Praise is rightfully yours, O God.  Although we are full of iniquities you hear our prayer. You are the God who atones for rebellious sinners and blesses unclean people. You give happiness to those who you choose, and satisfy them with your holiness. Your works inspire awe, in particular your work of salvation through the cross of Christ. You are powerful over the mountains, the seas and the nations. And yet despite your power you gave your only begotten Son for rebellious sinners, fully satisfying your perfect divine justice and perfect divine mercy.

We confess that unlike you we are sinners in need of that mercy. We are so quick to cry out for justice when we are wronged, but flee from it when we are the ones who wrong others. And while we know of the plights of many in the world who need justice, we so often find it easier to sit in the comfort of our homes rather than fight for the rights of the oppressed. We do not love our neighbor as we ought and the good that we know we should do towards our fellow man we leave undone.

We confess our pride and self-centeredness. We consider ourselves more important than those around us. Because of our religious deeds we think that we have earned your favor – that we are more deserving of your love than those we perceive as morally inferior. We judge ourselves arrogantly seeing the flaws in others and our own strengths, all while keeping our focus on man and not on you because we could not possible measure up to your divine holiness.

Lord Jesus, we thank you that despite being fully and completely one of us, you are not like us in our pride. Though you are fully and completely God you humbled yourself in descending to earth, taking the form of a servant, obeying the will of the Father and dying a disgraceful death for our sakes.

Father, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for your creative word as you spoke the earth into being, your written word in the form of the scriptures and your incarnate word in the form of Jesus. Thank you for the variety of ways in which you have revealed yourself to us and made your glory known in our world.

Thank you for the blessings you have given us. Thank you for choosing us before the foundation of the world and justifying us in Christ to be holy and blameless before you. Thank you for adopting us as your sons and daughters through Jesus according to the purpose of your will. Thank you for redeeming us from our sins through the blood of Christ and lavishing the riches of your grace upon us. Thank you for revealing your plan of the gospel through the person of Jesus and the ministry of the apostles. Thank you for the unity of believers in the universal church as a result of the gospel and in particular for the ways you have allowed us to be united as a body here at Restoration Church. Thank you for giving us an inheritance, guaranteeing it with the Holy Spirit.

Lord we pray for our church that you would continue to help us see the ways that you have blessed us and are continuing to bless us. We pray that you would enable us to fix our eyes on you and to delight in your law and mediate on it day and night. Thank you for the ways that it already happening in our church and we pray for ever more joy in Christ. We pray that you would use our church for your glory and for the good of the broader community in Washington DC. We pray that you would enable and equip us for good in our city that we would provide support to those in need and share the love of Christ with everyone, and that people would come to know you through the ministry of Restoration Church.

We also pray for the many organizations working to do good in our city like DC 127, Central Union Mission and others. We thank you for their work, and the ways they serve the needy in our city and pray that you would bless them and enable and equip them to continue their work. We pray for the homeless of our city, that you would protect them amidst the cold of winter and provide shelters, food, clothing and appropriate medical treatment, that you would enable them to overcome all the challenges associated with homelessness to find work and housing, and most importantly that you would enable them to hear your gospel and that those that do not know you would come to know you and be adopted into the family of God.

We pray also for the world, we pray for those affected by large scale violence in their countries, that you would provide political and social stability, and protect those affected by chaos and wars. We pray that you would hasten the day of your return to bring an end to all war and violence forever.

Lord, we pray that you would do these things for the glory of your name.  Amen