Parish Prayers

Compiled and edited by Frank Colquhoun

Hodder and Stoughton, 1967

Foreword

By His Grace The Archbishop Of York

The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. F. D. Coggan, P.C., D.D.

I Welcome this book warmly.  I welcome it because I believe that it will prove an enrichment to the public worship of the Church and a help to many parish clergy on all kinds of occasions.  The Editor, who has done his work against the background of long parochial experience, has produced things new and old out of the treasure-store of the Church’s life of prayer—the selection of nearly 1,800 prayers is indeed a catholic one.

      The pattern of the book is Anglican: about a third of the prayers are arranged under the heading The Church’s Year.  But I can well envisage the book being used by those whose church allegiance is not Anglican; indeed, it may prove another aid to union, for prayer joins Christians of varying traditions together as nothing else can.

      Again, I welcome the book because I think it will help the individual at his prayers, and not only the congregation.  We all know what it is to hit an arid patch in our prayer-life.  At such a time it is of help to prime the pump of prayer with the aid of the prayers of other, and greater, Christians.  This collection offers us just such help as we need.

      May the book be widely used and greatly blessed.

Donald Ebor.

Bishopthorpe, York

Contents

            Foreword by His Grace the Archbishop of York

            Author’s Preface

I.  THE CHURCH’S YEAR                 (this page below)

Advent,  Christmas,  Epiphany,  Septuagesima to Quinquagesima,  Lent,  Holy Week,  Eastertide,  Rogationtide,  Ascensiontide,  Whitsuntide,  The Trinity Season,  Saints’ Days and Holy Days,  Lesser Feasts,  In the Ember Weeks.

II.  VARIOUS OCCASIONS                (II. & III.)

Watch-night Service,  Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,  Mothering Sunday Service,  Harvest Thanksgiving,  Education Sunday,  Remembrance Sunday,  Dedication Festival,  Missionary Festival,  Sunday School Festival,  Youth Festival,  Choir Festival,  Gift Day or Stewardship Sunday,  Old People’s Service,  A Civic Service,  A Memorial Service.  Dedication of Memorial Gifts,  Children’s Church.

III.  SACRAMENTS AND ORDINANCES

Holy Communion,  Holy Baptism,  Confirmation,  Marriage,  Childbirth,  The Sick,  The Departed.

IV.  INTERCESSORY PRAYERS       (IV.)

General Intercessions,  The Coming of God’s Kingdom, The Nations of the World,  Rulers and Statesmen,  Our Nation and Government,  The Commonwealth,  Society and Industry,  Education and Youth,  Health Services and Hospitals,  In Time of War,  Home and Friends,  Travel,  The Suffering,  Those in Spiritual Need,  The Church of God,  The Church Overseas,  The Church at Home,  Evangelism,  The Parish,  Various.

V.  DEVOTIONAL PRAYERS                        (V. & VI.)

Opening Prayers,  Concluding Prayers.  In the Morning,  At Evening,  Praise and Thanksgiving,  General Prayers,  Penitence and Pardon,  Love,  Faith,  Growth in Grace,  Inward Peace,  Guidance,  Knowledge and Truth,  Dedication,  Courage and Perseverance,  The Spirit of Service,  Our Daily Work,  The Christian Warfare,  Various,  Benedictions and Doxologies.

VI.  SUPPLEMENTARY PRAYERS

Church Meetings,  A Prayer Meeting,  Before Bible Study,  Vestry Prayers,  Pulpit Prayers,  Offertory Prayers,  Various.

Acknowledgments;  Index of Sources;  Index of Subjects;  Bible References.  (Indices omitted for web.  See attributions, if any, with each prayer.)

Author’s Preface

The design of this book is to make available a collection of prayers sufficiently broad and comprehensive to meet the varied needs of the parochial clergy throughout the course of their ministry.  It has been my endeavour to make the work as complete as possible, so as to provide not only for the normal round of church services and meetings but also for those special and occasional needs which arise from time to time in the life of a parish.

      This inclusive character is, I would claim, the particular feature of the book.  Indeed, it is the only real justification for the publishing of yet another manual of prayers when so many excellent ones are already in print.  The same factor also accounts for the size of the book.  A work which deliberately sets out to meet all parochial needs and occasions cannot fail to assume somewhat big proportions.  As will be seen, just on 1,800 prayers are here brought together, very few of which are duplicated.  Whatever difficulty may be felt in the handling of so large-scale a collection will, I hope, be more than offset by the advantage of having such a wide selection of prayers compactly available in a single volume.

      It may be helpful if I offer to those who are intending to use the book some words of explanation with regard to the prayers themselves and the way in which they have been arranged.

THE PRAYERS

      To facilitate reference, the prayers are numbered, and also arranged under suitable headings and titles.  They are derived from a variety of sources.

      1. Inevitably I have drawn freely on the existing collections of prayers to which reference has already been made.  In acknowledging my indebtedness to them I would at the same time express my sincere thanks to the authors and publishers in question for the permission given me to reproduce prayers of which they are the copyright owners.  In certain cases it has not been easy, or even possible, to trace the authorship and origins of prayers.  If inadvertently any copyrights have been infringed, I would offer my apologies to those concerned and assure them that amends will be made in any subsequent editions.

      2. A good many other prayers are taken from older collections of widely varying traditions, some of them long out of print.  This has been possible as the result of a certain amount of research in the Reading Room of the British Museum, by kind permission of the Director.  In this way I have gained access to some useful material which would not otherwise have come my way.

      3. A third source has been the official prayer books of the Churches of the Anglican Communion.  The Book of English Collects, edited by J. W. Suter, Jr. (Harper, New York, 1940), has been a considerable help in this connection.  I have also drawn upon the Church of Scotland’s Book of Common Order (1940) and Prayers for the Christian Year (1952), and from the Church of South India’s more recent Book of Common Worship (1963).  No prayers have been taken directly from the proposed Prayer Book of 1928, since this is so readily available and in such widespread use.

      4. Some of the prayers are new and make their appearance here for the first time.  I am most grateful to Canon Basil Naylor and Prebendary George Timms for their prayers on the Seven Last Words for use on Good Friday which they contributed at my request.  Prayers have also been written for this book by Bishop Frank Houghton, Canon Gordon Hewitt, and the Rev. Leo Stephens-Hodge, and I wish to express my thanks to them; as also to the Rev. J. R. W. Stott, who has generously allowed me to make use of a number of prayers from his own personal collection.

      5. Finally, the book contains a number of prayers of my own, considerably more indeed than I had originally intended.  I can only say by way of explanation that most of them were written to fill certain gaps or meet specific needs, or to supplement other prayers where this seemed to be desirable.

      In general, the prayers follow the traditional patterns, as regards both form and language.  The attempts so far made to produce “contemporary” prayers are not, in my opinion, altogether happy and I am doubtful of their suitability for church services, except in special circumstances.  On the other hand, I have studiously endeavoured to avoid prayers which have an archaic ring about them, or are couched in artificial language, or which are too long and verbose.  I am convinced that prayers for use in public worship should be short, simple, and direct.  For this reason some of the prayers reproduced in this collection have been deliberately altered or abbreviated (sometimes both).  Where this has been done, an asterisk (*) has been attached to the name of the author or source.  Prayers (mostly anonymous) which have been modified to such an extent as to be more or less rewritten have the word “Adapted” added at the end.  Where no author’s name is given, the origin of the prayer is unknown.

      I venture to add a final word under this heading on the vexed issue of “prayers for the dead”, a limited number of which find their place in this collection.  The commemoration of the faithful departed in the prayers of the Church raises acute questions in the minds of some faithful churchmen; and from my own point of view I can fully appreciate this.  The position is by no means simple or straightforward.  On the one hand, it cannot be denied that the English reformers in the sixteenth century deliberately eliminated from the Church’s common prayer any explicit petitions for the departed, due no doubt to the association of the practice with the “Romish doctrines concerning Purgatory”.  It is therefore a fact that since 1552 such prayers have had no place in the authorized formularies of the Church.  On the other hand, it must equally be recognized that since the Reformation—and not only since the Oxford Movement—the thought of many Anglicans has undergone a change in this direction; and in any case the fact has to be faced that in one form or another prayers for the dead in Christ are now in fairly common use throughout the Church.

      It therefore seemed to me that, whatever my personal opinions, it would be unrealistic to exclude this element from a collection of prayers which claims to be truly comprehensive and which seeks to meet as wide a variety of need as possible.  It is scarcely necessary to add that a prayer book, like a hymn book, can do no more than offer a selection of material; those who use such books are at liberty to choose what they like and to ignore the rest.

THE ARRANGEMENT

      A glance at the Contents page will show that the book is divided into six main parts.

      Part I, the largest section of all, comprises prayers for the Church’s Year.  Not only is provision made for the Christian seasons and festivals in general; there are also prayers for each Sunday and Holy Day, based on the appointed Epistles and Gospels.  The majority of the prayers in this part of the book are of a devotional character.  It is hoped that they will prove suitable for use after the third collect at Mattins and Evensong, or after the sermon; or for devotional use in preparation for Holy Communion, whether personal or corporate.

      Part II supplies a selection of prayers for various occasions in parish life which lie outside the Church’s Year as such and for which additional prayers are required.  Included in this section are those special Sundays which are set apart by authority for some particular observance, as for example Education Sunday and Remembrance Sunday; also parish festivals of one kind or another, such as a dedication festival, a missionary festival, and harvest thanksgiving.  Provision is also made for such occasions as the week of prayer for Christian unity, a civic service, a gift day, and so on.

      Part III is concerned with the sacraments of the gospel and other ordinances of the Church.  Here, for instance, are prayers of preparation for Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, marriage; a form for the renewal of baptismal vows; thanksgivings for childbirth; prayers for use in ministry to the sick; and prayers for use at a funeral service.

      Part IV contains a wide selection of prayers of an intercessory nature: for the needs of the world, the work of the Church at home and overseas, and for the whole life of man. These prayers to a large extent supplement those in the second part of the book, and there is a good deal of cross reference between the two sections.

      Part V is given over to devotional prayers.  In some measure it supplements the prayers for the Christian Year (Part I), but its scope is wider.  Thus, in addition to prayers for various Christian graces, there are opening and concluding prayers, morning and evening prayers, acts of praise and thanksgiving, and benedictions and doxologies.

      Part VI contains prayers which, are supplementary to the collection as a whole.  Here particular provision is made for parish meetings and committees of one kind or another.  There are also vestry, pulpit, and offertory prayers, as well as prayers for such occasional needs as a quiet day, a recital of music, a religious drama, and the dedication of a house.

      This arrangement of the book means of necessity that the various sections overlap one another to a considerable degree.  To take a simple illustration: prayers for the spread of the gospel throughout the world will be found not only in the intercessions for the Church Overseas (Part IV) but also in the prayers for Epiphanytide (Part I) and for a Missionary Festival (Part II).  Likewise prayers for the home and family life occur in several parts of the book, such as in the service for Mothering Sunday (Part II), among the marriage prayers (Part III), and in the relevant section of the intercessory prayers (Part IV).

      It may be thought that this arrangement is somewhat complicated and confusing; but I venture to suggest that once the general plan of the book has been clearly grasped, those who use it regularly will experience little difficulty in finding their way about it.  I feel sure that there is value in having prayers conveniently grouped together for particular days and occasions; so that, for example, on any great festival or special Sunday all the needful material is found together in one place, thus avoiding the necessity of having to turn to different parts of the book for the various prayers required.  In any case, the key to the matter lies in the Subject Index at the end.  Special care has been taken to ensure that this is as complete and accurate as possible, so as to facilitate simple and speedy reference.

      This collection of Parish Prayers is the fruit of over twenty years spent in the pastoral ministry of the Church.  The task of gathering the material and putting it together has occupied a good deal of my spare time during the past three or four years.  It has also involved others in work and I am very grateful to Mrs. Madeline Cowan and Miss Joyce Manning for the help they have given me in the typing of the manuscript.  My thanks are further due to Mr. Leonard Cutts, of Messrs. Hodder and Stoughton, for his patience and encouragement in connection with this undertaking; and not least to His Grace the Archbishop of York, who has honoured me by writing the Foreword.

      I offer the work to the parochial clergy of the Church of England in the hope that it may not only meet a genuine need on their part but also make a small contribution to the enrichment of the Church’s life and worship at the parish level.

Frank Colquhoun

Southwark Cathedral, London, S.E. 1

Part  I.  The Church’s Year

ADVENT

General Prayers

1.         We beseech thee, O Lord, to purify our consciences by thy daily visitation; that when thy Son our Lord cometh, he may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gelasian Sacramentary

2.         Make us, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, watchful and heedful in awaiting the coming of thy Son Christ our Lord; that when he shall come and knock, he shall find us not sleeping in sin, but awake and rejoicing in his praises; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gelasian Sacramentary

3.         Grant, O Almighty God, that as thy blessed Son Jesus Christ at his first advent came to seek and to save that which was lost, so at his second and glorious appearing he may find in us the fruits of the redemption which he wrought; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God world without end.

Scottish Prayer Book

4.         O God, who didst send thy blessed Son into the world to be the Saviour of all men, and hast promised that he will come again to be our Judge: We beseech thee to increase in us the spirit of watchfulness and prayer, that in the day of his appearing the lamps of our spirit may be trimmed and burning, and we may enter with joy into the marriage supper of the Lamb.  Hear us, O heavenly Father, of thy mercy, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

5.         O Almighty Father, fountain of light and salvation, we adore thine infinite goodness in sending thy only begotten Son into the world that, believing in him, we may not perish but have everlasting life; and we pray thee that, through the grace of his first advent to save the world, we may be made ready to meet him at his second advent to judge the world; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

W. Walsham How

6.         O God, Father of mercies, who didst so love the world that thou didst give thine only begotten Son to take our nature upon him for us men and for our salvation: Grant to us who by his first coming have been called into thy kingdom of grace, that we may always abide in him, and be found watching and ready when he shall come again to call us to thy kingdom of glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

H. Stobat

7.         O Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst warn us to prepare for the day when thou shalt come to be our judge: Mercifully grant that being awake from the sleep of sin, we may always be watching and intent upon the work thou hast given us to do; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

W. E. Scudamore

8.         Keep us, O Lord, while we tarry on this earth, in a serious seeking after thee, and in an affectionate walking with thee, every day of our lives; that when thou comest, we may be found not hiding our talent, nor serving the flesh, nor yet asleep with our lamp unfurnished, but waiting and longing for our Lord, our glorious God for ever and ever.

Richard Baxter*

9.         O thou, who hast foretold that thou wilt return to judgment in an hour that we are not aware of, grant us grace to watch and pray always, that whether thou shalt come at even, or at midnight, or in the morning, we may be found among the number of those servants who shall be blessed in watching for their Lord, to whom be all glory now and for evermore.

Non-Jurors’ Prayer Book

10.       Stir up our hearts, O Lord, we beseech thee, to prepare the way of thine only begotten Son; so that when he cometh we may be found watching, and serve thee with a pure and ready will; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

11.       Thou who with thine own mouth hast avouched that at midnight, at an hour when we are not aware, the Bridegroom shall come: Grant that the cry, The Bridegroom cometh, may sound evermore in our ears, that so we be never unprepared to meet him, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Lancelot Andrewes

12.       The “Great Os” of Advent

Particularly suitable for the last week of Advent.

Each may be followed by the response:

Even so, come, Lord Jesus

O Wisdom, that camest out of the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to another, firmly and gently ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of understanding.

O Adonai, Captain of the house of Israel, who didst appear to Moses in the flame of the burning bush, and gavest him the law on Sinai: Come and deliver us with thine outstretched arm.

O Root of Jesse, who standest for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall shut their mouths, to whom the nations shall seek: Come and deliver us and tarry not.

O Key of David, Sceptre of the house of Israel, who openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest and no man openeth: Come and bring forth out of the prison-house him that is bound.

O Day-spring from on high, Brightness of Eternal Light, and Sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

O King of nations, thou for whom they long, the Cornerstone that makest both one: Come and save thy creatures whom thou didst fashion from the dust of the earth.

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

First Sunday In Advent

Preparation for the coming

13.       Almighty and everlasting God, who orderest all things in heaven and on earth: We give thee thanks and praise that thou didst make all ages a preparation for the coming of thy Son, our blessed Redeemer.  Prepare us for the coming of him whom thou dost send, and grant that of his fullness we may all receive; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

14.       Grant, O Lord, that we who once again prepare for the commemoration of the coming of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, may so direct our hearts to the fulfillment of thy law, that he may now accept our hosannas, and in the life to come receive us in the heavenly Sion; where with thee and the Holy Ghost he liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end.

Richard D. Acland

Beginning of the new Church Year

15.       O Lord God, author of our salvation, who desirest that all men should live in Christ Jesus: Grant that we may begin this new year in our spiritual life knowing our need to increase our faith and to enlarge our repentance; assist us in thy mercy to live as in a state of grace, and to regard this life as part of our eternal inheritance; grant that difficulties may not overthrow us nor temptations defeat us, but that we may go forward on our journey through this life in the spirit of courage and godliness; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Euchologium Anglicanum

Love for our neighbour

16.       O God, who hast included all the commandments in the one commandment of love, so that if we love not our neighbour we cannot fulfill thy law: We humbly pray thee, create in our hearts such a sincere love of one another, that we may be children of our Father in heaven, and true disciples of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Henry Alford

17.       O Eternal God, who has taught us in thy holy Word that love is the fulfilling of the law: Pour into our hearts that best of all thy gifts, that loving our neighbour as ourselves we may live as children of the day and of the light; for the glory of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

The night is far spent

18.       O Lord, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that the night is far spent and the day is at hand: Awaken us from all sloth and slumber, that we may live as sons of light and of the day, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation; for his sake who died for us and rose again, even our Lord Jesus Christ.

Based on Romans 13. 11, 12,* 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Behold thy King cometh

19.       O great and glorious God, holy and immortal, who searches out the policies of nations and tries the hearts of men: Come, we pray thee, in judgment, upon the nations of the world; come and bring to destruction all that is contrary to thy holy will for mankind, and cause the counsels of the wicked to perish.  Come, O Lord, into our hearts, and root out from them that thou seest, and we cannot see, to be unlike the Spirit of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Harold Anson

Second Sunday In Advent (Bible Sunday)

Christ in the Old Testament

20.       Almighty God, who in many and various ways didst speak to thy chosen people by the prophets, and hast given us, in thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the hope of Israel: Hasten, we beseech thee, the coming of the day when all things shall be subject to him, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Church of South India

The Bible

21.       O Gracious God and most merciful Father, who has vouchsafed us the rich and precious jewel of thy holy Word: Assist us with thy Spirit that it may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to thine own image, to build us up into the perfect building of thy Christ, and to increase us in all heavenly virtues.  Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the same Jesus Christ’s sake.

Geneva Bible

22.       Almighty and most merciful God, who has given the Bible to be the revelation of thy great love to man, and of thy power and will to save him: Grant that our study of it may not be made vain by the callousness or the carelessness of our hearts, but that by it we may be confirmed in penitence, lifted to hope, made strong for service, and, above all, filled with true knowledge of thee and of thy Son Jesus Christ.

George Adam Smith

23.       Grant, O Lord, that we may love to read thy holy Word, wherein is wisdom, wherein is the royal law, wherein are the living oracles of God; and may so read therein that we may know and love and serve thee better; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

24.       Almighty God, who hast revealed thyself to us in Jesus Christ thy Son, and given thy Word and Spirit to testify of him: We bless thee for the men of faith whom thou didst inspire to write the holy Scriptures; for the labours of all who have preserved, copied, and translated them; for the wisdom given to those who have interpreted them; and for that measure of light and understanding thou hast granted unto us; and we pray that, learning what is thy will, we may ever obey thee and live to thy glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

James M. Todd

See also prayers before Bible study, 1731-8

Joy and peace

25.       O God of hope, fill us, we beseech thee, with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope by the power of thy Holy Spirit, and show forth our thankfulness to thee in trustful and courageous lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

The things that cannot be shaken

26.       Eternal God, who rulest the world from everlasting to everlasting: Speak to our hearts when men faint for fear, and the love of many grows cold, and there is distress of nations upon earth.  Keep us resolute and steadfast in the things that cannot be shaken; and make us to lift up our eyes and behold, beyond the things that are seen and temporal, the things that are unseen and eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The coming of the Lord

27.       O Lord God, heavenly Father, who through thy Son hast revealed to us that heaven and earth shall pass away: We beseech thee to keep us steadfast in thy Word and in true faith; graciously guard us from all sin and preserve us amid all temptations, so that our hearts may not be overcharged with the cares of this life, but at all times in watchfulness and prayer we may await the return of thy Son and joyfully cherish the expectation of our eternal salvation; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

United Lutheran Church, U.S.A.

28.       O God, by whose command the order of time runs its course: Forgive, we pray thee, the impatience of our hearts; make perfect that which is lacking in our faith; and, while we tarry the fulfillment of thy promises, grant us to have a good hope because of thy word; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gregory Nazianzen

29.       O Heavenly Father, whose most dearly beloved Son has come once to save the world, and will come again to judge the world: Help us, we pray thee, to watch like servants who wait for the coming of their lord.  May we abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost; and, having this hope, may we purify ourselves by thy grace, even as Christ is pure.  Grant this, O Father, for his sake and for the glory of thy holy name.

W. Walshanz How*

Third Sunday In Advent

Ministers of Christ

30.       We pray thee, Lord, for all who minister in thy name in thy Church.  Strengthen them in time of weakness, and direct them in all their work for thee.  Give to them the spirit of power, and of love, and of sound mind, that they may diligently preach thy Word and set forth thy glory, to the building up of thy Church and the salvation of souls; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers of the World-Wide Church*

The Lord is judge

31.       O Lord Jesus Christ, before whose judgment-seat we must all appear and give account of the things done in the body: Grant, we beseech thee, that when the books are opened in that day, the faces of thy servants may not be ashamed; through thy merits, O blessed Saviour, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Scottish Prayer Book

Until the Lord come

32.       O Christ our God, who wilt come to judge the world in the manhood which thou hast assumed: We pray thee to sanctify us wholly, that in the day of thy coming we may be raised up to live and reign with thee for ever.

Church of South India

Prepared hearts

33.       O God, who didst send thy messengers and prophets to prepare the way of thy Son before him: Grant that our Lord when he cometh may find in us a dwelling prepared for himself; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who came to take our nature upon him that he might bring many sons unto glory, and now with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end.

A New Prayer Book

Faithfulness

34.       O Lord our God, in whose hands is the issue of all things, and who requirest from thy stewards not success but faithfulness: Give us such faith in thee and in thy sure purposes, that we measure not our lives by what we have done or failed to do, but by our obedience to thy holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Prayer

See also prayers for the Ember Weeks, 611–41

Fourth Sunday In Advent

Joy and peace

35.       O Lord God, who by thy holy apostle hast taught us always to rejoice in thee, and to be anxious for nothing: Grant, we beseech thee, that, making our requests known to thee, we may be partakers of the peace that passeth all understanding, which thou hast promised us in thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Based on Philippians 4:4–7

God so loved the world

36.       Lord God Almighty, King of glory and love eternal, worthy art thou at all times to receive adoration, praise, and blessing; but especially at this time do we praise thee for the sending of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, for whom our hearts do wait, and to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, be honour and dominion, now and for ever.

Prayers for the Christian Year

The Coming One

37.       Almighty Father, whose blessed Son at his coming amongst us brought redemption unto his people, and peace to men of goodwill: Grant that, when he shall come again in glory to judge the world and to make all things new, we may be found ready to receive him, and enter into his joy; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ.

Frederick B. Macnutt

Preparation for Christmas

38.       Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that the solemn feast of our redemption which is now at hand, may help us both in this present life, and further us towards the attaining of thine eternal joy in that which is to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

39.       O God, who didst promise that thy glory should be revealed, and that all flesh should see it together: Stir up our hearts, we beseech thee, to prepare the way of thine only begotten Son; and pour out upon us thy loving kindness, that we who are afflicted by reason of our sins may be refreshed by the coming of our Saviour, and may behold his glory; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth one God, world without end.

