Proper Prayers for the 1st Sunday after Christmas (Year A: 29 December 2019)

Proper Prayers for RCL Christmas 1A

Isaiah 63.7-9; Psalm 148; Hebrews 2.10-18; Matthew 2.13-23

Collect of the Day

Almighty God, you have shed upon us the new light of your incarnate Word.  May this light, enkindled in our hearts, shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.  [1]

or

O Lord God, you know that cannot place our trust in our own powers.  As you protected the infant Jesus, so defend us and all the needy from harm and adversity, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.  [2]

or

Loving God, guardian of our homes, when you entrusted your Son to the care of Mary and Joseph, you did not spare them the pains that touch the life of every family.  Teach us to rely on your word, that/so that in our trials as in our joys we may be clothed in gentleness and patience and united in love.  Make us ever thankful for the blessings you give us through Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in the splendour of eternal light, God for ever and ever.  Amen.  [4]

or

God of the refugees, sharing the exile road with all who flee the violence that enslaves and kills:  as your Son sought asylum in a foreign land make us ready to welcome the refugee and receive from her a new language of life and hope; through Jesus Christ, Rachel’s child.  Amen.  [5]

or

Praise is our cry, O Holy One of Israel, for you have come among us and borne our burdens.  Give us open hearts, that/so that we might embrace our suffering sisters and brothers, and welcome Jesus in the hospitality we show to exiles; through Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in the splendour of eternal light, God for ever and ever.  Amen.  [6]

Prayer over the Gifts

God of light, in the birth of your Son/Jesus we see your glory.  May we who share in this mystery grow daily in your love.  This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord/Jesus, the Word made flesh.  Amen.  [1]

or

Good and loving God, we rejoice in the birth of Jesus, who came among the poor to bring the riches of your grace.  As you have blessed us with your gifts, let them be blessing for others.  With the trees of the field, with all earth and heaven, we shout for joy at the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  [2]

Preface

Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, who in the mystery of his incarnation was made perfect man of the flesh of the Virgin Mary his mother; in him we have seen a new and radiant vision of your glory.  Therefore with all the angels of heaven, we lift our voices and sing our joyful hymn of praise to proclaim the glory of your name.  [1]

or

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Saviour Jesus Christ.  In the wonder and mystery of the Word made flesh you have opened the eyes of faith to a new and radiant vision of your glory, that beholding the God made visible, we may be drawn to love the God whom we cannot see.  And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:  [2]

The Breaking of the Bread

We break the bread of life, and that life is the light of the world.

God here among us, light in the midst of us, bring us to light and life.  [1]

Prayer after Communion

Faithful God, we thank you for feeing us with this heavenly banquet.  Help us always to hear the prophet’s call to turn our hearts to you; in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen.  [1]

or

Radiant God, with our eyes we have seen your salvation, and in this meal we have feasted on your grace.  May your Word take flesh in us, that/so that we may be your holy people, revealing your glory made known to us in Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.  [2]

Blessing

May the God of infinite goodness scatter the darkness of sin and brighten your hearts with holiness; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.  [1]

or

May the God of infinite goodness scatter the darkness of sin and brighten your hearts with holiness; and the blessing of God almighty, the Author of creation, the Word of redemption and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.  [1 alt.]

or

May the God of infinite goodness scatter the darkness of sin and brighten your hearts with holiness; and the blessing of God almighty, the Source of all being, the Word of redemption and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.  [1 alt.]

or

May the God of infinite goodness scatter the darkness of sin and brighten your hearts with holiness; and the blessing of God almighty, the Holy One of Israel, the Word of God incarnate and the Power of the Most High, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.  [1 alt.]

Notes

[1]        The Book of Alternative Services 1985

[2]       Evangelical Lutheran Worship 2006

[2a]     Evangelical Lutheran Worship:  Leaders Desk Edition 2006

[3]      Alternative Collects for Years A, B & C of the RCL and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion 2019

[4]        Opening Prayers:  Collects in Contemporary Language 1997

[5]        Prayers for an Inclusive Church 2009

[6]        Revised Common Lectionary Prayers 2002

[7]        Book of Occasional Services 2003

N.B.  Text in italics are possible alternatives suggested by the Ven. Richard Geoffrey Leggett, Ph.D.

Do You Live in Hope? Reflections on Christmas Eve 2019

Do You Live in Hope?

