Oh, another goodie to Guess Who

The second reason he came is so that he would abrogate in an even more just manner the sentence of death, which he had imposed with justice. God wanted to fulfill his own statute by suffering, so that he would not enforce it by a command, as he himself says: "I have come not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it." God's promise of good things for good people is unreliable, if what has been established by God for the wicked comes to nothing. "Not a single letter," he says, "not a dot of the Law will pass away, until all these things occur." Whoever is wise has knowlege of what is revealed here; let the one who perceives it understand.

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Great Quote

"Man was created in order that God might assume man's nature, cover all the faults and defects of that nature, pay the penalty for all the sins and bear all the sorrows of that nature, that man's nature, thus redeemed, might rise from its humiliation and mortality, to share eternally the blessedness and glory of God's own nature."

Now, can you tell me who said it?

To Show His Righteousness

"...Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:25,26

As I was reading this on Sunday - our epistle for Reformation - the thought struck me that what the Blessed Apostle was saying here is that God put forward our Lord Jesus Christ as the propitiation to show the divine righteousness or justice, His fairness if you will. Because He had passed over sins in the past without bringing upon the sinners the doom He had forewarned (even think of Adam in Paradise!), He might well appear to be an unjust God. Capricious even.

Yet the one sacrifice of our Lord manifests that God is just - in that He leaves no sin unpunished - for all our sins are laid on the divine Son who bears them in His own body before the holiness of the Divine Majesty and that holiness wipes them out, but of course, it cannot wipe out the person of the God-Man. The result is that God can be and is both JUST and yet the JUSTIFIER of the person who trusts in Christ, in His atoning blood.

Now, you may say, "Well, duh." But it takes a while for things to get through this thick skull. See, I should have sweated through Romans instead of opting for a summer class on Galatians!

The First Was The Best...

1. Dominus et magister noster Iesus Christus dicendo `Penitentiam agite &c.' omnem vitam fidelium penitentiam esse voluit.

Upon This Article

Our churches teach that people cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People are freely justified for Christ's sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven them for Christ's sake. By His death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His sight. - AC IV (Concordia)

The first and chief article is this: Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification. He alone is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, and God has laid upon Him the iniquities of us all. All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works or meerits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood. This is ncessary to believe. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any work, law, or merit. Therefore, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us. As St. Paul says: "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law." (Rom 3:28) "That He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Rom 3:26) Nothing of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though heaven and earth and everything else falls. "For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12) "And with His stripes we are healed." (Is 53:5) Upon this article everything that we teach and practice depends, in opposition to the pope, the devil, and the whole world. Therefore, we must be certain and not doubt this doctrine, otherwise all is lost, and the pope, the devil, and all adversaries win the victory and the right over us. - SA Part II, I (Concordia)

Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word;
Curb those who by deceit or sword
Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son
And bring to naught all He has done.

Lord Jesus Christ, Your power make known,
For You are Lord of lords alone;
Defend Your holy Church that we
May sing Your praise eternally.

O Comforter of priceless worth,
Send peace and unity on earth;
Support us in our final strife
And lead us out of death to life! (LSB #655)

Patristic Quote for the Day

“If Phinees, when he waxed zealous and slew the evil-doer, staved the wrath of God, shall not Jesus, who slew not another, but gave up Himself for a ransom, put away the wrath which is against mankind?…Further; if the lamb under Moses drove the destroyer far away, did not much rather the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, deliver us from our sins? The blood of a silly sheep gave salvation; and shall not the Blood of the Only-begotten much rather save?…Jesus then really suffered for all men; for the Cross was no illusion, otherwise our redemption is an illusion also…These things the Saviour endured, and made peace through the Blood of His Cross, for things in heaven, and things in earth. For we were enemies of God through sin, and God had appointed the sinner to die. There must needs therefore have happened one of two things; either that God, in His truth, should destroy all men, or that in His loving-kindness He should cancel the sentence. But behold the wisdom of God; He preserved both the truth of His sentence, and the exercise of His loving-kindness. Christ took our sins in His body on the tree, that we by His death might die to sin, and live unto righteousness.” St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, XIII

An All Saints Day Homily from Yesteryear

All saints goes wrong when one sees the great crowd and starts analyzing and poking at them, focusing on them, instead of focusing on what they are focused on. For when you look at the crowd the one thing that surely strikes you is that they are all staring in the same direction, gazing upon the same object, with the same look of astonishment and awe and love upon their faces. Otherwise they are very different – some were among the rich and some the poor, some black and some white, some struggled with this sin and some with that, some thought one thing and some another. Oh, they are a very eclectic crowd in so many ways. But the thing that holds them together as ONE crowd is the object on which they are fixed and the love and awe that shine from them as they rejoice to look upon what they look upon. So one does not analyze that look and imitate it outwardly so that one can “fit into the crowd.” Instead, one pushes this way and that to get in and get a glimpse of what it is that they are all so focused upon! Because if you do that, then you too – no matter what the unique struggles and burdens of your life - will come to wear the same look of astonishment and awe and love on your face. Not because you’re trying to be like the crowd, but because you also see what the crowd has seen – and you’ll drop to your knees too, and awe and love will shine from your face as well.

What is it that they are all looking at? Moses told you: “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned on them from Seir; He shown forth from Mount Paran. And He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right came a fiery law for them. Yes, he loves His people; All His saints are in your hand; they sit down at your feet; everyone receives Your words.”

They are all look at the One who comes to them. The Lord who comes with a fiery law and yet an even greater fire of love for them burning in His heart. The Lord who gathers His saints around Him so that they sit at His feet to drink in His words. Images of Mary, sister of Martha, not being distracted from the one thing needful. Look into Mary’s face and you’ll recognize the face of the saints. Those who listen with rapt attention to the words of the Lord – words that reveal an astonishing reality: what goes on in the heart of God toward this wayward lot of humanity. Words that reveal a love for us that has no cause in us, but that overflows from His heart of love.

Even more are you told in Revelation. A multitude so great that no one could fix a number on it – from all the nations, tribes, peoples and tongues of the earth – and what is that they are focused on? No on themselves! Where are they staring? Not at each other! They are all facing the throne of God and of the Lamb. Clothed in white, waving their palm branches, singing aloud: “Salvation comes from God and from the Lamb!” Do you see the look of awe and wonder on their faces? They are now seeing Him with the eyes of the body whom they had heard before with their ears. He is their Joy and their Delight. They sing with the Psalmist: “Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there is none upon the earth that I desire besides Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” And what a portion He is! “They are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits upon the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God Himself will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” A huge portion, indeed! More than they could ever dream or imagine, is given to them.

And so they stare into the face of Him who is the Gift of all of this and more. A gift they know that not one of them could ever have deserved or earned. A gift that is all the more astonishing because of how it was given. For it wasn’t as though this God simply said: “Oh well, they’re a rebellious lot, aren’t they? But we’ll just have to overlook that.” No. The very source of the astonished look of awe and love that shines from the faces of this crowd is that they know that God did nothing of the sort. He overlooked not one of their trespasses. He forgot not one of their transgressions. He punished every sin in complete justice. But He did like this: He sent into the flesh His Beloved Son to be the Lamb. The Lamb on whom would be loaded every last transgression of this crowd – and even more – even the transgressions of those who will not look upon this Lamb and who refuse to see what He has done. And this Lamb, loaded down under that weighty burden, carried every last sin under the scathing wrath of God; the unbending, unyielding, uncompromising righteous anger of God. And He did it for all, for love of all, for love of you. Crying out to each one: see I have borne your burden that you may be blessed with my blessing. That I may lay my blessing upon you. “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no inquity.” (Ps 32:1,2).

Nor did that Lamb perish under that burden. But having died, He lives again. Forevermore bearing the wounds that mark Him as the complete and final and full sacrifice for sin. “A Lamb as it had been slain” is the way St. John describes Him, the way that His saints see Him. A Lamb that died under our burden, but that lives forevermore. And His very life is the sign that what He offered for us has been accepted as enough and more than enough by His Father.

And so the crowd stares at this Lamb! Sings to this Lamb! Falls down before this Lamb, this Lord Jesus! This is what makes a saint, what makes one part of the crowd, that from the heart one sees Jesus as this Lamb and so forever in love worships and praises Him!

On the mountain Jesus sat and around Him gathered his disciples. And He spoke blessing on them as they looked into His face. Blessings that they would only fully realize when they came to know that the One who was blessing them was none other than their Lamb, the Lamb given them by God. Blessings that would reach their ultimate fruition when they stood before Him with the whole crowd on that glorious day and experienced the unspeakable comfort of a nail-scared hand, gently touching each face, and wiping away every tear. Blessed indeed are all who in that crowd! All saints. Amen.

Reminder

Many of our Lutheran parishes this coming Sunday will celebrate All Saints, and many will combine that feast with a remembrance of the faithful departed. The Lutheran Service Book Agenda on pp. 151-153 provides some resources for this remembrance.

Of special importance is the part titled: Remembrance of the Faithful Departed.

The rubric suggests that this remembrance may be accomplished at any of several points in the Divine Service (before the liturgy proper, after the Sermon or Creed, or during the Prayer of the Church). I think the last option makes the most sense.

If a parish reads out the names of those who have fallen asleep in the Lord in the year past, the bell may be tolled following the reading of each name. After all names have been commemorated, a beautiful collect is spoken that recalls the similar collect at graveside.

