English 
Chinese 
Dutch 
Arabic 
Spanish 
Portuguese 
Russian 
French 
Italian 
German 
Japanese 
Continue reading with a subscription
Get unlimited access to all our premium content and exclusive features.
Enjoy unlimited access, cancel anytime.
Summary
- Short opening prayers are written for church and work meetings, small groups, family reunions, school assemblies, public events, celebrations, fellowships, tense meetings, groups in grief and speakers.
- Traditional opening prayers include the Anglican collect “Direct us, O Lord,” the Catholic “Come, Holy Ghost,” the Collect for Purity and the Lord’s Prayer, each quoted from a named 1888 or 1928 prayer book.
- The 1928 Book of Common Prayer has a prayer for church conventions asking to be saved “from all error, ignorance, pride, and prejudice,” and a one-line grace for gatherings with a meal.
- A simple order for leading an opening prayer: address God, give thanks for something specific, ask for what the gathering needs, and close in Jesus’ name.
- Jesus promised to be present “where two or three are gathered together in my name” (Matthew 18:20), and the early church met “in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1611), text of Project Gutenberg eBook no. 10 (Nehemiah 8:10; Psalm 19:14; 118:24; 127:1; 133:1; Proverbs 16:3; Matthew 18:20; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 1 Corinthians 14:40; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 4:3; Philippians 2:3; Colossians 3:17; James 1:5, 19). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
- The Book of Common Prayer (Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.), Standard Book of 1928. Morning Prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, p. 7; Prayers, “A Prayer to be used at the Meetings of Convention,” pp. 36–37; Collects, “Direct us, O Lord,” p. 49; Holy Communion, Collect for Purity, p. 67; Family Prayer, “Grace before Meat,” p. 600. PDF facsimile: https://www.artisticdailyprayers.org/uploads/3/0/1/6/30164961/bcp1928std.pdf
- A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, prepared and published by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1888. Morning Prayers, p. 52; Prayers before Mass, pp. 89–90. https://archive.org/details/AManualOfPrayers1888
Leave a Reply