Gracious heavenly Father, we come before you with confidence and boldness in the name of Jesus Christ. We praise your holy name. We rejoice in your mercy and steadfast love. We rest in your grace and peace. Holy Spirit, remind us of all that we have in Christ Jesus.

We pray for those of us who are weak and weary this morning. We pray for those of us who have lost loved ones – give us the grace to mourn well and grieve with hope. We pray for those of us with unmet desires – whether that’s a spouse or children or a different job or anything else. Give us the grace, O Lord, to desire legitimate things yet not be driven to despair when those things don’t come to be. We pray for those of us who are trusting in Christ yet still struggle with the guilt of sin that we have committed or the shame from being sinned against or taken advantage of.

In your kindness Lord, soothe our self-condemning thoughts, apply the balm of the gospel to our shame-shackled hearts reminding us that the Jesus Christ – his perfect life, his sin-paying, shame-shattering death and his Satan-defeating, grave-conquering resurrection – says what’s most true about us. Holy Spirit, give us the grace to understand more fully who we are in Christ Jesus – that the Father thinks about us and feels for us the same thing he feels for his beloved eternal Son, Jesus. Wonder of wonders, O Lord, comfort us with these glorious truths this morning.

We pray for those here this morning who are not trusting in Christ alone for the joy of salvation, those who are trying to do enough good deeds to earn your approval, for those who think they have to clean themselves up before coming to you. Holy Spirit, give the gift of repentance and faith that those who are blind might see, that the lost might be found, that the prodigals might run home realizing all the while their Heavenly Father accepts them fully in Christ Jesus.

This morning Lord, we rejoice in your kindness to our church. In your sovereign grace, you have given us deep unity in the gospel. May we celebrate our diversity while cultivating that unity all the more. Help us put personal preference below gospel priority that we might walk in unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Lord, you have raised up elders and deacons and community group leaders and Restoration Kid disciplers many other choice servants. We ask that you would give us even more humble, servant leaders that we might continue making disciples that delight in the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Strengthen and mature many of our men that they might become elders in the next year or two.

As CGs start back, we pray for our leaders. Give these men and women grace as they do the difficult work of serving week after week. Use our CGs to help us treasure Christ and encourage each other as we journey toward heaven together.

This morning, we pray for D&J, as they begin their marriage, give them fun and laughter. More importantly, mark them by humility that they might joyfully serve one another as they picture Christ and the Church. Strengthen all of the marriage at Restoration that everyone of them might display the sacrificial love of Jesus and his bride. And we pray Lord for all those who are unmarried. We praise you for them and thank you for the ways they remind us of the sweet sufficiency that Christ alone provides. Encourage our brother and sisters we pray.

We thank you Lord that we get to labor alongside other churches here in Washington, DC. Give grace to Washington International as they look for a pastor. Continue to use Grace DC, Grace Meridian Hill and Grace Mosaic to exalt Christ. For the glory of Christ, plant many more churches through Capitol Hill Baptist and Redeemer Arlington. Give grace to The Well in Silver Spring and Sublime Gracia in Columbia Heights – use them to see many come to faith. And we pray, O Lord, for the eternal glory of Jesus Christ that you would advance the gospel among the Kurds in Iraq. Grant J&J much grace as they get settled back in country. Give R&E much rest and rejuvenation as they spend time stateside. Raise up men and women from among us, Lord, to take the gospel to the nations.

This morning, as we begin our sermon series in the book of Ephesians, we pray for Nathan as he faithfully and tirelessly labors to preach your word. Give him grace in his effort to feed us with your word. And give us soft hearts to hear your word. Holy Spirit convict us, change us, rebuke us, encourage us, motivate us with the glory of Jesus Christ revealed from the pages of Scripture. We pray all of this in Jesus name. Amen.