Reflections on Christmas Eve

The Ven. Richard Geoffrey Leggett

24 December 2019

Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral

New Westminster BC

            My professor of Hebrew Bible, the late Fr. Joseph Hunt, told us a story of a late night train trip he took while he was still a monk of the Abbey of Mount Angel in Oregon.  He was travelling back to the West Coast from Chicago and, when he boarded the train and entered his compartment, he discovered his companion was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi.  The rabbi was equally surprised to see that he was about to spend a long trip with a Benedictine monk whose identity was unmistakable since Fr. Hunt was wearing his monastic habit.

            The two men made some pleasant sounds to one another as the train left the station.  Both men produced their prayer books and began to recite their night prayers in silence.  The silence, Fr. Hunt told us, lasted a long time.  When a Benedictine tells you the silence lasted a long time, then you know that you and I would have experienced it as an eternity.  They finished their prayers and then tried to have some conversation, but they soon lapsed back into silence.  After another long silence, the rabbi looked at Fr. Hunt and asked, ‘Do you live in hope?’  Fr. Hunt answered, ‘Yes, I live in hope.’  For the rest of their journey together the two men of faith talked about their hope in the coming of God’s promised reign of justice and peace.

            Do you live in hope?  This is the question I think slumbers in the hearts and minds of every human being.  At various times, some of them ritual such as tonight, some situational such as personal or communal crises, this question awakens from its slumber and commands our full attention.

            Many people are drawn to the story we tell tonight because they realize that there is something worth believing, worth falling head over heels in love with, in the mystery of this night.  Even if we are here because of family custom or nostalgia or some other reason, we are drawn here because we want to live in hope.  And this is what tonight offers us, hope in a future worth believing in, worth falling in love with, worth committing our lives to.

            The mystery of this night is more than the familiar hope engendered by the birth of any child, whether in a hospital, a home or a refugee camp.  What we encounter tonight is the embodiment of our hope that the challenges of our lives, or our communities and of our world are not how the world is now and ever shall be.

            From the unknowable beginnings of human self-awareness, God has been at work creating communities of help, of hope and of home.  These communities, past, present and future, dare to offer an alternative vision to the status quo and even dare to resist, not by coercion or violence but by doing justice, by loving our neighbours steadfastly and by walking humbly with God and with all our sisters and brothers, of every faith or none, near and far, known and not yet known.

            To be a disciple of the Child whose birth we celebrate tonight is to live for a world in which ‘goodness is stronger than evil; love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness; life is stronger than death’. [1]  Living in this hope is not some naïve, warm feeling that blinds us to the realities of the present.  Living in this hope means committing ourselves, our souls and bodies, our minds and strengths, to working for this world, the world as God means it to be.

            Living in this hope is not easy.  We are often disappointed and perhaps even discouraged.  We are sustained by the stories of God’s holy ones who came before us and by the witness of the many holy ones, some who are religious believers and many who are not, who share this hope and work for it.  We are sustained by communities such as this one who raise us up when we stumble, who forgive us when we fall short and who whisper words of encouragement and wisdom when we are disheartened and uncertain.

            In the days to come we shall return to the rail compartments of our daily lives as the busyness of Christmas and the new year passes.  In those compartments we shall surely find familiar and not-so-familiar travelling companions.  Some of them may seem weary.  They will ask us, in one way or another, ‘Do you live in hope?’  May our answer be, ‘Yes, I live in hope.  Let me share my hope with you and you yours with me, so that we and all God’s children may be free and the earth come nearer to the dream we share.’

---

[1] Desmond Tutu as published in Evangelical Lutheran Worship 2006, Hymn #721.

God Interrupts Our Regularly-Scheduled Program (Advent 4, 22 December 2019)

God Interrupts Our Regularly-Scheduled Program

Reflections on Matthew 1.18-25

RCL Advent 4A

22 December 2019

Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral

New Westminster BC

            On Tuesday of this past week I had three appointments scheduled in Vancouver neatly arranged at 9.00, 12.00 and 17.00 and conveniently located within easy driving distance of the Synod Office, my final destination for the day.  So I packed my backpack and went off to my first appointment at Broadway and Heather near VGH.  Since I had some time between appointments, I went to the Synod Office to do some work.

            There is a small unused work space at the Synod Office that I frequently use when I am between meetings in Vancouver for any extended period of time.  I call it my ‘Niche of Necessity’.  On Tuesday, however, someone had decided to use it to store a number of boxes, thus making it impossible for me to work there.  So I set myself up at a table in the Trendle Lounge where I thought that I would be uninterrupted.

            However, one of my colleagues, a private person of few words, saw me.  He pulled up a chair and, for the next forty-five minutes or so, he and I chatted about a particular church matter and then his most recent medical experience.  My planned work remained untouched.

