray that you would glorify yourself in Washington DC and beyond. Amen.
Worship through Prayer
Father, we praise you for your love and for your faithfulness!
Your love is amazing and true. You had a dream life within the Trinity before creation and could have done without it. But you chose to create what is seen and unseen and share your love with your creation. You chose to love sinful men and women, not once, not twice, but generation after generation, men and women to whom you didn’t owe anything. In your love, you sent them prophets to declare your love for them and you provided for them day after day. Even when they rejected you, you continued your pursuit of love by sending your own Son, who shared the dream life with you, to give His life for sinners, so that they may see your face and so that they may know that you loved them just as you loved your Son. Praise be to your name because you loved those who did not love you. Praise be to your name because your love was not empty words but had real blood and bones. Praise be to your name because your love is that of a Father who wants to see his children have an eternal dream life.
Father, your faithfulness is real and complete. We praise you because you keep your promises. You made generous promises of life, and you kept them. You did not shrink back from suffering in accomplishing them. You did not try to make them smaller, so as they become easier or less costly to fulfil. We praise you because you kept your promises even when your people didn’t keep theirs.
Forgive us, Father, for doubting your love and your faithfulness. This past week, we were afraid, angry, sad or depressed because life wasn’t the way we wanted it, and we tried to make ourselves feel better, and improve our lives by relying on idols, rather than on your promises. We lashed out at our neighbors, we looked down on the people next to us, we worked harder, some of us ate more, or some of us ate less and some of us indulged in base instincts. Some of us forgot, and some of us didn’t want to know that sometimes are our desires are evil, wrong or just plain stupid. Some of us forgot, and some didn’t want to know that our images of life fall short of the life you want to give us.
Forgive us, Father!
Father, we thank you for the forgiveness you give us in Jesus. We thank you for your mercy, for turning your back on our sin and not holding it against us. We thank you for your patience with us and for your perseverance in loving us in spite of our daily sins. Father, we thank you for your great and amazing love and for your complete faithfulness to us. We thank you that you work for your glory and for our well-being, many times in spite of ourselves.
We thank you Lord, that we can come into your presence with our pleas. We thank you that you work to do your people justice. We thank you that you do not tire in accomplishing your promises. And we thank you, however difficult it is to say, that sometimes you do not answer to our prayers. We thank you that you do not give us what we ask for but the dream life that you had with the Son and the Holy Spirit before the world was. We thank you that you work not only to give us our daily needs, but also to bring us safely into your presence.
Father, we pray for faith to believe your love letters and your promises. We pray our faith would not waver in big or small challenges we face. We pray that we would not rely on our feelings or on our circumstances to determine whether you love us or not. Enable us to rely on your written word and on your promises for our daily life.
Father, there are a lot of lies in this world, lies the world tells us and lies we tell ourselves. And there are lots of lies we have believed for so long that we don’t even know they are lies. We pray that you would free us from these lies to know the truth. Help us reject the lie that we are our careers, that we are our families or that we are our skin color. Help us reject the lie that the dream life can be had by hard work. Help us reject the lie that we are better than our neighbors who hold different opinions. Transform us through your word, prayer and love to be the people you want us to be. Help us patiently wait for your salvation in small and big things.
Father, we pray for the Gospel to shine in this dark and lost city. We pray for mercy. Do not give this city to its desires, Lord, but give it life. We pray we would be faithful in our proclamation of the gospel and faithful in living it out. We pray also for IBSG to be a light in Columbia Heights. We pray the preaching would be faithful, prayers fervent, lives changed, and your name glorified.
In Christ’s name,
Amen
Worship through Prayer
Gracious and loving Father, we come to you grateful for and humbled by so many things, but we are especially thankful for the fellowship we have with you and with this community of faith. We rejoice in the unity we all have in Christ!
God, you tell us that before time existed, you were there. Before the world came into being, you just were. And, long after this creation fades away, you will continue to be. Father, we recognize that humanity is such a small part of all that is, yet we are sorry that we fool ourselves into believing we are invincible – forgive us, Father!
Gracious God, help us to remember the days of Moses when even the mountains trembled before you. And, be patient with us as we try to remember who you are and whose we are. So much has filled our lives, making it hard for us to recall or even to experience the wonder and awe of your power and presence.
