General Prayers

The General Prayers provide alternate prayers appropriate to the seasons of the church year. The minister may select such portions as he desires for use in the general prayer of the day.

I. Advent

Almighty God, who are the hope of all the earth; we enter into your presence with adoration and thanksgiving for the advent of your only begotten Son in the flesh, and we ask you to give us grace to receive him, our Savior and Lord. Help us always to wait for him, to wish for him, and to watch for him that at his coming again you may find us ready.

O Lord God Almighty, who in your providence have made all ages a preparation for the kingdom of your Son; we ask you to make ready our hearts for the brightness of your glory and the fullness of your blessing in Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant that we may turn to him with all our hearts and enthrone him Lord over all in the social and economic order of which we are a part. Hasten, O God, the fulfillment of your word that in our time your kingdom may come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us grace, O God, that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal.

We thank you, O God, for the advent of your holy church among men. Help us to be faithful members of the mystical Body of your Son. Bless all to whom you have committed the rule of your church. Inspire her ministers with zeal, and her people with true righteousness. Cleanse, strengthen, and sanctify her evermore by your Spirit. And as there is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, grant that your people may more and more be bound together in the bonds of one faith, one hope, one love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Bless, we ask you, Almighty God, our country and all its people. Give your abundant grace to the President of the United States and grant that he and all who bear office throughout the land may be governed by your wisdom and may live and labor in your fear. Make us a people worthy of your gracious protection and so direct us that we may strive for the peace and welfare of all mankind.

O Merciful Father, we ask you to heal the sick, relieve the suffering, and comfort the hearts of all in sorrow or bereavement. Give them the perfect peace of those whose minds are stayed on you. Fill your church with compassion and healing for all the multitudes of the earth whom affliction has overtaken and despoiled.

Almighty God, with whom do rest the spirits of those who depart from here in the Lord; receive our thanksgivings for all the faithful who now rest in peace with you; and especially for those whom we have loved on earth, and who now rest in your heavenly presence.... Keep alive in us their memory, and sustain us in communion of spirit with them, that at last they and we may be united in the light and joy of your heavenly kingdom.

Grant us, we ask you, O God, to pass the time of our sojourn here in fear, in daily watchfulness, and in prayer, ever looking for the day of your coming to judge the world in righteousness. Give us grace that we may receive you with gladness and join in the acclaim of the faithful: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. Hear us, O eternal Son of the Father, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

II. Christmas

Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will towards men. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you; we give thanks to you for your great glory, O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. For you only are holy, you only are the Lord; you only, O Christ, with the Holy Spirit, are most high in the glory of God the Father.

Most merciful God, who so loved the world as to give your only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life; grant to us, we humbly ask you, the precious gift of faith, by which we may know that the Son of God has come and we may prepare for him room in our hearts.

O Lord God, graciously bestow your blessing upon your church throughout the whole world. Prosper the ministrations of all who serve you in your church that your name may be glorified upon the earth. Give power to your word that all heresy and schism may be done away. Make effectual the grace of your sacraments that your children may be nurtured with the cup of salvation and strengthened with the bread of heaven unto everlasting life. O send forth your light and your truth unto the ends of the earth; cause the glorious gospel of your grace to be proclaimed among all nations; and incline the hearts of men everywhere that they may hear and obey your saving word.

O God our Father, who sent forth your Son to be King of Kings and Prince of Peace; grant that all the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdom of our Lord. Give unto all men the grace of understanding and the spirit of reconciliation. Let those who are offended forgive, and those who have offended repent, so that your children may live as one family, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

O God, who by giving your Son to be born of a Virgin sanctified motherhood and exalted the families of earth; we pray for your blessing upon our homes, our kindred, and our friends. Grant that in the reunions of this season all hearts may be glad and all pleasures pure. Let all children be dear to us for the sake of the holy Christ Child. Make the little ones happy in his love as they keep the festival, and to those who are older grant the blessing of childlike hearts. We pray for all who are absent from home, that they may be of one heart with us and thus rejoice with us in the birth of Christ the Lord.

