Thursday, March 03, 2005

Collect of the week

A Collect /KOL-lekt/ is a short, liturgical prayer which "collects" everyone together. We might say it gets everyone on the same page: worship. In revivalist churches (low churches), pastors often pray before delivering the sermon, and worship leaders, too, use prayer in this way: to focus everyone together in worship. They, also, then pray a collect, though johnny-on-the-spot.

Anyway, because I woke up feeling "stretched" and moody, it seems a collect is the only thing for it. So here is the collect for the third week in Lent:

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, 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 our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.