Merciful and gracious Father, we come to you this morning with boldness and confidence through our faith in Jesus Christ. From the depths of our soul, we sing with the psalmist, “Bless the Lord, o my soul, all that is within us, bless the Lord.” You are infinite, yet intimately love us. You are beyond comprehension, but have reveled yourself in Christ Jesus. You are eternal, yet so patient in time with us. We praise you, this morning. Father, Son, and Spirit, eternally pure, just, gracious, holy, joyful. All glory be to your name.

For the glory of Christ advance the gospel in us and through us. We pray that for the gospel to continuing advancing in the Middle East. Bring the New Testament in the local languages, so that it might be published and widely distributed. Give the translators much grace as they work on the Old Testament as well. Raise up an indigenous church that might plant more churches for the glory of Jesus. Holy Spirit, raise up more workers to take the gospel to unreached places. Even from our own church, raise up men and women to exalt Jesus where he is currently unknown. Use the funds that we give to the International Mission Board, the Treasure Christ Together, 9Marks, HaitiLove to advance the gospel and build healthy churches.

We pray for continued gospel advancement in and around our city. Bless our brothers and sisters at The Well in Silver Spring, Arlington Baptist, Cherrydale Baptist, and McLean Presbyterian. Grant grace to our brother Jeremy McLain as he labors for the gospel in NE DC. Bring another man to serve as an elder alongside of him. O Lord, display your manifold wisdom through the saints at Union Church, McLean Bible, the District Church, and Church of the Advent. Father, we praise you for the glorious gospel work at Iglesia Biblica Sublime Gracia. Grant Alejandro and Juan much grace as they pastor that church. Continue using our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters to bring people to faith in Jesus for the glory of Christ and the joy of his people. Raise up more financial partners to help support this work and provide a new meeting space that they might gather to exalt Jesus together.

We praise you Triune God, for the many ways our church is rooted and grounded in love. Give us deep desires to not just learn about Jesus but to grow in our love for Jesus. Holy Spirit, remind us that you do not just call us to a list of commands, but to a love for Christ – a love that surpasses knowledge. Give us the grace to be a people who rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

We pray for those of us this morning, we are weary, tired, downcast, those of us who are mourning and are just generally sad. Would you comfort us with the hope of Christ this morning. Holy Spirit, give us gracious, compassionate words to speak to one another – words that build up, and encourage and console. We pray for those of us who are excited and rejoicing and all seems to be going well. Give us the grace to praise you in the midst of happy times and not forget you, our God who provides us with all things. Let the happy moments of this life make us yearn even more for the eternal joy that awaits us in heaven.

Holy Spirit, give grace to those of us who are more aware of our failings and what we haven’t done than your love for us in Christ and what he has done. Through your word, and through each other, remind us that we are precious in your sight; we are chosen, adopted, lavished with love; that in Christ we have an eternal inheritance. Give grace to those who are struggling with the deep hurt of sins committed against them. Put trusted friends in our lives that will help us as we wrestle with the shame of being violated and taken advantage of. Let us speak the truth in love to each other that we might build each other up in love.

We rest and rejoice this morning in the truth of who are in our union with Jesus – alive, clean, whole, pure, loved, cherished. And because we are secure in this identity, we freely confess our sins and struggles. We confess the ways we have been sensual and greedy this past week. We confess our impurity and hardness of heart. We confess our selfishness and pride. Forgive us, O Lord. We confess harsh words spoken in self-righteous defense. We confess fear of man and hoping in the things of this world. We confess doubting, or even at times denying, your goodness and grace and unfathomable love for us in Christ. Forgive us, O Lord.

And we praise you that because of Jesus, we don’t have to wonder if you forgive and love us. We know, we know, we know, that you love us so there is a blood-stained cross where sin was payed and Satan was defeated. We know that because there is an empty tomb on earth, the throne in heaven is occupied. And because of this we rest and rejoice looking to Jesus, our treasure, our delight, our hope and salvation. We pray all these things in his wonderful, mighty, merciful, name. Amen.