God of all pity, hear us as we remember those for whom the joy of this season is shadowed: the poor, the cold, the hungry, the lonely, the depressed, and all those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. Grant that we who know your love may abound in sympathy and kindness, that having freely received, we may also freely give.

Most gracious God, our heavenly Father, fill our hearts with joy and our tongues with praise as we keep the festival of our Savior's birth. Let the Holy Spirit come upon us, as we approach the mystery of his appearing in the flesh of a little child. Stir up in our hearts the precious gift of faith, that he may be born anew in us this day.

O God, merciful Father, grant to us the continual help of your grace, that we may know and confess your incarnate Son as our true and only Lord and Savior. And grant that receiving him in childlike faith we may ever feed upon his body and blood as the true food and drink of our souls unto everlasting life through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

III. Epiphany

O God, who by the shining of a star guided the wise men to behold your Son, our Lord; show us your heavenly light, and give us grace to follow until we find him, and finding him, rejoice. And grant that as they presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we now may bring him the offering of a loving heart, an adoring spirit, and an obedient will, for his honor, and for your glory, O God Most High.

O Jesus Christ, Son of the Highest, who came to give light to all that are in darkness; fill us with your own infinite love for men; and, since you have entrusted to us both the knowledge of your truth and the gifts of your bounty, help us to use them as good stewards, giving liberally, praying instantly, and working diligently, that we may be sharers in bringing all men to your light and in hastening the coming of your kingdom.

O God, who make men to be your messengers; we thank you for those who have gone forth to preach your gospel in distant lands. Uphold them in discouragement, protect them in danger, strengthen them according to all their needs; and by their labors and sacrifice let the good tidings of great joy be carried unto all the world.

Almighty God, who by your Son, Jesus Christ, have broken down the walls of partition between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, rich and poor; break down, we ask you, all that divides us one from another. Shame our jealousies, frustrate our pride, destroy our prejudices, and forbid that from pride of race or hardness of heart, we should despise any for whom Christ died, or injure any in whom he lives.

O God, the physician of men and nations, the restorer of the years that have been destroyed; look upon the afflictions of the world, and be pleased to complete the work of your healing hand; draw all men unto you and one another by the bonds of your love; make your church one, and fill it with your spirit, that by your power it may unite the world in a brotherhood of nations, wherein justice, truth, and freedom may flourish, and you may be glorified more and more.

Eternal God, before whom the nations rise and fall; we pray that your mercy and love may rest upon our native land. Give your guidance and protection to the President of the United States and to all others who are in positions of public trust and leadership. Bring to nothing the counsels of greed and wicked men, and save your people from violence, greed, and fraud. O Lord, save the state. O Lord, save your people, and grant unto them righteousness, unity, and peace.

O Lord our God, whose blessed Son has promised that those who follow him shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life; have pity upon those afflicted by doubt or perplexity and grant that they may see the guiding light you have given us in Christ; and, amid the mysteries and uncertainties of life, walk by faith in him who is the way and the truth.

God of all comfort and infinite compassion, who can turn sorrow into joy; look mercifully upon all who are in trouble, whether of mind, body, or estate, sustain and heal the sick; support and sanctify the dying; visit with your mercy those who mourn. Pour your divine peace into every wounded spirit, and give to each desolate soul the assurance of your love.

Almighty God, who have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical Body of your Son, Christ our Lord; grant us grace so 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 sincerely love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

IV. Lent

O God, our heavenly Father, who so loved the world as to give your only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; we give thanks to you for his glorious victory over sin and the grave. We ask you, O God, to grant us a living faith in him and to so unite us with him as branches to a vine that his life may be our life, and that we may ever bring forth the good fruit of righteousness through the power of his holy name.

