May the Almighty, All-Wise, All-Good God Bless Us

KAGod, the almighty
guide us in all our doings,
protect us in every danger,
help us in every need!

God, the all-wise
make everything work for our good,
according to his purpose.

God, the all-good
free us from all the afflictions
of Eden’s fall
on that day
when he gives us
the unending bliss
of eternal life.

Source: Schleswig-Hosteinsche Kirchen-Agende, 1797, Segenswünsche,  p. 146#3, translated for A Collection of Prayers.

Original in German:

Gott, der Allmächtige, sey unser Beistand in jedem Geschäft, unsre Zuversicht in jeder Gefahr, unsre Hülfe in jeder Noth!
Gott, der Allweise, lasse alle unsere Schicksale uns zum besten dienen!
Gott, der Allgütige, löse einst all’ unser Edenleiden auf in die überschängliche Wonne des ewigen Lebens!

Translation note:

“according to his purpose” was added for clarity, and to make a stronger connection with Romans 8:28.

“from all the afflictions of Eden’s fall…” was translated more freely for the sake of clarity.

 

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Ascension Day Acclamation

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The Lord ascended into heaven
so that he could send
the Comforter into this world.

Today the Father receives again to his side
the One who was in him from all eternity.

O you nations of the earth, clap your hands,
for Christ has gone up
to the place where he had been from all eternity.

Source: Ascension Day, Orthodox

This version is shortened from The Oxford Book of Prayer and http://standrewsinthevalley-thursdaymemos.blogspot.com/2011/06/

 

The Itinerarium

The Itinerarium is a short service similiar to the Suffrages, which included special prayers for travel.

Into the way of peace.

THE BENEDICTUS (Luke 1:68-79)

Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited us and prepared redemption for his people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
just as he said long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets.
He raised up salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
in order to show mercy to our fathers by remembering his holy covenant,
the oath which he swore to Abraham our father,
to grant deliverance to us from the hand of our enemies,
that we are able to serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
because you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins,
because of God’s tender mercies,
by which the Rising Sun from on high will visit us,
to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

May the almighty and merciful Lord lead us into the way of peace, and may his holy angels be with us on our way that that we may come to our home again in peace, health, and gladness.

LORD, HAVE MERCY

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

PRECES (Responsive Verses)

O God, save your servants who trust in you. (Psalm 86:2)
O Lord, send us help from the holy place. Support us from Zion. (Psalm 20:2)

You have been a refuge for us, a tower of strength in the face of the enemy.  (Psalm 61:3)
Do not let the enemy overcome us. Do not let our foes rejoice when we fall. (from Psalm 13:4)

Blessed be the Lord.
Day by day he bears our burdens. He is the God who saves us. (Psalm 68:19)

Make known to us your ways, O Lord.
Teach us your paths. (Psalm 25:4)

If only our ways were unwavering in keeping your statutes! (Psalm 119:5)
The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain. (Isaiah 40:4)

He will give a command to his angels concerning you,
to guard you in all your ways.
(Psalm 91:11)

Lord, hear my prayer,
and let my cry for help come to you. (Psalm 102:1)

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Let us pray.

(One or more of the following prayers may be read.)

O God, you made the children of Israel walk with dry feet through the midst of the sea, and by the guiding of a star you showed the wise men from the east the way that led to you. Grant us a safe and quiet journey. Let your holy angel accompany us during our pilgrimage, that in the end we may attain the haven of eternal salvation.

O God, you called your servant Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, and you kept him from evil on all the paths of his pilgrimage. O Lord, keep us. Be our help when we go forward, our comfort by the way, our shadow from the heat, our covering from the rain and the cold, our chariot when we are weary, our refuge in trouble, our staff on uncertain paths, our safety in disaster. Lead us that we may happily reach our destination and return home safely.

O Lord, direct our journeys in the safe path that leads to salvation in you, that with the many changes of this life’s pilgrimage your protection may always shield us.