It's a worthy practice to follow. If not on All Saints, then on December 31st or the Last Sunday in the Church Year. We do not forget those who have died in Christ, for we know they live. To quote Urbanus Rhegius, we do not say that they are gone, but that they are gone ahead.

Patristic Quote for the Day

“Since then according to the witness of the prophets the great and
precious ransom has been found for Jews and Greeks alike, the
propitiation for the whole world, the life given for the life of all
men, the pure offering for every stain and sin, the Lamb of God, the
holy sheep dear to God, the Lamb that was foretold, by Whose inspired
and mystic teaching all we Gentiles have procured the forgiveness of
our former sins, and such Jews as hope in Him are freed from the
curse of Moses, daily celebrating His memorial, the remembrance of
His Body and Blood, and are admitted to a greater sacrifice than that
of the ancient law, we do not reckon it right to fall back upon the
first beggarly elements, which are symbols and likenesses but do not
contain the truth itself. And any Jews, of course, who have taken
refuge in Christ, even if they attend no longer to the ordinances of
Moses, but live according to the new covenant, are free from the
curse ordained by Moses, for the Lamb of God has surely not only
taken on Himself the sin of the world, but also the curse involved in
the breach of the commandments of Moses as well. The Lamb of God is
made thus both sin and curse—sin for the sinners in the world, and
curse for those remaining in all the things written in Moses’ law.
And so the Apostle says: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us”; and “Him that knew no sin, for
our sakes he made sin.”For what is there that the Offering for the
whole world could not effect, the Life given for the life of sinners,
Who was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a lamb to the
sacrifice, and all this for us and on our behalf? "

--St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, XIII

Fr. Fenton Announces His Resignation from Zion

Fr. sent out an email today announcing his resignation from Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Detroit, and his intention to enter communion with the Orthodox Church. He is a man who will be sorely missed in Lutheranism. I think decades hence we will still be acknowledging our indebtedness to him in our Synod in the area of liturgics. Fr. Fenton, our prayers remain with you and your family. Friends at Zion, know that our prayers also remain with you today and in the days to come.

Joyous Day

Today is packed full - many goodies already and more goodies to come:

7:45- The Holy Eucharist.
9:00- Bible Class.
10:00- The Holy Eucharist - with the children from St. Paul's Daycare/Preschool singing before service, and with the Baptism into Christ of Nolan Aaron Schaeffer. Place was packed.
1:30 - Adult Catechesis, last class. Topic: the Lord's Supper.
3:00 Vespers with Christopher Loemker as organist, leading us through the Church Year in song - Christopher is an unbelievable musician and his grandmother grew up in our parish.
4:00- Reception after Vespers sponsored by St. Paul's LWML.
6:00 - Public School Catechism Instruction.
7:45 - House Blessing - for my inlaws.
8:30 - Home and finished for the day, God willing!

Patristic Quote for the Day

"They said that he who adhered to faith alone was cursed; but he, Paul, shows that he who adhered to faith alone is blessed." - St. John Chrysostom (First Corinthians, Homily 20, PG 61.164)

Reformation Musings

Last year I started a bit of a firestorm by suggesting that the appropriate color for Reformation is not so much red, as violet. That this is a day of sadness, as well as joy. For it marked the splintering of the Western Church in opposing confessions and the situation remains much the same after all these centuries. Purple IS appropriate to challenge each of us: have I perpetuated the divisions of Christendom by my own biting words and bitter judgments? Have I explained my neighbors actions in the kindest way? Have I sought to bear witness to the truth of God with the humility which is fitting those who know themselves to be miserable sinners saved only grace?

And yet the question still need to be answered: does the Church ever need to be reformed? There are those, mostly our sisters and brothers in the East, who insist "No! The Church is the Body of Christ; she does not err."

St. Paul spoke of what happens when Christians take their bodies and join them to prostitutes: "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!" (1 Cor. 6:15)

The members of Christ, the members of His body, can MISUSE their bodies by sexual sin. When such happens, it is no use to say: "Look, my body is a member of Christ and Christ is without sin, so my body is without sin." St. Paul warns us "Flee sexual immorality!" It does the Christian in such an instance no good to cry out: "The temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord!" as did the faithless inhabitants of Judah whom God condemned through Jeremiah so long ago.

And that this may happen beyond the physical, and in the spiritual, in the realm of the Church's teaching is the Scriptures indisputable teaching. Recall how the Apostle Paul warned the Ephesian presbyters:

"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert!" (Acts 20:30)

The fact is that error also arises *from within the Church*, *from among your own selves.* When such error arises, St. Paul had a solution. It was not simply submitting to whatever happened to be commanded by that which went by the name of Church. It was rather the path of humility, the path of testing what is said.

"And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:32)

The word of God's grace, the Gospel, that is what has the awesome power to build you up, to keep you the Lord's, and to give you the inheritance that belong to all who are sanctified, made holy in and by Him.

It is by testing out the message proclaimed against "the word of God's grace" that we discern in those who speak for the Church either the voice of our Good Shepherd or the voice of the Wolf that would lead us away from the life of repentance and faith into unrepentant presumption, pride, or despair.

Those who lead the Church in her earthly pilgrimage are not immune to error, and to every Christian Christ has given the command:

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits." (Matt 7:15-16)

And the Holy Apostle Paul has commanded all Christians:

"Do not despise prophesies, but test *everything;* hold fast what is good." (1 Thes 5:20-21)

St. Jude, whom we commemorate this day, warned:

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." (Jude 3,4)

Remembering that Antichrist presumes even to take his seat in God's temple, in the Holy Church, we know that as Christians we must always be vigilant about what we are taught. The supreme measure of the truthfulness of what we're taught is the Word of God's grace in Jesus Christ, the word that will neither let us continue in sin with impenitence nor lead us to presume to trust in our own goodness before God. The Word of grace that unfolds to us the riches that our loving heavenly Father has given to us in His beloved Son - forgiveness of sins, a share in His divine life, a salvation that is eternal.

Because the Church is in process toward becoming all that Jesus has declared her to be, the pilgrim Church heeds the warning of her Lord to beware of deception, especially from those who hold office in the Body of Christ and are called to be her teachers. To test out what they say and hear in their words the voice of our Shepherd, we have been given the Word, especially the Gospel.

In this sense, the color of the day should be red. Red for the fire of the Holy Spirit who has inspired the Word and who works mightily through it to bring people to faith and to keep them in faith and to give them an inheritance which will never fade. Let your Reformation motto be: "Test everything; hold fast what is good."

[And I'm sure that red being the color used on the Sunday of the Reformation is utterly coincidental with the result that Lutheran Churches across our land this Sunday are wearing the color of the Cards...]

Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles

Readings: Jeremiah 26:1-16 / 1 Peter 1:3-9 / John 15:[12-16] 17-21

"But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me."

They may be rather obscure to us, though Church tradition does give us a little more information on these holy apostles of Christ. But they are not obscure to Him who named them apostles and sent them forth with an everlasting Gospel to proclaim. And when at last that Gospel has had its fruition in our lives, when we arrive at the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, we will be blessed to see that their names were not forgotten indeed! Inscribed on two of the twelve foundation stones of our new and forever home will be the names: Simon and Jude.

"Built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone."

Praise, Lord, for Your apostles,
Saint Simon and Saint Jude.
One love, one hope impelled them
To tread the way, renewed.
May we with zeal as earnest
The faith of Christ maintain,
Be bound in love together,
And life eternal gain. (LSB 518, st. 28)

What did the Cardinal say to the Tiger?

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!

Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, Detroit, but the tigers were very tasty.

: )

Detroit Fans

You have proven that you have NOTHING to be ashamed of. Great game, even though St. Louis ended up on top. I confess that although part of me would love to have a Cards win (shoot, PLAY!) tonight and be done with baseball for a while, part of me kind of hopes that we get to see MORE match-ups. The pitching that leaves you breathless (can he hold out another inning with no runs?) didn't happen, but in some ways it made the game more nail-biting. And does little Davey still knows how to handle his Goliath or what? Go Eckstein!

Three Hymnwriters

Today our churches commemorate the great hymn writers: Philip Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt. Of the three, there is no question that Nicholai is my favorite. His hymns "O Morning Star" and "Wake, Awake!" are known as the Queen and King of the chorales respectively. They are sung in almost every jurisdiction of Christendom - even by the Western rite Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. They are part of a book he wrote to comfort his parish. In a six month period the man buried 1300 of his parishioners due to plague. How to comfort the rest? How to give them a joy that death could not take away? Here are the opening words of his book "Mirror of Joy":

"As often as I call to mind the surpassing comfort of the promise of eternal life and of our heavenly home, my heart bursts out with joy and my soul rejoices in God my Savior. Think of it! There we believing Christians will behold with joyful eyes the Almighty King of glory, our only Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ, who for us trampled down the ancient serpent! There we will gather with the holy patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. There we will see again with overflowing joy those we’ve loved on earth – our father, mother, brothers and sisters, husband and wife, children, and all our acquaintances who have blessedly fallen asleep in the Lord and have gone before us in true faith. There God will wipe all tears from our eyes and transform our mourning into dancing. He will clothe us with joy, so that our heart rejoices for all eternity and this awesome joy no one can ever take from us."