O Lord, who for our sake fasted forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may ever obey your godly will in righteousness and true holiness, to your honor and glory, and to our eternal salvation.

Almighty God, who see that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul.

O God, who of your great mercy sent your Son to seek and to save the lost; grant unto us who seek the aid of your Holy Spirit, that our souls may be moved to penitence and humble and adoring faith, as we meditate on those mighty acts by which you brought redemption to your people.

Most gracious God, we ask you to preserve us from the cares of life, lest we be too much entangled therein. Keep us from being ensnared by the pleasures of this world, and from whatever may be a hindrance to holy living; give us strength to resist, patience to endure, and constancy to persevere.

O God, who allowed your only Son to be tempted, that he might be able to help them that are tempted; we ask you to save us from those snares and temptations by which we are continually beset; and to strengthen us by your good Spirit that in all things we may be more than conquerors, through him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own precious blood. Hold before our eyes his cross that we may behold that sacred head now wounded. Awaken the careless, encourage the fearful, strengthen the faith of those who are in doubt, create in us all a right spirit, O God, that we may truly worship and obey Christ our Lord.

Hear our prayers, O Lord, for the peace of the world. Guide the rulers with your counsel; remove from the people all prejudice and malice; and pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, that the nations may be brought into a new bond of fellowship, one with another, and together with you. Direct our country in the paths of righteousness and peace; for the merits of the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

V. Easter

Praise be to you, O Father, who raised up your Son from the dead and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in you. Praise be to you, O Lord Almighty, Jesus Christ, the resurrection and the life, who as on this day by your glorious resurrection brought life and immortality to light. Praise be to you, O Holy Spirit, who send abroad the love of Christ in our hearts, and make us to rejoice in the hope of glory. All praise and thanks, dominion and power be unto you, O holy and blessed Trinity, now and forever more.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has given us new birth unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that does not fade away; to whom with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, one blessed Trinity, be ascribed all honor, might, majesty and dominion, now and forever.

O God, who for our redemption gave your only begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection have delivered us from the power of the enemy; grant us to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him, in the joy of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

You who have called us to be children of the resurrection; mercifully grant that whenever in the dimness of this present life our eyes are clouded that we see you not, our hearts may burn within us and always be attentive to your holy will, as it is revealed to us by your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

O Christ, who are the resurrection and the life; we ask you to grant us at this time the knowledge of your presence. Reveal yourself to our faith. Open our minds to understand the scriptures. To those who are ashamed speak your word of pardon. Give answer to the questioning of each wistful heart. Turn every doubt to confidence, and every sorrow into joy. Shed abroad your love in our hearts. Give us day by day victory over fear and sin and death, that setting our affections on things above, we may henceforth walk in newness of life.

Let your mercy rest, O Lord, upon our land and nation; upon all the powers which you have ordained over us; that we may lead quiet and peaceful lives in all godliness and honesty. Rule the hearts of men in all classes and conditions and grant that none may live in vain. Rebuke the power of unbelief and arrogance, and preserve to us the purity of your word and sacraments that as a people we may walk in the way of liberty and righteousness, faith and peace.

Almighty God, whose blessed Son, Jesus Christ, sent forth his apostles to make disciples of all nations; fill the church throughout the world with his risen power. Pour out your Spirit on those who are called to minister in his name. As they break the bread of life to others, let their own souls be nourished and sustained. Quicken within your people their common fellowship so that as one family they may gather about your holy table. Increase their faith, O God, so that none go hungry away. And grant that your people, here and everywhere, abiding in that holy fellowship, may be strengthened in the inner man until at length we all shall reach our common consummation of redemption and bliss in the glorious resurrection of the last day.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named; we rejoice before you in the blessed communion of all your saints, wherein you give us also to have part. We praise you for the holy fellowship of patriarchs and prophets, apostles and martyrs, and the whole glorious company of the redeemed of all ages, who have died in the Lord, and now live with him for evermore. We give thanks to you for your grace and gifts bestowed on those who have thus gone before us in the way of salvation, and by whom we are now compassed about as a cloud of witnesses looking down upon us from the heavenly world. Enable us to follow their faith, that we may enter at death into their joy; and so abide with them in rest and peace.