James M. Todd

40.       O God our heavenly Father, who by the birth of thy Son Jesus Christ has visited us with thy salvation: Grant that as we welcome our Redeemer his presence may be shed abroad in our hearts and homes with the light of heavenly joy and peace; and in all our preparations for this holy season help us to think more of others than of ourselves, and to show forth our gratitude to thee for thine unspeakable gift, even the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

CHRISTMAS

General Prayers

Christmas gladness

41.       Almighty God, who hast revealed the glory of thy love in the in the face of Jesus Christ, and called us by him to live as thy children: Fill our hearts, as we remember his nativity, with the gladness of this great redemption; that we may join in the heavenly song of glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, and goodwill towards men; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

John Hunter*

Room for Jesus

42.       O Father, who hast declared thy love to men by the birth of the Holy Child at Bethlehem: Help us to welcome him with gladness and to make room for him in our common days; so that we may live at peace with one another and in goodwill with all thy family; through the same thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

A New Prayer Book

Light and love

43.       O Almighty God, who by the birth of thy holy Child Jesus hast given us a great light to dawn upon our darkness: Grant, we pray thee, that in his light we may see light to the end of our days; and bestow upon us, we beseech thee, that most excellent Christmas gift of charity to all men, that so the likeness of thy Son may be formed in us, and that we may have the ever brightening hope of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

William Knight

Joy to the world

44.       O Gracious Father, who sent not thy Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved: Fulfill the good tidings of thine angel and bring great joy to all people through the nativity of him who is the Prince of Peace; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be glory in the highest, now and for evermore.

God’s unspeakable gift

45.       O God, who as at this time didst send thy Son to be the Saviour of the world, teach us to thank thee for thine unspeakable gift.  Help us to hate the evil that he came to destroy, and to receive the eternal life that he lived and died to bestow; that so we may love thee with all our power and may serve our day and generation according to thy will; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

H. Bisseker

His love and ours

46.       Almighty God, as we keep the festival of the divine humility of thy Son Jesus Christ, we beseech thee to bestow upon us such love and charity as were his, to whom it was more blessed to give than to receive, and who came not to be ministered unto but to minister; that in his name we may consecrate ourselves to the service of all who are in need; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

Angels, shepherds, wise men

47.       O Heavenly Father, as we celebrate again the nativity of thy Son our Saviour, we pray that, like the angels, we may sing his joyful praise; like the shepherds, we may go even to Bethlehem and see the Child lying in a manger; and like the wise men, we may offer to him our worship, and give him the love and loyalty of our hearts; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

For our sakes he became poor

48.       Merciful and most loving God, by whose will and bountiful gift Jesus Christ our Lord humbled himself that he might exalt mankind; and became flesh that he might restore in us the most celestial image; and was born of the Virgin that he might uplift the lowly: Grant unto us the inheritance of the meek, perfect us in thy likeness, and bring us at last to rejoice in beholding thy beauty, and with all thy saints to glorify thy grace; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gallican Sacramentary

The Saviour of the world

49.       O God our heavenly Father, who hast manifested thy love towards mankind in sending thine only Son into the world, that all might live through him: We pray thee to speed forth these good tidings of great joy to every nation, that the people who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death may see the great light and may come, with us, to worship him whose name is called Wonderful, even our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Frank Colquhoun

Children and the home

50.       Blessed Lord, who by thy wonderful birth at Bethlehem hast sanctified childhood and the life of the home: Be with us, we pray thee, in our homes this Christmastide.  Bless all children who are dear to us and make them glad with the knowledge of their Saviour’s love.  Remember in thy mercy the children who are neglected or ill-treated, and those who are unwanted and unloved; and enter thyself, dear Master, into the unhappy homes of our land, and so make all things new; for the honour of thy holy name.

Frank Colquhoun

A Christmas Carol Service

Before a carol service

51.       O Lord Jesus Christ, at whose birth the praises of God were sung by a multitude of the heavenly host: Unite our voices now with theirs, and grant that in our Christmas carols we may worship thee with joyful lips and humble hearts; for the glory of thy great name.

J. R. W. Stott

52.       Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who hast given us this season of holy joy: We bow before thee with adoring reverence and lift up our hearts with thankful praise.  Fill us, we beseech thee, with the gladness of thy great redemption, and enable us to join in the angels’ song, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

The Bidding Prayer

53.       Beloved in Christ, be it this Christmastide our care and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger.

            Therefore let us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious redemption brought us by this Holy Child: and let us make this place glad with our carols of praise.

            But first let us pray for the needs of his whole world; for peace and goodwill over all the earth; for unity and brotherhood within the Church he came to build, and especially in the dominions of our sovereign lady Queen Elizabeth.

            And because this of all things would rejoice his heart, let us at this time remember in his name the poor and the helpless, the cold, the hungry, and the oppressed; the sick and them that mourn; the lonely and the unloved; the aged and the little children; all those who know not the Lord Jesus, or who love him not, or who by sin have grieved his heart of love.

            Lastly, let us remember before God all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore and in a greater light, that multitude which no man can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom, in this Lord Jesus, we for evermore are one.

            These prayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the Throne of Heaven, in the words which Christ himself hath taught us:

            Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever.  Amen.

            The Almighty God bless us with his grace: Christ give us the joys of everlasting life; and unto the fellowship of the citizens above may the King of Angels bring us all.

King’s College, Cambridge

At the end of a carol service

54.       O Almighty God, we beseech thee, give us grace to receive thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and to believe on his name, whose birth we have this day celebrated in sacred song; and grant that abiding steadfast in thy faith, we may evermore rejoice in thy salvation; through the merits of the same thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Liturgy of the Catholic Apostolic Church*

55.       O God, to whom glory is sung in the highest, while on earth peace is proclaimed to men of good will: Grant that good will to us thy servants, cleanse us from all our sins, and give perpetual peace to us and to all people; through thy mercy, O God, who art blessed, and dost govern all things, world without end.

Mozarabic Sacramentary

56.       O Lord our God, who didst manifest thy love toward us by sending thine only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him : Grant us, by thy Holy Spirit, the precious gift of faith, whereby we may know that the Son of God has come; and help us to join our praises with the song of the heavenly host : Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men.

James M. Todd

The Christmas Crib

57.       In the faith of Christ, and in thy name, O God most holy, do we I hallow this crib of Christmas, to set before the eyes of thy children the great love and humility of Jesus Christ thine only Son; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down as at this time from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary his mother, and was made Man; to whom with thee and the same Spirit be all honour, majesty, glory, and worship, now and world without end.

After the Third Collect

58.       O Holy Jesus, who to deliver us from the power of darkness didst deign to be born as a child and laid in a manger: Let the light of thy love shine evermore in our hearts, and make us an offering meet for thine honour; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

59.       O God the Son, highest and holiest, who didst humble thyself to share our birth and our death : Bring us with the shepherds and wise men to kneel before thy lowly cradle, that we may come to sing with thine angels thy glorious praises in heaven; where with the Father and the Holy Spirit thou livest and reignest God world without end.

After the Third Collect

60.       May the humility of the shepherds, the perseverance of the wise men, the joy of the angels, and the peace of the Christ-child be God’s gifts to you this Christmas time, and always.

Christmas Eve

Redeemer and Judge

61.       O God, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thy only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge; who livest and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Gelasian Sacramentary

The true light

62.       O God, who hast made this most sacred night to shine with the illumination of the true light: Grant, we beseech thee, that as we have known the mystery of that light upon earth, we may also perfectly enjoy it in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gelasian Sacramentary

The shepherds

63.       O God, who before all others didst call shepherds to the cradle of thy Son: Grant that by the preaching of the gospel the poor, the humble, and the forgotten, may know that they are at home with thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Church of South India

Darkness and light

64.       Almighty God, who by the incarnation of thy only begotten Son hast banished the darkness of this world, and by his glorious birth didst enlighten this most holy night: Drive away from us, we beseech thee, the darkness of sin, and illuminate our hearts with the glory of thy grace; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ in our hearts

65.       We pray thee, O Lord, to purify our hearts that they may be worthy to become thy dwelling place.  Let us never fail to find room for thee, but come and abide in us that we also may abide in thee, who as at this time wast born into the world for us, and dost live and reign, King of kings and Lord of lords, now and for evermore.

William Temple

Adoration

66.       O God, who as on this night, by a glorious company of the heavenly host, didst proclaim the birth of thy Son our Saviour upon earth: With heart and voice we join in their holy song, praising thee and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

Before the Blessing

67.       May God Almighty, who by the incarnation of his only-begotten Son drove away the darkness of the world, and by his glorious birth enlightened this most holy night, drive away from us the darkness of sin, and enlighten our hearts with the light of Christian grace.

Prayers for the Christian Year

Christmas Day

Christmas morning

68.       Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.  For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Luke 2:15; Isaiah 9:6

Gloria in excelsis Deo

69.       Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men; for unto us is born this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.  We praise thee, we bless thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee, for this greatest of thy mercies, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty.

Thomas Ken

The Word made flesh

70.       Most merciful God, who hast so loved the world as to give thine only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life: Vouchsafe unto us, we humbly pray thee, the precious gift of faith, whereby we may know that the Son of God is come; and, being rooted and grounded in the mystery of the Word made flesh, may have power to overcome the world, and gain the blessed immortality of heaven; through the merits of the same incarnate Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Book of Common Order

Christmas Worship

71.       Grant us, O God, such love and wonder that, with humble shepherds, wise men and pilgrims unknown, we may come and adore the holy Babe, the heavenly King, and with our gifts worship and serve him, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

James Ferguson

The spirit of reconciliation

72.       O God our Father, who didst send thy Son to be born for us as the Prince of Peace, and whom the innumerable company of the heavenly host did praise, saying, Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will towards men: Grant that the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdom of Christ and learn from him the way of peace.  Send forth among all men the spirit of goodwill and reconciliation, so that all thy children may live together as one family, praising thee and blessing thee for the great redemption which thou hast wrought for us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

William Knight*

Peace on earth

73.       O God our Father, who by the glorious birth of thy Son didst enlighten the darkness of the world: We pray that the light of his presence may shine more and more in the lives of men; that being filled with his spirit of goodwill, the nations may inherit that gift of peace which he came to bring.  We ask in his name.

Hugh Martin

For the sorrowful and afflicted

74.       O Father of all, who didst give thy Son Jesus Christ to be born as on this day in the rude and bare stable of Bethlehem: We would remember before thee those for whom Christmas brings little joy.  We pray for those who pass through sickness or suffering, and for all in hospital.  Comfort the mourners and send thy peace into their souls.  Give courage to those who suffer through oppression and persecution, and make plain the way of help.  Grant to us all by acts of kindness and words of goodwill to spread the spirit of him whose birthday we keep, even thy Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The divine image

75.       Merciful and most loving God, by whose will and bountiful gift thine eternal Son humbled himself that he might exalt mankind, and became flesh that he might renew in us the divine image: Perfect us in thy likeness, and bring us at last to rejoice in beholding thy beauty, and, with all thy saints, to glorify thy grace; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

Room for Christ

76.       Most merciful God, for whose chosen handmaid and her Holy Babe there was no room in the inn at Bethlehem: Help us all by thy Spirit to make room for the Christ in our common days, that his peace and joy may fill our hearts, and his love flow through our lives to the blessing of others; for his name’s sake.

Prayers for the Christian Year

Sunday After Christmas

The adoption of sons

77.       God of all grace, who didst in the fullness of time send Jesus Christ thy Son to be born of a woman, that he might redeem the sons of men and make them the sons of God: Accept our endless praise for this thy mercy; and grant that the Spirit of thy Son may so dwell in our hearts that we may evermore serve and worship thee with the freedom of thy children; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

78.       O Almighty God, Creator and Ruler of all things, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain, and who yet dost condescend to give us the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father: Grant unto us thy children that we may ever rejoice in thy fatherly protection, and be bound one to another in brotherly love; that using the freedom of sons in all holiness and purity of life, we may grow up into him who is not ashamed to call us brethren, even thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Born of the Virgin Mary

79.       O merciful Jesus, who when thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb: Vouchsafe evermore to dwell in the hearts of us thy servants.  Inspire us with thy purity; strengthen us with thy might; guide us into thy truth; that we may conquer every adverse power, and be wholly devoted to thy service and conformed to thy will, to the glory of God the Father.

Thy kingdom come

80.       O God, who when the fullness of the time was come didst send forth thy Son, born of a woman, to redeem mankind: Hasten the day of his dominion in all lands, and the increase of his government and of peace; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end.

Thanksgiving

81.       O God, who hast given us grace at this time to celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ: We laud and magnify thy glorious name for the countless blessings which he hath brought unto us; and we beseech thee to grant that we may ever set forth thy praise in joyful obedience to thy will; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

The Circumcision

The Name of Jesus

82.       O almighty God, who hast given unto thy Son Jesus Christ the name which is above every name, and hast taught us that there is none other whereby we may be saved: Mercifully grant that as thy faithful people have comfort and peace in his name, so they may ever labour to publish it unto all nations; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

83.       O Saviour of the world, who as on this day wast called Jesus, according to the word of the angel: Fulfill unto us, we beseech thee, the gracious promise of that holy name, and, of thy great mercy, save thy people from their sins; who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest one God world without end.

Irish Prayer Book

84.       O God, who hast made the most glorious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, thine only-begotten Son, to be exceeding sweet and supremely lovable to thy faithful servants: Mercifully grant that all who devoutly venerate this name of Jesus on earth may in this life receive thy holy comfort, and in the life to come attain thine unending joy; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sarum Missal

85.       O God, who didst ordain thine only-begotten Son to be the Saviour of mankind, and didst command that his name should be called Jesus: Mercifully grant that as we do love and honour his holy name upon earth, so we may evermore enjoy the vision of him in heaven; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

The inward circumcision

86.       O Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son, that he might keep the law which he came to fulfill, received as on this day the outward circumcision: Cleanse our minds by the inward circumcision from all incentives to sin, that we may worship thee in spirit and glory in the same Christ Jesus, now and for evermore.

87.       O Almighty God our heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was circumcised and kept the law for us, that we might enter into the glorious liberty of the sons of God: Grant us grace to bring forth the fruits of his righteousness, and ever more to serve thee with pure hearts and holy lives; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

The new year

88.       Eternal God, who makest all things new, and abidest for ever the same: Grant us to begin this year in thy faith, and to continue it in thy favour; that, being guided in all our doings, and guarded all our days, we may spend our lives in thy service, and finally, by thy grace, attain the glory of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

W. E. Orchard

89.       O Almighty God, who alone art without variableness or shadow of turning, and hast safely brought us through the changes of time to the beginning of another year: We beseech thee to pardon the sins we have committed in the year that is past, and give us grace that we may spend the remainder of our days to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Irish Prayer Book

90.       O Lord Christ, who art both Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and whose years shall not fail: Grant us so to pass through the coming year with faithful hearts, that in all things we may please thee and glorify thy name; who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Mozarabic Sacramentary*

91.       O Eternal Lord Christ, who art the First and the Last, and the Living One, and who in thy mercy hast brought us safely to the beginning of another year: Accept our thanksgiving for the blessings of the past, renew our strength and courage in the present, and direct all our way in the future; for thy honour and glory, who art the same yesterday, today, and for ever.

Frank Colquhoun

See also prayers for a Watchnight Service, 642–55

EPIPHANY

The Epiphany

The worship of the wise men

92.       Almighty and everlasting God, who hast made known the incarnation of thy Son by the bright shining of a star, which when the wise men beheld they adored thy majesty and presented costly gifts: Grant that the star of thy righteousness may always shine in our hearts, and that for our treasure we may give to thy service ourselves and all that we have; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gelasian Sacramentary*

93.       O Blessed Jesus, who by the shining of a star didst manifest thyself to them that sought thee: Show thy heavenly light to us, and give us grace to follow until we find thee; finding, to rejoice in thee; and rejoicing, to present to thee ourselves, our souls and bodies, for thy service for evermore: for thine honour and glory.

Edward Hawkins

94.       O God, who by the leadings of thy providence didst bring wise men from far to give homage to Jesus, born to be King of all: Help us, who by various ways are led to Christ, humbly and thankfully to adore him with our gifts, and as our costliest treasure to present before him ourselves for his honour and service, now and always.

James Ferguson

95.       O God, who by the guidance of a star didst manifest to the Gentiles the glory of thine only begotten Son: Grant us grace that, being led by the light of thy Holy Spirit, we may, in adoring love and lowliest reverence, yield ourselves to thy service; that thy kingdom of righteousness and peace may be advanced among all nations, to the glory of thy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Book of Common Order

96.       Almighty Lord God, who didst give thy Son Jesus Christ to be the light of the world: We praise and magnify thy holy name that in him thou hast revealed the wonder of thy saving love to men.  With those of old who brought their tribute to his feet, confessing him as King of heaven and earth, we now present the worship of our grateful hearts, beseeching thee to give us grace to give ourselves to thee; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

James M. Todd

97.       O God, who by the shining of a star didst guide the wise men to behold thy Son, our Lord: Show us thy heavenly light, and give us grace to follow until we find him, and, finding him, rejoice.  And grant that as they presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we now may bring him the offering of a loving heart, an adoring spirit, and an obedient will; for his honour, and for thy glory, O God most high.

Prayers for the Christian Year

Following the star

98.       Lord Jesus, our Master, go with us while we travel to the heavenly country; that, following thy star, we may not wander in the darkness of this world’s night, while thou, who art our Way, and Truth, and Life dost shine within us to our journey’s end; for thy mercy’s sake.

After Mozarabic Sacramentary

Christ for the world

99.       Almighty and everlasting God, the brightness of faithful souls, who didst bring the Gentiles to thy light and made known unto them him who is the true light, and the bright and morning star: Fill the world, we beseech thee, with thy glory, and show thyself by the radiance of thy light unto all nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gregorian Sacramentary*

100.    O God, who by a star didst guide the wise men to the worship of thy Son: Lead, we pray thee, to thyself the wise and the great in every land, that unto thee every knee may bow, and every thought be brought into captivity; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Church of South India

101.    Lord Jesus Christ, who in the offerings of the wise men didst receive an earnest of the worship of the nations: Grant that thy Church may never cease to proclaim the good news of thy love, that all men may come to worship thee as their Saviour and King, who livest and reignest world without end.

George Appleton

102.    O God, who didst manifest thy only begotten Son to the Gentiles, and hast commanded thy Church to preach the gospel to every creature: Bless all thy servants who are labouring for thee in distant lands.  Have compassion upon the heathen and upon all who know thee not, and lead them by thy Holy Spirit to him who is the light of the world, even the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Robert Nelson

103.    We thank thee, O God, that thou didst give thy Son Jesus Christ to be the light of the world, and that in him thou hast revealed thy glory and the wonder of thy saving love.  Help us to love thee who hast so loved us; strengthen us for the service of thy kingdom; and grant that the light of Christ may so shine throughout the world that men everywhere may be drawn to him who is the Saviour and Lord of all, and the whole earth be filled with thy glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let Us Pray

104.    Almighty God, who hast manifested thy Son Jesus Christ to be a light to mankind: Grant that we thy people, being nourished by thy word and sacraments, may be strengthened to show forth to all men the unsearchable riches of Christ, so that he may be known, adored and obeyed, to the ends of the earth; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Church of South India

See also prayers for a Missionary Festival (753–65) and for the Church Overseas (1343–81)

The baptism of Jesus

105.    Almighty God, who at the baptism of thy blessed Son Jesus Christ in the river Jordan didst manifest his glorious Godhead: Grant, we beseech thee, that the brightness of his presence may shine in our hearts, and his glory be set forth in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

106.    Lord Jesus Christ, who didst humble thyself to take the baptism of sinful men, and wast forthwith declared to be the Son of God: Grant that we who have been baptized into thee may rejoice to be the sons of God, and servants of all; for thy name’s sake, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest ever one God, world without end.

Church of South India

First Sunday After Epiphany

A living sacrifice

107.    Almighty God, who to wise men who sought him didst manifest the Incarnation of thy Son by the bright shining of a star: Grant that, as they presented unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh, so we also out of our treasures may offer to him ourselves, a living sacrifice acceptable in thy sight; through him who for our sakes was born on earth as a little child, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frederick B. Macnutt

108.    O Thou, in whom we live and move and have our being: We offer and present unto thee ourselves, all that we are and have, our thoughts and our desires, our words and our deeds, to be a living and continual sacrifice.  We are not our own; therefore we would glorify thee in our bodies and our spirits, which are thine; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

William Knight*

109.    O Almighty God, who by thy holy Apostle hast taught us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto thee, as our reasonable service: Hear us, we beseech thee, as we now come to thee in the name of Jesus Christ; and give us grace that we may dedicate ourselves wholly to thy service, and henceforth live only to thy glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

E. M. Goulburn

Jesus among the doctors

110.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst sit lowly in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions: Give unto thy servants that humility of heart, and willingness to learn, without which no man can find wisdom; to the glory of thy holy Name.

Daily Prayer

Our Father’s business

111.    O Blessed Lord, who in the days of thy earthly childhood didst earnestly desire to be about thy Father’s business: Give us the grace of thy Holy Spirit early to seek thee and evermore to follow thee; that being continuously aided by thy grace, we may be exercised in thy service; who livest and reignest with the Holy Spirit, world without end.

Henry Alford

Childhood

112.    Almighty and everlasting God, whose blessed Son took upon him our manhood and increased in wisdom and stature: Grant that all Christian children may learn that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom, and as they grow in stature may also grow in love to thee; through the same Christ our Lord.

Harold Riley

Second Sunday After Epiphany

Diversity of gifts

113.    Almighty God, who hast set in thy Church some with gifts to teach and help and administer, in diversity of operation but of the same Spirit: Grant to all such, we beseech thee, grace to wait on the ministry which they have received in the body of Christ with simplicity, diligence, and cheerfulness; that none may think of himself more highly than he ought to think, and none may seek another man’s calling, but rather to be found faithful in his own work; to the glory of thy name in Christ Jesus our Lord.

H. J. Wotherspoon

114.    O Thou, who givest to thy children liberally and upbraidest not: Preserve us from all envy at the good of our neighbour, and from every form of jealousy.  Teach us to rejoice in what others have and we have not, to delight in what they achieve and we cannot accomplish, to be glad in all that they enjoy and we do not experience; and so fill us daily more completely with love; through him in whom thou hast promised to supply all our need, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

William Knight*

115.    Lord of the Church, who hast given to thy servants a diversity of gifts, that they may share them with their brethren: Grant us the generous heart to give, the humble heart to receive; that we, with all that love thee, may know the fullness of thy grace; that thy love may be perfected in us; to the glory of thy Name.

Our ministry

116.    Almighty God, who has given to us gifts differing according to the measure of thy grace: Enable us each one, we beseech thee, to exercise the ministry which we have received of thee in the body of Christ with simplicity, diligence, and cheerfulness; that being bound together in brotherly affection, and showing honour one to another, we may faithfully serve thy Church and glorify thy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Based on Romans 12:6–10.

The first sign

117.    Almighty God, the giver of strength and joy: Change, we beseech thee, our bondage into liberty, and the poverty of our nature into the riches of thy grace; that by the transformation of our lives thy glory may be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Church of South India

118.    O Lord Jesus, who by thy first miracle didst manifest thy glory, so that thy disciples believed on thee: Give us in our measure that faith which dwelt in them.  Fill us with the riches of thy good Spirit; change thou our earthly desires into the image of thine own purity and holiness; and finally give us a place at thy heavenly feast; for the glory of thy holy name.

Henry Alford*

The holy estate of matrimony

119.    O Lord Christ, who by thy presence and first miracle at Cana of Galilee adorned and beautified the holy estate of matrimony: We beseech thee to sanctify the marriage bond in the life of our people, and to bless our homes with thy abiding presence; for the honour and glory of thy name.

Third Sunday After Epiphany

At peace with all men

120.    Almighty God, we beseech thee of thy mercy to endue us with the spirit of meekness and patience; so that no evil we may suffer from others may move us to do evil to them, and that we may strive ever to live peaceably with all men; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

J. Mountain*

121.    O God, who art the God of peace, mercifully grant that, as much as lieth in us, we may live at peace with all men; and if our outward peace be broken, yet do thou preserve peace in our hearts; through him who is the Prince of peace, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Prayer

A generous heart

122.    Preserve us, O Lord, from the spirit of revenge.  Give us, we beseech thee, the generous heart; that, if our enemy hunger, we may feed him, if he thirst, may give him drink; that we be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good; as servants of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Based on Romans 12:19–21

Jesus touched him

123.    Lord Jesus, who in thy tender love didst stretch forth thy hand and touch the leper who came to thee for cleansing: Grant us a like compassion for all who claim our help, and a willingness to identify ourselves with them in their need; for thy sake who wast made sin for us, and who art our righteousness and our salvation, now and for ever.

Frank Colquhoun

For lepers

124.    Almighty Father, giver of life and health, look mercifully upon those who are stricken with leprosy, and stretch forth thy hand to cleanse and heal them, as did thy blessed Son of old.  Grant wisdom to those who are seeking the cure and treatment of this disease; give tenderness and sympathy to those who minister to the sufferers; and restore to their families and friends those who have been separated from them; for the sake of the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

B. F. Westcott*

See also 482

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

The powers that be

125.    O God most High, who alone rulest in the kingdoms of men: Grant, we beseech thee, to all members of Parliament the light and guidance of thy Holy Spirit; that they may wisely take counsel together, and come to such decisions as shall promote thy glory, the well-being of this nation, and the peace of the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

126.    O Lord, we pray thee to raise up leaders of the people who will fear thee, and thee alone, whose delight shall be to do thy will and forward thy work; that the heart of this people may be wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous; through Christ our Lord.