In the spirit of such comfort and joy, he sang the faith into the hearts of all Christendom with his magnificent chorales. Only two of them are well known, but there was a third hymn at the back of "Mirror of Joy" - someday I'm going to translate that puppy.

What joy to know, when life is past,
The Lord we love is first and last,
The end and the beginning!
He will one day, oh, glorious grace,
Transport us to that happy place
Beyond all tears and sinning!
Amen! Amen!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Crown of gladness!
We are yearning
For the day of Your returning!
LSB #395, vs. 6

Patristic Quote for the Day

Why then are you afraid of drawing nigh, since you have no works demanded of you? Why are you bickering and quarrelsome, when grace is before you, and why keep putting me the Law forward to no purpose whatsoever? For you will not be saved by that, and will mar this gift also; since if you pertinaciously insist on being saved by it, you do away with this grace of God. – Chrysostom, Homily 18 on Romans 10,11

On Absolutions

How do you say: "Ego te absolvo"?

Here are some ways across the history of the Lutheran Church that it has been said. I confess that the last, which is also one of the earliest, is my favorite:

The Absolution from the Petri Mass of 1531:

The almightiest eternal God of His incomprehensible mercy forgive us all our sins and give us grace that we may amend our sinful life and attain with Him eternal life. Amen.

The Absolution from the famous Casamiriana of 1626, authored by Johann Gerhard:

The Almighty God has graciously had mercy upon you, and through the precious merits of the all-holy sufferings, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, He forgives you all your sins. And I as an ordained Servant of the Christian Church announce this forgiveness of all of your sin to all of you who are truly repentant and who through faith place all your trust upon the singular merits of Christ Jesus, and who intend to
order your life according to the command and will of God, and who intend to make frequent use of the high and most worthy Supper of the true body and blood of Christ for the strengthening of your faith and the betterment of your lives, in the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

But on the contrary I say on the basis of God’s Word and in the name of Jesus Christ to all unrepentant and unbelieving persons who despise God himself, His Word and the most holy Sacrament, that God has retained your sins and certainly will punish you with both temporal and eternal punishment if you do not turn and repent in the time of grace, which repentance we wish for you with all our heart.

The Absolution from the Saxon Agenda of Walther, 1856:

"Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servants of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you who heartily repent of your sins, believe on Jesus Christ, and sincerely and earnestly purpose by the assistance of God the Holy Ghost henceforth to amend your sinful lives, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of God + the Father, God + the Son, and God + the Holy Ghost. Amen."

The Absolution from Braunschweig-Wolfenbuettel 1569, authored by Chemnitz and Adnreae::

"The Almighty God has been merciful to you and through the merit of the most holy suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, He forgives you all your sins; and I, as an ordained servant of the Christian church, proclaim to all you who truly repent and who through faith place your trust and minds on the merit of Jesus Christ and who order your lives after the commands and will of God, the forgiveness of all your sin in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. On the contrary, however I say to any impenitent and unbelieving, according to God’s Word and in His name, that God has held your sin against you and this certainly is punished."

The Absolution from HH (Herzog Heinrich, 1539 - ancestor of the LCMS liturgies):

The almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ would be gracious and merciful to you. He wants to forgive you all your sins, and this because his dear Son Jesus Christ has suffered for them and died for them. In the name of that same Jesus Christ, because he has mandated me to do this, in the power of his words where he said: 'Whosoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven,' I say to you that all your sins are forgiven. They cannot hold you captive. They are altogether forgiven you as abundantly and completely as was won for you by Jesus Christ through his suffering and death, and which he commanded to be proclaimed in all the world through the Gospel, and this is now said to you, to comfort and strengthen you, as I now speak this to you in the name of the Lord Christ, for you to receive it gladly, setting your conscience at peace, as with a faith that cannot be shaken, your sins are surely forgiven you, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Go forth in peace."

Faithful Women

Today our Church rejoices to remember the faithful women Dorcas, Lyida, and Phoebe:

These women were exemplary Christians who demonstrated their faith by their material support of the Church. Dorcas (also known as Tabitha) was well-known and much loved for her acts of charity in the city of Joppa, especially for her making clothes for the poor. When Dorcas died suddenly, the members of her congregation sent to the neighboring city of Lydda for the Apostle Peter, who came and raised her from the dead (Acts 9:36-41). Lydia was a woman of Thyatira, who worked at Philippi selling a famous purple dye that was so much in demand in the ancient world. She was also a 'worshiper of God' at the local synagogue. When the Apostle Paul encountered her in prayer among other proselyte women, his preaching of the Word brought Lydia to faith in Christ. She and her friends thus became the nucleus of the Christian community in Philippi (Acts 16:13-15, 40). Phoebe was another faithful woman associated with the Apostle Paul. She was a deaconess from Cenchrae (the port of Corinth) whom Paul sent to the church in Rome with his Epistle to the Romans. In it he writes of her support for the work of the early Church (Rom 16:1). (LCMS Website)

While women may not hold the office of the holy ministry (the ministry of faith), we see them always active and leading the way in the diaconate (the ministry of love). As we remember these saints of old today, we also give thanks to God for the service to His church of our deaconesses. May they ever remind us that faith without the works of love is dead!

Patristic Quote for the Day

"All things are clear and open that are in the divine Scriptures; the necessary things are all plain." – Chrysostom, Homily 3 on 2 Thessalonians

It Was Almost Like

Watching Tweedy bird outsmart Sylvester the cat once again. GO CARDS!!!

EWTN Again

Oh, by the way. The piece the choir sang after the sermon? "Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray"- yup! Written by that feisty old Lutheran, Henry Eyster Jacobs. Gotta love it.

Worth Reading

Mueller (AKA Piepkorn)

'Nuff said.

Worship With Angels and Archangels

So you haven't got a decent idea WHAT to give that 7-15 year old for Christmas this year? Well, your prayers have been answered. Order them a copy of *Worship with Angels and Archangels: An Introduction to the Divine Service.* Recently published by CPH, and written by Scot Kinnaman with illustrations by Arthur Kirchhoff, this puppy is awesome. It talks you through the Divine Service with beautiful illustrations along the way. It helps unpack the liturgical logic, the links that hold the service together. And from start to finish it stresses the Confessional definition of liturgy as God's service to us that enlivens us for praise and thanksgiving to Him and service to our neighbor. Come to think of it, maybe you all should order one for some of our PASTORS - just joking. They got it for free. I hope they read it!

One more CPH homerun in a year of CPH homeruns!

order here

EWTN

You know, the Father on EWTN did a bang up job of preaching the Gospel today in the mass that was broadcast. It was wholly catholic and not a bit Roman, if you know what I mean. I was "amening" all the way through. Text was Ephesians 2 - last part. He preached the blood of Christ as that which makes our peace, both with God and between each other. And that blood he pointed out was present in the Eucharist - the blood of a new and eternal covenant with God. Really a fine job.

Patristic Quote for the Day

"It is impossible either to say or fully to understand anything about God beyond what has been divinely proclaimed to us, whether told or revealed, by the sacred declarations of the Old and New Testaments." St. John of Damascus, On the Orthodox Faith, Book I, Chapter 2

A Friend

put together the ELH collects in a nice PDF form. Here you go:

Right Click here, save to disk


(And an apology to my friend that it took so long for me to get this up - required the technical help of my son to get that URL right!)

And on the topic of the 8th commandment...

...a few days ago an anonymous poster attacked the folks at CPH as being motivated by greed. I deleted the post when it came to my attention, but it had been on for several hours at that point. I should not just have deleted it; I should have defended my friends and colleagues at CPH. Even when I totally disagree with one of their policies (and anyone who reads this blog knows at least ONE policy I disagree with), to attribute the motive of greed is simply wrong. The 8th commandment calls for us to explain our neighbor's actions in the kindest way; and the kindest way in this matter is that the folks at CPH believe that they are following the laws of our land and showing good faith to those who let them use their material by a careful adherence to their copyright policy. I'm all for CPH revisiting the subject, but these folks do not deserve to be termed "greedy." So let's call a halt to assigning the worst motives and instead begin to practice the discipline of the mouth (and hand): "Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips!"

St. James of Jerusalem

A little late in the day, but just a reminder that today we commemorate St. James of Jerusalem. We remembered this blessed saint today at both Vespers and the Divine Service. Here are the closing words of today's homily at the Eucharist:

James calls himself not the brother of Jesus, but His slave. When the Lord appeared to James on the other side of the grave, He called him from unbelief. And James was willing to let it go – willing to be given to by the Lord. In that moment James went from being a foster brother of Jesus to being His servant and His apostle.

Does the Lord offend you in His weakness? In His utter ordinariness? His coming to you in the common food of bread and wine? The Risen One meets you today and would have you throw aside all your unbelief – all your refusal to be given to. He would lift you today to the joy of being His sister, His brother, His own flesh and blood. For His family is constituted not by the nearness of kin, but by the gift of His body and blood into you with all that goes with them: forgiveness, a share in His divine life, salvation.

Force you, He never will. But urge you constantly to receive His love – that He shall do until your dying breath – until you join St. James of Jerusalem and all the Lord's family in giving glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever! Amen.