O almighty God, guide your family on the path of salvation, and by listening to the preaching of the blessed forerunner John the Baptist, we may behold the Lamb whom John pointed to, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Let us go forth in peace.
In the name of the Lord. Amen.

Source: Freely modified from http://preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Varia/Itinerarium.html. See the article on the Itinerarium in the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia.

The same rite is also found in the Breviary Offices of Sarum.

Scripture is from the Evangelical Heritage Version (www.wartburgproject.org).

The couplet, “Blessed be the Lord. Day by day …” in the original is “V. Blessed be the Lord daily. R. The God of our salvation maketh our way prosperous.”

The end of the prayer “O God, you called your servant Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees…” “our safety in disaster” in the original reads “our refuge in shipwreck.”

See also…
General Suffrages
Morning Suffrages
Evening Suffrages

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Easter Peace, Easter Gladness

The day of resurrection has dawned on us,
the day of true light and life,
in which Christ, the life of believers,
arose from the dead.
Let us give abundant thanks and praise to God,
that while we solemnly celebrate the day
of our Lord’s resurrection,
he may be pleased to bestow on us
quiet peace and special gladness,
so that being protected from morning to night
by his favoring mercy,
we may rejoice in the gift of our Redeemer.

Source: Mozarabic Rite

Source of this version: Modified  from Ancient Collects, Ed. William Bright, 1902, p. 13 #1

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Confession and Absolution

Most holy and merciful Father,
we acknowledge and confess in your presence
our sinful nature
which is quick to do evil and slow to do good,
and all our shortcomings and offenses against you.
You alone know how often we have sinned,
in wandering from your ways,
in wasting your gifts,
in forgetting your love.
O Lord, have pity on us.
We are ashamed and sorry for all things
in which we have displeased you.
Teach us to know our errors,
cleanse us from our secret faults,
and forgive our sins
for the sake of your dear Son, our Savior.
O most holy and loving Father,
send your Holy Spirit into our hearts
that we may henceforth live in your light
and walk in your ways
as we follow your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Hear the gracious words of our Lord Jesus Christ to those who truly repent and turn to him:

God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

Whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (John 6:37)

The grace of our Lord Jesus + Christ be with you all. Amen.

 

Source: Modified from The Book of Common Worship, Henry Van Dyke, editor, Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1906, p. 3-4.

“Teach us to know our errors,” original has “teach us to hate our errors.” Change was made to better reflect Psalm 19:12.

“send your Holy Spirit into our hearts,” original has “send Thy purifying grace into our hearts.”

“as we follow your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” original has “According to the commandments of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The General Suffrages

LORD, HAVE MERCY

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

PRECES (Responsive Verses)

I said, “Lord, have mercy on me.
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.”
 (Psalm 41:4)

Turn, O Lord! How long!
Change your mind toward your servants. (Psalm 90:13)

May your mercy, O Lord, be on us,
even as we wait confidently for you.
 (Psalm 33:22)

May your servants be clothed with righteousness.
May your favored ones shout for joy.
 (Psalm 132:9)

Lord, save our rulers!
Answer us in the day we call! (Psalm 20:9)

Save your people, and bless the people that belong to you.
Shepherd them, and carry them forever.
 (Psalm 28:9)

Remember your community that you purchased long ago,
the tribe that you redeemed to be your possession. 
(Psalm 74:2)

May there be peace within your fortifications,
prosperity within your citadels. (Psalm 122:7)

Let us pray for our absent brothers and sisters:
Save your servants, who trust in you—you are their God. (Psalm 86:2)

Let us pray for the brokenhearted and the captives:
Redeem Israel, O God, from all its distress! (Psalm 25:22)

May he send you help from the holy place.
May he support you from Zion. (Psalm 20:2)

Lord, hear my prayer,
and let my cry for help come to you.
(Psalm 102:1)

PSALM

Here Psalm 130, De Profundis (Morning Prayer) or Psalm 51, Miserere Mei (Evening Prayer) may be read responsively.