In danger’s hour

127.    Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that in whatever dangers we are placed we may call upon thy name, and that when deliverance is given us from on high we may never cease from thy praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Leonine Sacramentary

128.    O thou who in the days of thy humiliation didst command the winds and waves, and they obeyed thee: Do thou so dwell within us, that we may be safe from all dangers, and steadfast in all temptations; and evermore keep us in thy peace, for thy holy name’s sake.

Henry Alford*

The Conqueror of evil

129.    O Lord, who alone canst cast out the evil passions and desires of the soul: Come among us, we pray thee, and by thy mighty power subdue our spiritual enemies, and set us free from the tyranny of sin.  We ask it in thy name and for thy glory.

Henry Alford

The voyage of life

130.    O Lord, who art Master of the stormy winds and alone canst order them to be still: Be with us in all the voyage of our life; for our boat is small and the ocean is wide.  When the winds are contrary, give us to know that thou rulest the raging of the sea; and when our faith is little and we cry to thee out of the midst of our fears, hear thou our prayer and grant us thy peace; for the glory of thy great name.

Adapted

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

A forgiving spirit

131.    Lord, because being compassed with infirmities we oftentimes sin and ask for pardon: Help us to forgive as we would be forgiven; neither mentioning old offences committed against us, nor dwelling upon them in thought, nor being influenced by them in heart; but loving our brother freely, as thou freely lovest us; for Christ’s sake.

Christina Rossetti

132.    Deliver us, O God, from injustice, envy, hatred and malice; give us grace to pardon all who have offended us, and to bear with one another even as thou, Lord, dost bear with us, in thy patience and great loving-kindness.

Rydal School Hymnal

The seed of the Word

133.    O Almighty God, we pray thee, sow the seed of thy Word in our hearts, and send down upon us thy heavenly grace; that we may bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and at the great day of harvest may be gathered by thy holy angels into thy garner; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Canterbury Convocation, 1862

134.    O God, who hast sown in our hearts the precious seed of thy truth: Grant us to nourish it by meditation, prayer and obedience, that it may not only take root, but also bring forth fruit unto holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

James Ferguson

The tares

135.    Lord, if our hearts be hard, or choked with tares, send, we pray thee, thine angels, even if it be thine angel of sorrow, to plough and harrow and cleanse the unfruitful ground; for thy mercy’s sake.

Daily Prayer

Sixth Sunday After Epiphany

The love of God

136.    Almighty and eternal God, who in thy Son Jesus Christ hast revealed thy nature as Love: We humbly pray thee to shed thy love abroad in our hearts by thy Holy Spirit; that so by thy grace we may evermore abide in thee, and thou in us, with all joyfulness, and free from fear or mistrust; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Christian von Bunsen*

137.    O God, fountain of love, pour thy love into our souls, that we may love those whom thou lovest with the love thou givest us, and think and speak of them tenderly, meekly, lovingly; and so loving our brethren and sisters for thy sake, may grow in thy love, and dwelling in love may dwell in thee; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

E. B. Pusey

The coming of the Son of Man

138.    O God, heavenly Father, who by thy Son hast made all things in heaven and earth, and yet desirest to draw to thyself our uncompelled love and devotion: Grant us grace to understand the manifestation of thy Son Christ the Lord and Saviour of mankind, and to engage all our affections in thy service, and labour to spread the gospel among those who know him not; that when he shall come again in great glory he may find a people gladly awaiting his kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Euchologium Anglicanum

The purpose of God

139.    Almighty God, whose sovereign purpose none can make void: Give us faith to stand calm and undismayed amid the tumults of the world, knowing that thy kingdom shall come and thy will be done; to the eternal glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Prayer

The day of the Lord

140.    O Christ our God, who wilt come to judge the world in the manhood which thou hast assumed: We pray thee to sanctify us wholly, that in the day of thy coming we may be raised to live and reign with thee for ever.

Church of South India

SEPTUAGESIMA TO QUINQUAGESIMA

Sunday Called Septuagesima

Maker of heaven and earth

141.    Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.

            To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever!

Revelation 4:11; 5:13

142.    Almighty God, whose glory the heavens are telling, the earth thy power and the sea thy might, and whose greatness all feeling and thinking creatures everywhere herald: To thee belongeth glory, honour, might, greatness, and magnificence, now and for ever, to the ages of ages.

Liturgy of St. James

143.    O Almighty God, without beginning and without end, the Lord of thine own works: We praise and bless thee that thou gayest a beginning to time, and to the world in time, and to all mankind in the world; and we beseech thee so to dispose all men and all things that they may be gathered up in thee and thine endless heaven; through him who is the first and the last, thine everlasting Word, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer

144.    O thou in whom we live and move and have our being, awaken us to thy presence that we may walk in thy world as thy children.  Grant us reverence for all thy creation, that we may treat our fellow men with courtesy, and all living things with gentleness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

New Every Morning

The race that is set before us

145.    Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that we who are called to the course of the Christian life may so run the race that is set before us as to obtain the incorruptible crown which thou hast promised to them that love thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

J. Mountain*

Labour and its reward

146.    O God, who in the beginning didst create the heavens and the earth, and didst appoint unto men their work: Grant to us that whatsoever our hand findeth to do, we may do it with our might; that when thou shalt call thy labourers to give them their reward, we may so have run that we may obtain the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Henry Alford

Fellow workers with God

147.    O God, who workest all things, who hast called us to be fellow workers with thee, and dost assign to every man his separate task: Teach us, in our several callings, what thou wouldst have us do, and make us faithful to do it, in thy name and in thy strength; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Daily Prayer

Daily work

148.    O God, who hast commanded that no man should be idle: Give us grace to employ all our talents and faculties in the service appointed to us; that whatsoever our hand findeth to do, we may do it with our whole might; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

James Martineau

Sunday Called Sexagesima

The way back to God

149.    God of love, who in a world estranged from thee didst send forth thy Son to turn mankind from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to thyself the living God: Overcome in us, we pray thee, all pride and self-will, and remake us a people in whom thou art well pleased; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Triumphant in weakness

150.    Almighty God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who giveth power to the faint, and strength to them that have no might: Look mercifully, we beseech thee, on our low estate and cause thy grace to triumph in our weakness; that we may rise and follow in the way of righteousness those who by faith already inherit the promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

German Reformed Church, U.S.A.

The sower

151.    Lord of the harvest, who dost sow good seed into the hearts of all men: Grant that our hearts may not be so hardened by the world’s traffic that the seed can take no root; nor so shallow that the roots can find no depth; nor so cumbered with the cares and riches of the world that the growing shoots are choked; but that we may be good ground, bearing good fruit; to the glory of thy name.

Daily Prayer

152.    Suffer not, O God, the good seed which the Son of Man hath sown to be caught away by the wicked one out of our hearts, or to be scorched by tribulation or persecution, or to be choked with cares and pleasures of this life; but grant that, being received into honest and good hearts, it may bring forth in abundance the fruits of righteousness; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

W. Rigby Murray

153.    Almighty God, who dost sow the good seed of thy Word in the lives of men: We beseech thee to make us like those who in an honest and good heart, having received the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Based on Luke 8:15

154.    O God, who sendest forth thy commandment upon earth, and whose Word runneth very swiftly: Let thy Holy Spirit so prepare our minds and wills for thy teaching, that no carelessness or shallowness or love of ease shall hinder us from bringing forth the fruits of righteousness, by which men may know that we are followers of thy blessed Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

J. W. Suter

Sunday Called Quinquagesima

Charity

155.    O God, heavenly Father, whose every motion towards us springs from thine inexhaustible love: Enable us, we humbly beseech thee, cheerfully to sacrifice ourselves for the well-being of those with whom we have to do, and also to love them with the tender love which thou hast for the world; that so though now we see thee darkly through the veil of our blindness, we with them may presently see thee in the fullness of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Euchologium Anglicanum

Faith, hope, and love

156.    O Lord God, perfect in us that which is lacking of thy gifts; of faith, to increase it, of hope, to establish it, of love, to kindle it; and make us to fear but one thing only, the fearing aught more than thee, our Father, our Saviour, our Lord, for ever and ever.

After Lancelot Andrewes

157.    Grant us, we beseech thee, Almighty God, a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in thy mercy, and a sincere love to thee and to all our fellow men; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lutheran Church

The way of the cross.

158.    Almighty God, who hast shown us in the life and teaching of thy Son that the path of love may lead to the cross, and the reward of faithfulness may be a crown of thorns: Grant us grace to take up our cross and follow Christ in the strength of patience and the constancy of faith, and to have such fellowship with him in his sorrow that we may know the secret of his strength and peace; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

C. J. Vaughan*

159.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst set thy face steadfastly to go unto Jerusalem: Deliver us from the faithless mind that shrinks from the harder paths of a dutiful life.  Make us ready to meet all the counsels of thy will, and to be obedient even unto death; who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, livest and reignest, world without end.

Book of Common Order

The blind

160.    O God, who art the Father of lights, and with whom there is no darkness at all: We thank thee for the good gift of sight which thou hast bestowed upon us, and we pray thee to fill us with thine own compassion for those who have it not.  Direct and prosper the efforts that are made for their welfare.  Reveal to them by thy Spirit the things which eye hath not seen, and comfort them with the hope of the light everlasting, to which, of thy great mercy, we beseech thee to bring us all; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Arthur W. Robinson

Spiritual sight

161.    Almighty Father, whose blessed Son restored sight to the blind man who sought his mercy: Clear away, we beseech thee, the blindness of our hearts, and enlighten our minds with thy heavenly truth, that we may enter upon the approaching season of Lent with true love and spiritual understanding; through the same our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Adapted

LENT

Ash Wednesday

Lent

162.    O God, who by thy care and counsel for mankind hast moved thy Church to appoint this holy season wherein the hearts of those who seek thee may receive thy help and healing: We beseech thee so to purify us by thy discipline, that, abiding in thee and thou in us, we may grow in grace and in the faith and knowledge of thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

After Gelasian Sacramentary

163.    O Lord and heavenly Father, who hast given unto us thy people the true bread that cometh down from heaven, even thy Son Jesus Christ: Grant that throughout this Lent our souls may so be fed by him that we may continually live in him and he in us; and that day by day we may be renewed in spirit by the power of his endless life, who gave himself for us, and now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Frederick B. Macnutt

164.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst take upon thee the form of a servant, humbling thyself and accepting death for us, even the death of the cross: Grant that this mind may be also in us; so that we may gladly take upon ourselves the life of humility and service, and taking up our cross daily may follow thee in thy suffering and death, that with thee we may attain unto the power of thy endless life.  Grant this, O Christ, our Saviour and our King.

Harold Anson

165.    O Lord our God, long-suffering and full of compassion: Be present with us, we beseech thee, as we enter upon this season in which we make ready to recall our Saviour’s sufferings and to celebrate his triumph. Grant us the aid of thy Holy Spirit, that as we acknowledge our sins, and implore thy pardon, we may also be enabled to deny ourselves, and be upheld in the hour of temptation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted from Prayers for the Christian Year

Contrite hearts

166.    O Lord our God, who art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity: Have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, for our sins accuse us, and we are troubled by them and put to shame.  We have done wrong to ourselves in ignorance, and to our brethren in willfulness, and by our selfish and faithless ways have grieved thy Holy Spirit.  Forgive us, we humbly pray thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

167.    Almighty God, spirit of peace and of grace, whose salvation is never far from penitent hearts: We confess the sins that have estranged us from thee, dimmed our vision of heavenly things, and brought upon us many troubles and sorrows.  O merciful Father, grant unto us who humble ourselves before thee the remission of all our sins, and the assurance of thy pardon and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year*

Self-discipline

168.    O Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son hast taught us that whosoever will be his disciple must take up his cross and follow him: Help us with willing heart to mortify our sinful affections, and depart from every selfish indulgence by which we sin against thee.  Strengthen us to resist temptation, and to walk in the narrow way that leadeth unto life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

The true fast

169.    O God, who by thy Son dost marvellously work out the salvation of mankind: Grant, we beseech thee, that, following the example of our blessed Lord, and observing such a fast as thou dost choose, we may both be subjected to thee with all our hearts, and united to each other in holy charity; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gelasian Sacramentary

Reality in religion

170.    Save us, O God, from the false piety that parades itself in the eyes of men and is not genuine in thy sight; and so sanctify us by thy Spirit that both in heart and life we may serve thee acceptably, to the honour of thy holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord

Frank Colquhoun

See also prayers for Penitence and Pardon, 1543–52

First Sunday In Lent

Temptation and trial

171.    Blessed Lord, who wast tempted in all things like as we are, have mercy upon our frailty.  Out of weakness give us strength; grant to us thy fear, that we may fear thee only; support us in time of temptation; embolden us in time of danger; help us to do thy work with good courage, and to continue thy faithful soldiers and servants unto our life’s end.

B. F. Westcott

172.    O Lord our God, grant us, we beseech thee, patience in troubles, humility in comforts, constancy in temptations, and victory over all our spiritual foes.  Grant us sorrow for our sins, thankfulness for thy benefits, fear of thy judgment, love of thy mercies, and mindfulness of thy presence; now and for evermore.

John Cosin

173.    O Heavenly Father, subdue in us whatever is contrary to thy holy will, that we may know how to please thee.  Grant, O God, that we may never run into those temptations which in our prayers we desire to avoid.  Lord, never permit our trials to be above our strength; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Thomas Wilson

174.    O God, who willest not the death of a sinner: We beseech thee to aid and protect those who are exposed to grievous temptations; and grant that in obeying thy commandments they may be strengthened and supported by thy grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gregorian Sacramentary*

Not by bread alone

175.    Almighty and eternal God, who has so made us of body, soul and spirit, that we live not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from thee: Make us to hunger for the spiritual food of thy Word; and as we trust thee for our daily bread, may we also trust thee to give us day by day the inward nourishment of that living truth which thou hast revealed to us in thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

James Ferguson

Self-discipline

176.    Almighty and everlasting God, who for the well-being of our earthly life hast put into our hearts wholesome desires of body and spirit: Mercifully increase and establish in us, we beseech thee, the grace of holy discipline and healthy self-control; that we may fulfill our desires by the means which thou hast appointed, and for the ends thou ordainest; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Euchologium Anglicanum

Christ our example

177.    O Lord God, keep ever in our remembrance the life and death of our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Make the thought of his love powerful to win us from evil.  As he toiled and sorrowed and suffered for us, in fighting against sin, so may we endure constantly and labour diligently, as his soldiers and servants, looking ever unto him and counting it all joy to be partakers with him in his conflict, his cross, and his victory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

C. J. Vaughan

Second Sunday In Lent

Body and soul

178.    Eternal God, who has made all things for man, and man for thy glory: Sanctify our bodies and souls, our thoughts and our intentions, our words and actions.  Let our body be a servant of our mind, and both body and spirit servants of Jesus Christ; that doing all things for thy glory here, we may be partakers of thy glory hereafter; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jeremy Taylor

The Spirit of purity

179.    O Eternal God, who hast taught us by thy holy Word that our bodies are temples of thy Spirit: Keep us, we most humbly beseech thee, temperate and holy in thought, word and deed, that at the last we, with all the pure in heart, may see thee and be made like unto thee in thy heavenly kingdom; through Christ our Lord.

B. F. Westcott

180.    Write deeply upon our minds, O Lord God, the lesson of thy holy Word, that only the pure in heart can see thee.  Leave us not in the bondage of any sinful inclination.  May we neither deceive ourselves with the thought that we have no sin, nor acquiesce idly in aught of which our conscience accuses us.  Strengthen us by thy Holy Spirit to fight the good fight of faith, and grant that no day may pass without its victory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

C. J. Vaughan

The merciful Saviour

181.    O Blessed Saviour, who art full of mercy and compassion, and wilt not cast out any that come to thee: Help us, we beseech thee, who are grievously vexed with the burden of our sins; and so increase in us the power of thy Holy Spirit that we may prevail against the enemy of our souls; for thy name’s sake.

Henry Alford

The children’s food

182.    O God, who through thy Son Jesus Christ hast promised help to man according to his faith: Grant us the freedom of the children to taste the food of eternal life, and to share with others what we ourselves receive; through the merits of the same thy Son, our Lord.

Gordon Hewitt

Third Sunday In Lent

Children of light

183.    O almighty Father, giver of every good and perfect gift, who hast made the light of thy truth to shine in our hearts: Make us to walk as children of light in all goodness and righteousness, that we may have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

W. Walsham How*

A divided house

184.    O God, who through thy Son has taught us that a house divided against itself must fall: Save us, we beseech thee, from the danger of a divided allegiance; unite our hearts to fear thy name; and grant that in all our course of life our eye may be single and our purpose one; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Henry Alford*

The Stronger than the strong

185.    Lord Christ, almighty Saviour, we cry to thee for aid against our strong enemy.  O thou who art the Stronger than the strong, deliver us, we pray thee, from the evil one, and take sole possession of our hearts and minds; that filled with thy Spirit we may henceforth devote our lives to thy service, and therein find our perfect freedom; for the honour of thy great name.

Frank Colquhoun

Truth in the inward parts

186.    O Eternal God, who through thy Son our Lord hast promised a blessing upon those who hear thy Word and faithfully keep it: Open our ears, we humbly beseech thee, to hear what thou sayest, and enlighten our minds, that what we hear we may understand, and understanding may carry into good effect by thy bounteous prompting; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Euchologium Anglicanum

The soul prepared

187.    O Thou who hast prepared a place for my soul, prepare my soul for that place.  Prepare it with holiness; prepare it with desire; and even while it sojourneth upon earth, let it dwell in heaven with thee, beholding the beauty of thy countenance and the glory of thy saints, now and for evermore.

Joseph Hall

Fourth Sunday In Lent: Mothering Sunday

Law and grace

188.    Almighty God, who has taught us in thy holy Word that the law was given by Moses, but that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ: Grant that we, being not under the law but under grace, may live as children of that Jerusalem which is above, and rejoice in the freedom of our heavenly citizenship; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

J. Mountain*

Jerusalem which is above

189.    Grant us, O Lord, to rejoice in beholding the bliss of the heavenly Jerusalem; that as she is the home and mother of the multitude of the saints, we also may be counted worthy to have our portion within her; through thine only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Mozarabic Sacramentary*

Refreshment Sunday

190.    O Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who art thyself the bread of life, and hast promised that he who comes to thee shall never hunger: Grant us faith truly to partake of thee through Word and Sacrament, that we may find refreshment of spirit and be strengthened for thy service; who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Frank Colquhoun

191.    O Lord and heavenly Father, who hast given unto us thy people the true bread that cometh down from heaven, even thy Son Jesus Christ: Grant that our souls may so be fed by him who giveth life unto the world, that we may abide in him and he in us, and thy Church be filled with the power of his unending life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frederick B. Macnutt

The feeding of the multitude

192.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst feed the multitude by the lakeside, using the humble gifts of a boy’s generous impulse, and a disciple’s faith in thy power: Help us in thy Church to call forth such generosity in others, and strengthen our faith that the hungry millions can be fed; for thy name’s sake.

Gordon Hewitt

See also prayers for a Mothering Sunday Service, 668-81

Fifth Sunday In Lent: Passion Sunday

193.    O God, who by the cross and passion of thy Son Jesus Christ didst save and deliver mankind: Grant that by steadfast faith in the merits of that holy sacrifice we may find help and salvation, and may triumph in the power of his victory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

194.    O God, whose blessed Son did overcome death for our salvation: Mercifully grant that we, who have his glorious passion in remembrance, may take up our cross daily and follow him; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

195.    Holy Father, who hast redeemed us with the precious blood of thy dear Son: Keep us, we beseech thee, steadfast in faith, and enable us no longer to live unto ourselves, but unto him who died for us and rose again, even the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

196.    O God, who by the example of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ hast taught us the greatness of true humility, and dost call us to watch with him in his passion: Give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness, and to enter into the fellowship of his sufferings; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

W. E. Orchard

197.    Thanks be to thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which thou hast given us, for all the pains and insults which thou hast borne for us.  O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother, may we know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, now and for evermore.

St. Richard of Chichester

198.    Grant, O Lord, that in thy wounds we may find our safety, in thy stripes our cure, in thy pain our peace, in thy cross our victory, in thy resurrection our triumph; and, at the last, a crown of righteousness in the glories of thy eternal kingdom.

Eternal redemption

199.    Almighty and most merciful God, who hast given thy Son to die for our sins and to obtain eternal redemption for us through his own blood: Let the merit of his spotless sacrifice, we beseech thee, purge our consciences from dead works to serve thee, the living God, that we may receive the promise of eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus our Lord; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be honour and glory, world without end.

German Reformed Church, U.S.A.

200.    O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who didst devote thy life and thy death to our most plenteous redemption: Grant that what thou hast wrought for us may also be wrought in us: that, growing into thy likeness, we may serve and share thy redeeming work; who livest and reignest in the glory of the eternal Trinity now and for evermore.

A Procession of Passion Prayers

HOLY WEEK

Palm Sunday

The triumphal entry

201.    O Christ, the King of glory, who didst enter the holy city in meekness to be made perfect through the suffering of death: Give us grace, we beseech thee, in all our life here to take up our cross daily and follow thee, that hereafter we may rejoice with thee in thy heavenly kingdom; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.

Church of South India

202.    As on this day we keep the special memory of our Redeemer’s entry into the city, so grant, O Lord, that now and ever he may triumph in our hearts.  Let the King of grace and glory enter in, and let us lay ourselves and all we are in full and joyful homage before him; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Handley C. G. Moule

203.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who as on this day didst receive the homage of those who hailed thee as their King: Accept, we beseech thee, our praise and adoration, our worship and love; and grant that we, who now confess thee with our lips, may never fail to yield thee the service of our lives; for the honour of thy holy name, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

204.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who as on this day didst enter the rebellious city where thou wast to die: Enter into our hearts, we beseech thee, and subdue them wholly to thyself.  And, as thy faithful disciples blessed thy coming, and spread their garments in the way, covering it with palm branches, make us ready to lay at thy feet all we have and are, and to bless thee, who comest in the name of the Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

205.    King of men, who didst set thy face steadfastly to follow to the end the stern and costly way of love: We thank thee that at the last turn of the road there were those who, though they understood but dimly, sought to honour and receive thee as their King.  To their glad hosannas we would add our song of praise; and knowing our hearts to be the city thou wouldest enter now, we would fling wide the gates and pray that the King of glory will come in.  For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.

With all our Strength

The blessing of palm

206.    Almighty God, who gavest thine only Son to suffer upon earth for our redemption: Send thy blessing upon us who now make our prayers unto thee, and sanctify to our use these branches of palm; that all who shall take them in thy name may enjoy the freedom of thy kingdom, and serve thee in all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Diocese of Southwark

207.    Bless, O Lord, we pray thee, these branches of palm; and grant that as thy people outwardly in their bodies do worship thee, so inwardly in their souls they may serve thee with pure devotion, that they may be victorious over the assaults of the enemy, and cleave steadfastly to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

208.    Bless, O Lord, we pray thee, these branches of palm to those who receive them; that both now and in the days to come they may be a memorial of thy passion, and a pledge of thy victory over sin and death; for the glory of thy great name.

The mind of Christ

209.    O God, fill us with the divine humility of Christ: that, having the same mind that was also in him, we may look not every one on his own things, but every one also on the things of others, emptying our wills of pride, and our hearts of complaining, and laying down our glories before the cross; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

James Martineau

210.    O Everliving God, let this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; that as he from his loftiness stooped to the death of the cross, so we in our lowliness may humble ourselves, believing, obeying, living, and dying to the glory of the Father; for the same Jesus Christ’s sake.

Christina Rossetti*

He emptied himself

211.    O Lord Jesu Christ, pattern of humility, who didst empty thyself of thy glory and take upon thee the form of a servant: Root out of us all pride and self-seeking; that we may willingly bear contempt and reproach for thy sake, and glorying in nothing save thy cross, may esteem ourselves lowly in thy sight; who now livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Adapted

212.    O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the most high God, who didst empty thyself and give thy whole life to us, even unto death, the death of the cross: Grant us to receive so immeasurable a gift penitently, gladly and thankfully; and to hold back nothing of ourselves from others and from thee; who livest and reignest in the glory of the eternal Trinity, God for ever and ever.

A Procession of Passion Prayers

The death of the cross

213.    Blessed be thy name, O Jesu, Son of the most high God; blessed be the sorrow thou sufferedst when thy holy hands and feet were nailed to the tree; and blessed thy love when, the fullness of pain accomplished, thou didst give thy soul into the hands of the Father; so by thy cross and precious blood redeeming all the world, all longing souls departed and the numberless unborn; who now livest and reignest in the glory of the eternal Trinity for ever and ever.

