epiphany (season) – Page 2 – A Collection of Prayers

You Have Sown the Seed of Your Word

veit-dietrich

Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank you that you have sown the good seed of your holy Word in our hearts. By your Holy Spirit cause this seed to grow and bring forth fruit, and defend us from the enemy, that he may not sow weeds there. Keep us from worldly security, help us in all temptations and give us at last eternal salvation; through your beloved Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich

Source of this version: Freely modified from The Lutheran Hymnary, 1913,http://olcc.us/liturgical-resources/collects-veit-dietrich/ (Epiphany 5)

Prayer for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

O God the Father Almighty,
listen to our prayers,
and give us the fullness of love and peace.
May we always put our faith in your mercy,
and always live in hope and love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 19 #3 (Epiphany 3)

“give us the fullness of love and peace” is a reference to 2 Corinthians 13:11, Ephesians 6:23, 2 Timothy 2:22, Jude 1:2

“May we always put our faith in your mercy, and always live in hope and love” is a reference to 1 Corinthians 13:13

Prayer for the Second Sunday after Epiphany

O almighty God,
you raised up your blessed Son in righteousness,
and revealed him in the flesh;
Grant that we may always follow him both in word and deed,
so that, listening to him with our hearts,
we may be partakers of his glory;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 19 #2 (Epiphany 2)

“raised up your blessed Son in righteousness” is a reference to Psalm 72:1, Psalm 72:1

“revealed him in the flesh” is a reference to John 1:14, John 1:31, Ephesians 3:5, Colossians 1:26

“we may be partakers of his glory” is a reference to 1 Peter 4:13, 1 Peter 5:1

We Have Your Word, Grant that We May Trust

veit-dietrich Lord God, heavenly Father, in your special love and mercy you gave us your Son who became fully human and died on the cross for us. Pour your Holy Spirit into our hearts that we may put all our trust in him, just as the Centurion believed that Christ would help his sick servant, may we be assured of the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. We have your Word: ‘Whoever believes in me will never see death.’ Dear Father in heaven, grant that we may believe with no doubts in our hearts, and remain in the faith until our last hour. Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich

Source of this version: Freely modified from Summaria Christlicher Lehr, Veit Dietrich, 1548 (Epiphany 3)

Prayer for the First Sunday after Epiphany

O Lord God,
you always hear those who cry to you,
and you show your tender mercy to those who are distressed.
Help us to despise the emptiness of this world,
renounce its deceits,
and find in Christ our eternal and exceedingly great reward;
Grant this, for the sake of your blessed Son, our Savior.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 19 #1 (Epiphany 1)

“you always hear those who cry to you” is a reference to Psalm 27:7, Psalm 34:17, Psalm 39:12, Psalm 145:19

“you show your tender mercy to those who are distressed” is a reference to 2 Samuel 24:14, 1 Chronicles 21:13, Nahum 1:7

“Help us to despise the emptiness of this world” is a reference to Colossians 2:8

“renounce its deceits” is a reference to 2 Corinthians 4:2, see also Psalm 43:1, Romans 1:29, Ephesians 4:14, Colossians 2:8, 1 Peter 2:1

“find in Christ our eternal and exceedingly great reward” is a reference to Genesis 15:1, Colossians 3:24

Bless Marriages and Families

veit-dietrich Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank you for instituting holy matrimony to keep us from unchastity and other offenses. Send your blessing on every husband and wife, that they may not provoke each other to anger and strife, but live peaceably together in love and godliness, receive your gracious help in all temptations and raise their children according to your will. Move us all to walk before you in purity and holiness, to put all our trust in you, and lead holy lives on earth and in the world to come enjoy eternal life; through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich

Source of this version: Freely modified from The Lutheran Hymnary, 1913,http://olcc.us/liturgical-resources/collects-veit-dietrich/ (Epiphany 2)

A Prayer for the Baptism of Our Lord

O Lord Jesus Christ,
in order to fulfill all righteousness,
you were baptized by John in the Jordan.
Clothe us with this same righteousness,
that as your baptized people,
we, too, may be called beloved children of your Father,
and because of you, know he is well pleased with us;
through your mercy, O our God,
you are blessed,
and live and govern all things,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Paul C. Stratman, written to imitate the style of a Mozarabic Collect.

Prayer for the Baptism of Our Lord by Paul C. Stratman is under under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

“in order to fulfill all righteousness” is a reference to Matthew 3:15

“Clothe us with this same righteousness” is a reference to Romans 13:14, Galatians 3:27

“we, too, may be called beloved children of your Father” is a reference to John 1:12, 1 John 3:1

“and because of you, know he is well pleased with us” is a reference to Romans 3:21-22

You Have Established the Christian Home

veit-dietrich Lord God, heavenly Father, in your mercy you have established the Christian home among us. Rule and direct our hearts, that we may be good examples to children and not offend them by Word or deed, but faithfully teach them to love your Church and hear your blessed Word. Give them your Spirit and grace, that this seed may bring forth good fruit, so that our home life may lead others to your glory, honor, and praise, to our own improvement and welfare and give offense to no one; through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich

Source of this version: Freely modified from The Lutheran Hymnary, 1913, http://olcc.us/liturgical-resources/collects-veit-dietrich/ (Epiphany 1)

Keep Us Faithful to Your Truth

O Lord,
keep your household always faithful to your truth,
that we who rely only on the hope of your heavenly grace
may always be defended by your mighty power;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gregorian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

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 Health of Mind and Body

Almighty God,
you know that we are surrounded by many great dangers,
and because of our human frailty
we cannot withstand them.
Give us health of mind and body
so that we who suffer under sin
may overcome and win the victory in you;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gregorian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

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.