We mourn and hurt with victims of hate crimes like the one that happened in Annapolis, MD this week. And, we experience worry and anxieties over:
- acts of war and threats of death and destruction,
- viruses that spread through the world without a cure
- anger and ignorance reflected by our own political leaders,
- sickness of our loved ones,
- and our own personal struggles to love you and to love our neighbors.
Forgive us for getting so caught up in our worries and anxieties that we forget that you are a God who is slow to anger and who abounds in steadfast love. You are present in all the broken places in our lives and throughout the world. You wait for us to turn to you for healing, for justice, for peace. Stir us to the kind of prayerful action, and persistent prayer that will set us apart from the ways of world.
We confess to you, God,, that when we look at what’s going on around us, we are troubled and concerned. Please silence our anxieties and fears, humble our desires for greatness, and fill us with compassion.
Lord, come to us as you went to the Israelites. And, lead us out of all that prevents us from being your people. Remind us of how much we have been forgiven so that we may remember to withhold harsh judgment against our brothers and sisters whose lives may be different from our own.
Long before we drew lines on our maps that separate one people from another, you claimed us all as your beloved. May we be a church that seeks to live in holy love and a church that responds to the barriers that divide race from race, rich from poor, men from women, young from old, and culture from culture. Let us not try your patience any longer with our selfish ways.
Holy Spirit, confront us with the hidden prejudices and fears that deny and betray our prayers. Enable us to see the causes of tension, remove from us all sense of superiority, and teach us to grow in unity with all God’s children.
Christ, our Lord and Savior, reconcile us by your cross! Fill us with compassion for the cry of the alien, the refugee, and the immigrant. Lead this church into ministries that help the orphans and widows. Set us free from vain discussions that prevent us from true worship. Lead us into:
- sharing our dinner tables with the hungry
- sharing our homes with the homeless
- sharing our clothing with the naked
And, sharing the new heart that you through your Spirit has given us with everyone so that we may serve as beacons of hope for all who come seeking you!
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Worship through Prayer
Heavenly Father, we magnify your name. You are faithful, just, and good. Your ways are perfect and come in the most perfect time. You are not slow in keeping your promises. You are instead patient, waiting for all your people to come to repentance and know you, our Great and perfect King. You are the light that delivers us from darkness. Our hope and deliverer from guilt and shame. You are our shield and protector from the lies of doubt and fear. You are our refuge and strength, for you are for us and nothing can be against us. We exalt you above all of the earth.
Yet, we confess that we put our jobs, school work, relationships, finances, and our own interests above you. We repent of complaining and grumbling attitudes when we don’t get our way or when we are inconvenienced. We repent of our laziness when it comes to spending time with you in prayer. We excuse our lack of time in your Word because of work or family or our need for downtime. We confess that we are quick to anger, short and harsh in our words with our friends and family. We repent in the ways we think of ourselves more righteous than others and quick to judge of other peoples’ struggles and life decisions. We confess that instead of waiting for you, we seek out instant gratification to satisfy our own desires that is not of your will. We confess that we have turned a blind eye to injustice in our own communities. We repent that we do not trust you wholly, but just with parts of our lives that don’t seem much like a sacrifice. But we thank you that the stains of these sins have been washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose again so that all might be forgiven and reconciled back to you.
We thank you Father God that when lost and alone, you called us to be your own; when we were not beloved, you call us beloved. When we were told “You are not my people” through your son, Jesus Christ, you called us sons and daughters of the living God. We thank you Lord that because of that sweet truth, our brothers and sisters at Restoration Church serve freely and joyfully as our elders, deacons and deaconesses, the teachers of our kids’ ministries, those who come in early to set up, clean, and prepare our classrooms, our place of worship, and those who stay late to break down our equipment and clean up after our services. We thank our brothers and sisters who use their time to serve on the music team, lead and teach at Friendship Terrace, and lead our community groups. We thank you for other sister churches, Temple Hills Baptist Church, Del Ray Baptist Church, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Anacostia River Church, and The Well Community Church, in the way they love Jesus Christ and faithfully preach your Gospel.