214.    Almighty God, whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ took upon him our flesh that he might bear our sins in his own body on the tree: Mercifully grant that we may be counted worthy to have part both in the fellowship of his sufferings and in the glory of his resurrection; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be honour and glory, world without end.

German Reformed Church, U.S.A.

Adoration

215.    Glory be to thee, O Lord, who, having become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, art highly exalted, and hast opened unto us the gate of everlasting life.  Therefore unto thee every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess thee Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Based on Philippians 2:8–11

Monday Before Easter

The way of the cross

216.    Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

American Prayer Book

The barren fig tree

217.    O Lord, who by thy word didst cause the barren fig tree to wither from the roots: Suffer us not by our fruitlessness to incur thy condemnation; but grant us grace to repent and obey thee while yet there is time; for thy mercy’s sake.

A. McCheane*

A bold confession

218.    O Lord, who, when thine hour was near, didst go without fear among those who sought thy life: Give us such boldness to confess thee before men, and such readiness to bear thy cross, that hereafter thou mayest confess us before thy Father which is in heaven.

The cleansing of the temple

219.    O God, our heavenly Father, whose blessed Son before his passion cast out from the temple those who desecrated the holy place: Cleanse our hearts and minds, we pray thee, from all evil thoughts and imaginations, from all unhallowed appetites and ambitions; that in lives made pure and strong by thy Holy Spirit we may glorify thy name and advance thy kingdom in the world, as disciples of the same thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

220.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst cleanse the temple courts, and didst teach, saying, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations: Cleanse thy Church, we beseech thee, of all evil, and so sanctify it by thy saving grace, that in all the world thy people may offer unto thee true and acceptable worship; for thy name’s sake.

James M. Todd

See also 460–2

Tuesday Before Easter

Suffering and glory

221.    Lord God, whose blessed Son, our Saviour, gave his back to the smiters, and hid not his face from shame: Grant us grace to take joyfully the sufferings of the present time, in full assurance of the glory that shall be revealed; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

American Prayer Book

Nothing but leaves

222.    Lord Jesus, who as on this day didst curse the fig tree bearing leaves, and nothing but leaves: Grant that we, warned by this example, may never seek to make a fair show in the flesh, but strive to bring forth the fruit of a holy and godly life, acceptable in thy sight; who with the Father and the Holy Ghost art one God, world without end.

W. E. Scudamore

Christ the teacher

223.    O Lord Jesu Christ, who as on this day of the Holy Week didst teach the people in the temple at Jerusalem, and also instruct thy disciples on the Mount of Olives: Grant us the ready mind at all times to learn what thou wouldest teach us, that thy word may dwell in us richly in all wisdom; for the glory of thy holy name.

A. McCheane*

Wednesday Before Easter

The mighty acts of God

224.    Assist us mercifully with thy help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the meditation of those mighty acts whereby thou hast given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

American Prayer Book

Preparation for the passion

225.    O Lord, who didst spend this day in quiet retreat at Bethany, in preparation for thy coming passion: Help us ever to live mindful of our end; that when thou shalt call us to pass through the valley of the shadow of death, we may fear no evil, for thou art with us, who didst die that we might live with thee for ever.

A. McCheane*

The betrayal

226.    O God our heavenly Father, who to redeem the world didst deliver up thine only Son to be betrayed by one of his disciples and sold to his enemies: Take from us, we beseech thee, all covetousness and hypocrisy; and so strengthen us, that, loving thee above all things, we may remain steadfast in our faith unto the end; through him who gave his life for us, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

L. Tuttiet

Maundy Thursday

The last supper

227.    Blessed Lord Jesus, who, when about to depart out of this world, having loved thine own, and loving them to the end, didst institute the holy sacrament of thy Body and Blood, the dying legacy of thy love: Vouchsafe, we earnestly pray thee, that we may never draw near thine altar, save with hearts enkindled by love for thee and for one another; for thy dear name’s sake.

W. E. Scudamore

228.    O Lord Christ, who in the days of thy flesh didst hallow bread and wine to be a perpetual memorial of thy passion, and a never-failing means of fellowship with thee: Make us so to thirst after thy righteousness that through these holy mysteries we may be filled with all the fullness of thy divine life, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; for thy glory’s sake.

Washing the disciples’ feet

229.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who on this day didst wash thy disciples’ feet, leaving us an example of humble service: Grant that our souls may be washed from all defilement, and that we fail not to serve thee in the least of thy brethren; who livest and reignest for ever and ever.

Harold Riley

230.    Lord Jesus Christ, who when thou wast about to institute thy holy Sacrament at the Last Supper didst wash the feet of the apostles, and teach us by thy example the grace of humility: Cleanse us, we beseech thee, from all stain of sin, that we may be worthy partakers of thy holy mysteries; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

The Royal Maundy

231.    O Lord Jesus Christ, enthroned in the majesty of heaven, who, when thou camest forth from God, didst make thyself as one that serveth: We adore thee because thou didst lay aside the garment of thy glory, and gird thyself with lowest humility, and minister to thy disciples, washing their feet.  Teach us to know what thou hast done and to follow thine example; deliver us from pride, jealousy and ambition, and make us ready to be subject one to another, and with lowliness to serve one another for thy sake, O Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

Prayers for the Christian Year

Watch and pray

232.    O God, who by the example of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, hast taught us the greatness of true humility, and dost call us to watch with him in his passion: Give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness, and to enter into the fellowship of his sufferings; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, world without end.

W. E. Orchard

233.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who in the garden didst teach us, by word and example, to pray, that we might overcome the perils of temptation: Graciously grant that we, always continuing in prayer, may gain abundantly the fruit thereof, and be partakers of thy victory; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Adapted from Roman Breviary

Peter’s denial

234.    O Lord Jesus Christ, look upon us with those eyes of thine wherewith thou didst look upon Peter in the hall; that with Peter we may repent, and by thy same love may be forgiven and restored; for thy mercy’s sake.

After Lancelot Andrewes

Gethsemane

235.    O Saviour of the world, who in Gethsemane didst accept the bitter cup in submission to the Father’s will: Look mercifully upon our weak and wayward lives, and arm us with such strength and courage that we may tread without fear the appointed path of duty, and evermore follow the pattern of thy costly obedience; for thy honour and glory, who now livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Frank Colquhoun

The true vine

236.    O Christ, the true vine and the source of life, ever giving thyself that the world may live; who also hast taught us that those who would follow thee must be ready to lose their lives for thy sake: Grant us so to receive within our souls the power of thine eternal sacrifice, that in sharing thy cup we may share thy glory, and at the last be made perfect in thy love.

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

Good Friday

God commendeth his love

237.    Almighty God, who of thy great love for man didst, as at this time, give thy dearly beloved Son to die for us upon the cross: Grant us a living faith in our Redeemer, and a thankful remembrance of his death.  Help us to love him better for his exceeding love to us; and grant that our sins may be put away, and nailed to the cross, and buried in his grave, that they may be remembered no more against us; through the same thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

W. Walsham How*

The sacrifice of the cross

238.    Almighty Father, whose blessed Son by his one perfect and sufficient sacrifice has opened for us a new and living way to thy presence: Grant that, drawing near to thee with a true heart in full assurance of faith, we may find cleansing and a quiet conscience; and give us grace, we pray thee, evermore to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, and to serve one another in love and good works; through the merits of the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Based on Hebrews 10:19–24

239.    O Lamb of God, who hast taken away the sin of the world: Look upon us and have mercy upon us, we beseech thee; and grant that those whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood may evermore be defended by thy love and power; who now livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Old Galilean*

240.    O God, who didst send thy Son to redeem mankind by his obedience unto death: Give us grace so to remember his sacrifice for us, that we may take up our cross and follow him, dying daily unto sin and living unto righteousness; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

The crown of thorns

241.    O Christ, who by the thorns pressed upon thy head hast drawn the thorns from the sorrows of this world, and given us a crown of joy and peace: Make us so bold as never to fear suffering, nor to suffer without cheerfulness in thy service; to the glory of thy holy name.

Daily Prayer

Behold the Man

242.    O God, the Father of mankind, who didst suffer thine only Son to be set forth as a spectacle despised, derided, and scornfully arrayed, yet in his humiliation to reveal his majesty: Draw us, we beseech thee, both to behold the Man and to worship the King, immortal, eternal, world without end.

Daily Prayer

The appeal of the cross

243.    O Lord Jesu Christ, take us to thyself; draw us with cords to the foot of thy cross: for we have no strength to come, and we know not the way.  Thou art mighty to save, and none can separate us from thy love.  Bring us home to thyself, for we are gone astray.  We have wandered; do thou seek us.  Under the shadow of thy cross let us live all the rest of our lives, and there we shall be safe.

Frederick Temple

244.    Lord Jesus, who on this holy day of thy passion didst stretch out thine arms upon the hard wood of the cross, that all men might be brought within their saving embrace: Draw us to thyself with the bands of thy love; and grant that, evermore being bound to thee as thy faithful servants, we may take up our cross daily and follow thee; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end.

The way of the cross

245.    Lord Christ, who didst enter into thy triumph by the hard and lonely way of the cross: May thy courage and steadfast loyalty, thy unswerving devotion to the Father’s will, inspire and strengthen us to tread firmly and with joy the road which love bids us to take, even if it leads through suffering, misunderstanding, and darkness.  We ask it for thy sake, who for the joy that was set before thee endured the cross, despising the shame, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer.

With all our Strength

Bearing Christ’s cross

246.    O holy and adorable Redeemer, by whose condemnation we are acquitted, by whose stripes we are healed, by whose death we have life, by whose cross we gain our crown: Keep us, we beseech thee, ever mindful of thy boundless love; and when thou dost call on us to bear for a while thy cross, like Simon of old, make us to rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for thy sake, and accept our feeble sacrifice, through the merits of thine eternal redemption.

W. E. Scudamore*

Forgiving love

247.    Strong Son of God, who didst pour out thy life that we might live, and who by thy cross didst show to the uttermost the forgiving love of God: We praise thee that through death thou hast destroyed death and opened unto us the gate into life that is strong and free.  Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The love of Christ

248.    O holy and ever-blessed Jesus, who being the eternal Son of God and most high in the glory of the Father, didst vouchsafe in love for us sinners to be born of a pure virgin, and didst humble thyself unto death, even the death of the cross : Deepen within us, we beseech thee, a due sense of thy infinite love; that adoring and believing in thee as our Lord and Saviour, we may trust in thy infinite merits, imitate thy holy example, obey thy commands, and finally enjoy thy promises; who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest, one God, world without end.

John Wesley’s Prayers*

The Jews

249.    O God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, have mercy, we beseech thee, upon thine ancient people the Jews. Deliver them from their hardness of heart and unbelief of thy gospel; that being turned to thee in living faith, they may look upon him whom they pierced, and be brought into thy holy Church; through the same Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Adapted

See also 1368–9

Before meditation

250.    Lord Jesus Christ, who for the redemption of mankind didst ascend the cross, that thou mightest enlighten the world that lay in darkness: Gather us this day with all thy faithful to that same holy cross; that, gazing in penitence upon thy great sacrifice for us, we may be loosed from all our sins, and entering into the mystery of thy passion, be crucified to the vain pomp and power of this passing world; and finding our glory in the cross alone, we may attain at last thy everlasting glory, where thou, the Lamb that once wast slain, reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Adapted from Sarum Missal

251.    Almighty and eternal God, who in thy great love didst give thine only Son to die for our sins, and for the sins of the whole world: Enable us, we beseech thee, by thy Holy Spirit, to worship thee with reverence, and meditate with humility upon those mighty acts by which thou didst bring redemption to thy people; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

252.    O God our Father, holy and merciful, who didst give thine only Son to be a sacrifice for us: Look mercifully upon us, we beseech thee, as before his cross we meditate and pray; and give us faith so to behold him in the mystery of his passion, that we may enter into the fellowship of his sufferings; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

The Seven Words From The Cross

Introduction

253.    O God, who has laid up an infinite treasure of wisdom, power, and goodness for the whole world, in the last words of thy only begotten Son, our Lord: Give us grace so to keep and ponder them in our minds, that we may be able to hear him say this last word to us: Come, ye blessed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.  Grant this, we beseech thee, O Father, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

A Harvest of Myrrh and Spices (trs. W. H. Draper)

254.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who Out of thy silence upon the cross didst bequeath to thy Church seven words: Grant that we may ponder them as the inexhaustible gospel of thy love and of the world’s redemption; and learn likewise both by speech and silence to glorify our Father in heaven; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end.

A Procession of Passion Prayers

255.    Almighty and everlasting God, grant to us, thy servants, with such deep reverence and enlightened understanding to follow the passion of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, that entering into the fellowship of his sufferings we may obtain the help of his all-sufficient grace, and the pardon of our sins which were the cause of those sufferings; for his sake, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

The first word (Luke 23:34)

256.    O God and Father of us all, who heard the prayer of Jesus Christ thy Son that those who nailed him to the cross should be forgiven: We thank thee for this assurance of a love that even in our ignorance and sin always pleads on our behalf; so write this prayer of Jesus on our hearts that we may learn to love as we are forgiven, and pray for those who knowing or unknowing wrong their fellow men.

Basil Naylor

257.    Blessed Lord, who in thy forgiving love didst pray for those who nailed thee to the cross, and hast taught us to forgive one another as thou hast forgiven us: Take from us all bitterness and resentment towards our fellows, and give us the spirit of mutual forgiveness and brotherly love; that so, in perfect charity, we may be partakers of thy everlasting kingdom; for thy name and mercy’s sake.

Salisbury Book of Occasional Offices*

258.    Give us, O Lord, the spirit of humility, that we may never presume upon thy mercy, but live as those who have been much forgiven.  Make us tender and compassionate towards others; and grant that we may show forth in our lives that enduring love which alone can triumph over all the powers of evil; after the example of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

George Timms (after C. J. Vaughan)

259.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst plead for those who encompassed thy death, and ever livest to make intercession for us: Show thy mercy upon us, we humbly beseech thee, and by the infinite merits of thy passion forgive us all our sins, known and unknown; that henceforth we may live as those whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood; for the glory of thy holy name.

Frank Colquhoun

The second word (Luke 23:43)

260.    Lord Jesus Christ, the friend of sinners, who taught men of a Father’s love that rejoiced in the return of a prodigal son, and even in the hour of death gave to a penitent thief the promise of thy continued presence: We thank thee for this word of reassurance that death cannot separate us from thy love, and pray that as we grow in understanding of thy cross, we may draw nearer to our Father’s home.

Basil Naylor

261.    Help us, dear Lord, to see ourselves as thou seest us, and in shame for what we are to cast ourselves in trust upon thy love; speak to us the word of pardon, for our trust is not in any virtue or wisdom of our own, but only in the mercy and love of God, which thou hast shown to us in thy life and in thy death, our Lord and our God.

William Temple

262.    Blessed Saviour, who when hanging on thy cross didst welcome the penitent sinner: We beseech thee, by that same compassion, to pardon the guilty, heal the wounded, recover the fallen, restore the wandering; that casting themselves upon thy mercy they may return with penitence to the embrace of thy love, and enter at last into the joy of thy presence; for thy love’s sake.

263.    Blessed Saviour, who at this hour didst hang upon the cross, stretching forth thy loving arms: Grant that all mankind may look to thee and be saved; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

264.    O Saviour Christ, who on the cross, and by virtue of the cross, didst accept the faith of the penitent thief and assure him of a place with thee in paradise: Remember us too, O Lord, unworthy as we are, and open to us the kingdom of thy grace, that hereafter we may be with thee in the kingdom of thy glory, where thou livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Frank Colquhoun

The third word (John 19:26, 27)

265.    Dear Lord, who hast blessed us with the gift of family life, that we may learn to love and care for others: We praise thee for the example of thy Son Jesus Christ, who even when deserted and betrayed by closest friends took thought for his mother and his disciple.  Open our eyes to recognize in all men the claims of kinship, and stir our hearts to serve them as brethren called with us into the sonship of thy love.

Basil Naylor

266.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who from the cross didst commend thy mother into the care of the beloved disciple: Keep, we beseech thee, under thy perpetual providence those to whom we are bound by ties of kindred and affection; and grant that the love which we know on earth may lead us onward to the love of thee; who with the Father and the eternal Spirit art one holy Trinity of love, world without end.

George Timms

267.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy holy incarnation didst enter our human family, and on the cross didst commend thy mother to the care of a beloved disciple: Purify our homes by thy abiding presence; sanctify all our human relationships; and grant that united one with another in thee, we may together attain thy heavenly kingdom; for the honour of thy great name.

268.    O Son of God, who by the travail of thy passion hast brought to birth the new family of the children of God: Grant us grace, as members of that redeemed family, to realize our kinship one with another in thee, and to love all men for thy sake, who hast loved us and given thyself for us, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Frank Colquhoun

The fourth word (Matthew 27:46)

269.    Our God, whose love never fails us, and from whom nothing but our self-will can finally separate us: We confess with shame the darkness of our sin that cast so deep a shadow on the cross; we thank thee for the glory of thy Son’s obedience that carried him through the loneliness of his passion; and we pray that in the hour of our trial, when all is dark and there is no vision, we may be strengthened in our obedience and faith, knowing that the Spirit of him who suffered alone will never leave us to endure alone.

Basil Naylor

270.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy most bitter passion hast tasted death for every man, and hast borne our sins in thine own body on the tree: Grant us, we beseech thee, a broken and a contrite heart for all thy sorrows, and the loosing from our sins in thy most precious blood; that we may live henceforth as those who have been bought with a price, and glory only in thy cross.

W. E. Orchard*

271.    Lord Jesus Christ, who didst for me endure the horror of deep darkness, teach me by the depth of thine agony the vileness of my sin, and so bind me to thyself in bonds of gratitude and love that I may be united with thee in thy perfect sacrifice, my Saviour, my Lord, and my God.

William Temple

272.    O God, whose blessed Son endured the loneliness and darkness of the cross, that we might enjoy eternal fellowship with thee: Grant that amidst life’s shadows we may know that we are never forsaken, but that we are ever walking in the light of thy countenance; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

The fifth word (John 19:28)

273.    Son of Man, who entered our mortal life to be one with us in the ways of men: We bless thee for the love which stooped down to the level of our need; and though the reward of thy self-giving was the cross, we rejoice in knowing that through grief and pain and thirst the victory was won in our humanity, and the glorious hope of our salvation is in one who is both God and man.

Basil Naylor

274.    Grant us, O Lord God, so to thirst after thee, that with thee we may be filled; and inspire us by thy grace to good works of compassion and love, that so we may gladden the heart of him who in his brethren cries “I thirst”, even thy blessed Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

George Timms

275.    O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who at the sixth hour of the day didst with great tumult ascend on Golgotha the cross of pain, whereon, thirsting for our salvation, thou didst permit gall and vinegar to be given thee to drink: We beseech thee that thou wouldest kindle and inflame our hearts with the love of thy passion, and make us continually to find our delight in thee alone, our crucified Lord; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Office of Sext

276.    Blessed Lord, who on the cross didst endure the thirst both of spiritual desire and of physical anguish: Satisfy the longings of our hearts, we humbly beseech thee, and sanctify all our sufferings by thine own; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Frank Colquhoun

The sixth word (John 19:30)

277.    Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

            We praise thee, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, because thou didst submit to the discipline of a son’s obedience, and perfectly revealed in thy death the Father’s nature as love.

            We praise thee, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of Man, because as champion of men thou didst enter the battle against evil for their sakes, and won the perfect victory over its power.

            We praise thee, Lord Jesus Christ, Servant of God, because thou didst accept the suffering of those who seek to be at one with those they serve, and by thy perfect sacrifice made us one with God.

            Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Basil Naylor

278.    Grant, O Lord, unto us, and to all thy servants, the grace of perseverance unto the end; in the power of him who for the finishing of thy work laid down his life, even thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

George Timms

279.    O God, who by the cross and passion of thy Son Jesus Christ didst fully accomplish the redemption of mankind: Grant that by steadfast faith in the merits of that holy sacrifice we may find our whole salvation, and may triumph in the power of his victory; through the same Jesus Christ our Saviour.

280.    O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world: Grant that as thy sacrifice for our redemption was full, perfect, and sufficient, so nothing may be wanting in our service and sacrifice for thee as members of thy mystical body; for the honour and glory of thy holy name.

281.    O Lord Christ, as we thankfully recall thy finished work for the redemption of the world, so we pray that we may ever be mindful of the unfinished task which thou hast committed to thy Church; that constrained by thy love we may labour to share thy saving gospel with all mankind, for the furtherance of thy kingdom and the glory of thy name.

Frank Colquhoun

The seventh word (Luke 23:46)

282.    Abba, Father, in whom the Saviour trusted as in life so in death: We bless thee for this last prayer which marked the work accomplished, the end achieved; grant us so strong a faith and so ready an obedience that when our life on earth draws to its close, we may not fear to surrender it into thy hands as to an all-wise and all-loving Father; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Basil Naylor

283.    O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who at the ninth hour of the day, with outstretched hands and bowed head, didst commend thy spirit to God the Father, and by thy death unlock the gates of paradise: Mercifully grant that in the hour of our death our souls may come to the true paradise, which is thyself; who livest and reignest God, world without end.

Office of None

284.    Hear us, O merciful Lord, and remember now the hour in which thou didst commend thy blessed spirit into the hands of thy heavenly Father; and so assist us by this thy most precious death, that dying unto the world, we may live unto thee; and that at the hour of our departing from this mortal life, we may be received into thine everlasting kingdom, there to reign with thee, world without end.

Office of None

285.    O Heavenly Father, in whose hands are the hearts of all thy children: Grant us the faith that commits all to thee, without question and without reserve; that trusting ourselves wholly to thy love and wisdom, we may meet all that life may bring, and death itself at last, with serenity and courage; through thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

Concluding prayer

286.    Most bountiful and benign Lord God, we, thy humble servants, freely redeemed and justified by the passion, death, and resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ, having our full trust of salvation therein, most humbly desire thee so to strengthen our faith and illumine us with thy grace, that we may walk and live in thy favour; and after this life be partakers of thy glory in the everlasting kingdom of heaven; through our Lord Jesus Christ.

York Minster, 1547

Easter Even

The hope of the resurrection

287.    Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who as on this day didst rest in the sepulchre, and didst thereby sanctify the grave to be a bed of hope to thy people: Make us so to abound in sorrow for our sins, which were the cause of thy passion, that when our bodies rest in the dust, our souls may live with thee; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Office of Compline

288.    O God, whose loving kindness is infinite, mercifully hear our prayers; and grant that as in this life we are united in the mystical body of thy Church, and in death are laid in holy ground with the sure hope of resurrection; so at the last day we may rise to the life immortal, and be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

289.    O Lord God, who didst send thy only begotten Son to redeem the world by his obedience unto death: Grant, we humbly beseech thee, that the continual remembrance of his bitter cross may teach us to crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof; that in the union and merits of his death and passion we may die with him, and rest with him, and rise again with him, and live with him for ever, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory; world without end.

W. K. Hamilton*

290.    O God, who for our sakes didst give up thy well-beloved Son to endure the shameful death of the cross, that we might be delivered from the power of the devil and be cleansed from all unrighteousness: Grant unto thy servants, we beseech thee, that through his passion the body of sin may be destroyed in us, and through the power of his resurrection we may henceforth walk in newness of life; for the merits of the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Catholic Apostolic Church*

The preaching of the gospel

291.    Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that as thy Son Jesus Christ, after he had suffered in the flesh for our sins, did preach to the spirits in prison, so also thy Church may ever be ready in body and spirit to do thy will; that by the preaching of thy gospel all who shall be obedient to the faith may be gathered into thy glorious kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Catholic Apostolic Church*

EASTERTIDE

Easter Day

An act of thanksgiving

292.    Thanks be unto thee, O Christ, because thou hast broken for us the bonds of sin and brought us into fellowship with the Father.

            Thanks be unto thee, O Christ, because thou hast overcome death and opened to us the gates of eternal life.

            Thanks be unto thee, O Christ, because where two or three are gathered together in thy Name there art thou in the midst of them.

            Thanks be unto thee, O Christ, because thou ever livest to make intercession for us.

            For these and all other benefits of thy mighty resurrection, thanks be unto thee O Christ.

New Every Morning

Easter praise

293.    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for all who believe in Him; to whom with thee, O Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, be ascribed all honour and glory, dominion and power, now and for evermore.

Based on 1 Peter 1:3–5

294.    Almighty God, who art worshipped by the heavenly host with hymns that are never silent and thanksgivings that never cease: Fill our mouths with thy praise that we may worthily magnify thy holy name for all the wonderful blessings of thy love, and chiefly on this day for the resurrection of thy Son; and grant us, with all those that fear thee and keep thy commandments, to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost may praise from all the world be given, now and for evermore.

