extended collect – Page 5 – A Collection of Prayers

Seal and Preserve Your Testimony in Our Hearts

We thank you, wilhelm_loehe
Lord God, heavenly Father,
that you have taught us to know
the chief parts of Christian truth.
Seal and preserve this testimony in our hearts
and preserve us from all errors,
so that we may remain steadfast in your fear and faith,
always rejoice in hope,
and finally obtain the goal of our faith,
the salvation of our souls;
through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Faith, Wilhelm Löhe, 1902, p. 70-71, Order of Service for Catechization

Thank You for Preserving Your Word

We thank you, wilhelm_loehe
Lord God, heavenly Father,
that you have preserved for us your holy Word,
and have built us up in your faith
by its mighty power.
Graciously forgive us
everything that we have done contrary to your Word.
Preserve among us this precious treasure,
that through its power
we may come to eternal life;
through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Faith, Wilhelm Löhe, 1902, p. 70, Order of Service for Catechization

May We Not Forget Eternal Things

Lord God, heavenly Father,
rule and govern our hearts by your Holy Spirit,
that we may not, like the rich man,
hear your Word in vain
and become so devoted to worldly things
that we forget eternal things,
but that we serve those who are in need
and not defile ourselves with carousing and pride.
Keep us from despair
when we experience trials and misfortunes
and move us to trust wholly in your fatherly help and grace,
so that in faith and Christian patience
we may overcome all things;
through your 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, d. 1549, Trinity 1

This revision/translation of The Collects of Veit Dietrich 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 Grace and Faith While We Await the Resurrection

Almighty God,
through the death of your Son
you have destroyed the power of sin and death
and through his resurrection
have restored innocence and eternal life
so that we would be redeemed
from the power of the devil.
Through the same power of the Resurrection,
raise our mortal bodies
when you awaken the dead.
Grant us your grace
that we may steadfastly believe this
with all our hearts,
and await the joyful resurrection of our bodies
with all your blessed ones;
through the same Jesus Christ,
your Son, our Lord.
Amen.

This prayer is from Prayers from the Evangelical-Lutheran Heritage, available from Amazon.com, and also available for Amazon Kindle. It is a collection of prayers from the history of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church from Luther to Loehe. The collection includes prayers by Johannes Bugenhagen, Georg C. Dieffenbach, Veit Dietrich, Matthias Flacius, Wilhelm Loehe, Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, Joachim Mynsinger, Johann G. Olearius, Johann Jacob Rambach, and the early agendas and prayer books of the Austrian, Brunswick, Hamburg, Lueneberg, Norwegian, Nuremberg, Pomeranian, Riga, Russian, Saxon, Schleswig-Holstein, and Swedish Evangelical-Lutheran churches.

Preserve Us from Greed

Lord God, heavenly Father,
you generously give us
your blessing and our daily bread.
Preserve us from greed and awaken our hearts
that we willingly share your blessed gifts
with our neighbors in need.
Make us faithful stewards of your gifts
and be gracious to us when our time of stewardship is done
and we come before your judgment;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549

Prayer for the Lord’s Day

Almighty Father,
dwell among us today
and fill us with yourself.
Say to each one of us,
“I am your salvation.”
Speak to us so that we cannot fail to hear.
Show yourself to us,
and show us how badly we need you.
Uphold your servants
who proclaim your Word in your temple
and lead the worship of your people.
Touch the hearts of the hearers
that they may receive and serve you.
Hear us, O heavenly Father,
for the sake of your only Son.
Amen.

Source: attributed to Augustine of Hippo, d. 430

Source of this version: Freely modified The Hymnal and Order of Service, The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod, 1925, p. 679 #3

When Someone Dies in the Lord

Prayer Book Bible Reading Book Of Common Prayer

Almighty God,
the spirits of those who die in the Lord live with you,
and the souls of the faithful,
after they are delivered from the burden of the flesh,
are in joy and bliss in your presence.
We give you humble thanks
that it has pleased you to deliver this our brother
out of the miseries of this sinful world.
We pray, in your goodness
fill up the number of your chosen ones and hasten your kingdom,
that with all those who have departed in the true faith of your holy name
we also may have our perfect fulfillment and bliss,
both in body and soul,
in your eternal glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Freely modified from The Book of Common Prayer (1662), Burial of the Dead

prayer for the dead in middle ages

prayers for the dead

Swedish Morning Prayer

O Lord God, heavenly Father,
we thank you with all our heart
that you have brought us to the beginning of this day
on which we will hear your holy gospel.
Graciously preserve among us the light of your truth,
and so direct and rule our hearts by your Holy Spirit,
that we may never turn away from it,
but remain steadfast in your Word,
and finally, by your grace, receive salvation;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from The Swedish Rite: a translation of “Handbok för svenska kyrkan” by Eric Esskildsen Yelverton, 1921, Prayer at Mattins, p. 3

Swedish Evening Prayer

Watch over us, O Lord, heavenly Father,
and preserve us from every evil
that may happen to body and soul.
Give us grace to take our rest in safety this night
beneath your protection;
and when our last evening comes,
grant that we fall asleep in your peace;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from The Swedish Rite: a translation of “Handbok för svenska kyrkan” by Eric Esskildsen Yelverton, 1921, “Public Evening Prayer,” p. 40

The Purpose of the Cross

Lord God, heavenly Father,
in your fatherly and infinite wisdom
you place your children on earth under the cross
and we endure many troubles.
Through these you guard us against sins
and lead us to believe, hope and pray.
Have mercy on us,
and hear our prayers in every affliction and need,
and send us your gracious help
so that we may know your grace and fatherly goodness,
and praise and glorify you
with all your saints in eternity,
for you, with your Son and the Holy Spirit
alone are the eternal God.
Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Epiphany 4