Matthew R. Green's Blog, page 32

A Collect to Sacrifice for Others in Love

God whose nature is love, instill in us a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of others, that our love might help to sustain them as your love sustains us all, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who sacrificed for us in love and so opened the way to you through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

'Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.' - 1 Cor. 8:13

A Collect to Be Aware of How to Lift Up One Another

God of wisdom and love, who is attentive to the needs of all your children, make us also aware of the needs of those whose lives we touch, that we might always think of how our actions affect others and thereby encourage and strengthen one another, becoming sources of love and support as you have been for us, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit in glory forever. Amen.

'But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.' - 1 Cor. 8:9

A Collect to Trust that God is Always Close

Gracious God, who draws near to those who draw near to you, keep us from superstition and magical thinking, that rather than believing we can force you to appear by doing the right thing, we would trust that you are always at hand in your great love, working for our good, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

'"Food will not bring us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.' - 1 Cor. 8:8

A Collect to Love the Father Well

Loving Father, who created us for relationship with you, help us first and foremost to love you, that we might escape the trappings of lesser desires and self-protective and self-aggrandizing pursuits and thereby receive the life that only you can provide, through Jesus Christ our example, who loved you perfectly and then in the Holy Spirit loved us to the end. Amen.

'Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.' - 1 Cor. 8:2-3

A Collect to Remain Humble and Able to Learn

Omniscient God, from whom no detail of any truth is hidden, keep us from becoming arrogant in believing we know the truth, that we would remain always humble, willing to be wrong and ready at any moment to learn, through Jesus Christ our teacher, who spoke truth to Israel and speaks the words of the Father to us still through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

'Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge.' - 1 Cor. 8:2

A Collect to Eschew Pride and Embrace Love

God of all knowledge and wisdom, who set the pillars of the earth in their place and knows the number of hairs on each head, keep us from arrogance and hubris at our knowledge, and grant us loving hearts, that our knowledge would be used first of all to build up one another and reinforce that which ties us together as people and as your children, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

'Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.' - 1 Cor. 8:1

A Collect to be Astonished by Jesus' Message

Rabbi Jesus, who speaks the words of the Lord, open our eyes to see how different your message is, that we might be so amazed by your truths that we would pay greater attention to your message and seek all the more to follow your ways, through you who clung to the Father and ascended to heaven in the Holy Spirit to reign in glory. Amen.

'They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.' - Mark 1:21-22

A Collect to be Free from Worldly Attachments

Almighty God, who reigns over all things, material and spiritual, keep us from becoming overly attached to and involved with this world, that we might be free to attend to the things that are eternal and what reflects your nature and your joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who loved us to the end and sat down at your right hand in glory with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

'I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it.' - 1 Cor. 7:29-31

A Collect to Be Willing to Let Go of Our Attachments

God of all things, who is more precious than all the treasures of this world, grant us the willingness to leave those things or even those people to which we are attached should you call, that we would attach first of all to you, who can give us a hundred times what we have left for you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God in perfect glory forever. Amen.

'As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.' - Mark 1:19-20

A Collect to Be Willing to Sacrifice to Receive the Wisdom of God

Rabbi, who has generously offered to share your great wisdom with us, grant us willing hearts that know the value of what you offer, that we might be willing to sacrifice much in order to follow you and take in your teaching, through you who was killed for your goodness but raised to new life by the Father through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

'And immediately they left their nets and followed him.' - Mark 1:18