Father God, we pray that you use Restoration Church for your own glory and pleasure. We pray that you would build up more men and women that would rise to the occasion and serve your local body, using their time, efforts, resources, gifts, knowledge, and experience as joyful worship, exalting your name and with desire to see your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. We pray, Holy Spirit, for boldness to proclaim the Gospel in our workplaces, in our classrooms, in our homes and for you to lead us into those conversations. And we pray for the government leaders, which you have put in place of authority. We pray that you would grant these leaders wisdom, so that they would not legislate laws or regulations for their own gain, but for your gain; that they would not bring about policies that would divide but unite. Father God, we especially pray for our government officials, that they would administer immigration policies that would strengthen the bonds of families and not harm them. That children that have been separated from their families would reunited with them soon. Heavenly Father, we pray for those who came in today seeking refuge, we ask that you lead them to lie in green pastures and still waters; for those who came in exhausted, we ask that you restore their souls; for those who came in with fear and anxiety, we ask that you comfort them. Lord God, open our eyes to the abundance of your grace and love through your Gospel today. Anoint us with your Spirit and overfill us with joy to know your everlasting goodness and mercy that flows from your throne. Use all the songs, prayers, Scripture, sermon, and conversations today to help bless your name! Strengthen our trust and love for you as we pray in your son’s name, Jesus Christ, amen!
Worship through Prayer
Adoration
Father, you are the giver of life. You make and sustain every living being. You give us life and meaning.
You do not need us or any created thing, yet you created us for your joy. You rejoice over us. You allow us to glorify you, bask in your beauty, and find joy in you.
You are the True God. Your faithfulness never ends. You always act for what is right and just.
You are Good. Thank you. We love you.
Confession
Father, while we confess Christ, our thoughts and actions indicate that we choose death. We confess:
Pride has a foothold in our hearts that we cannot shake. We have chosen to seek fleeting satisfaction outside of you, when we know deep satisfaction is rightly found in you alone.
We have chosen to rely on our own strength and wisdom, rather than trust Christ.
We have actively worked to undermine our bosses, colleagues, teachers or parents, in order to justify our own actions.
We have chosen to let the fear of others fester, when we know we are yours, you are in complete control through every circumstance and situation, and you are Good.
We have chosen to selfishly hold back good gifts and praise for others, which is entirely inconsistent with your character.
Lord, we confess there are areas where we don’t even recognize our own sin and fallen nature. We use virtuous language to describe our own vices. We do not necessarily do this to deceive others, often we ourselves are deceived. Our deception runs deep.
Heal us Lord. Transform our hearts. Surround us with brothers and sisters in Christ who can speak your Truth into our lives. Make our life in your church meaningful.
Father, we continue to hold to our confession of Jesus as Lord. As your Word tell us, “[You] being rich in mercy because of the great love with which [You] loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” “For this is your will, GOD our Father, that everyone who looks to Jesus and believes in Him will have eternal Life.”
You hold us fast. You will not cast us out, nor allow us to be snatched out of your almighty hand.
Jesus, abide in us that we may abide in you.
Thanksgiving and Supplication
Thank you for the many Gospel-centered conversations that we have had this week. We thank you that we have confessed sin to others, sought forgiveness, and worked to restore broken relationships. We thank you for opportunities where folks have met to encourage one another in their walk with you. May you be glorified in our conversations this week.
We pray for our family of churches, the Southern Baptist Convention, as they meet this week. We pray that conversations, both public and private, and any decisions that are made would be marked by Charity, Fidelity, and Justice. We pray that the Gospel would be heralded by the SBC this week.
Lord, we pray for our city. We thank you for the Caps win. While we’re not all hockey fans, it is fun to see the city come together. We pray that there would only be more celebrations that would bring our communities together, celebrations that are not divisive but promote unity.
Lord, we do pray for all taking part in PRIDE festivals this weekend. May each person recognize their beauty as image bearers of you, and that they would know your love.
We also pray for Muslims around the world as a month of fasting ends and turns to celebrations. We pray that your Spirit would work among them during this time to soften their hearts to Jesus. We pray that they would recognize the beauty of the Triune God and that Your Truth would resonate with them.
We pray that Freedom of Religion would be recognized in all countries and communities, that individuals would be able to freely identify with their beliefs.
We pray for your Church around the world where followers of Christ are in the minority. We pray that they would be marked with humility, strength, and integrity. That they would be found favorable among their non-believing friends and family members.
We pray for your persecuted Church. Grant them perseverance and hope. Raise up pastors for communities that have none.
Lord, may we, here, not grow comfortable or complacent. Help us to see where we can take more risks individually and corporately for the glory of your name. May we use our talents to build up your kingdom.
In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.