Father, we pray that you would hallow your name around the globe. Draw all peoples and nations to yourself that you might receive the worship you are due. Draw all peoples and nations to yourself that we might experience the fullness of joy found in your presence.
We praise you that you make salvation possible. We praise you Father that you elected a people for yourself before the foundation of the world. We praise you Jesus, the eternal Son, that you ransomed a people by your blood. We praise you Holy Spirit that you regenerate hearts and are the guaranteed of our salvation. Oh, Holy, Triune God – three persons and one God, we bless you and praise you, for love so unmerited, so unspeakable, so wondrous and might to save us rebellious sinners and raise us to glory.
As we gaze upon your holiness, we see that we are a people of unclean lips and unclean lives. We have taken your grace and abused it. We have presumed upon your mercy and kindness. We have gone about our days as if we have no dependence upon you. We ignore your commands thinking we know better than you. We lust after others treating them as objects rather than fellow image bearers. We yell at our children and disrespect our parents. We steal from our employers by being lazy on the job. In these and so many other ways we have sinned against you, and against others.
We plead the name of Jesus in asking for forgiveness. Grant us repentance that we might continually turn from our sin and trust in Christ. Help us to go ask those we have sinned against for forgiveness. Help us grant forgiveness to others when wronged. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and sanctify us; change us from the inside out that the fruit of our lives would increasingly match the confession of Jesus upon our lips. When we are hypocritical help us be the first to confess it, and turn from it. Yes, clean our lips and our lives that we might rightly show you to a watching world.
As we send Alex Fischer from this place, would you grant that to him. That as he goes overseas with work you would use him to be a faithful, fruitful employee. Give him redemptive relationships with co-workers that he might impart the gospel to them. We ask, that for the sake of your name, you would provide a community of people for him to gather with on a regular basis to hear your word preached and worship with others in Christ Jesus. Yes, build him up as he goes. We also pray for our students who are graduating this semester – Misael, Matt Lozada, Rachel, Alexandra, Paul, Alex Capetstany, Katherine, and Travis. Give them perseverance to finish well. Help them leave an impact by pouring their lives into other students who would continue to proclaim the gospel on those campuses. Give many of them jobs here in DC we pray that they would continue with us at Restoration Church.
Father, we pray that our church would be one of many in this city that proclaim the greatness of your name. Use the District Church in Columbia Heights to trumpet the glorious person and work of Jesus. Give their pastor Aaron much wisdom as seeks to shepherd that congregation. We also pray for Pastor Bergfalk at Wisconsin Avenue Baptist and Pastor Yoon at Capital Memorial 7th Day Adventist. Keep both of them faithful to the gospel. Help them preach Christ crucified and resurrected. Give them the mind of Christ and a deep desire to see your kingdom grown here in Washington, DC.
As we ready ourselves to hear your word preached, help us be strong in is power, happy in it’s joy; help us abide in the sweetness of your word as it points us to Jesus. May we feast upon the bread of life and be filled that we might not be tempted to fill ourselves with the crumbs of this world. Increase our faith we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.