Patristic Quote for the Day

“What is the mark of a faithful soul? To be in these dispositions of full acceptance on the authority of the words of Scripture, not venturing to reject anything nor making additions. For, if ‘all that is not of faith is sin’ as the Apostle says, and ‘faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God,’ everything outside Holy Scripture, not being of faith, is sin.” Basil the Great, The Morals, Vol 9 of The Fathers of the Church, p. 204.

A Homily for Reformation

[Texts: Epistle, Romans 3:19-28; Gospel, John 8:31-38]

One of the great watchwords of the Reformation was "Faith alone." We are saved by "faith alone." We heard in the Epistle reading the grounds for such an audacious statement: "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law." (Rom 3:28). And so some people say: "Well, I believe and that's enough." Is it? Is having believed in Jesus enough?

If we ask Jesus in today's Gospel, he apparently says "no." Jesus said to the Jews *who had believed in him*: "If you ABIDE in my Word then you are truly my disciples." Now let's be clear: the Word of God is what works faith in a person. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ." Rom 10:17. But faith not only originates in the Word; the Word also is what keeps faith alive. Faith always comes from the outside in, and so for faith to stay alive - not just strong or growing, but precisely alive - we must abide in the Word of God and the Word of God abide in us. The longer a person who has been brought to faith in Jesus stays away from the Word, the weaker faith grows, and eventually, if it is not nourished again by the Word, their faith will die. Hence Jesus' word: "abide." "If you abide in my Word, then you are truly my disciples."

The Word is the food of faith; the Word is the air faith breathes; the Word is the fuel faith burns; without the Word constantly nourishing and sustaining faith, faith dies. This is so of individuals. This is so of congregations. This is so of whole churches.

Christians are always tempted to look for other means to shore up the church. "What we need around here is big evangelism push!" "What we need is a stewardship program!" "What we need is a contemporary service to attract the young people!" To all of which we must speak an unqualified: Hogwash! What we need around here, what the church needs in every place, is the preaching of and the listening to the Word of God.

Regarding the Word the promise has been given: "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that is may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my Word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the thing for which I send it." (Is 55:10,11 The Church of Christ is sustained and given life through the Word and through the Word alone.

Every attempt to inject life into the church apart from the Word with some doings of our own is doomed to failure from the outset. The worst that can happen is that such a method might outwardly succeed and the church would begin to look lively. That would be the worst because then we'd be living the lie, like the church in Sardis that had a "name of being alive" but was dead. Dead because the Word was not what was sustaining and filling her life. Dead because she appeared to be alive only to the eyes of man and not in fact in the eyes of God. Dead because she'd forgotten what she first received and heard. (Revelation 3:1-3)

But what shall we say when the Word itself is being rejected? Whoever is rejecting it - be it a parish, a church, or an individual Christian - is committing spiritual suicide. Let me be quite concrete: people of God, when we do not regularly open our Bibles and read the Word, sucking life from it, drawing faith from it, we are despising the Word of God. "The B-I-B-L-E yes, that's the Book for me. It sits on the shelf all covered with dust, while we all watch TV!"

People of God, when we do not hunger and thirst for a deeper understanding of the Word, when we are deluded into thinking we learned all they needed in Confirmation instruction and have no further need of instruction – as though God has nothing more to teach us - we are despising the Word.

When we come to church and sit through a sermon, listening to it as to some entertainment and judge the sermon’s worth on how many times the pastor made us chuckle and feel at home, we are despising the Word.

The Large Catechism teaches us that we break the Third Commandment every time we come to church and listen without trying to learn and retain; when we sit in a pew every Sunday and end the year as ignorant as we were at the start.

And what can we say when the Word of God is opened for study and people of God are summoned and two or three or maybe four show up and the rest walk on their merry way? And how can we teach our children to love and treasure and draw life from the Word when the Word is neglected in the home and the in the church? When parents don't read it with their children? Do we need to explore further why our faith seems so weak at times, why sometimes on the brink of extinction? "If you abide in my Word,” says the Lord, “you are truly my disciples."

But of course, he, the Word enfleshed, didn't stop there. He went on: "and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." And so he rouses hunger in us for the Word. Because in it, the truth is known and it is knowing of the truth which is in the Word that sets us free. Free from sin, free from fear, free from death. Free from slavery! My friends, the Word was written, the Scripture given, not to give us a list of dos and don'ts. The Scriptures are given to unfold to us the immeasurable gift of the Incarnate Word. The Bible is all about Jesus and what the Father gives us in His Son. It is His book. His words. His Spirit inspires it from the first letters of Genesis to the last Amen of Revelation. This book preaches into our hearts the truth that is Jesus - and it is that truth which is kindles faith and keeps it alive.

And the truth that is there is the truth heard from a cross, the true Word of forgiveness. Jesus speaks it on every page and He alone can speak it, for He alone has borne the sin of the world - yes, even the sin of not listening to Him and not wanting to hear what He has to say. He has borne it all. All forgiven. And so to know that truth is to be set free from slavery: freed from our callous disregard and freed to listen, love, treasure and keep the Word.

Have you ever thought out the implications of when the Lord Jesus appeared to his disciples on the way to Emmaus, before he ever showed them who it was that was walking right alongside of them, he first led them to the book and showed them Himself in the Word there written, showed them that the Christ had to suffer and die and after three days be raised again and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all people? Jesus, the Word Incarnate, led them to the Word enscripted to set fire in their hearts -the fire of faith. You know, in his own way and in his own time, Luther attempted to do a similar thing for the church, to lead her back to the book, to the message of the truth that sets souls free, to the good news of forgiveness in Jesus. And Luther was right to do that, because only the Word can keep saving faith alive in us, in our children, in our church, and so it is our prayer on this Reformation: "Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word!" Amen.

Don't You Love

how the Cards have lulled the Tigers into a false sense of security? Brilliant move, eh? (And what can be done to get the brilliant Kenny Rogers on the RIGHT team?)

Patristic Quote for the Day

Today, Trinity 19, the assigned Gospel is the healing of the paralytic (Matthew 9). Here's a word from St. Peter Chrysologus on this Gospel:

"Pharisee, in your knowledge you are ignorant, in confessing you deny, when you give testimony you contract it: If it is God who forgives sins, why do you not consider Christ to be God, who by his one work of forgiveness is shown to have taken away the sins of the whole world? 'Behold,' it says, 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.' But so that you can receive greater indications of his divinity, hear that he has penetrated the solitude of your heart; see that he has reached the sanctuary of your thoughts; realize that he lays bare the unspoken designs of your heart." - Sermon 50, par. 5

HRUMPH!

So, one of my wife's on-line friends from Detroit was rude enough to say something along these lines:

"Well, you know what cats do with birds before they kill them. They play with them, and then eat them."

We'll see. These birds might end up like Tweedy Bird yet!

Hey, Chaz!

You were saying...

GREAT VISIT

Sister-in-law, Deb, and brother-in-law, Doug drove out Cindi's parent's van this week. They arrived before dinner on Thursday and left this afternoon. How to summarize the time together?

Unpacking. Liverpool. Shrimp and Talapia. Conversations. Concordia Seminary - bookstore and chapels. Olympia for flaming cheese and other nummies. Pinochle. Doug fixing TV's at Jo and Dave's and at our house. Deb cooking sausage and eggs in the a.m. Amusing ourselves with terrorizing Lucy with THE EVIL THING (aka, the vaccuum).

Too short, but was great to see them again.

Hey, Fenton!

HERE WE COME!!!!

It was a long way to drive...

...but totally worth it. Cindi and I drove down to Paducah, Kentucky for lunch with my sister (Sissy) and brother-in-law (Jimmy) - they, in turn, drove up from Nashville, where they were at some FBI reunion thingy. It was great to see them both again - we've not seen each other since the family reunion at their place a year and a half ago. We ate at Whaler's Catch - a restaurant in downtown, right in view of the Ohio. We caught up on family news and such. It was a great lunch, but totally too short. : ( I really miss those two. Wished they lived nearer.

COLLECTS FOR FREE!

Pr. Mark DeGarmeaux of the ELS has sent me the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary collects and noted that THESE puppies are public domain. Use to your heart's content! KUDOS to the ELH folk!

Pr. DeGarmeaux writes:

Here are the collects from the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, published by the ELS.
Use them as you wish. They include both updated versions of the ancients collects, and the Gospel collects by Veit Dietrich. They are public domain.

