Monday, April 06, 2009

Collect for Good Friday (Updated)

Will you be using the 3rd BCP Collect for Good Friday?

O Merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, nor wouldst the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live: Have mercy upon all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics, and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved among the remnant of the true Israelites, and be made one fold under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.


The second and third collects seem to have disappeared from Common Worship.

The second Collect can be found in Daily Prayer, p542, the Collect for the ministry of all Christian people.

The prayers of intercession for the liturgy of Good Friday in Times and Seasons (pp316-8) seem partly to be based on the collects for Good Friday, though you may detect a change of emphasis:

Let us pray for God’s ancient people, the Jews,
the first to hear his word:
for greater understanding between Christian and Jew,
for the removal of our blindness and bitterness of heart,
that God will grant us grace to be faithful to his covenant
and to grow in the love of his name.

Lord God of Abraham,
bless the children of your covenant, both Jew and Christian;
take from us all blindness and bitterness of heart,
and hasten the coming of your kingdom,
when the Gentiles shall be gathered in,
all Israel shall be saved,
and we shall dwell together in mutual love and peace
under the one God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us pray for those who do not believe the gospel of Christ:
for those who have not heard the message of salvation,
for all who have lost faith,
for the contemptuous and scornful,
for those who are enemies of Christ and persecute those who follow him,
for all who deny the faith of Christ crucified,
that God will open their hearts to the truth
and lead them to faith and obedience.

Merciful God,
creator of all the people of the earth,
have compassion on all who do not know you,
and by the preaching of your gospel with grace and power,
gather them into the one fold of the one Shepherd;
Christ our Lord.

Here's an attempt at a modern language version of the third collect for Good Friday from the BCP:

Merciful God,

who made all people,

and who hates nothing that you have made,

nor desires the death of a sinner,

but rather that they should be converted and live,

have mercy upon all Jews, Muslims, unbelievers and heretics,

and take from them all ignorance,

hardness of heart,

and contempt for your word;

and so bring them home, blessed Lord, to your flock,

that they may be saved among the remnant of the true Israel,

and be made one fold under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, world without end. Amen.

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