295.    O Lord, who by triumphing over the power of darkness, didst Prepare our place in the New Jerusalem: Grant us, who have this day given thanks for thy resurrection, to praise thee in that city whereof thou art the light; where with the Father and the Holy Spirit thou livest and reignest, world without end.

William Bright

296.    O Almighty God, hear thy people who are met this day to celebrate the glorious resurrection of thy Son our Lord; and lead them on from this festival to eternal gladness, to the joys that have no end; through the same our Saviour Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

Gothic Missal *

Christ our Passover

297.    O Lord God of our fathers, who didst of old deliver thy people from the prison-house of Egypt through the paschal sacrifice: Mercifully grant that we thy new Israel, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, may be set free from the bondage of evil and serve thee henceforth in the joy and power of the resurrection; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ, who ever liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Frank Colquhoun

The risen life

298.    Almighty God, whose blessed Son did as on this day rise again for us, victorious over sin and the grave: Grant that we, being risen with him, may set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth; that when he who is our life shall appear, we may also appear with him in glory; through the same our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Based on Colossians 3:1–4

299.    Almighty God, whose blessed Son did, as at this time, burst the bonds of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it: Grant that we may be risen with him and walk henceforth in newness of life; and bring us at last to the joy of thy eternal kingdom. Hear us, O Father, for the sake of him who is the firstborn from the dead, and is now alive for evermore, even the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

300.    O God, who through the mighty resurrection of thy Son Jesus Christ hast delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of thy love: Grant that as he was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life and seek those things that are above, where with thee, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, he liveth and reigneth for ever and ever.

Adapted from Gelasian Sacramentary

301.    O God, who for our redemption didst give thine only begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection hast delivered us from the power of the enemy: Grant us to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gregorian Sacramentary

302.    O God, who by the glorious resurrection of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ hast destroyed death, and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that we, being raised together with him, may know the comfort and strength of his presence, and rejoice in hope of thy everlasting glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be dominion and praise for ever and ever.

The Resurrection and the Life

303.    O Merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life; in whom whosoever believeth shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall not die eternally: We bless thy holy name for all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear, especially those most dear to us; beseeching thee to give us grace so to follow their good examples that with them we may be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom.  Grant this, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our only Advocate and Redeemer.

Based on Book of Common Prayer

Easter Day evening

304.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who on the evening of the first Easter Day didst appear to thy disciples when they were afraid and didst speak to them thy word of peace: Grant to us thy servants that same holy peace, that we may walk henceforth in the light of thy presence and know the power of thy risen life, until we come to the joy of thy everlasting kingdom.

Adapted from various sources

305.    Lord Jesus, risen from the dead and alive for evermore: Stand in our midst tonight as in the upper room; show us thy hands and thy side; speak thy peace to our hearts and minds; and send us forth into the world as thy witnesses; for the glory of thy name.

J. R. W. Stott

Concluding prayers

306.    Now the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit; through him who died for us and rose again, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Based on Romans 15:13

307.    O God of peace, who didst bring again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant: Make us perfect in every good thing to do thy will, working in us that which is well pleasing in thy sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Based on Hebrews 13:20, 21

Monday In Easter Week

The walk to Emmaus

308.    Gracious Lord, we remember that thou didst accompany thy two disciples as they journeyed to Emmaus.  Do thou go with us, O Lord, on our journey through this world.  Guide us, uphold us, strengthen us; make our hearts to burn within us; and evermore manifest thyself to our souls in gracious and heavenly power.  For thine own name’s sake we ask it.

Adapted

309.    Make our hearts to burn within us, O Christ, as we walk with thee in the way and listen to thy words; that we may go in the strength of thy presence and thy truth all our journey through, and at its end behold thee, in the glory of the eternal Trinity, God for ever and ever.

E. Milner-White

The breaking of bread

310.    O Thou, who didst manifest thyself in the breaking of bread to thy disciples at Emmaus: Grant us ever through the same blessed sacrament of thy presence to know thee, and to love thee more and more with all our hearts.  Abide with us, O Lord, that we may ever abide in thee; for thy tender mercy’s sake.

E. B. Pusey

Tuesday In Easter Week

The risen Lord

311.    O Lord God Almighty, whose blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ did on the third day rise triumphant over death: Raise us, we beseech thee, from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness, that we may seek those things which are above, where he sitteth on thy right hand in glory; and this we beg for the sake of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

A living hope

312.    O God, the living God, who hast given unto us a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: Grant that we, being risen with him, may seek the things which are above, and be made partakers of the life eternal; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Prayer

Joys eternal

313.    We give thee thanks, O heavenly Father, who hast delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of thy Son; grant, we pray thee, that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his presence abiding in us he may raise us to joys eternal; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mozarabic Sacramentary

First Sunday After Easter

Overcoming faith

314.    O Lord God, who hast revealed in holy Scripture what conquests faith has made both in doing, and in suffering: Grant us no smaller faith than that which overcometh the whole world, that Jesus thy Son is God, very God from the beginning, the First and the Last, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, world without end.

Daily Prayer

Christus Victor

315.    Almighty God, who broughtest again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the glorious Prince of Salvation, with everlasting victory over sin and the grave: Grant us power, we beseech thee, to rise with him to newness of life, that we may overcome the world with the victory of faith, and have part at last in the resurrection of the just; through the merits of the same risen Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Book of Common Order

The first day of the week

316.    O God, who makest us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of thy Son our Lord: Vouchsafe us such a blessing through our worship on the first day of the week, that the days to follow it may be hallowed by thy abiding presence; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

William Bright *

Jesus in the midst

317.    O Living Lord, who on the first Easter Day didst stand in the midst of thy disciples as the conqueror of sin and death, and didst speak to them thy peace: Come to us, we pray thee, in thy risen power and make us glad with thy presence; and so breathe thy Holy Spirit into our hearts that we may be strong to serve thee and spread abroad thy good news; for the glory of thy great name.

Frank Colquhoun

Christ’s last beatitude

318.    O Risen Christ, who has said, Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed: Mercifully grant that this benediction may be ours; so that, walking by faith and not by sight, we may evermore rejoice in thee, and confess thee as our Saviour, our Lord, and our God.

Frank Colquhoun

319.    Almighty Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification: Grant us so perfectly, and without all doubt, to believe in his resurrection, that our faith in thy sight may never be reproved; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted from Book of Common Prayer

The conquest of doubt

320.    O Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who hast taken away the sin of the world, and art alive for evermore: Grant us the faith that doubts not thy word, and trusts where it cannot see; that taking hold upon thy promises, we may rest in thy love and rejoice in thy mercy, now and always.

Second Sunday After Easter

Leaving us an example

321.    O God, whose blessed Son came into the world to do thy will and went about doing good: Grant that we may ever have the pattern of his holy life before our eyes, and that it may be our meat to do thy will and to finish thy work; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Harold Riley

He reviled not again

322.    O God our Father, whose blessed Son, being falsely accused, answered nothing; being reviled, reviled not again: Give us faith, when men accuse us falsely, to go quietly on our way, committing ourselves to thee, who judgest righteously, after the pattern of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer

The silence of Christ

323.    Keep us, O Lord God, from hasty excuse when the semblance of a fault is charged upon us; that rather we may be silent with thy holy and unreprovable Son, who when he was reviled, reviled not again; and when he suffered, threatened not; but committed himself unto thee, the only righteous and true judge; with whom he liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, now and evermore.

A Procession of Passion Prayers

The good Shepherd

324.    Be thou thyself, O Lord, we beseech thee, the shepherd of thy people; that we who are strengthened by thy risen presence may in our daily life walk with thee, and in humble trust seek to follow thee, as thou callest us by name and dost lead us out; for thy glory’s sake.

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory*

325.    O Lord Jesus Christ, thou good shepherd of the sheep, who camest to seek the lost and to gather them into thy fold: Have compassion on those who have wandered from thee; feed those who hunger, cause the weary to lie down in thy pastures, bind up those who are broken in heart, and strengthen those who are weak; and lead us all, O Lord, in the paths of righteousness, for thy name’s sake.

326.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who art shepherd of thy people, so that they shall not want: We want thee to lead us peacefully to the green pastures and beside the still waters; to restore our souls when we wander from thee; and evermore to guide us in the paths of righteousness, for thy name’s sake.

Based on Psalm 23:1–3

Third Sunday After Easter

Pilgrims

327.    O God our Father, who hast taught us that our citizenship is in heaven, and hast called us to tread a pilgrim’s path here on earth: Guide us, we pray thee, on our journey through this world to the Celestial City; defend us from the perils that await us in the way; give us grace to endure faithfully to the end; and at the last bring us to thy eternal joy; through the mercy of thy Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Frank Colquhoun

Christian citizenship

328.    Look, we beseech thee, O Lord, upon the people of this land who are called after thy holy name, that they may ever walk worthy of their Christian profession.  Grant unto us all that, laying aside our divisions, we may be united in heart and mind to bear the burdens which are laid upon us, and be enabled by patient continuance in well-doing to glorify thy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Irish Prayer Book*

Sorrow turned to joy

329.    O Blessed Lord, who didst promise thy disciples that through thy Easter victory their sorrow should be turned to joy, and their joy no man should take from them: Grant us, we pray thee, so to know thee in the power of thy resurrection, that we may be partakers of that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory; for thy holy name’s sake.

Frank Colquhoun

A little while and ye shall not see me

330.    Help us to trust thee, O Lord Christ, when we see thee not, and our way is shadowed by sorrow or doubt; and in thy great goodness reveal thyself to us again, that our hearts may rejoice, and we may walk henceforth in the light of thy presence; for the glory of thy holy name.

Fourth Sunday After Easter

The changelessness of God

331.    O Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning; who abidest steadfast as the stars of heaven: Give us grace to rest upon thy eternal changelessness, and in thy faithfulness find peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Prayer

The gifts of God

332.    O God, from whom every good and perfect gift doth come: Give us grace to consecrate to thy service the talents which thou hast committed to our charge; that we may do all things as in thy sight, and to thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Word of truth

333.    O Heavenly Father, by whose gracious will we have been born again by the Word of truth: Make us ever swift to hear that Word and responsive to its saving message, that henceforth we may live as those who are partakers of thy new creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

The Spirit of truth

334.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast promised in thy holy gospel that thy disciples shall know the truth, and the truth shall make them free: Give us, we pray thee, the Spirit of truth, sent by thee and leading to thee, that we may find the truth in finding thee, who art the Way, the Truth, and the Life, for ever and ever.

Daily Prayer

Fifth Sunday After Easter: Rogation Sunday

Doers of the Word

335.    O Lord, we most humbly beseech thee to give us grace not only to be hearers of the Word, but also doers of the same; not only to love, but also to live thy gospel; not only to profess, but also to practise thy blessed commandments, unto the honour of thy holy name.

Thomas Becon

336.    Grant unto us, O merciful God, knowledge and true understanding of thy Word, that we may know what thy will is, and also may show forth in our lives those things that we do know: that we be not only knowers of thy Word, but also doers of the same; by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The law of liberty

337.    O God our Father, whose law is a law of liberty: Grant us wisdom to use aright the freedom which thou hast given us, by surrendering ourselves to thy service; knowing that, when we are thy willing bondsmen, then only are we truly free; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

New Every Morning

In his name

338.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst say to thy disciples, Whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son: Give us grace, we beseech thee, to ask aright; teach us to bring our requests into harmony with thy mind and will; and grant that both our prayers and our lives may be acceptable in thy sight, to the glory of God the Father.

Frank Colquhoun

The hope of glory

339.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast gone to the Father to prepare a place for us: Grant us so to live in communion with thee here on earth, that hereafter we may enjoy the fullness of thy presence; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Church of South India

I have overcome the world

340.    O Lord, who hast called us to fight under the banner of thy cross against the evil of the world, the flesh and the devil: Grant us thy grace, that clothed in purity and equipped with thy heavenly armour, we may follow thee as thou goest forth conquering and to conquer, and steadfast to the last we may share in thy final triumph; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

W. H. Frere*

Inward peace

341.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst say that in thee we may have peace, and hast bidden us to be of good cheer, since thou hast overcome the world: Give ears to hear and faith to receive thy word; that in all the confusions and tensions of this present time, with mind serene and steadfast purpose, we may continue to abide in thee, who livest and wast dead and art alive for evermore.

Frederick B. Macnutt

For Rogation prayers, see next section

ROGATIONTIDE

For The Fruits Of The Earth

342.    Almighty and merciful God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Bless, we beseech thee, the labours of thy people, and cause the earth to bring forth her fruits abundantly in their season, that we may with grateful hearts give thanks to thee for the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God world without end.

Canadian Prayer Book

343.    Almighty God, Lord of Heaven and earth, in whom we live and move and have our being; who doest good unto all men, making thy sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sending rain on the just and on the unjust: Favourably behold us thy servants, who call upon thy name, and send us thy blessing from heaven, in giving us fruitful seasons, and satisfying us with food and gladness, that both our hearts and mouths may be continually filled with thy praise, and we may ever give thanks to thee in thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John Cosin

344.    O Almighty God, who hast created the earth for man, and man for thy glory: Mercifully hear the supplications of thy people, and be mindful of thy covenant; that both the earth may yield her increase, and the good seed of thy Word may bring forth abundantly, to the glory of thy holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

345.    Almighty God, Lord of Heaven and earth: We beseech thee to pour forth thy blessing upon this land, and to give us fruitful seasons; that we, constantly receiving thy bounty, may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

American Prayer Book

346.    O Gracious Father, who openest thy hand and fillest all things living with plenteousness: We beseech thee to hear our supplications, to renew the face of the earth, and to multiply the harvests of the world; that our land may yield her increase and thy people may give thanks to thy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

A. McCheane*

347.    Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth, in whom we live and move and have our being: We beseech thee to send thine abundant blessing upon the earth that it may bring forth its fruits in due season; and grant that we, being filled with thy bounty, may evermore give thanks unto thee, who art the giver of all good; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

B. F. Westcott

348.    Almighty Father, Lord of heaven and earth: Of thy great goodness, we beseech thee to give and preserve to our use the fruits of the earth, the treasures of the mines, and the harvest of the sea, so as in due time we may enjoy them with thanksgiving; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

E. W. Benson

349.    Almighty God, who by thy Son Jesus Christ hast bidden us to ask of thee our daily bread: Prosper the labour of the men and women working in our fields, and grant us such favourable weather that we may in due time gather in the fruits of the earth; protect the sailors who bring us food from distant lands; and give us grace day by day to deny ourselves and to remember the needs of others; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thomas Wilson*

350.    O God, who hast blessed our ploughing and our sowing: Protect, we pray thee, from storm and blight, the young corn in our fields; and grant that, working late and early, we may enjoy a prosperous harvest; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Country Services

351.    O Lord, who alone givest seed to the sower and bread to the eater, and hast taught us to seek from thee our daily bread: Bless the sowing of the seed, and grant fertility to the soil that receives it; and accept the labours of thy servants, for thy glory and the wellbeing of thy people; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

352.    Vouchsafe, O Lord, we pray thee, to further with thy gracious favour these our supplications; that we, receiving thy gifts in due season, may increase in love for thee from whom they come; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Harold Riley

Benediction

353.    May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the author of all godliness and growth, pour his blessing upon all the things that he hath made, and upon us his servants, that we may use them to his glory and the well-being of all mankind; and the blessing of God Almighty . . .

For Industry

354.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who in thy earthly life didst share man’s toil, and hallow the labour of his hands: Prosper all who maintain the industries of this land, and give them pride in their work, a just reward, and joy both in supplying need and in serving thee; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, ever one God, world without end.

Canadian Prayer Book

355.    O God, Father of all men, we pray for all who toil in mill or mine; for all by whose labour we are clothed and fed; for all who work in the darkness of the earth; for those who trade in shop or market; and for those who go down to the sea in ships and do business in great waters.  May our service and our merchandise be holy unto the Lord; and may we do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thee; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

356.    O God, who givest to every man his work and through his labours dost accomplish thy purposes upon earth: Grant thy blessing, we beseech thee, to those who are engaged in the industries and comerce of this land.  Defend them from injustice and oppression; give them the due reward of their labours; and deepen within them the spirit of humble and unselfish service, according to the pattern of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Adapted

357.    O God, who hast taught us that none should be idle: Grant to all the people of this land both the desire and the opportunity to labour; that, working together with one heart and mind, they may set forward the welfare of mankind, and glorify thy holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

See also prayers for Society and Industry, 1136–60, and 1674

ASCENSIONTIDE

The Ascension Day

Adoration

358.    Thou art the King of glory, O Christ; thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.

            When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb.

            When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

            Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.

Te Deum

359.    Glory to our ascended Lord, that he is with us always.

            Glory to the Word of God, going forth with his armies, conquering and to conquer.

            Glory to him who has led captivity captive, and given gifts for the perfecting of his saints.

            Glory to him who has gone before to prepare a place in his Father’s home for us.

            Glory to the author and finisher of our faith; that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion now and for evermore.

360.    Blessed art thou, O Lord God Almighty, the Ancient of Days, who hast set thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord upon the glorious throne of thy kingdom, exalted far above all peoples, all places, all times, eternally; that he who hath worn our flesh, and borne our manhood into the holy of holies, should henceforth pour down heavenly gifts upon his brethren, and be both our righteous judge and most merciful intercessor; to whom with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Spirit, one God, be ascribed all might, majesty, dominion, and praise, now and for ever.

After the Third Collect

The ascended High Priest

361.    O Thou merciful and loving High Priest, who hast passed within the veil and art in the presence of the Father: Help us with thy mighty intercession, that, our unworthiness being clothed upon with thy perfect righteousness, we may stand accepted in the day of thy coming; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Henry Alford

Christ the King

362.    O King of men, Master of our lives, entering into thy glory by thy cross, to whom all authority is given, both in heaven and on earth: We acknowledge thy sovereignty over every realm of life.  Come, O Lord, enter into thy kingdom; subdue the world by the might of thy love; for as thine is the kingdom, so thine is the power and the glory for ever and ever.

363.    Almighty and everlasting God, who hast willed to restore all things in thy well-beloved Son, the King and Lord of all: Mercifully grant that all peoples and nations, divided and wounded by sin, may be brought under the gentle yoke of his most loving rule; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end.

Sarum Breviary

The abiding presence

364.    Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that according to his promise he abideth with his Church on earth, even unto the end of the world; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

365.    Be present, O Lord, to our supplications; that as we trust that the Saviour of mankind is seated with thee in thy majesty, so we may feel that, according to his promise, he abideth with us unto the end of the world; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Leonine Sacramentary

366.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who after thy resurrection from the dead didst gloriously ascend into heaven: Grant us the aid of thy loving-kindness, that according to thy promise thou mayest ever dwell with us on earth, and we with thee in heaven, where with the Father and the Holy Spirit thou livest and reignest one God for ever and ever.

Gelasian Sacramentary

The things that are above

367.    O Almighty God, who by thy holy apostle hast taught us to set our affection on things above: Grant us so to labour in this life as ever to be mindful of our citizenship in those heavenly places whither our Saviour Christ is gone before; to whom with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end.

South African Prayer Book

368.    Christ, the King of glory, who hast gone up on high that thou mayest fill all things and bestow gifts upon thy Church: We beseech thee to dwell continually with us by thy Holy Spirit, that we may seek those things which are above, where thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father, for ever and ever.

Adapted

He ascended into heaven

369.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who after thy resurrection didst manifestly appear to thine apostles, and in their sight didst ascend into heaven to prepare a place for us: Grant that, being risen with thee, we may lift up our hearts continually to seek thee where thou art, and never cease to serve thee faithfully here on earth; until at last, when thou comest again, thou shalt receive us unto thyself; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Frederick B. Macnutt

370.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast left us for a while, giving us the promise that thou wilt come again and receive us to be with thee for ever: Grant us such communion with thyself that our souls may thirst for that time when we shall behold thee in thy glory; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit world without end.

Liturgy of the Catholic Apostolic Church

Go ye into all the world

371.    O Glorious Christ, who in thy ascension didst enter into thy kingdom: Remember, we pray thee, the countless millions who have not heard of the redemption which thou hast won for them.

            Grant that they may learn, through thy Church, of the new and living way which thou hast opened for them.  Let them draw near in fullness of faith, to enter with thee into the holy place of the Father’s presence, and receive forgiveness and peace.  So may they worship, with the innumerable company of angels and with the spirits of just men made perfect, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, blessed for evermore.

George Appleton

372.    Grant, O Lord Christ, that as we rejoice in thy finished work on earth, in virtue of which thou hast ascended victoriously to the throne of heaven, so we may dedicate ourselves anew to the unfinished task of preaching the gospel to every creature, that all may learn of thy redeeming grace and power, and acknowledge thee to be the Lord; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

See also prayers for a Missionary Festival (753–65) and for the Church Overseas (1343–81)

Sunday After Ascension Day

Prophet, Priest and King

373.    Glory be to thee, O Christ our Prophet, who didst reveal and interpret thy Father’s will and all saving truth to the world.

            Glory be to thee, O Christ our Priest, who didst offer thyself a sacrifice for sin and ever livest to make intercession for us.

            Glory be to thee, O Christ our King, who dost give laws to thy people, and dost govern and protect us in thy love, and who reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and for evermore.

Based on Thomas Ken

Our great High Priest

374.    O God, whose blessed Son, our great High Priest, has entered once for all into the holy place, and ever liveth to intercede on our behalf: Grant that we, sanctified by the offering of his body, may draw near with full assurance of faith by the way which he has dedicated for us, and evermore serve thee, the living God; through the same thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Church of South India

The Forerunner

376.    O God, whose dearly beloved Son was, by thy mighty power, exalted that he might prepare a place in thy kingdom of glory for them that love thee: So lead and uphold us, O merciful Lord, that we may both follow the holy steps of his life here upon earth, and may enter with him hereafter into thy everlasting rest; that where he is, we may also be; through the merits of the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

W. E. Scudamore

377.    Almighty and merciful God, into whose gracious presence we ascend, not by the frailty of the flesh but by the activity of the soul: Make us ever by thy inspiration to seek after the courts of the heavenly city, whither our Saviour Christ hath ascended, and by thy mercy confidently to enter them, both now and hereafter; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Leonine Sacramentary

As each has received a gift

378.    Grant, O heavenly Father, that as we have each received any gift of thine entrusted to us, so we may minister the same one to another, as good stewards of thy manifold grace; that thy holy name may in all things be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.

Based on 1 Peter 4:10–11

The divine purpose

379.    Almighty God, who after thy Son had ascended on high didst send forth thy Spirit in the Church to draw all men unto thee; Fulfill, we beseech thee, this thy gracious purpose, and in the fullness of time gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; even in him, who is the head over all things in the Church which is his body, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Prayer Manual

The King of Glory

375.    O Christ, the King of Glory, who through the everlasting gates didst ascend to thy Father’s throne, and open the Kingdom of heaven to all believers: Grant that, whilst thou dost reign in heaven, we may not be bowed down to the things of earth, but that our hearts may be lifted up whither thou, our redemption, art gone before; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, ever one God, world without end.

Mozarabic Sacramentary

WHITSUNTIDE

Whitsunday

Adoration

380.    To thee, O Christ, O King exalted, we offer up our due praise and unfeigned hearty thanks for that thou hast sent down and dispersed abroad thine own Holy Spirit to restore and renew the spirit of men, to be the first dedication of thy Catholic Church on earth, and the first publishing of the gospel to all lands, the bond of unity, and giver of light and life; to whom with the Father and thee, one blessed Trinity, be ascribed all might, majesty, dominion, and praise, now and for ever.

After the Third Collect

The Church’s witness

381.    O God, who in the exaltation of thy Son Jesus Christ dost sanctify thy universal Church: Shed abroad in every race and nation the gift of the Holy Spirit; that the work wrought by his power at the first preaching of the gospel may now be extended throughout the whole world; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gelasian Sacramentary*

382.    O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who after his ascension didst send upon the first disciples thy promised gift of the Holy Spirit: Regard, we pray thee, the present need of thy Church, and grant us by the same Spirit to be endued with power from on high, that we may bear effectual witness to the truth of thy holy gospel; so that they who serve thee may be strengthened and encouraged, and they who serve thee not may be convicted and converted; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

383.    O God, we pray thee for thy Church which is set today amid the perplexities of a changing order, and is face to face with a new task.  Fill us all afresh with the Spirit of Pentecost.  Help us to proclaim boldly the coming of thy kingdom.  And do thou hasten the time when the knowledge of thyself shall fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.  We ask it in the name and for the sake of Christ our Lord.

