From Seed-Grains of Prayer

I dearly love the old Lutheran prayer books, and one of those is Seed Grains of Prayer by Löhe, which is in turn largely an ingathering of older forms of prayer he found useful in the history of Lutheran devotion. Today I was particularly struck by these paragraphs from a prayer for all classes of men (prayer 341 in the book) and the way it dealt with prayer for the dead:

I would remember before Thee also my parents, pastors, teachers, children, kindred, and benefactors, who have gone before me in the blessed faith and are now at home with Thee. If, through Jesus Christ, my prayer finds favor in Thy sight, do Thou, in my stead, repay unto them my thanks and love, in whatsoever manner it be possible. 

Unto all whom I have ever pained, deceived, or caused to sin, or whom I have robbed of honor, health, or possession, whom I can no longer ask for pardon, nor restore unto them, because they are already gone into joy and pardon of every sin—gone home to Thee—to all these, O Lord, grant good for all my evil both now and in the day of the resurrection of the just; even as Thou knowest how, and in how far all of this which I ask can be granted. 

As for myself, let me spend my remaining days in prayer, and in adoration of the most holy name of Jesus, and in praise and thanksgiving for the hearing of my prayers and those of all Christian people which have ever been offered up unto Thee through Jesus Christ. Amen.