            My colleague had recently learned that his heart wasn’t as healthy as he thought it was.  He had been brought to consider the fragility of our lives and to realize that the future, as he had imagined it, might be somewhat different.  Since I’ve been a cardiac patient for thirteen years, I knew what he was experiencing.  There is not a day that goes by when I am not reminded that my life depends upon a tiny piece of medical technology embedded in my left main coronary artery.

            We all know how the ‘regularly-scheduled program’ of our lives can be interrupted by a ‘special announcement’.  Perhaps, like my colleague, it is a message about our health.  Perhaps, like me, you’ve planned out the day carefully and someone or something decides to demand your attention.  I was reminded, after my colleague had left and I was packing up my things to go to my next appointment, that interruptions are not always what they seem to be to us at the moment.

            Henri Nouwen, a well-known Roman Catholic writer and pastoral theologian, served for a while as a chaplain at Yale University.  One day a friend walked by Henri’s open door and noticed he was holding his head in his hands.  When his friend asked him if there were anything wrong, Henri said, ‘I keep getting interrupted and cannot do my ministry.’  ‘Henri,’ his friend responded, ‘did you ever consider that your interruptions are your ministry?’

            Mary probably did not plan on becoming the mother of the Messiah, particularly since it involved bearing a child whose father was not the man to whom she was engaged.  Her ‘regularly-scheduled program’ was most definitely interrupted by a ‘special message’ that cost her a great deal and put her on a road she could not have imagined.

            Joseph had a plan to become a respectable family man, married to a young woman from a good family who would bear him sons to take up their father’s business.  Even in first-century Palestine a skilled trade such as carpentry was the ticket to a good future.  Discovering his fiancée was pregnant with someone else’s child must have been a shock, but imagine for a moment having a dream that tells you whose child it is and what your role is to be in shaping the future.  Talk about an interruption!

            And whether people believe Jesus to be the Messiah or not, we cannot deny that the story of his birth as well as his teaching and life come as a profound interruption to the ‘regularly-scheduled program’ of human history.  That ‘regularly-scheduled program’ does not always turn out well, regardless of what century we’re looking at.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the American poet, wrote a poem as he was rushing to see his son who had been wounded in a battled during the American Civil War.

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men. [1]

Longfellow, recently widowed and the single parent of six children, cannot help but write

And in despair I bowed my head:

“There is no peace on earth,” I said,

“For hate is strong, and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.” [2]

But then his melancholy is interrupted and God’s special message breaks through:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men.” [3]

            Human history is interrupted by the special message of Emmanuel, ‘God is with us’.  What an extraordinary interruption this is.  It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not, Matthew simply claims that in Jesus, born of Mary, raised by Joseph, God is with us, even more importantly, God is for us.

            As we draw near to the Christmas feast, who doesn’t want to believe this.  Not do we only want to believe it, we want to experience it first-hand.  We want to know that God is with us, God is for us, just as surely as we can see and touch each other gathered in the Cathedral this morning.  We want to see God’s power at work in remedying the many ills of our world.

            But we have to admit that God’s presence among us, within us and beyond us, is elusive.  Sometimes I feel like saying to God, ‘Why do you give the sceptics so much ammunition?  Would it be too much to ask for even a small sign, perhaps something dramatic?  Peace in the Middle East would be nice.  Nudging some local elected officials and developers to take the risk to build a few more non-market housing units wouldn’t be a bad idea?’

            And then, as I am caught up in this ‘regularly-scheduled program’ of whinging, God does interrupt me with a ‘special message’:  ‘Do you not realize that every human being whose life has been touched by Jesus of Nazareth now shares in his ministry.  Remember when he said that his disciples would do greater things than he if they believed in him and committed themselves to the same ministry? [4]  Well, kiddo, this is your moment!  You’re my Emmanuel  in this place and in this time.’

            On Tuesday my colleague needed an Emmanuel and there I was.  Our neighbours need an Emmanuel and here we are.  God has this annoying habit of using flesh and blood such as ours to break into the ‘regularly-scheduled program’ of the world to bring a ‘special message’ of reconciliation and healing, of service and community, of peace and justice.

            Be prepared to be interrupted by the needs and concerns of our everyday world.  Be ready to interrupt our world’s ‘regularly-scheduled program’ with the good news that God is with us, that God is for us.  That cute little Baby has escaped the manger, my friends, and has set us loose on an unsuspecting but desperately needy world.

---

[1] www.hymnary.org/text/i_heard_the_bells_on_christmas_day accessed on 20 December 2019.