ADVENT
Jesus, our Coming King
1. Stir up, we beseech You, Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins, and be saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Advent 1)
2. Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank You, we bless and praise You forever, that You sent Your Son to rule over us poor sinners, who for our transgressions justly deserved to remain in the bondage of sin and Satan, and that in Him You gave us a meek and righteous King, who by His death became our Savior from sin and eternal death. We beseech You so to enlighten, govern and direct us by Your Holy Spirit, that we may ever remain faithful to this righteous King and Savior, and not, after the manner of the world, be offended by His humble form and despised Word, but, firmly believing in Him, obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Advent 1)
Watchfulness
3. Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, so that by His coming we may worship You with pure minds; through the same, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Advent 2)
4. Lord God, heavenly Father, by Your Son You have revealed to us that heaven and earth shall pass away, that our bodies shall rise again, and that we all shall appear before the judgment seat: We beseech You to keep us in Your Word by Your Holy Spirit; establish us in the true faith, graciously defend us from sin and preserve us in all temptations, that our hearts may not be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, but that we may ever watch and pray and, trusting fully in Your grace, await with joy the glorious coming of Your Son, and at last obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Advent 2)
Forerunners of Christ
5. Lord, we beseech You, give ear to our prayers, and enlighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Advent 3)
6. Lord God, heavenly Father, You gave Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to become Man and to come into the world that He might destroy the works of the devil, deliver us poor offenders from sin and death, and give us everlasting life: We beseech You so to rule and govern our hearts by Your Holy Spirit that we may seek no other refuge than His Word, and thus avoid the sin to which we are by nature inclined, in order that we may always be found among the faithful followers of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and by faith in Him obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Advent 3)
Rejoice!
7. Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, and help us with Your great might, that whatever is hindered by our sins may be speedily accomplished by Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Advent 4)
8. Lord God, heavenly Father, it is good and right that we should give thanks to You, that You have given us a glorious baptism like that of John the Baptist, and that therein You have promised us the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, and everlasting life through Your Son, Jesus Christ: We beseech You, by Your grace and mercy preserve us in such faith, that we never doubt Your promise, but be comforted by our baptism in all temptations; and grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may renounce sin, and ever continue in the righteousness bestowed on us in baptism, until, by Your grace, we obtain our eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Advent 4)
CHRISTMAS
Nativity of our Lord
9. O God, as You once caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light, grant, we beseech You, that we who have known the mysteries of that Light here on earth may come to the fullness of Its joys in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Christmas Eve)
10. Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that the new birth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free who are held in the old bondage under the yoke of sin; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Christmas Day)
11. Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks to You that of Your mercy and compassion You caused Your Son to become incarnate, and through Him redeemed us from sin and everlasting death: We beseech You, enlighten our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, that we may ever be thankful for such grace, and comfort ourselves thereby in all tribulation and temptation, and at last obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Christmas Day)
God’s Protection: Fleeing to Egypt
12. Almighty and everlasting God, direct our actions according to Your gracious will, that in the name of Your beloved Son, we may be made to abound in good works; through the same, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Sunday after
Christmas, Second Sunday after Christmas)
13. O almighty and everlasting God, mercifully direct our ways that we may walk in Your Law, and be made to abound in good works; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Sunday after Christmas)
14. O Lord God, heavenly Father, You allowed Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, to become a stranger and a sojourner in Egypt for our sakes, and led Him safely home to His fatherland: Mercifully grant that we poor sinners, who are strangers and sojourners in this perilous world, may soon be called home to our true fatherland, the kingdom of heaven, where we shall live in eternal joy and glory; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Second Sunday after Christmas)
Jesus Fulfills the Law
15. O Lord God, for our sakes You made Your blessed Son, our Savior, subject to the law, and caused Him to endure the circumcision of the flesh: Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit, that our hearts may be pure from all sinful desires and lusts; through the same, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Circumcision and Name of Jesus)
16. O merciful and eternal God, heavenly Father, You caused Your Son to endure circumcision and to be made subject to the law that we might be redeemed from the curse of the law: We beseech You, grant us grace to become partakers of this redemption and thus obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Circumcision and Name of Jesus)
New Year
17. Almighty and everlasting God, from whom comes down every good and perfect gift: We give You thanks for all Your benefits, temporal and spiritual, bestowed upon us in the year past, and we beseech You of Your goodness, grant us a favorable and joyful year, defend us from all dangers and adversities, and send upon us the fullness of Your blessing; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (New Year)

EPIPHANY
Jesus, Savior of Gentiles: The Wise Men
18. O God, by the leading of a star You manifested Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: Mercifully grant that we, who know You now by faith, may after this life enjoy the fulness of Your glorious Godhead; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany)
19. Lord God, heavenly Father, You have given us the light of Your holy Word, the guiding star that leads us to the Christ-child: Send, we beseech You, Your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may receive this light and make use of it for our salvation, and that we, like the wise men, when they were seeking the star, may not be afraid because of any hardship or peril, but put all our trust in Your only-begotten Son as our only Savior, devote our earthly possessions to the advancement of Your kingdom, and in all things serve Him, Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany)
Youth: The Boy Jesus in the Temple
20. O Lord God, we beseech You mercifully to receive the prayers of Your people who call upon You; and grant that they might both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and by Your merciful help may faithfully perform them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany 1)
21. Lord God, heavenly Father, in mercy You have established the Christian home among us: We beseech You so to rule and direct our hearts, that we may be good examples to children and those subject to us, 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 homelife may advance Your glory, honor and praise, our own improvement and welfare, and give offense to no one; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany 1)
Marriage & Family: Wedding in Cana
22. Almighty and everlasting God, You govern all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the prayers of Your people, and grant us Your peace all the days of our life; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany 2)
23. Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank You, that by Your grace You have instituted holy matrimony, in which You keep us from unchastity, and other offenses: We beseech You to send Your blessing upon 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 in accordance with Your will. Grant that we all might walk before You in purity and holiness, put our trust in You, and lead such lives on earth, that in the world to come we may have everlasting 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. (Epiphany 2)
Missions: Jesus Heals a Leper and a Servant
24. Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth the right hand of Your majesty, to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany 3)
25. O almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all dangers and necessities stretch forth Your mighty hand to defend us against our enemies; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany 3)
Trust: Jesus Calms the Storm
26. Almighty God, You know that we are set in the midst of so many and great dangers, and that because of the weakness of our mortal nature we cannot always stand upright: Grant to us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany 4)
27. Lord God, heavenly Father, in Your divine wisdom and fatherly goodness You cause Your children to bear the cross, and send many afflictions upon us to subdue our sinful flesh, and to enliven our hearts to faith, hope, and unceasing prayer: We beseech You to have mercy upon us, and graciously deliver us out of our trials and afflictions, so that we may perceive Your grace and fatherly help, and with all the saints forever praise and worship You; through Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany 4)
The Church Militant: Tares Among the Wheat
28. O Lord, we beseech You to keep Your Church and household continually in Your Truth, that those who lean only on the hope of Your heavenly grace may evermore be defended by Your mighty power; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Epiphany 5)
29. Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank You that You have sown the good seed, Your holy Word, in our hearts: We pray that by Your Holy Spirit You will cause this seed to grow and bring forth fruit, and defend us from the enemy, that he may not sow tares. Keep us from carnal 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. (Epiphany 5)
Jesus’ Transfiguration
30. O God, in the glorious transfig-uration of Your only-begotten Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of the fathers, and in the voice that came from the bright cloud You wondrously foreshowed our adoption by grace; mercifully make us co-heirs with the King of His glory, and bring us to Your glorious home in heaven; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Transfiguration)
31. O merciful and everlasting God, heavenly Father: We thank You that You have revealed to us the glory of Your Son, and let the light of Your Gospel shine upon us: We pray that You would guide us by this light that we may walk diligently as Christians in all good works, ever be strengthened by Your grace, and conduct our lives in all godliness; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Transfiguration)
PRE-LENT
By Grace Alone: Laborers in the Vineyard
32. O Lord, we beseech You favorably to hear the prayers of Your people, that we who are justly punished for our offenses, may be mercifully delivered by Your gracious goodness, for the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Septuagesima)
33. Lord God, heavenly Father, through Your holy Word You have called us into Your vineyard: Send, we beseech You, Your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may labor faithfully in Your vineyard, shun sin and all offense, obediently keep Your Word and do Your will, and put our whole and only trust in Your grace, which You have bestowed upon us so abundantly; through Your Son Jesus Christ, that we might obtain eternal salvation through Him; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Septuagesima)
Word of God: Sower and the Seed
34. O God, You see that we do not put our trust in anything we do: Mercifully grant, that by Your power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Sexagesima)
35. Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank You that through Your Son Jesus Christ You have sown Your holy Word among us: We pray that You will prepare our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, that we may diligently and reverently hear Your Word, keep it in good hearts, and bring forth fruit with patience; and that we may not incline to sin, but subdue it by Your power, and in all persecutions comfort ourselves with Your grace and continual help; 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. (Sexagesima)
Up to Jerusalem
36. O Lord, we beseech You, mercifully hear our prayers, and having set us free from the bonds of sin, defend us from all evil; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Quinquagesima)
Baptism of Jesus
37. Father in heaven, as at our Lord's baptism in the Jordan river You once proclaimed Jesus Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit, grant that all who are baptized in His name may faithfully keep the covenant into which they have been called, boldly confess their Savior, and with Him be heirs of life eternal; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Baptism of our Lord)
38. Lord God, heavenly Father, You manifested Yourself, with the Holy Spirit, in the fullness of grace at the baptism of Your dear Son, and with Your voice directed us to Him who has borne our sins, that we might receive grace and the remission of sins: Keep us, we beseech You, in the true faith; and inasmuch as we have been baptized in accordance with Your command, and the example of Your dear Son, we pray You to strengthen our faith by Your Holy Spirit, and lead us to everlasting life and salvation; 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. (Baptism of our Lord)
LENT
39. Almighty and everlasting God, You hate nothing that You have made and You forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretch-edness, may obtain of You, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Ash Wednesday)
Temptation: Jesus Tempted by Satan
40. O Lord, mercifully hear our prayer, and stretch forth the right hand of Your majesty to defend us from all that rise up against us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Invocavit, Lent 1)
41. Lord God, heavenly Father, inasmuch as the adversary does continually afflict us, and as a roaring lion walks about, seeking to devour us: We beseech You for the sake of the suffering and death of Your Son, Jesus Christ, to help us by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and to strengthen our hearts by Your Word, that our enemy may not prevail over us, but that we may evermore abide in Your grace, and be preserved unto everlasting life; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Invocavit, Lent 1)
Persistent Faith: The Woman of Canaan
42. O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength: Keep us both outwardly and inwardly, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Reminiscere, Lent 2)
43. Lord God, heavenly Father, grant us, we beseech You, by Your Holy Spirit, that He may strengthen our hearts and confirm our faith and hope in Your grace and mercy, so that, although we have reason to fear because of our conscience, our sin, and our unworthiness, we may nevertheless, with the woman of Canaan, hold fast to Your grace, and in every trial and temptation find You a present help and refuge; 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. (Reminiscere, Lent 2)
Triumph over Satan: Jesus Casts Out a Demon
44. We beseech You, almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of Your humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of Your majesty to be our defense against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Oculi, Lent 3)
45. Lord God, heavenly Father, You have sent Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh, that He might overcome the devil, and defend us poor sinners against the adversary: We give thanks to You for Your merciful help, and we beseech You to attend us with Your grace in all temptations, to preserve us from carnal security, and by Your Holy Spirit to keep us in Your Word in Your fear, that we may be delivered from the enemy, and obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Oculi, Lent 3)
Bread of Life: Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
46. Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we who deserve to be punished for our evil deeds, may mercifully be relieved by the comfort of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Laetare, Lent 4)
47. Lord God, heavenly Father, by Your Son You fed five thousand men in the wilderness with five loaves and two fish: We beseech You graciously to abide also with us in the fullness of Your blessing. Preserve us from greed and the cares of this life, that we may seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and in all things perceive Your fatherly goodness; through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Laetare, Lent 4)
Jesus, Son of Abraham: Our High Priest
48. We beseech You, almighty God, mercifully to look upon Your people, that by Your great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore in both body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Judica, Lent 5)
Annunciation: The Virgin Shall Conceive
49. We beseech You, O Lord, pour forth Your grace into our hearts; that, as we have known the incarnation of Your Son, Jesus Christ, by the message of the angel, so by His cross and Passion we may be brought into the glory of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Annunciation)
50. O almighty God, of Your great mercy You caused Your Son to be conceived by the Holy Spirit, and to become incarnate of the blessed Virgin Mary according to the angel’s annunciation: Grant us by Your grace, that our sinful conception may be purified by His holy conception; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Annunciation)
Jesus, our King, Enters Jerusalem
51. Almighty and everlasting God, You have sent Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all should follow the example of His great humility: Mercifully grant that we may both follow the example of His patience, and also, by Your grace alone, be made partakers of His resurrection; through the same, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Palm Sunday)
52. Almighty and everlasting God, You have caused Your beloved Son to take our nature upon Himself, that He might give us the example of humility and suffer death upon the cross for our sins: Mercifully grant us a believing knowledge of this, that we may follow the example of His patience, and be made partakers of the benefits of His sacred Passion and death; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Palm Sunday)
53. Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we, who amid so many adversities do fail through our own infirmities, may be restored through the Passion and intercession of Your only-begotten Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Monday of Holy Week)
54. Almighty and everlasting God, grant us by Your grace so to pass through this holy time of our Lord’s Passion that we may obtain the pardon of our sin; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Tuesday of Holy Week)
55. Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds are continually afflicted, may mercifully be relieved by the Passion of Your only-begotten Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Wednesday of Holy Week)


