pentecost – Page 4 – A Collection of Prayers

Guide Us by Your Word and Spirit

cathedra-holyspirit1 O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of almighty God,
send your Holy Spirit
into our hearts
through your Word,
that he may govern and guide us
according to your will,
comfort us in all afflictions and misfortunes,
lead and uphold us in your truth against all error,
so that we may stand firm in your love
and offer ourselves to do good works,
and through the certain hope of your free grace
be blessed forever;
with the Father and the Holy Spirit
you live and reign,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Source: Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda, p. 291

Original in German:

Herr Jesu Christe, du Sohn des allmächtigen Gottes, wir bitten dich, du wollest durch dein Wort deinen heiligen Geist in Herzen geben, daß derselbe uns regiere und führe nach deinem Willen, in allerlei Anfechtung und Unglück tröste, in deiner Wahrheit wider allen Irrthum leite und erhalte, auf daß wir im feststehen mögen, in der Liebe und guten Werken zunehmen, und durch gewisse Hoffnung deiner erworbenen und geschenkten Gnade ewig selig werden, der du mit dem Vater und dem heiligen Geiste lebest und regierest von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit. Amen. Pommersche Agende.

Holy Spirit, Come to Us

hortus_deliciarum_pfingsten_und_die_aussendung_des_heiligen_geistes_auf_die_apostel God the Holy Spirit,
you are of one essence with the Father and the Son,
and you proceed from them.
You descended on the Lord Christ in the form of a dove,
and on his disciples as tongues of flame.
We thank you, we praise you,
and pray that you would chase from our souls
all the darkness of evil
and kindle in us the light of your grace
and the fire of your love;
you live and reign,
true God forever and ever.
Amen.

Source: Augustine

Source of this version: Modified from Prayers from the collection of the late baron Bunsen, selected [from Versuch eines allgemeinen evangelischen Gesang – und Gebetbuchs] and tr. by C. Winkworth, 1871, p.123-124

Graphic: Hortus deliciarum of Herrad of Landsberg from Wikipedia.com

Keep Us Repentant, Keep Us Strong in Faith

Blessed Lord,
give us your Holy Spirit
to work in us daily a true and lasting repentance,
and lead us as repentant Christian people,
always willing to acknowledge, mourn and lament our sins,
yet also keep us steadfast and strong in our faith
in the forgiveness of sins
and in our purpose to amend our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Johann Eichhorn, d. 1564

Graphic: Church of the Atonement (Crooksville, Ohio), photo by Nheyob, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Forgive Our Sins

0940_Cranach_nR 001 Almighty, eternal God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Creator of heaven and earth, and man,
together with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, your word and image,
and with your Holy Spirit, have mercy upon us,
and forgive us our sins for your Son’s sake,
whom you have made our Mediator according to your wonderful counsels,
and guide and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit,
which was poured out upon the Apostles.
Grant that we may truly know and praise you throughout all eternity! Amen.

Source: Philip Melanchthon

Source of this version: https://thekingsdale.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/a-prayer-of-philipp-melanchthon/

Prayers by Philip Melanchthon are included in 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.

Give Us a Right Understanding

O God,
by the teaching of the Holy Spirit
you have instructed the hearts of your faithful.
By the same Spirit give us a right understanding,
that we always rejoice in his holy comfort;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Private Prayers, p. 30

Strength in the Storm

800px-johann_friedrich_stark

Rest on us,
O Spirit of Love,
and chase all anger, envy,
and bitter grudges from our souls.
Be our Comforter in trial,
when the storm goes over our heads;
be our Strength in the hour of weakness,
and help us to control the desires of the flesh.
Let us grow in faith and love,
in hope, patience, and humility.
See how many temptations surround us,
and preserve us from giving way to them;
show us the path where we should tread,
for if we trust our own impulses we will go astray;
but if you lead us we shall run in the way of your commandments.
Our hearts lie open before you; enter now with your rich gifts,
strengthen, establish, settle them.
Dwell in them and make them your temple,
so shall we have the pledge of the children of God,
and of our salvation.
Amen.

Source: Johann Friedrich Starck (1680-1756)

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern
by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 76 #1

Let the Brightness of Your Glory Shine

Almighty God,
let the brightness of your glory shine on us,
and let the Light from Light by your Holy Spirit
shine in the hearts of all who have been born again by your grace;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Roman Mass for the Vigil of Pentecost

Original in Latin:

PRÆSTA, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut claritatis tuæ super nos splendor effulgeat; et lux tuæ lucis corda eorum, qui per gratium tuam renati sunt, Sancti Spiritus illustratione confirmet. Per Dominum.

“let the brightness of your glory shine on us” may be a reference to Numbers 6:25 and Psalm 67:1

“Light from Light” is a reference to the Nicene Creed, and is referring to Jesus Christ

“shine in the hearts of all is a reference to 2 Corinthians 4:6

“let the brightness of your glory shine on us” may have been the source of the lines from Luther’s hymn, “Come Holy Ghost, God and Lord,”

“Lord, by the brightness of your light
In holy faith your church unite”

Open the Eyes of our Mind

O loving Master,
shine into our hearts
by the pure light of knowing you,
open the eyes of our minds to reflect on your teaching,
and put into us the holy respect of your blessed commandments.
Lead us to set aside all that is worldly
that we may follow a spiritual life,
thinking and doing all things as it pleases you.
For you are our sanctification
and our illumination,
and to you we give all glory,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Eastern Church Liturgy.

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, ed. J. Manning Potts, The Upper Room, Nashville, Tennessee, © 1953 (Public domain in the U.S.), also in Ancient Collects, William Bright, p. 6#1.

This prayer may be the origin of verses from Luther’s hymn, “We now implore God the Holy Ghost”:

Shine in our hearts, O most precious Light,
That we Jesus Christ may know aright,
Clinging to our Savior, whose blood has bought us,
Who again to our homeland has brought us.
Lord, have mercy!

For Purity

O Holy Spirit of God,
very God,
you descended on Christ at the river Jordan,
on the apostles in the upper room;
we have sinned against heaven and before you;
purify us again with your divine fire,
and have mercy on us;
for Christ’s sake.
Amen.

Source: Nerses of Clajes (St. Nerses I)

Comforter, Abide in Us

Heavenly King, Comforter,
the Spirit of truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
treasury of goodness and giver of life:
come and abide in us.
Cleanse us from every stain of sin
and save our souls, O gracious Lord.

Source: Romanian Orthodox Church, Book of Hours, 1865

Source of this version: http://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Introductory%20Prayers.html

Also found here: http://oca.org/orthodoxy/prayers/trisagion

Also found here: Prayers Ancient and Modern
by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 144 #2