A Prayer for the Power of the Spirit Among the People of God
God of all power and love,
we give thanks for your unfailing presence
and the hope you provide in times of uncertainty and loss.
Send your Holy Spirit to enkindle in us your holy fire.
Revive us to live as Christ’s body in the world:
a people who pray, worship, learn,
break bread, share life, heal neighbors,
bear good news, seek justice, rest and grow in the Spirit.
Wherever and however we gather,
unite us in common prayer and send us in common mission,
that we and the whole creation might be restored and renewed,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The above Collect has been composed by a team of Lutherans and Episcopalians. Written “to unite us in common prayer and revive us for common mission” during this crisis in the spirit of Pentecost, Presiding Bishop Curry and his Lutheran counterpart, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, invite congregations to pray the new collect from Pentecost through the first Sunday in September. In addition to expressing a shared desire for renewal in a troubling time, the Collect also commemorates nearly 20 years of full communion between The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
As Christians, Episcopalians, and simple people of faith, we have a deep well to draw from when we seek our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. In addition to other resources on this site (see our Resources tab and our Journey of Faith tab), we’ve gathered a collection of prayers from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer that speak to us most deeply amidst the current challenges in our world.
Prayers for the World
For Peace
Almighty God, kindle, we pray, in every heart the true love of peace, and guide with your wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth, that in tranquility your dominion may increase until the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayers for the Church
For Our Parish
Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind with your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers for National Life
For Courts of Justice
Almighty God, who sittest in the throne judging right: We humbly beseech thee to bless the courts of justice and the magistrates in all this land; and give unto them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, that they may discern the truth, and impartially administer the law in the fear of thee alone; through him who shall come to be our Judge, thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayers for Social Order
In Times of Conflict
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers for the Natural Order
For Knowledge of God’s Creation
Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with all its marvelous order, its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we probe the mysteries of your creation, we may come to know you more truly, and more surely fulfill our role in your eternal purpose; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers for Family and Personal Life
For Those Who Live Alone
Almighty God, whose Son had nowhere to lay his head: Grant that those who live alone may not be lonely in their solitude, but that, following in his steps, they may find fulfillment in loving you and their neighbors; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Travelers
Oh God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go: Preserve those who travel (in particular ________ ); surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them to safety to their journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.