Please find below the notes from the Elder's Prayer this past Sunday.

Father, there is no other god but you. It is to you we turn in times of need, in you alone that we trust. It is against you alone that we sin, and in you alone do we find forgiveness.

All of us - both the great and the small - have sinned against you.  Each of us have done shameful things, each of us seeking our own pleasure even at the expense of others, each of us judging and hating others, each of us justifying our sin.

Your word tells us that because of our sin, each of us are children of wrath, enemies of God, objects of destruction. Each of us ungodly, unrighteous, without excuse. None of us escaping your judgment.

But your word also tells us that you are a god of patience, a god of tenderness, a god of compassion, a god of love. In your wisdom, you sent your son at the proper time as the sacrifice for our sin. You gave your son to take our curse for sin upon himself in order to pay our eternal debt.

Make us aware of our sin – help us to see how we have sinned and how we continue to sin. Help us to know your word better so that we can see and know our sin.

Help us to repent of our sin. Help us to see where our hearts are hardened toward our sin, where our eyes are blind to our sin.

And when we sin and repent, remind us that you have fully forgiven us in Christ. Remind us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Remind us that you have removed our sins from us, as far as the east is from the west.

Make us to know your ways. Lead us in truth, for you are the god of our salvation. For you, we will wait all the day. Help us to remember your compassion and your lovingkindness. Remind us that you do not remember our sins, that you have put them far away. 

Amen.