384.    O God, who hast made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and didst send thy blessed Son Jesus Christ to preach peace to them that are afar off, and to them that are nigh: Grant that all the peoples of the world may feel after thee and find thee; and hasten, O Lord, the fulfillment of thy promise to pour out thy Spirit upon all flesh; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

G. E. L. Cotton

385.    O Jesus Christ, who art the same yesterday, today and forever: Pour thy Spirit upon the Church that it may preach thee anew to each succeeding generation.  Grant that it may interpret the eternal gospel in terms relevant to the life of each new age, and as the fulfillment of the highest hopes and the deepest needs of every nation; so that at all times and in all places men may see in thee their Lord and Saviour.

George Appleton

The holy Guest

386.    Almighty God, who fillest all things with thy boundless presence, yet makest thy chosen dwelling-place in the soul of man: Come thou, a gracious and willing Guest, and take thine abode in our hearts; that all unholy thoughts and desires within us be cast out, and thy holy presence be to us comfort, light and love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

James Ferguson

387.    O Almighty God, who hast fulfilled thy word of promise, and from thy heavenly throne hast poured out upon thy Church the gift of the Holy Spirit: Open our hearts, we pray thee, to receive the fullness of his grace and power; that our lives may be strengthened for the service of thy kingdom, and our souls be conformed more and more to the image of thy Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Frank Colquhoun

Some Whitsun collects

388.    O God, who didst graciously send on thy disciples the Holy Spirit in the burning fire of thy love: Grant to thy people to be fervent in the unity of faith; that abiding in thee evermore, they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gelasian Sacramentary

389.    O Spirit of the living God, who dwellest in us; who art holy, who art good: Come thou, and fill the hearts of thy faithful people, and kindle within them the fire of thy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Catholic Apostolic Church

390.    O Holy Spirit of God, who didst descend upon our Lord Christ at the river Jordan, and upon the disciples at the feast of Pentecost: Have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, and by thy divine fire enlighten our minds and purify our hearts; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted from St. Nerses of Clajes

391.    O God, who according to thy promise hast given thy Holy Spirit to us thy people, that we might know the freedom of thy children and taste on earth our heavenly inheritance: Grant that we may ever hold fast the unity which he gives, and, living in his power, may be thy witnesses to all men; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Church of South India

392.    O Lord our God, who didst send thy Holy Spirit to abide with thy Church for ever: Renew the same Spirit within us, that our hearts may be cleansed from evil things, and the fruits of love and goodness may abound in our lives; to the glory of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

393.    Strengthen us, we beseech thee, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter, and daily increase in us thy manifold gifts of grace; the spirit of wisdom and understanding; the spirit of counsel and strength; the spirit of knowledge and true godliness; and fill us, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear, now and for ever.

Adapted from Book of Common Prayer

394.    O Lord God, heavenly Father, we beseech thee, let thy Holy Spirit dwell in us, that he may enlighten and lead us into all truth, and evermore defend us from all adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

395.    Almighty God, who according to promise didst pour out thy Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and hast promised that he shall abide with thy Church for ever: Let that same Spirit, we pray thee, guide us into all truth, defend us from all evil, and enrich us with all grace; that henceforth we may serve thee with pure hearts and lives, to the honour of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

396.    Send, we beseech thee, Almighty God, thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, that he may rule and direct us according to thy will, comfort us in all our afflictions, defend us from all error, and lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who, with thee and the same Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth one God world without end.

American Prayer Book

397.    Almighty and everlasting God, who in days of old didst cause thy Word to grow mightily and to prevail: We praise and magnify thy holy name for the manifestation of thy presence in this our day, and we beseech thee to pour out thy Spirit upon the Church, that thy way may be known upon earth and thy saving health among all nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

398.    O Thou whose eye is over all the children of men, and who hast called them into a kingdom not of this world: Send forth thy Holy Spirit into all the dark places of life.  Let him still the noise of our strife and the tumult of the people, carry faith to the doubting, hope to the fearful, strength to the weak, light to the mourners, and more and more increase the pure in heart who see their God; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

James Martineau*

Tuesday In Whitsun Week

399.    Grant, we beseech thee, merciful God, that thy Church, being gathered together in unity by thy Holy Spirit, may manifest thy power among all peoples to the glory of thy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, one God world without end.

American Prayer Book

400.    O Almighty God, who on the day of Pentecost didst send the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, to abide in thy Church unto the end: Bestow upon us, and upon all thy faithful people, his manifold gifts of grace; that with minds enlightened by his truth and hearts purified by his presence, we may day by day be strengthened with power in the inward man; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who, with thee and the same Spirit, liveth and reigneth one God world without end.

Scottish Prayer Book

401.    O Holy Spirit of God, Lord and Giver of life: Come into our hearts, we beseech thee; that enlightened by thy clear shining, and warmed by thine unselfish love, our souls may be revived to the worship of God, and our lives be dedicated anew to the service of our fellows: for Jesus Christ’s sake.

H. C. Cooksey

402.    O Holy Ghost, giver of light and life, impart to us thoughts higher than our own thoughts, and prayers better than our own prayers, and powers beyond our own powers, that we may spend and be spent in the ways of love and goodness, after the perfect image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer

THE TRINITY SEASON

Trinity Sunday

Adoration

403.    O Lord God Almighty, eternal, immortal, invisible, the mysteries of whose being are unsearchable: Accept, we beseech thee, our praises for the revelation which thou hast made of thyself, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three persons, and one God; and mercifully grant that ever holding fast this faith we may magnify thy glorious name; who livest and reignest, one God, world without end.

Scottish Prayer Book

404.    Almighty God, most blessed and most holy, before the brightness of whose presence the angels veil their faces: With lowly reverence and adoring love we acknowledge thine infinite glory, and worship thee, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternal Trinity.  Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto our God, for ever and ever.

Book of Common Order

405.    Praise be to thee, O God the Father, who didst create all things by thy power and wisdom, and didst so love the world as to give thy Son to be our Saviour.

            Praise be to thee, O God the Son, who wast made man like unto us in all things, sin except, and wast delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification.

            Praise be to thee, O God the Holy Spirit, who dost lead us into all truth, and dost shed abroad the love of God in our hearts.

            All praise and glory be to thee, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.

Invocation

406.    Bless us, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with the vision of thy glory; that we may know thee as the Father who created us, rejoice in thee as the Son who redeemed us, and be strong in thee, the Holy Spirit who dost sanctify us; keep us steadfast in this faith, and bring us at the last into thine eternal kingdom, where thou art ever worshipped and glorified, one God, world without end.

The vision of God

407.    Lord God Almighty, who hast given to us the vision of thy holiness, and therewith of our unworthiness to be thy witnesses: Touch, we pray thee, our lips with thy cleansing fire; that so cleansed and hallowed, we may go forth amongst men as those whom thou hast sent; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Daily Prayer

408.    O God, who art seeking in every age for loyal spirits ready to obey the heavenly vision: Grant that our ears may be open to thy voice, that when thou dost call us, we may answer gladly and readily, Here am I, send me; for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord.

409.    Lord, who didst bid thy seraph purge the prophet’s lips with the fire from off thy altar, so that he might be free to preach thy Word unto the people: Give thy priests and people within the Catholic Church pure and wise hearts, that so they may desire to go whither thou dost send them, and do that which thou dost will, in the power of him through whom we can do all things, even thy blessed Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Wilfred B. Hornby

God the Three in One

410.    O God, who hast made thyself known to us as Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity, in order that we may be informed of thy love and thy majesty: Mercifully grant that we may not be terrified by what thou hast revealed of thy majesty, nor tempted to trespass upon thy mercy by what we know of thy love for us; but that by the power of thy Spirit we may be forever drawn to thee in true adoration and worship; who livest and reignest, one God, world without end.

Euchologium Anglicanum

411.    Almighty and everlasting God, who hast revealed thyself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and dost ever live and reign in the perfect unity of love: Grant that we may always hold firmly and joyfully to this faith, and, living in praise of thy divine majesty, may finally be one in thee; who art three persons in one God, world without end.

Church of South India

Baptized into the Name

412.    Keep us, O Lord, from the vain strife of words, and grant us a constant profession of our faith.  Preserve us in the way of truth, so that we may ever hold fast that which we professed when we were baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and may give glory to thee, our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, now and for evermore.

St. Hilary of Poitiers*

Doxology

413.    To God the Father, who first loved us, and made us accepted in the Beloved; to God the Son, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; to God the Holy Ghost, who sheddeth the love of God abroad in our hearts: to the one true God be all love and all glory for time and for eternity.

Thomas Ken

First Sunday After Trinity

Love for God

414.    O God, the God of all goodness and of all grace, who art worthy of a greater love than we can either give or understand: Fill our hearts, we beseech thee, with such love toward thee that nothing may seem too hard for us to do or to suffer, in obedience to thy will; and grant that thus loving thee, we may become daily more like unto thee, and finally obtain the crown of life which thou hast promised to those that love thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

B. F. Westcott

415.    O God, we have known and believed the love that thou hast for us.  May we, by dwelling in love, dwell in thee, and thou in us.  Teach us, O heavenly Father, the love wherewith thou hast loved us; fashion us, O blessed Lord, after thine own example of love; shed abroad, O thou Holy Spirit of love, the love of God and man in our hearts.  For thy name’s sake.

Henry Alford

Love for our brethren

416.    O God, we know and believe in the love thou bearest towards us.  May we, by dwelling in that love, dwell in thee, and thou in us.  We would learn to love and to serve him whom we have not seen, by loving and serving our brethren whom we have seen; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

William Knight

417.    O Lord, who hast taught us that whatever we do unto the least of thy brethren we do unto thee: Give us grace to see thee in all who are poor and needy, and always to be ready to serve our fellows for thy sake; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end.

Adapted

The life of service

418.    Almighty God, who hast created us for thy glory and service: Give us grace, we pray thee, to hallow every gift and improve each talent thou hast committed to us; that with a cheerful and diligent spirit we may render thee our grateful service, and whatsoever we do, may do it with all our might, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Need and opportunity

419.    Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who hast taught us by love to serve one another: Give us eyes of compassion for human suffering and need wherever it is found, and especially for that which lies nearest to our own doors; save us from neglecting life’s opportunities; and grant that while we have time we may do good to all men, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Frank Colquhoun

The last assize

420.    O Lord Christ, Son of the living God, who at the last assize wilt acknowledge all deeds of mercy to others as done unto thee: Grant, in this world of sin and pain and want, that we may never pass by the poor and helpless whose cry is thine own; for the honour of thy holy name.

Daily Prayer

Second Sunday After Trinity

The spirit of love

421.    Almighty God, who thyself art love, fill us with the spirit of thy holy love; that our hearts being enkindled by thee, we may for ever love thee, and each other in thee, and all men for thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

E. Milner-White

The spirit of service

422.    Almighty God our heavenly Father, who hast given thy Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins, and hast commanded us to love one another as thou hast loved us: Make us, we beseech thee, so mindful of the needs and sufferings of others, that we may ever be ready to show them compassion, and according to our ability to relieve their wants; for the sake of the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

James Mountain*

Faith and love

423.    O Heavenly Father, who hast given us a commandment, that we should believe on the name of thy Son Jesus Christ, and love one another: Give us also grace to keep this commandment, that we may evermore dwell in thee, and thou in us, in the power of thy Holy Spirit; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Based on 2 John 3:23, 24

The great supper

424.    O God, who in thy blessed Son hast prepared for us a rich feast and dost invite us day by day to partake of thy bounties: Grant that neither the distractions of business nor the allurements of pleasure may cause us to turn a deaf ear to thy call, nor to neglect thy so great salvation, which thou hast given us in the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Henry Alford*

Third Sunday After Trinity

Be clothed with humility

425.    O Lord Jesus Christ, in all the fullness of thy power so gentle, in thine exceeding greatness so humble: Bestow thy mind and spirit upon us, who have nothing whereof to boast; that clothed in true humility, we may be exalted to true greatness.  Grant this, O Lord, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for evermore.

Daily Prayer

Casting all your care upon him

426.    Most loving Father, who willest us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of thee, and to cast all our care on thee who carest for us: Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which thou hast manifested unto us in thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

William Bright

The suffering Church

427.    O Lord, who hast promised a blessing for all who suffer for righteousness’ sake: Grant to all our brethren persecuted for the truth that they may rejoice in being counted worthy to suffer dishonour for thy name.  Strengthen their faith and renew their love, that in their patience they may possess their souls and win their persecutors to penitence and new brotherhood in thee; for the sake of him who suffered shame and reproach and remained invincible in his love, even thy redeeming Son, Christ our Lord.

George Appleton

The Christian conflict

428.    Grant, O God, that we who have been signed with the sign of the Cross in our baptism, may never be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, but may manfully fight under his banner against sin, the world, and the devil, and continue Christ’s faithful soldiers and servants unto our lives’ end.

From Book of Common Prayer

This Man receiveth sinners

429.    O Saviour Christ, whose compassion embraces all men, and who in the days of thy flesh didst welcome sinners: Graciously receive us who now come to thee, and who have nothing to plead but our own exceeding need, and thy exceeding love; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

Frank Colquhoun

The lost sheep

430.    O Lord Jesus Christ, thou good shepherd of the sheep, who didst come to seek and to save that which was lost: Inspire us and thy whole Church, we beseech thee, with thine own compassion for those who have wandered from thy fold and are lost; help us to be witnesses to them of thy love; and teach us what thou wouldest have us to do towards leading them home to thee; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Fourth Sunday After Trinity

Suffering and glory

431.    O God, who hast taught us that in thy mysterious providence suffering is the prelude to glory, and hast made much tribulation the entrance to thy heavenly kingdom: May we learn from this thy will, and also from creation around us, to wait for our deliverance from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of thy children; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Henry Alford

432.    O God, the author and fountain of hope, enable us to rely with confident expectation on thy promises, knowing that the trials and hindrances of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed, and having our faces steadfastly set towards the light that shineth more and more to the perfect day; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

A Devotional Diary

Glorious liberty

433.    We beseech thee, O Lord Christ, to deliver thy Church from the worship of mammon, from bondage to the world, and from all complicity in social evil and silence at wrong.  Bring all mankind into the glorious liberty of the children of God, and set the whole creation free from sin and corruption; for thy holy name’s sake.

Be ye merciful

434.    Father of all mercies, teach us to be merciful, as thou art merciful.  Father of all forgiveness, help us to forgive others, as thou hast forgiven us; knowing that, with what measure we mete, it shall be measured to us again; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Generosity

435.    O God in whom all fullness dwelleth, who givest without measure to them that ask; Give us faith to ask, and faith to receive, all that thy bounty giveth; that being filled with all thy fullness we may as thy faithful stewards impart thy gifts to all thy children; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Daily Prayer

Fifth Sunday After Trinity

Called to inherit a blessing

436.    O God, who in thy fatherly love hast called us that we should inherit a blessing: Give to us also, we pray thee, the blessing of wholesome speech and loving deed; that following always that which is good, we may do and suffer all that thou willest; in the name and strength of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord.

L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge

The tongue

437.    Set a watch, O Lord, upon our tongue, that we may never speak the cruel word which is not true; or being true, is not the whole truth; or being wholly true, is merciless; for the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Prayer

Launch out into the deep

438.    Grant, O blessed Lord, that thy Church in this our day may hear anew thy call to launch out into the deep in the service of thy glorious gospel; that souls for whom thou hast died may be won for thee, to the increase of thy kingdom and the glory of thy holy name.

Frank Colquhoun

Fishers of men

439.    O Lord Christ, who dost call thy disciples not only to follow thee but to become fishers of men: Give to us and to thy whole Church grace to obey thy word and to engage in a bold and adventurous evangelism; and grant that, attempting great things for thee, we may also expect great things from thee; to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Frank Colquhoun

Sixth Sunday After Trinity

Baptized into Christ’s death

440.    O Lord Jesus Christ, into whose death we have been baptized: Grant, we beseech thee, that like as thou wast raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we may walk in newness of life; that having been planted in the likeness of thy death, we may be also in the likeness of thy resurrection; for the glory of thy holy name.

Henry Alford

Alive from the dead

441.    O God, who hast called us out of the bondage of sin into the perfect freedom of thy children: Grant us grace that we may yield ourselves unto thee as alive from the dead, and our bodily members as servants of righteousness; that we may have our fruit unto holiness, and in the end everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Henry Alford*

Crucified and risen with Christ

442.    O Lord Christ, by whose single death upon the cross the members of thy body also die to servitude and sin: Grant us so to crucify the old man, that the new may daily rise with thee in the immortal power of thy free Spirit, who liveth and reigneth with the Father and thee, one God, world without end.

E. Milner-White

The way of reconciliation

443.    Almighty God, who hast set thy law of love ever before us: Grant us thy grace that we may never harbour any resentment or ill-feeling in our hearts, but seek at all times the way of reconciliation and peace, according to the teaching of thy Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge

Seventh Sunday After Trinity

Servants to righteousness

444.    Almighty God, who in thy Son Jesus Christ hast called us in from the bondage of sin to be servants of righteousness: Give us grace to yield our lives wholly to thine obedience; that, being made free from sin, we may have our fruit unto holiness, and hereafter may be made partakers of the life everlasting; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

Christ’s compassion for the hungry

445.    Fill us, O Christ, with thine own compassion for the hungry multitudes of the world of our day; and use us now, as thou didst use thy disciples of old, as thy willing instruments to minister to their needs, through all such means as thou shalt show us; for thy mercy’s sake.

Frank Colquhoun

446.    O Lord, who seest the multitudes, and art moved with compassion because they are an-hungered: Inspire thy Church with thy love and pity to gather unto thee the famished souls of men, that they may be satisfied with the living Bread; and as thou carest for the bodies as well as for the souls of men, move us and all thy servants with like mercy; that the needy may be fed and clothed, and that none may be homeless or destitute; for the glory of thy holy name.

James Ferguson*

Eighth Sunday After Trinity

Led by the Spirit

447.    Grant, O heavenly Father, that by the guidance of the Holy Spirit we may be enabled to discern thy holy will; and that by the grace of the same Spirit we may also be enabled to do it, gladly and with our whole hearts; for the glory of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

The witness of the Spirit

448.    O God, who hast given us not the spirit of bondage, but the Spirit of adoption into thy family: Grant us the witness of thy Spirit within our hearts, testifying that we are thy children; and give us that fellowship with the sufferings of Christ which shall end in our being glorified with him; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Henry Alford

449.    O Almighty and merciful Lord, who givest unto thy faithful people the Holy Spirit as a sure pledge of thy heavenly kingdom: Grant unto us this same Spirit, that he may bear witness with our spirit that we be thy children and heirs of thy kingdom; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Godly Prayers, 1559*

Beware of false prophets

450.    Almighty Father, who by thy Son Jesus Christ hast taught us to beware of false prophets: Have mercy upon thy Church, we beseech thee, to deliver it from all evil; and give us faithful pastors and teachers who shall truly fulfill thy command and preach nothing contrary to thy Holy Word; that we thy people, being instructed, nurtured and comforted by thy heavenly truth, may bring forth fruit to thy glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted from a 16th c. German prayer

By their fruits

451.    Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that as a tree is known by its fruit, so we may be recognized as thy children by our obedience to thy will.  Help us to put away all hypocrisy and self-seeking, that we may truly set forth thy glory and extend thy kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge

Ninth Sunday After Trinity

The temptations of life

452.    Make us tender and compassionate towards those who are an overtaken by temptation, considering ourselves, how we have fallen in times past and may fall yet again.  Make us watchful and sober-minded, looking ever unto thee for grace to stand upright, and to persevere unto the end; through thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

C. J. Vaughan

453.    O God, who art faithful to thy people and dost not permit them to be tempted above that they are able, but with the temptation also makest a way of escape that they may be able to bear it: We humbly entreat thee to strengthen us thy servants with thy heavenly aid and keep us with thy continual protection; that we may evermore wait on thee, and never by any temptation be drawn away from thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

E. B. Pusey*

Faithful stewards

454.    Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honour thee with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

American Prayer Book

The right use of money

455.    O Lord and heavenly Father, who through thy Son our Saviour hast taught us that we cannot serve both God and mammon: Deliver us, we pray thee, from the love of money; and grant us grace to use wisely and faithfully all such possessions as thou hast entrusted to us, for the furtherance of thy kingdom, the relief of those in need, and the supply of our own necessities; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

456.    Lord Christ, who for our sake didst become poor, though thou wast rich: Help us to use our money rightly, wisely, and generously, that, having used corruptible goods to thy glory, we may at last gain the inheritance incorruptible, where thou livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Student Prayer*

See also 808–19

Tenth Sunday After Trinity

Diversities of gifts

457.    Almighty and everlasting God, who hast revealed thyself in all thy power through the incarnation of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and who dwellest in us by the working of thy Holy Spirit: Grant that we may, each in his several calling, profit from the operation of that one and the self-same Spirit whose gifts are manifold, to the glory of thy holy name, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, world without end.

Euchologium Anglicanum

The use of gifts

458.    O Lord God Almighty, who dost by thy Holy Spirit endow thy servants with manifold gifts of knowledge and skill: Grant us grace to use them always for thine honour, and for the service of men; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The things that belong to peace

459.    Almighty God, whose righteous will governs all things and controls the destinies of men: Teach the nations of the world the things that belong to their peace; that they may find their freedom in obedience to thy laws, and their unity in the brotherhood of thy kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

Cleansing the temple

460.    O Lord Christ, who in thine indignation didst cast out those who profaned thy Father’s house: Enter into the temple of our hearts; that we being cleansed from all self-contentment, all hardness and want of charity, may worship the Father in spirit and in truth; who with thee, O Saviour, in the unity of the Spirit, is glorious and adorable for ever.

461.    O Lord Christ, who didst cast out them that bought and sold in the temple at Jerusalem: Cleanse and sanctify thy Church, the living temple of thy Spirit, that it may be in very truth a house of prayer for all nations; and that the kingdoms of the world, which are divided one against the other, may become one kingdom of our God, united in thy service; for thy name’s sake.

Adapted

The house of prayer

462.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst drive forth from the temple those who profaned the holy place, saying to them, My house shall be called the house of prayer: Make us so to love the habitation of thy house and the place where thy honour dwelleth, that with humility and godly fear we may draw near to worship thee; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

W. E. Scudamore

Eleventh Sunday After Trinity

The gospel of the resurrection

463.    O Lord our God, who hast committed to us the glorious gospel of our risen Saviour and Master: Grant that as we joyfully receive the good news for ourselves, so we may gratefully share it with others, and ever give glory to thee, by whose grace alone we are what we are: through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

The resurrection hope

464.    O God, who hast brought life and immortality to light by the gospel, and hast begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: Make us steadfast and immovable in the faith, always abounding in the work of the Lord, who died for our sins and rose again, and now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, world without end.

James Mountain

The prayer of the humble

465.    Almighty God, only giver of all mercies, whose Son, Jesus Christ, has taught us how to pray aright: Save us, we beseech thee, from all presumption in our prayer, and grant unto us the grace of humility and contrition; that we may, sharing the vision of thine apostle Saint Paul, know that it is by the grace of God alone that we are what we are, and that we can do nothing but through the strengthening of thy Son, Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Euchologium Anglicanum

Deus misereatur

466.    Almighty God, who resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble: Deliver us when we draw near to thee from all self-sufficiency and spiritual pride; and grant us an ever deepening sense of our own unworthiness and of thy unfailing mercy; through him who is our only righteousness, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

Against pride

467.    O God, who scatterest the proud in the imagination of their hearts: Forgive our sins of pride, we beseech thee, especially our pride of race and class.  May we never despise our fellow men, but in honour prefer one another; for the sake of him who humbled himself that he might exalt us, Jesus Christ our Lord.

468.    Save us, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, from all pride and self-assertion, and all desire for the praise of men; that whatever we do for thy Church may be done for his sake alone who loved us and gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Twelfth Sunday After Trinity

The new covenant

469.    Almighty and everlasting God, by whose grace we have been admitted into the glory of the new covenant: Grant, we beseech thee, that being delivered from the death of sin and the bondage of the law, we may rejoice in the life and liberty of the Spirit, and evermore find our sufficiency in thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

The unveiled glory

470.    O Almighty God, who hast revealed thyself in him who veiled his Godhead that he might unveil thy glory, and hast made him the eternal sacrifice and only priest of men: Grant that by the power of thy Holy Spirit the veil on our hearts may be taken away, and we may look on him who loved us and gave himself for us, and so be changed into the same image from glory to glory, until at last we shall see him with unveiled face, for evermore.

