Until the past few days, our 4-year-old son, Andrew, has mainly prayed something like the following before dinner: “Dear Jesus, help us to have a good day tomorrow, and help this food to be good.” However, in the past few days, he has started to pray more spontaneously and creatively before dinner. Here are some highlights: “Give us this day our holy bread” “Help us worship you even when we are in heaven”...
(The following prayers come from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.) Prayers for the Sick For a Sick Person O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need: We humbly beseech thee to behold, visit, and relieve thy sick servant N. for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness; preserve him from the temptations of the enemy; and give him patience under his affliction....
I needed this prayer this morning, and I plan to return to it often in the days ahead. Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us. Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord....
The following is a “collect” prayer that I composed for Juneteenth in 2020. What’s a “collect” prayer? The short form of prayer, constructed (with many varieties of detail) from (1) an invocation, (2) a petition, and (3) a pleading of Christ’s name or an ascription of glory to God; and one of the most characteristic items in the W[estern] liturgy. Source: The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church For more on Juneteenth, see “The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth” (National Museum of African American History and Culture)....