The Lord’s Supper
56. O Lord God, You have left to us in this wonderful Sacrament a memorial of Your Passion: Grant, we beseech You, that we may so use this Sacrament of Your body and blood, that the fruits of Your redemption may continually be manifest in us; You, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Maundy Thursday)
57. O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You, that of Your infinite mercy You have instituted this Your Sacrament, in which we eat Your body and drink Your blood: Grant us, we beseech You, by Your Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily, but that we may confess our sins, remember Your agony and death, believe the forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain eternal salvation; through You, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Maundy Thursday)
Jesus’ Atoning Death
58. Almighty God, we pray that You would graciously behold this Your family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was content to be betrayed into the hands of wicked men and to suffer death upon the cross; through the same, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Good Friday)
59. Almighty and everlasting God, You willed that Your Son should bear for us the pains of the cross, that You might remove from us the power of the adversary: Help us to remember and give thanks for our Lord’s Passion that we may obtain remission of sin and redemption from everlasting death; through the same, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Good Friday)

EASTER
Jesus’ Resurrection
60. O God, You enlightened this most holy night with the glory of the Lord’s resurrection: Preserve in all Your people the spirit of adoption which You have given, so that, renewed in body and soul, they may serve You in all purity; through the same, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Easter Vigil)
61. Almighty God, through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, You have overcome death and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life: We humbly beseech You, that, as You put in our minds good desires, so by Your continual help we may bring them to good effect; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Easter)
62. Lord God, heavenly Father, You delivered Your Son for our offenses, and raised Him again for our justification: We beseech You, grant us Your Holy Spirit, that He may rule and govern us according to Your will; graciously keep us in the true faith, defend us from all sins, and after this life raise us to eternal life; through the same, Your beloved Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Easter)
63. Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we who celebrate the solemnities of the Lord’s resurrection may by the renewal of Your Holy Spirit rise again from the death of the soul and walk in newness of life; through the same, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Easter)
Faith: Thomas Doubts, Then Believes
64. Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we who have celebrated the solemnities of the Lord’s resurrection, may, by the help of Your grace, bring forth the fruits thereof in our life and conduct; through the same, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Quasimodogeniti, Easter 2)
65. Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank You, that of Your indescribable grace, for the sake of Your Son, You have given us the holy Gospel, and have instituted the holy Sacraments, that through these we may have comfort and forgiveness of sin: We beseech You, grant us Your Holy Spirit, that we may heartily believe Your Word; and through the holy Sacraments day by day establish our faith, until we at last obtain eternal salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Quasimodogeniti, Easter 2)
Jesus, our Good Shepherd
66. O God, by the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world: Grant to Your faithful people perpetual gladness, and those whom You have delivered from the danger of everlasting death, make partakers of eternal joys; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Misericordias Domini, Easter 3)
67. Lord God, heavenly Father, out of Your fatherly goodness You have been mindful of us poor, miserable sinners, and have given Your beloved Son to be our Shepherd, not only to nourish us by His Word, but also to defend us from sin, death, and the devil: We beseech You, grant us Your Holy Spirit, that, even as this Shepherd knows us and helps us in every affliction, we also may know Him, and, trusting in Him, seek help and comfort in Him, from our hearts obey His voice, and obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Misericordias Domini, Easter 3)
The New Creation: A Little While
68. Almighty God, You show those who are in error the light of Your truth, to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness: Grant that all who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s kingdom, may avoid those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Jubilate, Easter 4)
69. Lord God, heavenly Father, of Your fatherly goodness You allow Your children to come under Your chastening rod here on earth, that we might be like Your only-begotten Son in suffering and hereafter in glory: We beseech You, comfort us by Your Holy Spirit in all temptations and afflictions, that we may not fall into despair, but that we may continually trust in Your Son’s promise, that our trials will endure but a little while, and will then be followed by eternal joy; that we thus, in patient hope, may overcome all evil, and at last obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Jubilate, Easter 4)
The Singing Church: The Spirit of Truth
70. O God, You make the minds of the faithful to be of one will: Grant unto Your people that they may love what You command, and desire what You promise; that among the manifold changes of this world, our hearts may always be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Cantate, Easter 5)
71. Lord God, heavenly Father, through Your Son You promised us Your Holy Spirit, that He should convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment: We beseech You, enlighten our hearts, that we may confess our sins, through faith in Christ obtain everlasting righteousness, and in all our trials and temptations retain this consolation: that Christ is Lord over the devil and death and all things, and that He will graciously deliver us out of all our afflictions, and make us forever partakers of eternal salvation; through the same, Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Cantate, Easter 5)
Prayer
72. O God, from whom all good things do come: Grant to us, Your humble servants, that by Your holy inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by Your merciful guiding may perform the same: through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Rogate, Easter 6)
73. Lord God, heavenly Father, through Your Son You have promised us that whatever we ask in His name You will give us: We beseech You, keep us in Your Word, and grant us Your Holy Spirit, that He may govern us according to Your will; protect us from the power of the devil, from false doctrine and worship; and also defend our lives against all danger. Grant us Your blessing and peace, that we may in all things perceive Your merciful help, and both now and forever praise and glorify You as our gracious Father; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Rogate, Easter 6)


