I love our traditional collects... Two sundays ago we heard this as our appointed collect of the day, and I have still held onto the bulletin with it-- Grant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot exist without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. http://bcponline.org/Collects/seasonst.html It doesn't get any better than this in the prayer of a Christian to our heavenly father
This is one of my favourites, I think I like the simple clarity and brevity of it. Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Fifth Sunday after Trinity BCP
These are beautiful collects. I'd like to add God, who from of old taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Deus incommutabilis virtus, lumen aeternum, respice propitius ad totius ecclesiae tuae mirabile sacramentum, et opus salutis humanae perpetuae dispositionis effectu tranquillus operare, totusque mundus experiatur et videat dejecta erigi, inveterata novari, et per ipsum redire omnia in integrum, a quo sumpsere principium. Per etc. Some sources have "tranquillius" instead of "tranquillus." The English translation in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer is in some ways better than the original Latin: O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. In the Gelasian Sacrametary this collect is used after the first reading at the Easter Vigil. In the Leofric Missal it is used after the second reading at the Easter Vigil. In the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer it is used at the Good Friday liturgy and after the last reading at the Easter Vigil. In the York Missal a collect that starts out similarly but ends differently is used after the 4th reading at the Pentecost Vigil: Deus incommutabilis virtus et lumen aeternum, respice propitius ad totius ecclesiae mirabile sacramentum, et da famulis tuis ut hoc quod devote agimus, etiam rectitudine vitae teneamus. Per. which means something like O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful mystery; and grant to us your servants that what we here do in devotion, we may hold to in uprightness of life. In the Hereford Missal the same collect as in the Hereford Missal is used at the Pentecost Vigil also, apparently after the 5th reading. (My source was unclear.)
Hi. In Australia we used 1661-2 BCP of the COE, mostly, until liturgical revision set in. Our first national prayer book 1974 An Australian Prayer Book was built around the Revised Common Lectionary clearly showed a reliance on much of the earlier material. I liked the Collects and didn't mind the lectionary either. Our second national prayer book 1995 A Prayer Book for Australia, which adopted a variant lectionary so that OT readings ran in treads across the weeks. My personal opinion is we now have a lectionary where the readings don't always properly connect so it can seem a little disintegrated. The collects in APBA are for each of the three years, which I think means thy tie in the the readings more specifically (I may not always see the connection which probably means I have more to learn), however many of them are longer (maybe even wordy) and more dispirit than the BCP collects, and often you can miss half the collect because your mind has darted off in another direction. I think Common Worship from the COE has done a better job, however that may be an Australian cultural cringe. I think liturgical renewal has been important for the western church, however I don't think we have worked it out yet. Part of that may of course be because so much of contemporary language lacks grace and dignity, it may also reflect the contemporary embrace of immanence at the expense of transcendence. One of my all time favourites was the AAPB Collect for the Fifth Ordinary Sunday. Father, watch over your family and keep us safe in your care for all our hope is in you. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.