Author: pastorstratman

Lutheran pastor and musician serving St. Stephen's in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

Give Our Message Power

O Lord Jesus Christ,
you sent your holy apostles
to preach among all nations
repentance and forgiveness of sins in your name.
Grant that through your ambassadors
the erring may be brought to repentance
and the penitent established in your true faith;
through your mercy, O our God,
you are blessed, and live, and govern all things,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 47 #2 (Ember Days in Lent)

“you sent your holy apostles” is a reference to  John 20:21

“repentance and forgiveness of sins in your name” is a reference to Luke 24:47

Mozarabic, ad.

 

 

A Prayer for Peace

G_C_DieffenbachPeace be to this house! (Luke 10:5)
Peace to all of you who are in Christ. Amen. (1 Peter 5:14)
Peace be with me and with my family!
Peace be with all in this congregation!
Peace be with all in this land!
Peace be with the beloved church of God and with all the faithful!
Peace be with all who are sick and miserable,
with all who are disturbed and afflicted,
with all who are prisoners and persecuted,
with all who are struggling and fearful!
Peace be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

Source: Georg Christian Dieffenbach (1822-1901)

Source of this version: Translated for A Collection of Prayers.

Original in German:

Friede sei in diesem Hause! (Luc 10:5) Friede sei mit Allen, die in Christo Jesu sind. Amen. (1 Petr 5:14)

[Anmerk: Diesen Spruch kann man dann etwa so anwenden, indem man weiter betet:
Friede sei mit mir und den Meinen!
Friede sei mit dieser ganzen Gemeinde!
Friede sei mit dem ganzen Lande!
Friede sei mit der lieben Kirche Gottes, und mit allen Gläubigen!
Friede sei mit allen Kranken und Elenden,
mit allen Betrübten und Angefochtenen,
mit allen Gefangenen und Verfolgten,
mit allen Streitenden und Friedelosen!
Friede sei mit uns Allen von nun an bis in Ewigkeit. Amen.]

Source: Evangelische Haus-Agende by Georg Christian Dieffenbach, 1853

Jesus, Help!

We hasten with weak, yet eager footsteps,
O Jesus, O Master, for your help alone!
You tirelessly seek out the sick and those who have gone astray.
Oh, hear us, as we, our voices raised, pray for your help!
May your merciful countenance be gracious unto us!

Source: Johann Sebastian Bach and Johann Rist, Cantata BWV 78

Text of the original Rist hymn can be found at Hymnary.org and on www.bach-cantatas.com

Poet who adapted the hymn for the Cantata libretto is unknown.

Musical setting from The Joy of Bach:

Another video with clearer audio can be seen and heard here:

Original in German:

Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,
O Jesu, o Meister, zu helfen zu dir!
Du suchest die Kranken und Irrenden treulich.
Ach, höre, wie wir die Stimme erheben, um Hilfe zu bitten!
Es sei uns dein gnädiges Antlitz erfreulich!

Protect from Any Temptation

O Christ, Son of God,
for our sake you fasted forty days and allowed yourself to be tempted.
Protect us so that we may not be led astray by any temptation.
Since man does not live by bread alone,
nourish our souls with the heavenly food of your Word;
through your mercy, O our God,
you are blessed,
and live and govern all things,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 22 #3 (Lent 1)

“for our sake you fasted forty days…” is a reference to Matthew 4:2ff, Mark 1:13ff, Luke 4:2ff

“we may not be led astray by any temptation” is a reference to  Hebrews 2:18

“man does not live by bread alone” is a reference to  Deuteronomy 8:3

“nourish our souls with the heavenly food of your Word” may be a reference to John 6:22-59

Mozarabic, ad.

 

 

Litany for Forgiveness

We cry to you, Lord, have mercy on us,
and forgive us.

King of heaven and eternal Lord, receive the prayer we pour out before you,
and forgive us.

Visit the sick, release the captives, help the widow and the orphan,
and forgive us.

We have sinned and have turned from you. Redeemer of all, save us,
and forgive us.

Have mercy on the penitent, and wash away the stains of sin,
and forgive us. Amen.

Source: Mozarabic Breviary

Source of this version: Prayers of the Middle Ages: Light from a Thousand Years,  J. Manning Potts, Ed. Nashville, Tennessee: The Upper Room, © 1954 (Public domain in the U.S.)

Mozarabic, ad.

Ash Wednesday Prayer

O God,
you do not desire the death of sinners,
but you want them to turn to you and live.
Look with pity on the weakness of our mortal nature.
We confess that we are but ashes,
and for our wickedness we deserve to return to the dust.
Forgive all our sins,
and give us the blessings that come with true repentance;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 22 #1

“you do not desire the death of sinners” is a reference to Ezekiel 33:11

“We confess that we are but ashes” is a reference to  Genesis 18:27

“for our wickedness we deserve to return to the dust” is a reference to  Genesis 3:19, Job 10:9, Job 34:15, Psalm 90:3, Psalm 104:29, Ecclesiastes 3:20, Ecclesiastes 12:7

Mozarabic, ad.

 

 

Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian

O Lord and Master of my life!
Take from me the spirit of laziness,
faint-heartedness, desire for power, and idle talk.

But give your servant
the spirit of chastity,
humility, patience, and love.

Yes, Lord and King!
Grant me to see my own errors
and not to unjustly or hastily judge my brother,
for you are blessed, now and forever. Amen.

Source: Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian

Source of this version: Freely modified from http://lent.goarch.org/prayers/

The words ‘unjustly or hastily’ were added for clarity.

This prayer has its own Wikipedia article, available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_of_Saint_Ephrem

Original in Greek:

Κύριε καὶ Δέσποτα τῆς ζωῆς μου,
πνεῦμα ἀργίας, περιεργίας, φιλαρχίας,
καὶ ἀργολογίας μή μοι δῷς.,

Πνεῦμα δὲ σωφροσύνης,
ταπεινοφροσύνης, ὑπομονῆς, καὶ ἀγάπης
χάρισαί μοι τῷ σῷ δούλῳ.

Ναί, Κύριε Βασιλεῦ,
δώρησαι μοι τοῦ ὁρᾶν τὰ ἐμὰ πταίσματα,
καὶ μὴ κατακρίνειν τὸν ἀδελφόν μου,
ὅτι εὐλογητὸς εἶ, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

 

Prayer for Sexagesima

O God,
you so loved the world
that you gave your only Son
to reconcile the earthly with the heavenly;
Move us to love you above all things,
that we love our friends in you,
and our enemies for you;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 21 #2 (Sexagesima)

“O God, you so loved the world…” is a reference to  John 3:16

“to reconcile the earthly with the heavenly” is a reference to 2 Corinthians 5:19,  Colossians 1:20

“Move us to love you above all things” is a reference to  Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27

Mozarabic, ad.

 

 

St. Matthias, February 24

On February 24, the Christian Church remembers St. Matthias. Shortly after the Ascension of Our Lord, Matthias was was chosen to replace Judas.

Almighty God,
you chose your faithful servant Matthias
to take part in the ministry and apostleship
from which Judas fell in sin.
Preserve your church from false apostles,
and always bless us with faithful ministers
of your Word and sacraments;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881

Mozarabic, ad.