1_09-4-3 The Collect Prayer

praying as a collective

unity even in our guilt

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ever heard a prayer that sounds kind of like this?

Merciful God, you who sent your messengers, the prophets, to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

no!

yes!

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The Collect

A collect (pronounced KAHL-lekt) is a prayer that follows the structure of the Lord's Prayer. The word collect comes from the Latin phrase ecclesia collecta, which means "the gathered congregation" - so a collect is a public prayer prayed by and for the assembled church.

- source: acollectionofprayers.com

see the format

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Collects are about our unity

With that in mind, share a time when you felt unity with others through collective prayer.

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Some historical "collect" moments

Read these short stories of collective prayers of guilt from the story of Ezra to see how these kinds of moments often look and feel.

the people pray

ezra teaches

ezra prays

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Using the structure we've discussed, compose a collect prayer focusing on a concept of collective guilt. Consider issues that resonate with your community or your experiences, such as environmental neglect, social injustice, or failure to support each other in faith.

the structure

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Thank You

You can move on to the next portion of the Spotlight.