[2] www.hymnary.org/text/i_heard_the_bells_on_christmas_day accessed on 20 December 2019.

[3] www.hymnary.org/text/i_heard_the_bells_on_christmas_day accessed on 20 December 2019.

[4] John 14.12.

The Not-Yet Kingdom of God (Third Sunday of Advent, 15 December 2019)

The Not-Yet Kingdom of God

The Third Sunday of Advent

The Ven. Richard Geoffrey Leggett

15 December 2019

Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral

New Westminster BC

            In early December 1998 my wife, Paula, was ordained to the priesthood at Saint Mary’s in Kerrisdale.  During the reception that followed one of the people who had been present went up to our older son, David, who was nine years old at the time.  ‘What a special occasion this is,’ this person said to David.  ‘Your father’s a priest and now your mother is as well.’  ‘Well,’ said David, ‘it’s not the kingdom of God.’

            In some ways the last twenty-four years have proven David to be right.  I’m sure that other families have their stories to tell, but the last twenty-four years have not been easy for clergy families.  The various conflicts within the Anglican Church of Canada have not only reached out to touch Anglicans in other parts of the world; they have also touched the lives of clergy families.  Each time I was interviewed in the media about one matter or another during that time I call ‘the troubles’, our children heard about it on the playground at their schools.

            They’ve had to listen to their parents talk about the challenges we’ve faced in the congregations we’ve served.  They know all too well the fragility of many congregations and the ever-lurking possibility that one or both of their parents might find themselves without a living.  Our daughter’s fiancé, Ali, who was raised in an Iranian Muslim context, recently asked a question about Christian belief.  Our younger son, Owen, said, ‘Oh no, Ali!  Not more church talk.  You don’t want to go there.’

            I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.  Our children have benefitted from a wide array of foster aunts, uncles and grandparents, all associated with the church.  But, as David said, ‘It’s not the kingdom of God.’  Yet!

            In today’s reading from the Gospel according to Matthew, the crowds following Jesus are all buzzing with one question:  Is Jesus the One?  Is he the one who is going to end two centuries of political powerlessness and restore the sovereignty of the Jewish people?  Are the hated Romans going to be sent packing back across the Mediterranean Sea?  Are the despised religious authorities who are collaborating with the Romans going to be cast down?

            Even John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, in prison for his own prophetic ministry, can’t keep himself from asking the same question as the crowds.  He sends messengers to Jesus to ask, ‘Are you the one, cousin?’

            Once again Jesus answers the question by asking his audience to make up their own minds. Jesus knows that they are hoping for a grand show, a dramatic presentation of God’s power.  John is one of their heroes who has pulled on the lion’s tail and dared to condemn openly the immoral and self-serving behaviour of the ruling class.  Certainly the stage has been set, thinks the crowd.

            But Jesus dares to betray the crowd’s expectations of what the kingdom will look like.  ‘Look around you,’ he say, ‘look around you to see the kingdom.'  

• The blind receive their sight. 
• The lame walk.  
• The lepers are cleansed.  
• The deaf hear.  
• The dead are raised.  
• The poor have good news to preached to them.

‘And I am the least in the kingdom of God,’ says Jesus.  ‘There’s even more to come after I’ve left the stage.’

            My friends, with the death and resurrection of Jesus, the first act of God’s saving drama was brought to an end.  It was an act intended to work a transformation in the hearts, minds and souls of ordinary people who take no offense in the teachings and example of Jesus of Nazareth.

            Since that first Easter we have been in the midst of God’s second act.  What God wrought in the ancient Roman province of Judea is now playing out on every continent, in every nation, in every language.

            

            As Christmas draws near, we are still surrounded by a crowd who ask us whether the kingdom of God is at hand.  Look around.  

• Those who were blind to the needs of their sisters and brothers have opened their eyes.
• Those who unable to stand by themselves have found allies to stand at their side. 
• Those who were thought ‘untouchable’ are re-discovering their dignity.  
• Those who could not hear the voices of the hungry and homeless are beginning to listen.
• Those who thought themselves dead to hope and to the future dare to dream.   
• Those whom some thought expendable in the race for profit and self-interest have begun to hear voices raised in resistance.  

All this here in New Westminster and throughout the world.

            My son was right.  It’s not the kingdom of God.  Yet!  But seeing what I see --- despite all the shadows, the conflicts and the disappointments --- I cannot wait to see the third act.  May it come soon!