God of Armies, restore us, and make your face shine,
so we will be saved. (Psalm 80:7)

Rise up, O Christ, come to our help!
Redeem us because of your mercy. (Psalm 44:26)

Lord, hear my prayer,
and let my cry for help come to you.
(Psalm 102:1)

PRAYERS

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Let us pray.

Prayers may be prayed here, concluding with the Prayer for Peace.

PRAYER FOR PEACE

Give peace in our days, O Lord,
for there is no one but you who fights for us, O God.

May there be peace within your fortifications,
prosperity within your citadels. (from Psalm 122:7)

O God, all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works come from you. Give your servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments. Defend us from the fear of our enemies, that we may pass our time in rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.
Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

BLESSING

The grace of our Lord + Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.

See also…
Morning Suffrages
Evening Suffrages
The Itinerarium

This version of the suffrages combines elements from Common Service Book (1919) and The Lutheran Hymnal (1941)

Scripture is from the Evangelical Heritage Version (www.wartburgproject.org).

Creed is from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, Wisc. U.S.A.

The Lutheran Hymnary

TLHy.pngThe Lutheran Hymnary was published in 1913 by American Lutheran church bodies that were of Norwegian heritage. The first setting of the Divine Service is quite different from the Common Service tradition, reflecting the traditions in Norwegian Lutheran worship.

The second setting of the Divine Service, along with Vespers were taken and slightly modified from the Evangelical-Lutheran Hymn-Book (1913), from Concordia Publishing House, and have mostly the same music that would later appear in The Lutheran Hymnal (1941).

The Lutheran Hymnary did not have a large liturgical or prayer section like The Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church. However, it did have some unique gems such as the prayers in the first setting of the Divine Service and the Exhortation in both settings tlhy_title_pageof the communion services.  So we make the texts available here. Along with the services below, The Lutheran Hymnary also included a musical version of the Litany, nearly identical in text to the one in Common Service Book, and a selection of psalms. Along with the traditional introits and collects, The Lutheran Hymnary also included the collects of Veit Dietrich, which are also included below, and are also available here on A Collection of Prayers in revised form.

The Lutheran Hymnary is available in graphic pdf format on Google Books and on Archive.org.

The Lutheran Hymnary

  1. The Order of Morning Service (I) [pdf] [docx]
  2. The Evening Service (I) [pdf] [docx]
  3. The Order of Morning Service, or The Communion (II) [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  4. Order of Evening Service, or Vespers (II) [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  5. The Collects of Veit Dietrich (Traditional English) [pdf] [docx]

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The Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church

csblcThe Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church was published in several editions, text only and text with music in 1917 and 1918. It is freely available through Google Books (text, text with music) and Archive.org (text, text with music). It was put together by the United Lutheran Church in America and several other American Lutheran bodies. Because of the date of publication, it is now in the public domain.

Other worship books like The Lutheran Hymnary (Norwegian Synods, 1913), Evangelical-Lutheran Hymn Book (LCMS, 1912), Book of Hymns (WELS, 1931) and The Lutheran Hymnal (LCMS-WELS-ELS Synodical Conference, 1941) drew from earlier versions of the rites when the Common Service was researched and compiled in 1888. Service Book and Hymnal (1958) built on the work of the Common Service Book and in many areas expanded the options in its services. Modern hymnals such as Lutheran Book of Worship, Lutheran Worship, Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, and Lutheran Service Book have all been greatly influenced by the rites and prayers in Common Service Book.

csbThe services of the Common Service Book are in the tradition of the Western Rite. Roman Catholics will recognize these services as very similar to the texts of the Mass and the liturgies of the hours. Anglicans/Episcopalians will see common elements to the Book of Common Prayer. 

