We shall tell of Your mighty acts to our children and they shall tell them to their children. We will teach them that, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." We shall teach them the doctrines of our faith. We shall teach them to sing the Psalms. We shall teach them that they are privileged to be in God's army. We shall teach them to be good soldiers of the Lord. By Thy grace, may they believe because of what they hear from us.

Lord, for some of us, coming to the faith has been revolutionary. It has been a battle. We have been at war. Our children do not know the contests we have fought. Our children were not there when the fight was against us and yet we prevailed. A generation has grown up who did not know Joseph. A generation has grown up that has not been in the heat of spiritual warfare. They have not known sleepless nights and days of worry because of the faith. What we have today, has been gained by much sacrifice on the part of the leaders of the Church. Lord, may our children not be overcome with smugness and complacency. It is a blessing to be raised in the Church, but it is also very dangerous. Since they have not fought the battles we fought against the great enemies of the faith, may they not turn on each other as if their own brothers were their enemies. Lord, be gracious to our children and give them the same zeal for Thy Church that came to dwell in our own hearts many years ago.

Lord, You cause the rains to fall to the earth and the sun to warm us by day. You protect us from the wild beast that roams the earth at night. You give flight to the small bird that falls out of its nest. You bind the wounds of the suffering and You heal the bruises of those who have fallen. From the rising of the sun to its setting, your mercy endures forever.

Lord, grant us the peace that gives understanding. Help us to cast our anxiety upon you because we know You care for us. We are not free from anxiety, nor in this life will we ever be. Help us to have such confidence in you that whatever worries us, whatever causes us to fret, whatever gives us fear, we know we can cast them upon You, and you will overcome for us because we are certain that You care so much for us.

Lord, we believe in the free offer of the gospel. Whosoever comes shall be received. Whosoever comes will not be rejected. The offer is free to all who will come. Lord, we come here today. We come asking that you will assure our hearts of your love. What greater example of love do we have than that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He died to cover the sin of doubt. He died to cover the sin of distrust. He died to cover the sin of suspicion. He died to cover the sin of indifference. He even died to cover our tendency toward disbelief. Lord, all of our sins have been covered. From the heinous sins of the worst to the minor sins of the best, there is no sin so small that it deserves damnation and no sin so great that it cannot be forgiven. Lord, we have been washed as white as snow. Lord, forgive us when we doubt Your love.

Our Father, grant Your grace upon this Church. We have sought to be faithful to the word and to the doctrines handed down to us by our forefathers. We have practiced discipline. Sin is not allowed to go unnoticed. We have rebuked. We have encouraged. We have prayed. We have given money in time of need. We have watched the young mother rejoice and the old woman cry. We have seen the young man strong and courageous. We have watched the old man lose his strength. Lord, we have wept with those who weep and we have rejoiced with those who rejoice. Lord, bless our Church. Fill every pew. Let the people sing anew. May the voices of the people of God rise up to the clouds of heaven. May the whole city hear us sing with vibrancy and joy. Let the world know by our voices that we love our God and we love God's people.