We thank You for the beauty of the earth. As the green tree and the green grass stand against the blue sky, we marvel at the wonder of Your creation. As the waters flow down from the mountains into the rivers and the seas, we are overwhelmed at Your handiwork.

Lord, we thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to die for our sins. We thank you for the Holy Spirit who draws us unto Christ. We thank you for the Word of God which is our weapon to fight against sin.

We thank you for the sacraments of the Church that give us a visible sign of our being in Christ. As we eat the bread and drink the wine here this morning, may Your Holy Spirit give us that simple confidence that we belong to Thee. Help us to draw our focus away from ourselves and unto Christ. Remind us that it is not the amount of faith that saves us or the quality of our faith that saves us. It is not even primarily faith that saves us, but it is the Lord Jesus Christ that saves us. Jesus is greater than our faith. Jesus is greater than anything we have to offer.

Lord, help us to overcome sin in our own lives. We all have those sins that so easily beset us. We all have our own battles, many of which are private. We find in ourselves temptations that scare us. We sometimes wonder how a Christian could be so tempted. We sometimes wonder if we are really saved. We sometimes wonder if there is any hope for us.

Yea Lord, remind us that such concern about our own soul is a true sign of the genuine work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came not to save the healthy, but the sick. Lord, one thing we know, and that is that we are sick. We are sick of sin in ourselves and in others. We know that sin kills. We know that it destroys people, families, churches and nations. Lord, the problem first is not out there in our environment or in the world. But first the problem is inside of us, inside of our hearts.

Lord, we pray for our covenant children. We pray that we might be faithful to raise them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We pray that we will be faithful in teaching them the doctrines of our holy religion. Help us to pray with them and for them. We pray that as they grow into adulthood, that we might see in them a genuine faith that sets them apart from the world in which they live.

Our Father, we pray for our own Church. We pray for unity. Help us to walk together hand in hand. We pray for a deep love for one another. May we think of each other as more important that ourselves. Help us to minster to the needy and the sick. Let not anyone here in this congregation fear facing an ominous future all alone. Help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the Law of God. We pray that our pews will be filled with those who love to sing Thy praises. May the sound of hymns and psalms reach the ear of the Lord because we sing with joy in our hearts.

Lord, we know that the world promises happiness but delivers death. The promises of the world are simply deception. There are many in the world who are empty and lonely. They have been forsaken and their hearts broken. Their lives have been crushed. Lord, lead them unto us. Lord, give us the zeal to share the good news that there is one whose is ever true to His promises. There is one who will never disappoint them. There is one who will never break their hearts. Lord, as our society grows more secular, help the Church to be ready to give witness to the hope that is within us. Help us to be ambassadors for Christ in a lost and dying world.

Lord, we remember that a nation that fears the Lord shall be praised. We have drifted away from the truth. We have ignored the Law of God and created our own laws. We have played the harlot and now we reap the consequences. Have mercy upon us. First revive Thy Church and then bring healing to the nations.