Proper Prayers and Blessings for Advent 2A (8 December 2019)

Proper Prayers for RCL Advent 2A

Isaiah 11.1-10; Psalm 72.1-7, 18-19; Romans 15.4-13; Matthew 3.1-12

Collect of the Day

Almighty God, who sent your servant John the Baptist to prepare your people to welcome the Messiah, inspire us, the ministers and stewards of your truth, to turn our disobedient hearts to you, that/so that when the Christ shall come again to be our judge, we may stand with confidence before his glory; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.  [1]

or

Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son.  By his coming nurture our growth as people of repentance and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.  [2]

or

God of justice, clear our lives of hatred and despair and sow in us seeds of joy and peace; so that shoots of hope may spring forth in us as we await the coming of the Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.  [3]

or

Almighty God, purify our hearts and minds, so that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour, we may be ready to receive him, who is our Lord and our God.  Amen.  [3]

or

Your kingdom is at hand, O God of justice and peace; you made John the Baptist its herald to announce the coming of your Christ, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  Give us a spirit of repentance to make us worthy of the kingdom.  Let complacency yield to conviction, that/so that in our day justice will flourish and conflict give way to the peace you bestow in Christ.  Grant this through him whose coming is certain, whose day draws near:  your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.  Amen.  [4]

or

God of the keen blade, which cuts the roots or arrogant power:  you raise voices of promise in the dry lands of our desire, children of faith from the stones of the earth; make us ready to receive the Spirit and the fire of love wild and fierce and free; through Jesus Christ, the one who is to come.  Amen.  [5]

or

God of timeless grace, you fill us with joyful expectation.  Make us ready for the message that prepares the way, that/so that with uprightness of heart and holy joy we may eagerly await the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.  Amen.  [6]

or

Labouring God, with axe and winnowing fork you clear a holy space where hurt and destruction have no place, and a little child holds sway.  Clear our lives and hatred and despair, sow seeds of joy and peace, that/so thatshoots of hope may spring forth and we may live in harmony with one another; for we ask in the name of the One who is coming.  Amen.  [6]

Prayer over the Gifts

God our strength, we are nothing without you.  Receive all we offer you this day as you sustain us with your mercy; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  [1]

or

God of abundance, we bring before you the precious fruits of your creation, and with them our very lives.  Teach us patience and hope as we care for all those in need until the coming of your Son, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.  [2]

Preface

Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, who in the fullness of time came among us in our flesh, and opened to us the way of salvation.  Now we watch for the day when he will come again in power and great triumph to judge this world, that/so that we, without shame or fear, may rejoice to behold his appearing.  Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your name.  [1]

or

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Saviour Jesus Christ.  You comforted your people with the promise of the Redeemer, though whom you will also make all things new in the day when he comes to judge the world in righteousness.  And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn.  [2]

The Breaking of the Bread

God of promise, you prepare a banquet for us in your kingdom.

Happy are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.  [1]

Prayer after Communion

Faithful God, we thank you for feeing us with this heavenly banquet.  Help us always to hear the prophet’s call to turn our hearts to you; in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen.  [1]

or

God for whom we wait, in this meal you give us a foretaste of that day when the hungry will be fed with good things.  Send us forth to make known your deeds and to proclaim the greatness of your name, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.  [2]

Blessing

Be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and untiring in love all the days of your life; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.  [1]

or

Be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and untiring in love all the days of your life; and the blessing the holy and undivided Trinity, the Author of creation, the Word of redemption and the Spirit of wisdom, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.  [1 alt.]

or

May the Holy One of Israel, by whose providence our Redeemer came among us in great humility, sanctify you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always.  Amen.  [7 alt.]

or

May the Holy One of Israel, by whose providence our Redeemer came among us in great humility, sanctify you in the name of the holy and undivided Trinity, the Author of creation, the Word of redemption and the Spirit of wisdom, now and always.  Amen.  [7 alt.]

or

May the Sun of righteousness shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.  [7 alt.]

or

May the Sun of righteousness shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path; and the blessing the holy and undivided Trinity, the Author of creation, the Word of redemption and the Spirit of wisdom, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.  [7 alt.]

Notes

[1]       The Book of Alternative Services 1985

[2]       Evangelical Lutheran Worship 2006

[2a]      Evangelical Lutheran Worship:  Leaders Desk Edition 2006

[3]       Alternative Collects for Years A, B & C of the RCL and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion 2019

[4]       Opening Prayers:  Collects in Contemporary Language 1997

[5]       Prayers for an Inclusive Church 2009

[6]       Revised Common Lectionary Prayers 2002

[7]       Book of Occasional Services 2003

N.B.  Text in italics are possible alternatives suggested by the Ven. Richard Geoffrey Leggett, Ph.D.