The Opening Prayer

Here’s the bulletin article for September 25th on the new translations.

Appreciating the New Translations

After the Gloria, comes the Collect, more commonly known as the Opening Prayer.  The wording of this prayer will seem longer and more formal than in the old translations.  The old translations simplified the wording which can be good to make it more understandable but sometimes the true content and intention was lost in the simplification.  Simple can be nice if it helps us express what we truly believe.  More evident in the new translations will be the four part structure of the prayer (invocation/amplification/petition/and conclusion).  The invocation calls upon God, generally with the simple words “Almighty God” and then comes words announcing the good things God has done for us.  Then the prayer asks God to help us in some way before concluding by invoking the Trinity, “we ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.”