Almighty God, who from the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ caused the light of eternal life to shine upon the world; we ask you, that in celebrating this holy season, we may be so possessed with heavenly desires, and your love may be so shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that we may continually seek the things which are above, where Christ sits at your right hand; and that abiding in purity of heart and mind, we may at length attain unto your everlasting kingdom, there to dwell in the glorious light of your presence, world without end; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, be glory forever and ever. Amen.

VI. Pentecost-Trinity

(A)

Eternal God, most blessed and most holy, before whom angels veil their faces; with lowly reverence and adoring love we acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and worship you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Father in heaven, from whom comes down every good and perfect gift; grant us your blessing, and incline your ear unto our prayers. Merciful Savior, who sit at the right hand of the Father; fulfill your own promise, and be present with us who are gathered in your name. O Holy Spirit, help our infirmities, and enable us to worship in the beauty of holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God of all peace and consolation, who gloriously fulfilled the great promise of the gospel by sending down the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, to establish the church as the house of his continual presence and power among men; mercifully grant unto us, we ask you, that same gift of the Spirit, to renew, illumine, refresh, and sanctify our souls, to be over us and around us like the light and dew of heaven, to be to us as a well of water springing up into everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Most merciful and gracious God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through him our Father and the source of all our mercies; lift upon us, we ask you, the light of your countenance, and grant unto us your favor which is life, and your loving kindness which is better than life. Give us thankful hearts for all your benefits bestowed upon us from day to day, and help us to show forth our gratitude, not only with our lips but in our lives, by striving in all our labors to glorify your holy name. Strengthen us for the faithful discharge of our duties during the week upon which we have now entered. May we constantly look unto him who is the author and finisher of our faith, who suffered, and died, and rose again, that we might die unto sin and live unto holiness. Enlighten and guide us by your Holy Spirit; prepare us for our several callings during this present life and for the peace and joy of the life to come; and unto your name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, world without end.

Almighty God, who have purchased your church unto yourself with the most precious blood of your Son; hear us, we ask you, for the whole congregation of the faithful; that all who believe in you in every place may advance in your most holy ways, may be kept in unity and faith, and in purity of love toward you, and toward one another, and toward all men. Sanctify and increase your church, O God. Fill it with your grace and truth. Grant that it may ever declare your will in the preaching of your holy word and confirm your presence in the celebration of your blessed sacraments. Prosper especially this congregation and strengthen the faith of those who worship in this place that we may show forth your love and worthily magnify your holy name.

O God, who are the ruler of the universe; regard with your favor, we pray you, the land in which we dwell. Bless all those who are called to make and administer the laws, and lead them in the way of justice and truth. Support and protect the upright, and restrain the violence of wicked men. Prosper every useful occupation and enterprise. Bless all the nations of the earth, and so govern them by your providence that your kingdom may come and your name be glorified, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

O Lord, who are the fountain of wisdom and truth; let your blessing rest, we ask you, upon all institutions of learning. Cause them to be pervaded by the spirit of your holy gospel. Make them rich sources of sound knowledge and true piety, from which shall go forth faithful laborers into your church and the world. Sanctify all earthly knowledge by the spirit of Christ our Lord, and everywhere let men humbly learn of him, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, even Jesus Christ our Savior.

O God, who have made man in your likeness, and who love all whom you have made: teach us the unity of your family and the breadth of your love. By the example of your Son, Jesus Christ our Savior, enable us, while loving and serving our own, to enter into the fellowship of the whole human family; and forbid that, from pride of race or hardness of heart, we should despise any for whom he died, or injure any in whom he lives, for his own Name's sake.

