pastorstratman

Give Us Grace to Pursue Your Promises

O God,
you reveal your almighty power
chiefly by showing mercy and compassion.
Pour out your grace on us
that we pursue your promises
and enjoy your heavenly blessings;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gelasian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

For Those Who Suffer Injury by Accident

O God, our Father,
through your Son you reached out
to the sick and broken in body.
Mercifully reach those
who suffer injury of body
and anguish of mind
because of accident.*
By your Holy Spirit
direct them to pray to you
to heal their broken bodies,
so that they may also bring
their broken hearts
to be made whole by your grace
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Dr. H. D. Hoover (a minister and professor in The Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States and later in The United Lutheran Church in America, active around 1922).

Source of this version: Freely modified from Collects and Prayers for use in Church, United Lutheran Church in America, 1935, #245

*the word accident can be replaced with something more specific if needed: violence, terrorism, etc.

You Will Wipe away Every Tear from our Eyes

O God,
you are as rich in pity as you are in power,
merciful and mighty.
See your whole creation,
as it has been groaning
in the pains of childbirth until now.
As you have broken the power of evil
by the cross of Christ
and by his endless sacrifice
you take away the sin of the world,
hasten the time
when the last enemy of humanity
shall be completely defeated
and death shall be no more,
neither shall there be mourning,
nor crying, nor pain anymore,
and you will wipe away every tear from our eyes;
through your redeeming love
in Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.

Source: The Order of Divine Service for Public Worship … Compiled by W.E. Orchard, Etc. London, 1921, p. 115 (Litany of the Sick)

Also found here: Collects and Prayers for use in Church, United Lutheran Church in America, 1935, #244

“hasten the time” may be a reference to Matthew 24:22

“See your whole creation, as it has been groaning in the pains of childbirth until now” is a reference to Romans 8:22

“by his endless sacrifice, you take away the sin of the world” is a reference to John 1:29

“the last enemy of humanity shall be completely destroyed” is a reference to 1 Corinthians 15:26

“death shall be no more, … and you will wipe away every tear from our eyes” is a reference to Revelation 21:4

For Those Who Suffer

Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior,
for us you bore the agony of the cross.
Draw near to your servant _____,
who suffers pain,*
and make all things serve your good purpose,
that by your grace he may know
that the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing
with the glory that is to be revealed to us;
with the Father and the Holy Spirit
you live and reign,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from William Bright, Bright’s Ancient Collects, p. 237 #3

Also found here: Collects and Prayers for use in Church, United Lutheran Church in America, 1935, #243

*the word pain can be substituted with something more specific: illness, weakness, depression, setbacks in treatment, slow recovery, trouble of mind, etc.

“make all things serve your good purpose” is a reference to Romans 8:28

“the sufferings of this present time…” is a reference to Romans 8:18

“who suffers pain” in the original prayer was “who suffers pain or trouble of mind, (especially N.), hallow all their crosses in this life, and crown them hereafter, where all tears are wiped away where with the Father &c ”

Empower Us to Live according to Your Will

Grant to us, Lord,
the spirit to think and do what is right.
We cannot do anything good without you.
Empower us to live according to your will;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Source: Leonine Sacramentary, 6th-7th Century, Historic Collect for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Give Us What Will Work for Our Good

O God,
your providence in all things never fails.
Drive away whatever is harmful to us
and give us what will work for our good;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gelasian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Pour Out the Light of Your Truth

We give you thanks, almighty God,
that you have delivered us from the darkness of the night
and now shine on us with the light of day.
Pour into our hearts
the pure and serene light of your truth,
that we may avoid the darkness of sin,
and always know and follow you,
the eternal Light;
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: From two Latin Collects

Source of this version: Freely modified from Collects and Prayers for use in Church, United Lutheran Church in America, 1935, #321

Keep Us in Your Grace

God of all power and might,
author and giver of all that is good,
put in our hearts the love of your name,
increase in us true religion,
nourish us with all goodness,
and in your great mercy keep us in your grace;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gelasian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Order the Course of This World in Peace

O Lord our God,
order the course of this world in peace
that your Church may joyfully serve you
in all godly quietness;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Leonine Sacramentary, 6th-7th Century, Historic Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Three Swedish Communion Prayers

When the administration of the holy meal is finished, the pastor turns to the congregation and says:

Let us pray.

Turning to the altar, the pastor offers one of the following thanksgiving collects:

We thank you, almighty Father, through your Son, Jesus Christ you have instituted this holy supper for our comfort and salvation. Grant us grace to celebrate the remembrance of Jesus on earth, that we may also be partakers of the great communion in heaven.
Amen.

or:

We thank you, almighty God, that through this precious meal of grace you have refreshed and satisfied us. Use it to increase our faith and advance us in godliness and all Christlike virtues; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

or:

O Lord Jesus Christ, you have called us to this communion. We humbly thank you for your mercy, that you have fed us here with your body and blood and filled and embraced us with your goodness. O Lord, be near us! We commit ourselves into your hands and put our trust in you. Let us abide with you forever.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from The Swedish Rite: a translation of “Handbok för svenska kyrkan” by Eric Esskildsen Yelverton, 1921, The Service of High Mass, p. 32