“Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we worship and adore you. God we praise you that you are wise always choosing what is best. God we praise you that you are holy completely separate from sin. God we praise you that you are love giving of yourself. God we praise you that you are just always doing what is right. God we praise you that you are true never lying or deceiving. God we praise you that you are unchangeable forever loyal and perfect. God we praise you that you are eternal having no beginning and no end. Yes, Lord, we praise your majestic name for who you are in all your splendor and beauty.

We praise you for giving us the Bible, your perfect Word. We praise you that the Bible is authoritative; perfect in all it says telling us what is right and good. We praise you that the Bible is clear and can be understood by children, yet is also beautiful to capture the hearts of the most learned. We praise you that the Bible is sufficient and it alone is enough to teach us about Jesus and the joy and salvation found in him. We praise you for your Word; help us to trust it and treasure it and mediate upon it as it points us to Jesus.

This morning Lord we praise you for the supreme joy and delight found in Jesus Christ. We praise you for rescuing us from the slavery of sin. We confess that we rebelled against you. We have dishonored you with our thoughts, words and deeds. Forgive us, Lord. We repent of our sexual immorality and impurity; we repent of our idolatry and jealousy; we repent of our fits of anger and our divisiveness; we repent of our gossip and slander; we repent our envy and drunkenness; we repent our laziness and selfishness. We praise you that it’s your grace that leads us to repentance that we might taste the heavenly joys of Christ. We praise you that because of Jesus, through his sacrificial death and life-giving resurrection and victorious ascension, sin is conquered, Satan is defeated, and death is destroyed. Birth in us a deep hope and longing for heaven that our minds would be set on things above.

We pray for those here this morning that are worried and anxious. Holy Spirit, calm their spirit with the comforts of Christ. We pray for those here this morning harboring bitterness. Holy Spirit, remind them of how much Christ has forgiven them. We pray for those here this morning feeling ashamed and guilty because of something they’ve done. Holy Spirit, point the to Jesus and wash them afresh in the purity of the gospel. We pray for those here this morning that have been grievously sinned against and taken advantage of. Holy Spirit, remind them of what it means to be a precious child of the Father. We pray for those here this morning struggling with substance abuse, for those who are weary of fighting a particular sin. Holy Spirit, birth in them the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience and self-control. We pray for those here this morning who are not trusting in Jesus alone for salvation. Holy Spirit open their eyes that they might behold the glory of Jesus and be fully satisfied in him.

For your namesake, O Lord, advance the gospel far and wide. From the underground churches in China to the public churches in Venezuela, hallow your name. Get the gospel to the 25MM unreached Pashtun people in Pakistan and to the 20MM Kurmi people in India. For the glory of your name, continue to use this church to raise up gospel workers to take the good news of Jesus to our neighbors and to the nations.

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. 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 terrorism and religious persecution – not just against Christians, but against all faiths. Bring about peace, for you are a God of peace. We pray for an end to racism. We pray specifically for our minority brothers and sisters who bear the weight of systemic injustices, both seen and unseen. Give us the humility to bear each other’s burdens; to weep with those who weep.

Give wisdom and justice to national leaders all over the world; give prime ministers and presidents and kings and queens and dictators 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, what is the good for the people they are entrusted to lead and serve. Grant us 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.

Father, you have given us so many good gifts – the N. family, this church, children to disciple, songs to sing. We praise you. Cause these gifts to make us long for heaven, to yearn for you the great Gift Giver. Remind us of the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, point us to Jesus that we might find our greatest delight in him as we labor here and look forward to heaven. We pray all of this in the name of Christ. Amen.