Lead us, we pray you, O God, the King of righteousness, in the ways of justice and of peace. Inspire us to break down all oppression and wrong, to gain for every man his due reward, and from every man his due service, that each may live for all and all for each, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

O God, our heavenly Father, who have set the solitary in families; look in favor, we ask you, upon the homes of your people. Defend them against all evil, and supply all their needs according to the riches of your grace. Make them sanctuaries of purity and peace, love and joy. Bless all dear to us wheresoever they are, and though our paths may lead us far from one another grant that we may never wander far from you.

Father of mercies and God of all comfort, we pray for all who are in trouble or affliction; for such as are in danger by sea or land or air; and for those whose faith is tried by distress of body or mind. Of your mercy relieve the suffering, heal the sick, support the dying, and comfort all who mourn.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who said unto your apostles, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; regard not our sins, but the faith of your church, and grant her that peace and unity which is agreeable to your will, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

(B)

Almighty and everlasting God, who have granted to your church to know and to confess you, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to worship you; grant that through this holy faith we may be united in living communion with you to our soul's salvation. Unto you, the triune God, be adoration, praise, and glory forever and ever, world without end.

O God, who on the day of Pentecost taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit; grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns one God, world without end.

Eternal God, our maker and our Lord, giver of grace, from whom every good gift comes and who pour your Spirit upon all who seek you; deliver us when we draw near to you from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and pure affections we may worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Almighty Lord and everlasting God, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain, much less the temples which our hands have built, but who are ever near unto the humble and contrite; pour your Holy Spirit, we ask you, upon all here assembled, that, being cleansed and illumined by his grace, we may worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(C)

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; we give you thanks for all your goodness and tender mercies, especially for the gift of your dear Son, our Lord; and we ask you to grant that we may partake of his Spirit and be filled with his grace so that we may bring forth the good fruit of godly living and more and more be engrafted into the mystical Body of your Son as branches into a vine.

Most heartily we ask you for your holy catholic church, that it may be preserved in the pure doctrine of your saving word, and that it may so set forth your grace in the sacrament which you have ordained that all your children may grow in charity and increase in righteousness.

Send forth your light and your truth unto the ends of the earth. Raise up faithful pastors and missionaries to preach the gospel in our own and in all other lands; and guide, protect, and prosper them in their labors.

Bless, we pray you, all the institutions of the church: its colleges, its seminaries, and all its schools, and cause them to send forth men and women ready to serve you in the ministry of your holy church.

O you who are our dwelling place in all generations; let your blessing rest upon our homes, that, illumined by the light of your presence they may be a shelter against all evil and a foretaste of our eternal home in you.

Bless our country; give wisdom and guidance to the President of the United States and to all others in authority, that they may stand firm for truth and right, none making them afraid. Sanctify all sorts and conditions of people, and hasten among us the upbuilding of your city, O God, wherein righteousness, love, and peace shall reign.

We pray for all who are in trouble, want, sickness, anguish of labor, peril of death, or other adversity, especially for those who are suffering for your name and for truth's sake. Strengthen them, O God, according to all their needs; if it be your will grant them a speedy deliverance out of all their troubles; but above all, give them the assurance of your love and the healing of your peace.

Be pleased, O God, to hear our humble supplications, and to keep us in your way. From indolence and weakness of purpose, from indifference, carelessness, and despair, O Lord, deliver us. Save us from all dishonesty, extravagance, and injustice to others, from the temptation to put pleasure above duty, and from all the frailty of the flesh. From the world, the flesh, and the devil, good Lord, deliver us.

Look upon us with your mercy and your love. Cause the needful fruits of the earth to prosper, that we may enjoy them in due season. Give success to all lawful occupations on land, on the sea, and in the air; and crown all our worthy endeavors with your blessing.

These, and whatsoever other things you would have us ask of you, O God, grant to us, for the sake of the bitter sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, your only Son, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.