ASCENSION
Exaltation of Christ
74. Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that just as we believe Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to have ascended into the heavens, so may we also in heart and mind to heaven ascend, and continually dwell with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Ascension)
75. O Jesus Christ, almighty Son of God, You are no longer in humiliation here on earth, but are seated at the right hand of Your Father, Lord over all things: We beseech You, send us Your Holy Spirit; give Your Church pious pastors, preserve Your Word, control and restrain the devil and all who would oppress us; mightily uphold Your kingdom, until all Your enemies have been put under Your feet, that we may hold the victory over sin, death, and the devil; through You, who live and reign with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Ascension)
The Promised Comforter
76. Almighty, everlasting God, grant us always to have a devout will towards You, and the desire to serve Your majesty with a pure heart; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Exaudi, Sunday after Ascension)
77. Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks to You, that through Your Holy Spirit You have appointed us to bear witness of Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: We beseech You, inasmuch as the world cannot endure such testimony and persecutes us in every way, grant us courage and comfort, that we may not be offended because of the cross, but continue steadfastly in Your testimony, and be always found among those who know You and Your Son, until we obtain eternal salvation through the same, Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Exaudi, Sunday after Ascension)
PENTECOST
Holy Spirit
78. O God, You taught the hearts of Your faithful people, by sending to them the light of Your Holy Spirit: Grant us by that same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in His holy comfort; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who with You and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Pentecost)
79. Lord Jesus Christ, almighty Son of God: We beseech You, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts, through Your Word, that He may rule and govern us according to Your will, comfort us in every temptation and misfortune, and defend us by Your truth against every error, so that we may continue steadfast in the faith, increase in love and good works, and firmly trusting in Your grace, which You purchased for us by Your death, obtain eternal salvation; for You reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Pentecost)
TRINITY SUNDAY
Born of the Spirit
80. Almighty God, by Your grace alone we are called into Your kingdom, to confess the true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the true Unity: We beseech You, that You would keep us steadfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity)
81. O Lord God, heavenly Father: We poor sinners confess that in our flesh dwells no good thing, and that, left to ourselves, we die and perish in sin, since that which is born of flesh is flesh and cannot see the kingdom of God. But we pray that You would grant us Your grace and mercy, and for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that being regenerate we may firmly believe the forgiveness of sins according to Your promise in baptism, and that we may daily increase in Christian love and in other good works, until we at last obtain eternal salvation; through the same Your beloved Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity)
TRINITY/PENTECOST SEASON
Collects for the Church
Apostles and Prophets: Rich Man and Lazarus
82. O God, the Strength of all who put their trust in You: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do nothing good without You, grant us Your Holy Spirit, that we may please You both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 1)
83. Lord God, heavenly Father, we beseech You so to 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 things temporal that we forget things eternal; but that we readily and according to our ability serve those who are in need, and not defile ourselves with carousing and pride; in trial and misfortune keep us from despair, and grant us to put our 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. (Trinity 1)
Invitation: The Great Supper
84. O Lord, You never fail to help and govern those whom You bring up in Your steadfast fear and love: Make us ever revere and adore Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 2)
85. Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks to You, that through Your holy Word You have called us to Your great supper, and we beseech You: Enliven our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, that we may not hear Your Word without fruit, but that we may prepare ourselves rightly for Your kingdom, and not allow ourselves to be hindered by any worldly care; 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. (Trinity 2)
Evangelism: Lost Sheep
86. O God, the Protector of all who trust in You, without whom nothing is strong and nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us Your mercy; that, with You as our Ruler and Guide, we may so pass through the things temporal that we finally lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 3)
87. Lord God, heavenly Father, we all like sheep have gone astray, having allowed ourselves to be led away from the right path by Satan and our own sinful flesh. We beseech You graciously to forgive us all our sins for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ; and enliven our hearts by Your Holy Spirit that we may abide in Your Word, and in true repentance and a steadfast faith continue in Your Church unto the end, and obtain eternal salvation; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 3)

Christian Unity and Peace
88. Grant, O Lord, we beseech You, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by Your direction that Your Church may joyfully serve You in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 4)
89. O Lord God, heavenly Father: You are merciful, and through Christ promised us that You will neither judge nor condemn us, but graciously forgive us all our sins, and abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul: We pray that by Your Holy Spirit You would establish in our hearts a confident faith in Your mercy, and teach us also to be merciful to our neighbor, that we may not judge or condemn others, but willingly forgive all, and, judging only ourselves, lead blessed lives in Your fear; through Your dear Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Trinity 4)
Discipleship: Following Christ
90. O God, You have prepared for those who love You such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love toward You, that we may love You above all things, and lead us, by faith, to Your eternal promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 5)
91. O Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, You have given us Your holy Word and have bountifully provided for all our earthly needs: We confess that we are unworthy of all these mercies, and that we have rather deserved punishment. But we beseech You, forgive us our sins, and prosper and bless us in our various callings, that by Your strength we may be sustained and defended, now and forever, and so praise and glorify You eternally; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 5)
Collects of Christian Faith and Love
Sin and Righteousness
92. Lord of all power and might, Author and Giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of Your name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of Your great mercy keep us in Your grace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 6)
93. Lord God, heavenly Father, we confess that we are poor, wretched sinners, and that there is no good in us; our hearts, flesh and blood being so corrupted by sin that we are never in this life without sinful lusts and desires. Therefore we beseech You, dear Father, forgive us these sins, and let Your Holy Spirit so cleanse our hearts that we may desire and love Your Word, abide by it, and thus by Your grace be forever saved; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 6)
Providence: Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
94. O God, whose never-failing providence orders all things both in heaven and earth: We humbly beseech You to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 7)
95. Lord God, heavenly Father, in the wilderness by Your Son You abundantly fed four thousand men, besides women and children, with seven loaves and a few small fish: We beseech You, graciously abide among us with Your blessing, and keep us from covetousness and the cares of this life, that we may seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and in all things needed for body and soul, experience Your ever-present help; through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 7)
Beware of False Prophets
96. Grant to us, Lord, we beseech You, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot do anything that is good without You, may by You be enabled to live according to Your will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 8)
97. Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank You that You have caused us to come to the knowledge of Your Word. We pray: Graciously keep us steadfast in this knowledge unto death, that we may obtain eternal life; send us, now and ever, pious pastors who faithfully preach Your Word, without offense or false doctrine, and grant them long life. Defend us from all false teachings, and frustrate the counsels of all who pervert Your Word, who come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves, that Your true Church may evermore be established among us, and be defended and preserved from such false teachers; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 8)

