Triune God, Holy Father, gracious Son, merciful Spirit, we come to you this morning. We lift our eyes up to you. We bring our hearts before you. We come into your presence this morning with singing. We come worshipping you with gladness. We declare your goodness. We declare your righteousness. We declare your faithfulness. We declare your majesty. To your name, be all power and dominion and authority.

Raise up a people for your namesake, O Lord. Use this church, Restoration Church, to magnify the fame of Jesus in DC and beyond. Use our brothers and sisters at Cherrydale Baptist Church in Arlington to exalt the person and work of Christ. Grow Redeemer City Church and Waterfront Church and Restoration City Church in holiness that they might shine brightly into a dark world.

Raise up a people for your namesake, O Lord. In the name of Jesus, we ask that you would bring the Molero family to DC to start a Christ-exalting Hispanic church. Save men and women among the BKs. We plead with you, O Lord, to get the Bible into B. Give the translators wisdom and diligence and perseverance to complete the New Testament. We pray for M and H and E as they labor that the Bs might read your Word in their own language. Do this, Lord, we boldly and confidently in the name of Jesus.

Righteous Father, we ask that you would conform us to your word by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Let us not be conformed to the world, but transformed by your word. Let your word dwell in us richly. Let our words be flavored and seasoned with grace that no corrupting talk would come out of our mouths, but only such as is useful for building up so that it may give grace to those who hear.

You gave us life, Lord. You gave us breath. You gave us words to honor and worship you. But we confess that’s not always how we live. We use our words not to honor you, but to hurt others. We confess that we use our words to wound and not worship. We confess that we use our words not to praise you, but to promote ourselves. Forgive us, Lord. Forgive us our pride that makes us self-righteously promote ourselves. Forgive our anger. Forgive our hypocrisy, saying one thing and doing another. Forgive the way we use our words to manipulate and malign others.

Clean our hearts, Lord. By the power of the Holy Spirit, uproot the weeds of sin that so entangle us. Give us the grace to live in gospel community, to drag our sin into the light that as mold it might shrivel up and die. Use the members of this church to spur each other on toward godliness. Use this church as a place of healing for the hurt, a place of rest for the weary, a place of hope for the anxious, a place of delight and pleasure for all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus.

Thank you that in the midst of our trials and temptations, or even in the times we are bored with you, you have provided a strong and satisfying Savior. Open our eyes to see the beauty of Christ. Silence our hearts when we condemn ourselves or doubt you. Remind us day after day that you are always on our side – you have lavished your grace upon us in Christ Jesus. Show us how your wrath toward our sin has been emptied on and exhausted by your Son as he hung on the cross. Let us feel deeply in our souls that Jesus has paid for every sin with his bleeding wounds that we might cry out, “Abba, Father” as your sons and daughters.

Father, we look at the world around us, and the brokenness is tangible. We pray for an end to elective abortions. We pray for hope and healing for those who have been forced or chosen to have an abortion. That probably includes some here this morning. Use us, Lord, as a place of grace and compassion. We pray for an end to modern day sex-slave trafficking of young girls and boys. We pray for an end to domestic abuse. Heal those here Lord who have tasted these things first hand. We pray for an end to religious persecution, not just that which is against Christians, but all religious persecution – persecution against Jews and Muslims and Yazidis and other faiths. Bring about peace, for you are a God of peace.

Give leaders worldwide wisdom and justice, and a deep desire to bring about human flourishing. We pray for the government here. Grant President Obama and Congress and elected officials integrity and humility and boldness to do what is right, not for personal agendas or political gain, but for the good of the people they are entrusted to lead. Grant us Lord the humility to respect those in leadership even when we disagree with them. We thank you that we find ourselves in a place of peace and order. Let us not take that for granted but be wise making the best use of our time.

We thank you that we can gather here without fear, and worship openly and freely. As we continue to pray and sing and listen to the preaching of your Word, remind us of all that you have given us. But remind us especially of the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, point us to Jesus that we might find our greatest delight in him. We pray all of this in the name of Christ. Amen.