W. M. Clow

Opened ears and lips

471.    O Gracious God, whose blessed Son set forth thy love towards mankind, in his miracles of healing and mercy, making both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak: Grant that our ears may be opened to thy Word, and our tongues loosed to proclaim it to others, and to further the spreading of thy gospel among all nations; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Euchologium Anglicanum

The deaf and dumb

472.    O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who went about doing good, and both opened the ears of the deaf and made the dumb to speak: Teach thy people, after his example, to pity and succour thy deaf children who need their help.  May thy Holy Spirit bless our efforts to carry to them the knowledge of thy saving grace, and may they so serve thee in the body of their humiliation, that thereafter they may wear the body of thy glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mandell Creighton

Thirteenth Sunday After Trinity

The gospel promise

473.    Almighty God, who in Christ Jesus hast fulfilled to the sons of men thy ancient word of promise: Grant us grace to lay hold upon that promise by a living faith, that we may receive thy gift of righteousness, and at the last may enter upon our eternal inheritance; through the merits of the same thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

Love and service

474.    O Lord our God, give us more love, more denial of self, more likeness to thee.  Teach us that it is better to give than to receive, better to forget ourselves than to put ourselves forward, better to serve than to be waited on; and unto thee, the God of love, be praise and glory for ever.

475.    O Blessed Lord, who by thy word and example hast shown us the meaning of neighbourliness and the way of love: Grant that we may learn to recognize as our neighbour every fellow man who needs our help, and to serve him with a love that is costly and unselfish, like thine own love for us.  We ask this for thy name’s sake.

Frank Colquhoun

476.    Grant us, O Lord, to love thee with all our heart, with all our mind and soul and strength, and our neighbour for thy sake; that the grace of brotherly love may dwell in us, and all hatred, envy and malice may die in us, to the glory of thy name.

Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity

Faith, hope, and love

477.    O Our God, we believe in thee, we hope in thee, and we love thee, because thou hast created us, redeemed us, and dost sanctify us.  Increase our faith, strengthen our hope, and deepen our love, that giving up ourselves wholly to thy will, we may serve thee faithfully all the rest of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Narrow Way

Walk in the Spirit

478.    O Eternal Lord God, without whose aid we cannot do the things that we would: Look mercifully upon the waywardness of our hearts, and strengthen us against evil; that as citizens of thy holy kingdom we may walk henceforth in the power of the Spirit, and bring forth fruit to thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

The fruit of the Spirit

479.    O God, who hast commanded us to walk in the Spirit and not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh: Perfect us, we pray thee, in love, that we may conquer our natural selfishness and give ourselves to others.  Fill our hearts with thy joy, and garrison them with thy peace; make us longsuffering and gentle, and thus subdue our hasty and angry tempers; give us faithfulness, meekness and self-control; that so crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit to thy praise and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Henry Alford

480.    Enrich our lives, O Lord, with the fruit of the Spirit; that being filled with love and joy and peace, we may live together in patience and kindness, in goodness, faithfulness and gentleness, ever exercising the grace of self-control; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Based on Galatians 5:22, 23

Gratitude

481.    Almighty God our heavenly Father, who hast bidden us to give thanks for all things and to forget not all thy benefits: Accept our praise for the great mercies we have received at thy hands; ever give us grateful hearts; and help us to magnify thee in our daily life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

Lepers

482.    O Lord Jesus, who didst have compassion on lepers, and stretching forth thy hand didst touch them into health and life: Have mercy on those who suffer from the same disease today; prosper the efforts of all who care for them; that they may be healed in body and soul and restored to fellowship with their families and friends; for thy holy name’s sake.

Fifteenth Sunday After Trinity

The glory of the cross

483.    Lord Jesus Christ, who for our sake didst endure the cross, and hast bidden us to follow thee: Take away from us all fear, all coldness of heart, all unwillingness to suffer; that we, glorying in thy cross, may glory also that thou hast called us to bear it with thee; for thy name’s sake.

Daily Prayer

The marks of the Lord Jesus

484.    O Lord, our Saviour and God, whom nails could not hold to the cross, but only love: Grant that we, who have received the fullness of thy love, may be ready to bear before the world the marks of thy passion; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

A Procession of Passion Prayers

Freedom from anxiety

485.    Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who dost feed the birds and clothe the flowers, and who carest for us as a father for his children: We beseech thee of thy tender goodness to save us from distrust and vain self-concern; that with unwavering faith we may cast our every care on thee, and live in daily obedience to thy will; through thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Austrian Church Order, 1571

486.    O most loving and tender Father, preserve us from all faithless cares and selfish anxieties, and help us to cast our burdens upon thee, who hast given us assurance of thy care for us, and hast promised to supply the needs of all who seek first thy kingdom; for the sake of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

487.    Almighty God, who knowest our necessities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking: Set free thy servants from all anxious thoughts for the morrow; give us contentment with thy good gifts; and confirm our faith that according as we seek thy kingdom, thou wilt not suffer us to lack any good thing; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

St. Augustine

Seek ye first the kingdom

488.    Cleanse our minds, O Lord, we beseech thee, of all anxious thoughts for ourselves, that we may learn not to trust in the abundance of what we have, save as tokens of thy goodness and grace, but that we may commit ourselves in faith to thy keeping, and devote all our energy of soul, mind and body to the work of thy kingdom and the furthering of the purposes of thy divine righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Euchologium Anglicanum

Sixteenth Sunday After Trinity

St. Paul’s prayer

489.    O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named: Grant that, according to the riches of thy glory, we may be strengthened with power through thy Spirit in our inner being; that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith; that we, being rooted and grounded in thy love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is its length and breadth and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge; that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:14–19

Christ in us

490.    Lord, who hast warned us that without thee we can do nothing; and by thy holy apostle hast taught us that in thy strength we can do all things: So take and possess us, that our weakness may be transformed by thy power; that we be no longer our own, but thine; that it be not we who live, but thou who livest in us; who now reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end.

Daily Prayer

The sanctuary of the heart

491.    O Thou who dwellest in every humble heart, and dost consecrate it for thy sanctuary: Hallow, we pray thee, our hearts within us, that they may be houses of prayer, the dwelling-places of thy Spirit, wherein thou dost reveal thy holy mysteries; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted from Jeremy Taylor

492.    O Spirit of the living God, who dost sanctify the lives of thy people, and dost build them up into a holy temple for thy habitation: Grant us so to know thy indwelling presence that we may be set free from lesser desires, and by thy grace may be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord.

New Every Morning*

Those who mourn

493.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who hadst compassion on the widow of Nain, and didst say unto her, Weep not: Comfort, we beseech thee, the hearts of those who mourn the loss of their beloved, and when thou comest in thy kingdom, wipe away all tears from their eyes; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Salisbury Book of Occasional Offices*

See also 1016–20

Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity

The unity of the Spirit

494.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst pray for thy disciples that they might be one, even as thou art one with the Father: Draw us to thyself, that in common love and obedience to thee we may be united to one another, in the fellowship of the one Spirit, that the world may believe that thou art Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

William Temple

There is one body

495.    Grant, O Lord, that as there is one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one hope of our calling; so thy Church, being one body, may draw all nations to the one baptism, as children of the one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all, now and for evermore.

Based on Ephesians 4:4–6

For humility

496.    Lord Jesus Christ, who by precept and example hast taught us that the greatest of all is the servant of all, and that the humble shall be exalted: Make us content to take the lowest place; and if it shall please thee to call us higher, do thou preserve within us a simple and lowly spirit; to thy great glory.

Daily Prayer

497.    Blessed Lord, who putteth down the mighty from their seat and exaltest those of low degree: Save us, we beseech thee, from pride and vainglory, from self-seeking and false ambition.  Give us a humble and contrite spirit, that we may think less of ourselves, more of others, and most of all of thee, who art our mighty God and Saviour; to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit we ascribe all praise and glory, now and for evermore.

Frank Colquhoun

498.    Take from us, O Lord God, all pride and vanity, all boasting and self-assertion, and give us the true courage that shows itself in gentleness; the true wisdom that shows itself in simplicity; and the true power that shows itself in modesty; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Charles Kingsley

See also 1655–7

Eighteenth Sunday After Trinity

Enriched by Christ

499.    Almighty God, who hast bestowed thy grace upon thy people by thy Son Jesus Christ: Grant us, we beseech thee, to be enriched with his manifold gifts; that patiently enduring through the darkness of this world, we may be found shining like lamps in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he cometh in his kingdom; to whom be praise and glory for ever and ever.

Knowledge and utterance

500.    Almighty God, who art the author of all spiritual gifts: Bestow upon thy Church in this our day the grace of knowledge, to apprehend the fullness of divine truth, and of utterance to declare that truth to others; that the testimony of Christ may be confirmed among us, and in everything we may be enriched in him, even thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

Love for God and our neighbour

501.    O Heavenly Father, grant us so to love thee with all our heart and mind and strength, and our neighbour for thy sake; that the grace of charity and brotherly love may dwell in us, and all envy, harshness and may die in us; according to the perfect love of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

502.    Give us grace, O God our Father, to keep this day and always the new commandment and the great commandment and all the commandments, by loving thee with all our mind and soul and strength, and one another for thy sake; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Prayer

What think ye of the Christ?

503.    O Lord Christ, Son of David, born for us in lowly state at Bethlehem, and now exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on high: Grant us grace to think worthily of thee both in thy humility and in thy glory; that we may ascribe to thee the honour that is thy due, now and for evermore.

Frank Colquhoun

Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity

The way of holiness

504.    Write deeply upon our minds, O Lord our God, the lessons of thy holy Word, that only the pure in heart can see thee.  Leave us not in the bondage of any sinful inclination.  May we neither deceive ourselves with the thought that we have no sin, nor idly acquiesce in aught of which our conscience accuses us.  Strengthen us by thy Holy Spirit to fight the good fight of faith, and grant that no day may pass without its victory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

C. J. Vaughan

Forgiving one another

505.    O Lord, because we often sin and have to ask for pardon, help us to forgive as we would be forgiven; neither mentioning old offences committed against us, nor dwelling upon them in thought; but loving our brother freely as thou freely lovest us; for thy name’s sake.

Christina Rossetti

506.    Almighty God, renew us day by day by thy Holy Spirit, in whom thou hast sealed us for thine own: Let all bitterness be put away from us, all anger and evil-speaking and malice; may we be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as thou, O Father, hast forgiven us for the sake of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Based on Ephesians 4:30–32

The forgiveness of sins

507.    Blot out, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord, our past transgressions; forgive our negligence and ignorance, our mistakes and misunderstandings; and uplift our hearts to thee in new love and dedication; that unburdened from the grief and shame of past faithlessness, we may henceforth serve thee with renewed courage and devotion; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

508.    Hear us, O Lord, as we come to thee burdened with our guilt, and bow in faith at thy feet.  Speak to us thy word of absolution; say to our souls, Thy sins be forgiven thee; that with good courage we may rise up and go forth to serve thee, now and all our days, to the glory of thy holy name.

Frank Colquhoun

Incurables

509.    Lord Jesus, who in Capernaum didst heal the sufferer borne of four: Behold in thy mercy those whom no man can cure, and whom in prayer we lay at thy feet.  O thou with whom all things are possible, grant them thy healing and help, and answer our prayer according to thy holy will; for the glory of thy great name.

Adapted

Twentieth Sunday After Trinity

Redeeming the time

510.    O Lord God of time and eternity, who makest us creatures of time that, when time is over, we may attain thy blessed eternity: With time, thy gift, give us also wisdom to redeem the time, lest our day of grace be lost; for our Lord Jesus’ sake.

Christina Rossetti

Be filled with the Spirit

511.    O Blessed Jesus, who hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, and hast consecrated us in baptism to be temples of the Holy Ghost: Make us, we beseech thee, both in body and soul, meet for thy dwelling place; that our hearts may be houses of prayer and praise, of pure desires and holy thoughts of thee, whose we are and whom we serve, and to whom be glory, now and for evermore.

E. M. Goulburn

The spirit of praise

512.    O Lord Jesus Christ, Wisdom and Word of God, fill our hearts, we beseech thee, with thy most Holy Spirit, that out of the abundance of our hearts our mouths may speak thy praise in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; to thy everlasting glory.

After Christina Rossetti

513.    O Heavenly Father, who hast taught us to show forth thy praise in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs: So fill us, we pray thee, with thy Spirit that we may make melody to thee both in our hearts and with our lives, evermore giving thee thanks for all things, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

Many are called, but few are chosen

514.    O Lord God, the source of all grace and the judge of all men, who hast invited us to enter thy kingdom, but dost not force our wills to obedience: Grant that we may so use thy present grace that we may not have cause to fear thy final judgment; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Euchologium Anglicanum

Twenty-First Sunday After Trinity

The armour of God

515.    Grant us, O Lord, so to enter on the service of our Christian warfare, that, putting on the whole armour of God, we may endure hardness and fight against the spiritual powers of darkness, and be more than conquerors through him that loved us, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Leonine Sacramentary*

516.    Equip us, O God, for the spiritual conflict with thine own armour: with the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the helmet of salvation, the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, that we may be able to stand in the evil day; and grant that, having our feet shod with the gospel of peace, we may be able to maintain our ground unflinching to the end, through the might of Jesus Christ, the Captain of our salvation.

Based on Ephesians 6:11–17

The holy war

517.    O God, the Lord and leader of the hosts of the blessed: Instruct us in the spiritual warfare; arm us against all foes visible and invisible; subdue unto us our own rebellious affections; and give us daily victory in the following of him who vanquished sin and death, and now goeth forth with us conquering and to conquer, even thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.

After George Wither (Daily Prayer)

See also 1642–50

Faith in Christ’s word

518.    Grant us, O Lord, the faith that rests not on signs and wonders but on thy love and faithfulness; that obedient to thy word and trusting in thy promises, we may know thy peace and healing power, both in our hearts and in our homes; for the honour of thy holy name.

Frank Colquhoun

Twenty-Second Sunday After Trinity

The work of grace

519.    We give thee thanks, O God our Father, for the good work which thou hast begun in us, in that thou hast called us to the knowledge of thy grace and faith in thee; and we pray thee so to continue thy work in us that our lives may be strengthened for thy service in the fellowship of the gospel, and our love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, to thy praise and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Love and knowledge

520.    We pray thee, O God our Father, for all who profess and call themselves Christians, that their love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all discernment until the day of Christ; that they may be sincere and void of offence, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are through Jesus Christ unto thy praise and glory, now and for ever.

Based on Philippians 1:9–11

Debtors

521.    O Lord and Father, to whom alone the debtors in ten thousand talents can come with hope of mercy: Have mercy upon us, O Lord, who have aught to repay; forgive us all the debt, forgive us all our sins, and make us merciful to others; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted from Lancelot Andrewes (Daily Prayer)

Our own shortcomings

522.    O Lord, who hast taught us that we can only be forgiven, as we ourselves forgive: Help us ever to bear in mind our continued shortcomings, our manifold transgressions; that as we remember the injuries which we have suffered and never merited, we may also remember the kindnesses which we have received and never earned, the punishments which we have deserved and never suffered; and therewith may render thanks to thee for thine unfailing mercies, and the mercies of our fellowmen; for thy name’s sake.

Daily Prayer

Forgiving one another

523.    Grant, O Lord, that as thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ prayed for his enemies on the cross, so we may have grace to forgive those that wrongfully or scornfully use us; that we ourselves may be able to receive thy forgiveness; though the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Church of South India

Twenty-Third Sunday After Trinity

A colony of heaven

524.    Heavenly Father, who hast called us by thy grace to be a colony of heaven here on earth: Deepen within us, we beseech thee, a sense of our citizenship with the saints in glory; and grant that through all the days of our pilgrimage in this world we may humbly walk with thee in the way of holiness, and faithfully care for the needs of others, till we come to thy everlasting kingdom; through the mercy of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

Citizens of heaven and earth

525.    O Eternal God, our heavenly Father, who hast given to us thy children an abiding citizenship in heaven, and, in the days of our pilgrimage, a citizenship also upon earth: Give us thine aid, as we journey to that heavenly city, so faithfully to perform the duties which befall us on our way, that at the last we may be found worthy to enter into thy rest; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Prayer

526.    Almighty God, whose blessed Son taught in all honesty the way of life that thou requirest: Grant that we may so live as dutiful and loyal citizens of our earthly country, that we may show ourselves to be members of that heavenly country whereof thou art sovereign Lord and King; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge

The things that abide

527.    Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Leonine Sacramentary

Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Trinity

The walk that pleases God

528.    O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, give us grace, we beseech thee, to walk worthy of thee, so as to be pleasing in thy sight; that being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of thee, we may be made meet at last to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Based on Colossians 1:10–12

Increasing in the knowledge of God

529.    O God, who art nigh to all them that call upon thee in truth; who art thyself the Truth, whom to know is life eternal: Instruct us with thy divine wisdom, and teach us thy law; that we may know the truth and walk in it; through him in whom the truth was made manifest, even Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord.

After St. Augustine

The giver of life

530.    O Lord of life, who didst raise from the sleep of death the daughter of Jairus the ruler: Extend to us, we pray thee, thy quickening power, that we may know the life more abundant which thou didst come to bring; for the glory of thy holy name.

Frank Colquhoun

The healing Christ

531.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who still today dost tread the busy thoroughfares of life in readiness to heal and save: Open our eyes that we may recognize thy presence; open our hearts that we may trust thy love for us; open our lips that we may joyfully confess thee before men; we ask it for thy dear name’s sake.

L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge

Sunday Next Before Advent (Trinity Xxv)

The King of righteousness

532.    O God, who didst wonderfully deliver thy people out of Egypt and didst bring them into their own land: Deliver us, we beseech thee, from the tyranny of sin, and bring us into that land where the Prince of Peace reigneth, and the lives of men proclaim thy righteousness; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge

The Bread from heaven

533.    Almighty God, who hast given to thy people the true Bread from heaven, even thy Son Jesus Christ: Grant that our souls may be so fed by him who giveth life unto the world, that we may be made strong for thy service, and share with others that which we have so richly received; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

The end of the Church’s year

534.    O Lord Jesus, with whom we have passed another Christian year, following thee from thy birth in our flesh to thy sufferings and triumph, and listening to the utterances and counsels of thy Spirit: Even thus would we also end this year of grace, and stand complete in thee our Righteousness; humbly beseeching thee that we may evermore continue in thy faith and abide in thy love; who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Henry Alford*

The things eternal

535.    Almighty and everlasting God, who hast put thine own eternity into our hearts, and desires which the world cannot satisfy: Lift our eyes, we pray thee, above the narrow horizons of this present world, that we may behold the things eternal in the heavens, wherein is laid up for us an inheritance that fadeth not away; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Daily Service

The uncertainty of life

536.    O God, whose days are without end and whose mercies cannot be numbered: Make us, we pray thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertainty of life; let thy Holy Spirit lead us in the paths of righteousness all our days; that when we shall have served thee in our generation, we may have an abundant entrance into thy everlasting kingdom; through thy mercy in Jesus Christ, our only Saviour and Mediator.

537.    O God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by thy Holy Spirit, that being ever mindful of the end of all things, and the day of thy just judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here, and dwell with thee forever hereafter; through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord.

Lutheran Church

SAINTS’ DAYS AND HOLY DAYS

St. Andrew (November 30)

538.    Almighty God, who didst give such grace to thy Apostle Saint Andrew, that he counted the sharp and painful death of the cross to be an high honour, and a great joy: Grant us to take and esteem all troubles and adversities which shall come unto us for thy sake, as things profitable for us toward the obtaining of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

539.    Almighty God, at whose call thy servant Andrew left all to follow Christ, and by whose grace he was made strong for service: Help us, whom also thou hast called to be thy servants, so to persevere in the way of faith and duty, that finally we may finish our course with joy; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

540.    O Almighty God, who hast called thy Church to bear witness for thee before all nations: Grant that as Saint Andrew brought his brother to Jesus, so we, like him, may be wise to win souls, and may labour diligently for the enlargement of thy kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

St. Thomas (December 21) 

541.    Almighty God, who to thy holy Apostle Thomas didst reveal thine incarnate Son in his risen glory: Draw, we beseech thee, the people of our land to know and confess him as their Lord and God, that coming to thee by him they may believe and have life in thy name: through the same Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

C.I.P.B.C. Prayer Book

542.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst say to thy servant Thomas the Apostle, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life: Mercifully grant that we, looking to thee by faith, may find in thee the Way that leads to the Father, the Truth that makes us free, and the Life that is life indeed, now and always.

Frank Colquhoun

St. Stephen (December 26)

543.    Fill us, O God, with thy Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth and Charity; that like the first martyr, Saint Stephen, we may contend earnestly and fearlessly for the faith of the gospel, and also may pray with hearts of love for those that despitefully use us; for the glory of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

544.    Merciful God and Father, who didst give thy Son to reconcile us, thine enemies, to thee: Grant, we beseech thee, that we too may learn to pray for our enemies, as thy servant Stephen prayed for his persecutors, and, like him, be permitted to see thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

St. John the Evangelist (December 27)

545.    O Almighty God, who through the holy Apostle Saint John hast revealed to us the mystery of the Word made flesh: Keep us steadfast in the faith that the Son of God has come; that believing in him we may have life through his name; to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit be glory for ever and ever.

Frank Colquhoun

The Innocents’ Day (December 28)

546.    Blessed Saviour, whose life in this world began with the slaughter of helpless infants at Bethlehem, and who knowest the sorrows of the human heart: Show thy compassion, we pray thee, on all who suffer and grieve amid the cruelty and injustice of the world; and teach both them and us that by thy grace life’s bitter things can be redeemed and turned to thy praise.  We ask it for thy mercy’s sake.

547.    O Lord, on this day when we remember how innocent children suffered death for the sake of thy holy Son: We beseech thee to slay in us everything that displeases thee and contradicts thy perfect will; that we who have been called to be thy children may glorify thee in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

For the feast of the Circumcision, see 82–7

The Conversion of St. Paul (January 25)

548.    O God, who didst call Saul, the persecutor of the Church, to be the Apostle Paul, and to proclaim the gospel of thy Son Jesus Christ to the Gentiles: Grant that, as thou hast called us also, we may be true to our calling, and count everything loss for the gain of knowing Christ Jesus as our Saviour; to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit be all honour and glory, world without end.

Church of South India

549.    Almighty Saviour, who didst call thy servant Saint Paul to be an apostle to the Gentiles: We beseech thee to illumine the world with the radiance of the gospel of thy grace committed to his trust, that all nations may worship thee and acknowledge thee to be the Lord; who art with the Father and the Holy Spirit one God, world without end.

The Missionary Conference, 1894*

The Purification (February 2)

550.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who as a child wast presented in the temple and received with joy by Simeon and Anna as the Redeemer of Israel: Mercifully grant that we, like them, may be guided by the Holy Spirit to acknowledge and love thee unto our lives’ end; who with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, livest and reignest God, world without end.

Church of South India

551.    We beseech thee, Almighty God, mercifully to endow us with thy heavenly grace, as we commemorate the holy Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, and to hallow thereby our bodies in chastity and our souls in humility and love; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

St. Matthias (February 24)

552.    Almighty God, by whose providence thy servant Matthias was chosen to be an Apostle of our Lord and a witness of his resurrection: We earnestly pray thee to raise up for the work of the ministry in this our day able and dedicated men, and to use them abundantly for the building up of thy Church and the increase of thy kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

553.    O Lord Jesus, who dost set over thy people the pastors and teachers of thy choice: Give us, we beseech thee, childlike hearts; that in humility we may receive thy Word, and in simplicity obey it; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

Richard D. Acland

The Annunciation (March 25)

554.    We beseech thee, O God, pour thy grace into our hearts; that, as at the message of an angel, Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and became the mother of the Lord and the most blessed among women, so we, believing thy word, may receive Christ to dwell in our hearts, and by our life make manifest the mystery of his incarnation; who hath exalted our manhood into the glory of his Godhead, even Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gregorian Sacramentary

555.    O Christ our God incarnate, whose Virgin Mother was blessed in bearing thee, but still more blessed in keeping thy word: Grant us, who honour the exaltation of her lowliness, to follow the example of her devotion to thy will; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

William Bright

556.    O God, who didst choose the Blessed Virgin Mary to become the mother of the Saviour of mankind; Grant that we, having in remembrance her exceeding faith and love, may in all things seek to do thy will, and evermore rejoice in thy salvation; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son, our only Mediator and Advocate.

St. Mark (April 25)

557.    Heavenly Father, by whose grace thy servant John Mark was enabled to rise above failure and to prove himself useful in thy service: Grant us that same grace, we humbly beseech thee; that abiding in Christ we may be steadfast in our faith and fruitful in every good work; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

558.    O Almighty God, who for the work of the ministry and the recording of the holy gospel didst purge John Mark of youthful faults and weakness: Grant that we may abide in thy Son, the Vine, as fruitful branches, and that in love and the keeping of thy commandments we may grow up into him in all things; who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end.

