Let us pray (in silence) [that we may follow the Good Shepherd]
pause
O God,
you shine the light of your truth for those who stray into error,
so that they may be able to return to the right path,
grant that all who profess the Christian faith
may reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ
and eagerly follow the way that leads to you;
through Jesus Christ
who is alive with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
The above is my reworking for my Book of Prayers in Common in which I seek to provide a set of collects with history and commentary.
This is an ancient collect that has been prayed on this Sunday for at least 13 centuries. It has recently been moved, but I think it is a strong Easter-Season collect, with Easter/Baptismal themes: to flee and to follow; light, truth, way, righteousness, admitted, fellowship, and profession. It fits with this Sunday’s Gospel reading, which in all three years is about the Risen Christ being our Good Shepherd.
You can find more on this collect here: Fourth Sunday of Easter.
Any comments, suggestions, resources, of course, are welcome below in the comments section.
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