Stewardship: The Wise Steward
98. Let Your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Your humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as are pleasing to You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 9)
99. Lord God, heavenly Father, You have bountifully given us Your blessing and our daily bread: We beseech You, preserve us from covetousness, and so enliven our hearts that we willingly share Your blessed gifts with our needy brethren; that we may be found faithful stewards of Your gifts, and abide in Your grace when we shall be removed from our stewardship, and shall come before Your judgment, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 9)
Renewed Obedience: Jesus Cleanses the Temple
100. O God, You declare Your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Mercifully grant that we, who by Your grace in Christ have been made partakers of Your heavenly treasure, may cheerfully serve You also in this life, walking in the way of Your commandments; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 10)
101. Almighty and everlasting God, by Your Holy Spirit You have revealed to us the Gospel of Your Son, Jesus Christ: We beseech You so to enliven our hearts that we may sincerely receive Your Word, and not make light of it, or hear it without fruit, but that we may fear You and daily grow in faith in Your mercy, and finally obtain eternal salvation; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Trinity 10)
Humility: The Pharisee and the Tax-Collector
102. Almighty and everlasting God, You are always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour down upon us the abundance of Your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Trinity 11)
103. Lord God, heavenly Father, we beseech You so to guide and direct us by Your Holy Spirit, that we may not forget our sins and be filled with pride, but continue in daily repentance and renewal, seeking comfort only in the blessed knowledge that You will be merciful to us, forgive us our sins, and grant us 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. (Trinity 11)
Jesus Heals the Sick
104. Almighty and everlasting God, only by Your gift it comes that Your faithful people perform true and praiseworthy service: Grant, we beseech You, that we may faithfully serve You in this life, and fail not finally to attain Your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 12)
105. Almighty and everlasting God, who created all things, we thank You that You have given us sound bodies, and have graciously preserved our tongues and other members from the power of the adversary: We beseech You, grant us Your grace, that we may rightly use our ears and tongues; help us to hear Your Word diligently and devoutly, and with our tongues so to praise and glorify Your grace, that no one is offended by our words, but that all may be edified by them; 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.
(Trinity 12)
Charity: The Good Samaritan
106. Almighty and everlasting God, You have made us heirs of Your eternal and great promises: Increase in us daily the gifts of faith, hope, and love, that we may love all that You command; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Trinity 13)
107. Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank You that You have granted us to live in this accepted time, when we may hear Your holy Gospel, know Your fatherly will, and behold Your Son, Jesus Christ! We pray, most merciful Father: Let the light of Your holy Word remain with us, and so govern our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, that we may never forsake Your Word, but remain steadfast in it, and finally obtain eternal salvation; 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. (Trinity 13)
Thanksgiving: The Ten Lepers
108. Keep Your Church, we beseech You, O Lord, with Your perpetual mercy; and because our weak flesh without You can only fail, keep us ever by Your help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 14)
109. Lord God, heavenly Father, by Your blessed Word and Your holy Baptism You have mercifully cleansed all who believe from the fearful leprosy of sin, and You daily grant us Your gracious help in all our need: We beseech You so to enlighten our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, that we may never forget these Your blessings, but ever live in Your fear, and, trusting fully in Your grace, with thankful hearts continually praise and glorify You; through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 14)
Contentment: Lilies of the Field
110. O Lord, we beseech You, let Your continual mercy cleanse and defend Your Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without Your help, preserve it evermore by Your help and goodness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 15)
111. Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank You for all Your benefits. that You have given us life and graciously sustained us to this day: We beseech You, do not take Your blessing from us; preserve us from covetousness, that we may serve You only, love and abide in You, and not defile ourselves by idolatrous love of wealth, but hope and trust only in Your grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 15)
Death and Burial: Young Man of Nain
112. Lord, we pray that Your grace may always go before and follow after us, that we may be continually given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 16)
113. Lord God, heavenly Father, You sent Your Son to be made flesh, that by His death He might atone for our sins and deliver us from eternal death: We pray, confirm in our hearts the hope that our Lord Jesus Christ, who with but a word raised the widow’s son, in like manner will raise us on the last day and grant us 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. (Trinity 16)
Christian Freedom: Healing on the Sabbath
114. Lord, we beseech You, grant Your people strength to withstand the temptations of the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow You, the only God; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 17)
115. Lord God, heavenly Father: We beseech You so to guide and direct us by Your Holy Spirit that we may not exalt ourselves, but humbly fear You, with our whole hearts hear and keep Your Word, and keep the day of rest holy, that we also may be sanctified by Your Word; help us, first, to place our hope and confidence in Your Son, Jesus Christ, who alone is our righteousness and Redeemer, and, then, so to amend and better our lives in accordance with Your Word, that we may avoid all offenses and finally obtain eternal salvation; through Your grace in Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 17)
Law and Gospel: The Great Commandment
116. O Lord, because without You we are not able to please You: Mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 18)
117. Lord God, heavenly Father: We are poor, miserable sinners; we know Your will, but cannot fulfill it because of the weakness of our flesh and blood, and because our enemy, the devil, will not leave us in peace. Therefore we beseech You, pour Your Holy Spirit in our hearts, that in steadfast faith we may cling to Your Son Jesus Christ, find comfort in His Passion and death, believe the forgiveness of sins through Him, and in willing obedience to Your will lead holy lives on earth, until by Your grace, through a blessed death, we depart from this world of sorrow, and obtain eternal life; through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Trinity 18)
Collects of the Church Militant
Angels
118. O everlasting God, You have ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order: Mercifully grant that, as Your holy angels always serve You in heaven, so by Your appointment they may also help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(St. Michael and All Angels)
Absolution: Jesus Forgives the Paralytic
119. O almighty and most merciful God, of Your bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech You, from all things that may hurt us, that we, being ready in both body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things You would have us do; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 19)
120. O mighty and everlasting God, by Your Son Jesus Christ You mercifully helped the paralytic both in body and soul: We beseech You, for the sake of Your great mercy, be gracious also to us; forgive us all our sins, and so govern us by Your Holy Spirit, that we may not ourselves be the cause of sickness and other afflictions; keep us in Your fear, and strengthen us by Your grace that we may escape temporal and eternal wrath and punishment; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 19)
Confirmation: Perseverance in Faith
121. Grant, we beseech You, merciful Lord, to Your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve You with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 20)
122. Lord God, heavenly Father: We thank You, that of Your great mercy You have called us by Your holy Word to the blessed marriage feast of Your Son, and through Him forgive us all our sins; but, being daily assaulted by temptation, offense, and danger, and being weak in ourselves and given to sin, we beseech You graciously to protect us by Your Holy Spirit, that we might not fall into sin; and if we fall and defile our wedding garment, with which Your Son has clothed us, graciously help us again and lead us to repentance, that we fall not forever; preserve in us a constant faith in Your grace; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 20)
Spiritual Armor
123. Lord, we beseech You to keep Your household, the Church, in continual godliness; that through Your protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve You in good works, to the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 21)
124. Almighty and everlasting God, by Your Son You have promised us the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and everlasting life: We beseech You, by Your Holy Spirit so enliven our hearts that in daily prayer we may seek our help in Christ against all temptations, and, constantly believing His promise, obtain that for which we pray, and at last be saved; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 21)
Forgive as Forgiven: The Unmerciful Servant
125. O God, our Refuge and Strength, the Author of all godliness: Be ready, we beseech You, to hear the devout prayers of Your Church; and grant that those things which we ask in true faith, we may obtain by Your boundless mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Trinity 22)
126. O almighty, eternal God: We confess that we are poor sinners and cannot answer one time out of a thousand, when You contend with us; but with all our hearts we thank You, that You have taken all our guilt from us and laid it upon Your dear Son Jesus Christ, and made Him to atone for it. We pray, graciously sustain us in faith, and so govern us by Your Holy Spirit, that we may live according to Your will, in neighborly love, service and helpfulness, and not give way to wrath or revenge, that we may not incur Your wrath, but always find in You a gracious Father; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 22)
Citizenship: Render to Caesar and to God
127. Absolve Your people, O Lord, from their offenses; that by Your bountiful goodness we may be delivered from the bonds of sin, which because of our weakness we have brought upon ourselves; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 23)
128. Lord God, heavenly Father: We thank You that unto this time You have granted us peace and graciously spared us from war and foreign dominion. We pray, graciously let us continue to live in Your fear according to Your will, giving no cause for wars or other punishment; govern and direct our leaders, that they may not hinder the obedience due to You, but maintain righteousness, that we may enjoy happiness and blessing under their government; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 23)
Collects of End-Time: Christian Hope
Death, A Sleep: Jairus’ Daughter
129. Stir up, we beseech You, O Lord, the wills of Your faithful people; that they may lay hold of Your gracious promises by faith, and in their lives bring forth the fruits thereof; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 24)
130. O almighty and everlasting God, by Your dear Son You have promised us forgiveness of our sins and deliverance from eternal death: We pray that by Your Holy Spirit You will daily increase our faith in Your grace through Christ, and establish in us the certain hope that we shall not die, but peacefully sleep, and be raised on the last day to eternal life and salvation; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 24)


Signs of the End Times
131. Almighty God, we beseech You, show Your mercy to Your humble servants, that we who put no trust in our own merits may not be dealt with according to the severity of Your judgment, but according to Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Trinity 25)
132. Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank You that by Your Word You have brought us out of the darkness of error into the light of Your grace: We beseech You, mercifully help us to walk in that light, guard us from all error and false doctrine, and grant that we may not become ungrateful and despise and persecute Your Word, but receive it with all our heart, govern our lives according to it, and put all our trust in Your grace, through the merit of Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Trinity 25, Reformation, Saints’ Days)
Last Judgment
133. O God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit, that, being ever mindful of the end of all things and the day of Your last judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with You forever hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Second-Last Sunday of the Church Year)
134. O almighty, eternal and merciful God, by Your beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, You established the kingdom of grace for us in Your holy Church here on earth, that we might believe the forgiveness of our sins, since You are a God who has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: We beseech You, graciously forgive us all our sins; through the same, Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Second-Last Sunday of the Church Year)
Heaven’s Eternal Joy: The Bride of Christ
135. Lord God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son we pray, that He may lead home His Bride, the Church, that we with all Your saints may enter into Your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Last Sunday of the Church Year)
136. Lord God, heavenly Father, make us watchful and heedful in awaiting the coming of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that when He shall stand at the door and knock, He may find us not sleeping in carelessness and sin, but awake and rejoicing in His appearance; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Last Sunday of the Church Year)
Saints and Martyrs
137. O almighty God, You have knit together Your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Your Son, Christ our Lord: Grant us grace to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which You have prepared for those who truly love You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (All Saints’ Day)
138. O almighty and everlasting God, through Your only-begotten and beloved Son, Jesus Christ, You will sanctify all Your elect and beloved: Give us grace to follow their faith, hope, and love, that we together with all Your saints may obtain eternal life; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (All Saints’ Day)
Other Collects
Missions
139. O Lord God almighty, mercifully grant that we, who know You by faith, may with our whole heart believe in Jesus Christ, our only Savior, serve Him, and steadfastly confess and glorify Him, making known His saving Word among all nations; through the same, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Mission Festival)
140. Almighty God, since You have called Your Church to witness that in Christ You reconciled us to Yourself, grant that by Your Holy Spirit we may proclaim the good news of Your salvation, that all who hear it may receive the gift of salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Mission Festival)
Day of Humiliation and Prayer
141. Almighty and most merciful God, our heavenly Father, Your compassion has no end; You are long-suffering, gracious, and full of goodness and truth; forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin: We have sinned and done perversely; we have forsaken You and offended You; against You, You only, have we sinned and done this evil in Your sight. But we beseech You, O Lord, do not remember against us our previous sins; let Your tender mercies speedily forgive us, for we have been brought very low; help us, O God of our salvation, and purge away our sins, for the glory of Your holy name, and for the sake of Your dear Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Day of Humiliation and Prayer)
Reformation, Saints’ Days
142. O Lord God, heavenly Father: Pour out, we beseech You, Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people; keep them steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and comfort them in all temptation, defend them against all enemies of Your Word, and bestow upon Christ’s Church militant Your saving peace; through the same, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Reformation, Saints’ Days)
Harvest, Thanksgiving
143. Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new to us every morning, and, though we have in no way deserved Your goodness, You abundantly provide for all our needs of body and soul: Give us, we pray, Your Holy Spirit, that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness toward us, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Thanksgiving)
144. Almighty God, most merciful Father, You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing: We give You most humble and hearty thanks that You have crowned the fields with Your blessing, and have permitted us once more to gather in the fruits of the earth; and we beseech You to bless and protect the living seed of Your Word sown in our hearts, that in the abundant fruits of righteousness we may always present to You an acceptable thank-offering; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
(Thanksgiving, Harvest)