Richard D. Acland

St. Philip and St. James (May 1)

559.    O Lord and Master, who didst say to thine apostle Philip, He who has seen me has seen the Father: Reveal thyself to our hearts, we humbly beseech thee, and so open the eyes of our understanding that in thy face we may behold the light of the knowledge of the glory of God; for thy holy name’s sake.

Frank Colquhoun

560.    O Lord Jesus Christ, who art the Way, the Truth and the Life; we pray thee suffer us not to stray from thee who art the Way, nor to distrust thee who art the Truth, nor to rest in any other thing than thee, who art the Life.  Teach us by thy Holy Spirit what to believe, what to do, and wherein to take our rest.  For thine own name’s sake we ask it.

Erasmus

St. Barnabas (June 11)

561.    Almighty God, who through thy Son Jesus Christ hast taught us that it is more blessed to give than to receive: Grant us grace, after the example of thy servant Saint Barnabas, to know the true joy of giving, and like him to be generous in our judgments as well as in our deeds; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

562.    Number us, O Lord, we beseech thee, among those whom thou hast chosen for thy friends; and grant that after the example of thy holy Apostle, the Son of Consolation, we may devote to thee all our possessions, and bring forth fruit in thy service; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, world without end.

Richard D. Acland

St. John the Baptist (June 24)

563.    Almighty God, who didst send thy servant John the Baptist to call men to repentance and to prepare the way of the Lord: Grant, we beseech thee, that having his teaching in mind we may turn to thee with all our hearts, and be made ready for that day when the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together; through the same thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Adapted

564.    O God, who didst send thy servant John Baptist to be the herald of thy kingdom and the forerunner of thy Son: We pray thee to call many to serve thee in the holy ministry of thy Church, and to give them grace to be worthy of their calling; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Harold Riley

St. Peter (June 29)

565.    O Almighty God, who by thy Son Jesus Christ didst give thine Apostle Saint Peter many excellent gifts, and commandedst him earnestly to feed thy flock: Grant that thy Church may be ordered by faithful and true pastors, and obediently walk according to thy will; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Church of South India

566.    Father of Mercies, who to thine Apostle Saint Peter didst reveal in threefold vision thy boundless compassion: Forgive we pray thee our unbelief, and so enlarge our hearts and enkindle our zeal, that we may fervently desire the salvation of all men, and with more ready diligence labour in the extension of thy kingdom; for his sake who gave himself for the life of the world, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.

The Missionary Conference, 1894

St. Mary Magdalene (July 22)

567.    Strong Son of God, who in thy great compassion didst deliver Mary Magdalene from the mastery of evil and didst reveal thyself to her as the living Lord: Grant us so to know thy grace and power in our lives that by word and deed we may magnify thy glorious name, now and for evermore.

Frank Colquhoun

568.    Merciful and gracious God, who didst deign to make Mary Magdalene the first witness and herald of the glorious resurrection of thy Son: Grant unto those who have fallen into the torment and captivity of sin to hear that wondrous voice of Jesus, which is able to subdue and cast out all evil passions; that there may be none without hope of mercy, or beyond help of grace; through the same Jesus Christ our Saviour.

W. E. Orchard

St. James (July 25)

569.    Almighty God our heavenly Father, whose servant James the Apostle was obedient to the calling of thy Son and also drank of his cup of suffering: We beseech thee to keep us faithful to thee until life shall end; and grant us grace, as those who have been baptized into Christ’s death, to tread with him the path of service and sacrifice; for his holy name’s sake.

Frank Colquhoun

570.    Almighty God, who by the hand of the persecutor didst bestow upon the Apostle James a martyr’s diadem of glory: Grant us grace to put away all vain desire of homage and dominion among men, and after the example of thy Son seek to be chief only in sacrificial ministry to others; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Richard D. Acland

The Transfiguration (August 6)

571.    O Almighty and everlasting God, whose blessed Son revealed himself to his chosen apostles when he was transfigured on the holy mount, and amidst the excellent glory spake with Moses and Elijah of his departure which he should accomplish at Jerusalem: Grant to us thy servants, that, beholding the brightness of his countenance, we may be strengthened to bear the cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

572.    O God, who on the holy mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thy well-beloved Son wonderfully transfigured: Mercifully grant unto us such a vision of his divine Majesty that we, being purified and strengthened by thy grace, may be transformed into his likeness from glory to glory; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Canadian Prayer Book

St. Bartholomew (August 24)

573.    O Lord our heavenly Father, by the power of whose Holy Spirit thine apostles wrought many wonderful works: Fill thy Church today, we pray thee, with that same gracious Spirit; that believers may be added to the Lord, and those that are in sorrow, sin, and sickness may be healed; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge

574.    O God, who through the example and teaching of thy Son hast shown to us the royal path of service: Help us to serve others in all humility and patient love; that following in the steps of thy holy apostles we may be made worthy to inherit thy everlasting kingdom; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge

St. Matthew (September 21)

575.    Almighty Father, who in the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew hast revealed to us our blessed Lord as the promised Messiah of Israel and King of men: Mercifully grant that we, recognizing his sovereign claims, may offer him the homage and service of our lives, and ever acknowledge him to be the Lord; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, now and for evermore.

Frank Colquhoun

St. Michael and All Angels (September 29)

576.    We give thee thanks, Almighty Father, for the angelic hosts around thy throne who offer thee their tireless service and unending praise; and we pray that we on earth, like them, may readily fulfill thy commandments and render thee the glory that is thy due; for the worthiness of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

577.    O Christ our God, the wisdom, power and glory of the Father who didst visibly appear to all men as the Word made flesh, and having overcome the prince of darkness, didst return to thy throne on high: Grant to us thy supplicants, amid this dark world, the full outpouring of thy splendour, and appoint thy holy angels to be our defenders, to guard our going out and coming in, till we take our place at thy right hand; where thou livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Mozarabic Sacramentary*

578.    We thank thee, O God, for the guardian care of thy holy Angels.  Grant that being refreshed through their protection and ministry, we may serve thee on earth as they serve thee in heaven, and may rejoice in their eternal companionship hereafter; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

St. Luke (October 18)

579.    Almighty God, who didst inspire thy servant Saint Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of thy Son: Manifest in thy Church the like power and love, to the healing of our bodies and our souls; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

American Prayer Book

580.    O Lord God, who dost look with compassion on all the needs of men: Grant thy grace to all whom thou hast called, like Luke the beloved physician, to be sharers in thine own work of healing; that they may learn their art in dependence on thee, and exercise it always under thy sanction and for thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

Saints Simon and Jude (October 28)

581.    O Lord Christ, who didst call Simon the Zealot to be among the number of thine apostles: Deliver us, we pray thee, from all lukewarmness in thy service; and kindle within our hearts a burning love for thee and a consuming zeal for thy kingdom; for the honour and glory of thy name.

Frank Colquhoun

All Saints’ Day (November 1)

582.    O Almighty God, who hast called us to faith in thee, and hast compassed us about with so great a cloud of witnesses: Grant that we, encouraged by the good examples of thy Saints, may persevere in running the race that is set before us, until at length through thy mercy we, with them, attain to thine eternal joy; through him who is the author and finisher of our faith, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

American Prayer Book

583.    O Lord, who in every age dost reveal thyself to the childlike and lowly of heart, and from every race dost write names in thy book of life: Give us the simplicity and faith of thy saints, that loving thee above all things, we may be what thou wouldst have us be, and do what thou wouldst have us do.  So may we be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

George Appleton

584.    We thank thee, O God, for the saints of all ages; for those who in times of darkness kept the lamp of faith burning; for the great souls who saw visions of larger truths and dared to declare them; for the multitude of quiet and gracious souls whose presence has purified and sanctified the world; and for those known and loved by us, who have passed from this earthly fellowship into the fuller life with thee.  Accept this our thanksgiving through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer, to whom be praise and dominion for ever.

Fellowship Litanies

Of an Apostle

585.    O Lord and Master, who didst choose twelve, that they might be with thee, and that thou mightest send them forth to preach: We give thee thanks for the glorious company of the apostles, and especially at this time for thy servant Saint N.; humbly beseeching thee that we, like them, may witness a good confession and fight the good fight of the faith; for thy honour and glory, now and evermore.

Frank Colquhoun

586.    O God, who by the preaching of the apostles didst cause the light of thy gospel to shine upon the nations: Grant, we beseech thee, that we, having their life and labour in remembrance, may show forth our thankfulness to thee for so great a gift, by following the example of their zeal and service; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year

Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary

587.    O Almighty God, who didst endue with singular grace the blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord: Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to hallow our bodies in purity, and our souls in humility and love; through the same our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Scottish Prayer Book

588.    Almighty and everlasting God, who didst stoop to raise our fallen race by the child-bearing of blessed Mary: Grant that we, who have seen thy glory manifested in our manhood, and thy love perfected in our weakness, may daily be renewed in thine image, and conformed to the likeness of thy Son; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Anglican Altar Services, 1941

Of a Martyr

589.    Almighty and everlasting God, who didst strengthen thy blessed martyr, N., with the virtue of constancy in faith and truth: Grant us in like manner for love of thee to despise the prosperity of this world, and to fear none of its adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

590.    O God, who dost inspire us to confess thy holy name by the witness of thy martyrs: Grant that thy Church, encouraged by their example, may be ready to suffer fearlessly for thy cause, and to strive for the reward of thy heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

W. H. Frere

Missionaries and martyrs

591.    O Eternal Lord God, who by the noble fortitude of missionaries and martyrs hast caused thy Word to grow mightily and to prevail: Pour thy Spirit upon thy Church in this land, that, by the service and sacrifice of our faith, thy saving health may be known among the nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Anglican Altar Services, 1941

Saints of our own land

592.    O God, whom the glorious companies of the redeemed adore, assembled from all times and places of thy dominion: We praise thee for the Saints of this our land who stand before the throne and serve thee day and night in thy holy temple; beseeching thee that we also may be numbered among them that work thy righteousness and see thy face; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Anglican Altar Services, 1941

LESSER FEASTS

Plough Sunday (first Sunday after January 6)

593.    O God, who dost give each man his work to do for thy sake: Prosper, we pray thee, throughout this year the work and workers on the fields and farms of this parish.  Let the ploughman’s hope be fulfilled in a plentiful harvest; let thy people be fed with the wholesome food of their countryside; and let town and country, united in gratitude to thee, be drawn nearer to the understanding and true service of each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Country Services

St. David (March 1)

594.    O God, who by the preaching of thy blessed servant David didst cause the light of the gospel to shine in an age of darkness: Grant, we beseech thee, that having his life and his labours in remembrance, we may show forth our thankfulness by following the example of his zeal and patience; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

595.    O God, who madest Saint David to be a victorious champion of the faith, and didst reward his rich sowing with an abundant harvest; Continue thy favour, we beseech thee, towards the people of Wales and the Church in their midst; and so bless them with spiritual gifts that the land of their fathers may be a praise in all the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

St. Patrick (March 17)

596.    O Almighty God, who in thy providence didst choose thy servant Patrick to be the apostle of the Irish people, that he might bring those who were wandering in darkness and error to the true light and knowledge of thee: Grant us so to walk in that light, that we may come at last to the light of everlasting light; through the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord.

Irish Prayer Book

597.    O God, who didst teach thy servant Patrick to love the land of his captivity, and to spend willingly and be spent that he might bring its people unto thee: Grant that in all our troubles we may hear thy voice, and gladly learn what thou wouldest have us to do; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

St. George’s Day (April 23)

598.    O Lord God of hosts, who didst give grace to thy servant Saint George to lay aside the fear of man and to confess thee even unto death: Grant that all our countrymen who bear office in the world may think lightly of earthly place and honour, and seek rather to please thee, the Captain of our salvation, who hast chosen them to be thy soldiers; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be thanks and praise from all the armies of the saints, now and for evermore.

John Wordsworth

599.    O Lord our God, who didst endue thy blessed martyr, Saint George, with grace to act and endure valiantly, so that he has become to our people an example of heroic strength: Purge us from all falsity and other weakness, we humbly beseech thee, that we too may be strong in the power of thy might; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Labour Day (May 1)

600.    O God, the Father of lights, who hast taught us by the blessed doctrine of Saint James that thou hearkenest to the cry of the oppressed, and hast chosen the poor to be rich in faith: Grant us grace, that, renouncing corruptible riches, we may so order all things in righteousness, that the precious fruits of the earth may be abundantly obtained by those who patiently labour; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

W. E. Orchard

Lammas Day (August 1)

601.    O Lord, who by thy mercy hast brought us to the beginning of harvest and to the remembrance of Saint Peter’s deliverance: Let his counsel prevail among us, we beseech thee; that girding up the loins of our minds as of our bodies, we may set our hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought to us by the revelation of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

W. H. Frere

602.    O God, who hast made heaven and earth and all that is in them: We humbly beseech thee to bless and hallow these first-fruits of corn, and to multiply them abundantly for us who offer them; and grant such seasonable weather that this year’s harvest may be plentiful, and we, rejoicing in thy gifts, may pay our thanks to thy divine majesty; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Country Services

Festival of the Reformation (October 31)

603.    Almighty God, who through the preaching of thy servants, the blessed Reformers, hast caused the light of the gospel to shine forth: Grant, we beseech thee, that, knowing its saving power, we may faithfully guard it and defend it against all enemies, and joyfully proclaim it, to the salvation of souls and the glory of thy holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lutheran Church

Commemoration of All Souls (November 2)

604.    O Eternal Lord God, who holdest all souls in life: We beseech thee to shed forth upon thy whole Church in Paradise and on earth the bright beams of thy light and heavenly comfort; and grant that we, following the good example of those who have served thee here and are at rest, may at the last enter with them into the fullness of thine unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John Wordsworth

605.    Eternal Father, who art the God not of the dead but of the living: We give thee thanks and praise for all the generations of the faithful, who, having served thee here in godliness and love, are now with thee in glory; and, we beseech thee, enable us so to follow them in all godly living and faithful service, that hereafter we may with them behold thy face, and in the heavenly places be one with them for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for the Christian Year*

606.    O God, before whose face the generations rise and pass away, the strength of those who labour and the repose of the holy and blessed dead: We remember all who have faithfully lived and died, especially those most dear to us.  Lift us into life and love; and give us our portion at last with those who have trusted in thee, and have striven in all things to do thy will.  And to thy name, with the Church on earth and in heaven, we ascribe all honour and glory, world without end.

John Hunter

Of any Saint

607.    We beseech thee, O God, to accept our praise and thanksgiving for the lives of all thy faithful people who have served thee on earth and are now at rest [and especially thy servant N. whom we have in remembrance today].  Grant, O Lord, that we too may dedicate ourselves to thy service; that following their good example we, with them, may be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

608.    Almighty God, who dost choose thine elect out of every nation, and dost show forth thy glory in their lives: Grant, we pray thee, that following the example of thy servant Saint N., we may be fruitful in good works to the praise of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scottish Prayer Book

609.    Almighty and everlasting God, who dost enkindle the flame of love in the hearts of the Saints: Grant to us, thy humble servants, the same faith and power of love; that, as we rejoice in their triumphs we may also profit by their examples; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gothic Missal

Holy Women

610.    O God, who hast built thy Church through the divers gifts and graces of thy Saints: We give thee humble thanks for all good women [especially this day for thy servant N.]; help us, we beseech thee, to follow their steps, and fill our hearts with love to thee, and of others for thy sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Oxford Diocesan Service Book

In The Ember Weeks

For the increase of the ministry

611.    O Lord, we beseech thee to raise up for the work of the ministry faithful and able men, counting it all joy to spend and be spent for the sake of thy dear Son, and for the souls for which he shed his most precious blood upon the cross; and we pray thee to fit them for their holy function by thy bountiful grace and heavenly benediction; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

E. W. Benson

612.    O Almighty God, look mercifully upon the world which thou hast redeemed by the blood of thy dear Son, and incline the hearts of many to offer themselves for the sacred ministry of thy Church; so that by their labours thy light may shine in the darkness, and the coming of thy kingdom may be hastened by the perfecting of thine elect; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

R. M. Benson

613.    Almighty God, who in every age hast drawn men to be ministers in the apostolic Church: Make known thy will to those whom thou wouldest use today.  Grant them grace to discern, courage to respond, and firm resolve to obey, that the promise of the gospel may be fulfilled in the lives of all people; through the power of Jesus Christ our Lord.

614.    O Lord of the harvest, raise up, we pray thee, faithful and true men for the work of thy Church.  Equip them for thy service; enrich them with thy grace; and send them forth in due time to gather fruit unto eternal life; for the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

615.    O God, who dost ever hallow and protect thy Church: Raise up therein, through thy Spirit, good and faithful stewards of the mysteries of Christ; that by their ministry and example thy people may abide in thy favour, and be guided in the way of truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

American Prayer Book

616.    O God, you have told us to pray for more labourers in your harvest-field.  We ask you then to call many of your sons to that work and make them ready to hear and act upon your call.  Make them at all times sensitive to your guidance, willing to learn and eager to obey.  We ask this in the name of him who came not to be ministered to but to minister, Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.

A.C.C.M.

617.    O Almighty God, who hast committed to the hands of men the ministry of reconciliation: We humbly beseech thee by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit to put it into the hearts of many to offer themselves for this ministry, that thereby mankind may be drawn to thy blessed kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

American Prayer Book

618.    We beseech thee, Almighty God, to call many to the ministry of thy Church; and to those whom thou dost call give thy grace that they may hear and answer thy call; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

South African Prayer Book

For those in training

619.    We pray, O Lord, for thy blessing upon all who are being trained for the ministry of thy Church in every land.  Take from them all pride and self-conceit, all thought of worldly advancement.  May their wills be wholly surrendered unto thee; fill them with thy Spirit, that they may go forth inspired with zeal for thy glory, in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayers of the World-wide Church

620.    O Everlasting God, who art adored by the holy angels, yet dost choose men to be the stewards of thy mysteries: Bless, we beseech thee, all those who are preparing for the work of the ministry; that they who cannot do any good without thee, may by thee be illuminated with a true knowledge of thy Word, and so be made able ministers of the new covenant; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Henry P. Liddon

621.    We beseech thee, O Lord our God, to enlighten the understanding and to strengthen the wills of all who are preparing for the ministry of thy holy Church; that they may readily acknowledge thy claims, wholeheartedly believe thy truth, and cheerfully obey thy calling, for the glory of thy great name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

622.    Almighty God, who dost choose men to be the agents of thy purpose and the heralds of thy kingdom: We pray for thy blessing upon all who are training in our theological colleges; that they may be strengthened in faith, disciplined in loyalty, nurtured in thy Word, and, when the time is come, may go forth as ministers of the new covenant to advance thy glory and the salvation of mankind; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

623.    Grant thy grace, O God our Father, to those who are training for the ministry of thy holy Church.  Prepare them for all that thou hast prepared for them; make them what thou wouldest have them to be, that they may accomplish what thou wouldest have them to do; and so bless them that they may be made a blessing; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Frank Colquhoun

624.    Let thy blessing, O Lord, rest upon those who are seeking to prepare themselves to be ministers of thy Word.  Give them a true understanding of the needs of the human heart and a sure faith in the adequacy of Jesus Christ to fulfill those needs.  Keep them steadfast in the determination to devote their lives to bringing Christ to men; and help them so to use the time of their preparation that all their studies may be made to contribute toward the fulfillment of their holy calling; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Emil E. Fischer

The ministers of Christ’s Church

625.    O Almighty God, be pleased to remember with thy mercy and love all those who minister before thee in holy things.  Prosper the great work in which they are engaged.  Enable them faithfully to preach thy Word, and rightly and duly administer thy holy sacraments.  May they uphold Christ, both by their words and in their lives, and in all things set forward thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ashton Oxenden*

626.    O God, who makest thine angels spirits and thy ministers a flame of fire: Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to stir up and confirm the sacred grace of orders in all stewards of thy mysteries; that as ministering spirits they may gather out of thy kingdom all things that offend, and may kindle in the hearts of all that fire which thou camest to send upon the earth; to the glory of thy holy name.

Henry P. Liddon

627.    Almighty God, giver of all good things, who by thy one Spirit hast appointed a diversity of ministrations in thy Church: Mercifully behold thy servants who are called to the ministry, and so fill them with thy Holy Spirit, that both by word and good example they may faithfully and joyfully serve thee, to the glory of thy name and the building up of thy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Church of South India

628.    O Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of thy sheep, grant to all clergy the pastoral heart, that they may tend the flocks committed to their care.  May they so follow thy example that they may know their sheep and be known of them; may they go after those that are lost until they find them; that so when thou, the chief shepherd, shall appear, they may receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away.  Hear us from thy throne in heaven, where with the Father and the Holy Ghost thou livest and reignest one God, world without end.

Peter Green

629.    Almighty God, grant, we beseech thee, to all whom thou hast called to the sacred ministry of thy Church such a sense of their high calling that they may count no sacrifice too great to make in thy service; that so, bringing a blessing to their people, they may themselves be blessed of thee; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Peter Green

630.    Remember, O gracious Lord, for good, all bishops, priests and deacons of thy Church; pour upon them evermore thy Holy Spirit, to strengthen, deepen, chasten, and purify them; that giving themselves up to thy service, they may do and suffer all that thou willest, and finally may reign with thee in life everlasting.

J. Armitage Robinson*

631.    Eternal Lord Christ, thou great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, bestow thy blessing, we beseech thee, upon the bishops and pastors of thy flock.  Give them the spirit of wisdom and holiness, patience and charity, zeal and watchfulness, that they may faithfully declare thy truth, diligently administer thy sacraments, acceptably intercede for thy people, and turn many to righteousness; for thy tender mercy’s sake.

632.    We humbly beseech thee, O God, to illuminate all bishops, priests, and deacons with true knowledge and understanding of thy Word; that, both by their preaching and living, they may set it forth and show it accordingly; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

From the Litany

633.    Grant, O God, we beseech thee, that the same mind may be in all the ministers of thy Church that was in Christ Jesus: his self-forgetting humility; his interest in common things; his love for common people; his compassion for the fallen; his tolerance with the mistaken; his patience with the slow; and in all their work and converse make them continually sensitive to thy guidance and ready for thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Book of Offices, Methodist Church

634.    Almighty God, who dost choose and use men to be the agents of thy kingdom and heralds of the good news: Pour out thy Holy Spirit, we beseech thee, upon those whom thou hast called to serve in the ministry of the Word and sacraments.  May they in all things seek thy glory and the good of thy Church, and set forward the salvation of those committed to their charge; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

635.    Remember, O Lord, the ministers of thy Church for their labour in Word and sacrament, and in the proclamation of thy glorious gospel.  Endow them with wisdom for their high task, with learning for the setting forth of thy truth, with zeal and devotion for thy glory and the salvation of souls, with humble self-surrender, lest they themselves be cast away; and grant that both by their lives and their labours they may advance thy heavenly kingdom; for the honour of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Adapted from Liturgy of St. James

636.    We commend to thee, O God, all those whom thou hast called to the sacred ministry of thy Church.  Give them grace to be faithful ambassadors of Christ to the world, to feed and govern thy flock as true shepherds, and to promote love and unity among all thy people; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adapted

Preachers of the Word

637.    Pour out, O Lord, we beseech thee, the Spirit of power upon all those whom thou hast called to be preachers of the Word.  Inflame them with the fire of thy love; grant them new tongues with which to move the hearts of men; give them utterance to meet the needs of the day and the hour; that so believers may be added to thy Church, multitudes both of men and women; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Peter Green*

638.    Almighty God, who dost send thy messengers to prepare thy way before thee: Endue with the power of the Holy Spirit all who go forth to preach and speak in thy name.  Touch their hearts; enlighten their minds; cleanse and instruct their lips; give them a clear vision of thy will and purpose for the whole world; and through their voice do thou call back thy Church to simpler discipleship, readier obedience, and more loving service; through thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Peter Green

Deaconesses

639.    Almighty God, who hast committed to men and women the ministry of the gospel: Pour thy grace upon thy servants called to the order of deaconesses; that in all that they do and teach they may love and serve thee, to the glory of thy name and the benefit of thy Church; through thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Prayer of the Order

Women workers

640.    O Lord, who wast born of a woman, and hast glorified womanhood in the sight of all people: Bless, we beseech thee, the women who have been called to the service of thy Church in the parishes of our land.  Strengthen them in hours of strain and weakness, preserve in them the spirit of sympathy and love, and grant them the help of thy grace, that in all things they may be worthy of their vocation; to the glory of thy holy name.

641.    Gracious Lord, who in thy earthly life didst accept the ministry of women: Bless, we beseech thee, thy servants whom thou hast called to work for thee in the parishes; that strengthened by the assurance of thy presence, they may carry the gospel of thy love into the hearts and homes of thy people, and ever advance thy glory; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest one God, world without end.

See also prayers for Church leaders (1340–2), for bishops (1394–5), for the clergy (1429–32), and for Church workers (1433–6)

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