The Common Service Book used Scripture texts from the King James Version of the Bible, used British spellings (Saviour, honour, etc.), and capitalized pronouns referring to the Deity, including Who/Whom, along with other words such as Name when referring to the name of God.

For this electronic edition, different editions were consulted, so the files below may not be exactly the same as any one print edition. These files were made by modifying and correcting the texts that were generated by the pdf files of the original books and putting them into a usable format. Headings and rubrics were put in red, even though they were printed black in the original books.

To properly display the docx files, you will need the fonts Old English Text MT and Liturgy. Updated contemporary versions also use the Liturgikon symbol font (embedded in the docx documents).

CSB.pngThe Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church, Electronic Resources

  1. The Calendar [pdf] [docx]
  2. The Service [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  3. Matins [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  4. Vespers [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  5. Introits, Collects, Epistles, Graduals and Gospels  [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated versions of the introits, collects and graduals and lessons (ESV), prepared for the LCMS Lutheran Service Book are available at www.sanctus.org.
  6. Sentences for the Seasons [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  7. Invitatories, Antiphons and Responsories [pdf] [docx]
  8. Collects and Prayers [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  9. The Litany [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  10. The Suffrages [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  11. The Bidding Prayer [pdf] [docx]
    • Updated version in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  12. The General Prayers [pdf] [docx]
  13. The Canticles [pdf] [docx]
    • Biblical texts from ESV and other texts updated in contemporary English [pdf] [docx]
  14. Order for Public Confession (not in all editions of Common Service Book) [pdf] [docx]
  15. The Occasional Services  [pdf] [docx]
  16. General Rubrics [pdf] [docx]

The hymns of the Common Service Book with Hymnal are available at Hymnary.org.

Religion Old Book Book Antique Prayer Book FaithThere’s more! Go to index.acollectionofprayers.com to access prayers by era, topic, liturgical use and author!

Put a link to the index on your computer or phone’s desktop for instant access to A Collection of Prayers as an online prayer book!

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Lutheran Service Book, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal

Inward Peace and Goodwill

O Lord Jesus Christ,
by your incarnation you united
things earthly and heavenly.
Fill us with the sweetness
of inward peace and goodwill,
that we may join the heavenly host
in singing praises to your glory;
for you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gregorian Rite, 6th Century

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

Variant, as a blessing:

And may He, Who through His Incarnation united earthly things with Heavenly, fill us with the sweetness of inward peace and good will, and make us partakers with the Heavenly Host. Amen.

Source of this version: The Priest to the Altar: Or Aids to the Devout Celebration of Holy Communion Chiefly After the Ancient English Use of Sarum, Peter Goldsmith Medd,
Rivingtons, 1879, 11th Century

 

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Christmas Blessings

For Christmas Eve

May God Almighty, who by the Incarnation of his only 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 sins and enlighten our hearts with the light of Christian graces. Amen.

And may he, who willed that the great day of his most holy birth should be told to the shepherds by an angel, pour on us the refreshing shower of his blessing, and guide us by him, our Shepherd, to the pastures of everlasting joy. Amen.

And may he, who through his Incarnation united earthly things with heavenly, fill us with the sweetness of inward peace and good will, and make us partakers with the heavenly host. Amen.

For Christmas Day

May God almighty, who made this most holy day to be sacred by the birth of his Son, bless us, and rouse our minds to heavenly things. Amen.

And may he, who has placed him who is the bread of angels in the manger of the church to be the food of faithful creatures, both cause us in this present life to taste the sweetness of eternal joys, and lead us in that which is to come to the participation of everlasting rewards. Amen.

And may he who willed his infant form to be clothed in worthless rags, clothe us with the adorning of the robes of heaven. Amen.

Source: Gregorian and Mozarabic Rites

Source of this version: Modified from The Priest to the Altar: Or Aids to the Devout Celebration of Holy Communion Chiefly After the Ancient English Use of SarumPeter Goldsmith Medd, Rivingtons, 1879

 

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