In our book Having the Mind of Christ, the exercise for Axiom 6 is to write a collect (p. 115). A collect is a specific type of prayer rooted in the pattern of prayer for the people of God revealed in Scripture. Collects have the following general formula:
- An address of God,
- A declaration of some attribute or action of God,
- A specific request of God,
- (Often) the reason for the request or the hoped-for result of the answered prayer, and
- A christological or trinitarian finale, along with an Amen.
You can share your collect with us by filling out the form below:
Collect Examples
Here are a few examples of collects written by various people.
From the Book of Common Prayer (Collect for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, p. 215):
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
From the Book of Common Prayer (A Prayer for Mission, Morning Prayer II, p. 100):
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.