Cranmer’s Late Epiphany Collects

I’ve long appreciated that the traditional Book of Common Prayer collects again and again express a radical dependence on God.  The collects of this late Epiphany season we are now in particularly have this spirit of dependence on God.  

Since Epiphany season can be very short, with as little as two Sundays, we don’t always hear the collects for the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday after Epiphany.  But this year, with a very late Easter, we do.

The Epiphany 3 collect was not changed in the 1662 from Cranmer’s composition.  A favorite of mine, it speaks for itself:

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth thy right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Acknowledging our infirmities and seeing dangers and necessities, it beautifully pleads for God’s “right hand to help and defend us.”

The Epiphany 4 collect for this week was changed in 1662 for the better I think.

O GOD, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright; Grant to us such strength and protection, as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Cranmer’s “man’s frailness” was changed to “the frailty of our nature,” more personal wording which assists the worshiper to own his weakness. The 1662 revision also makes dependence on God more clear, direct and broad by asking for “such strength and protection, as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations” instead of “the health of body and soul that all those things which we suffer for sin, by thy help we may well pass and overcome.”

For Epiphany 5 we pray for the Church:

O LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and household continually in thy true religion; that they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace may evermore be defended by thy mighty power; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I’ll be honest – the first part sounds like something prayed by pious elderly women.  Yes, blame me for that.  But I like that clause.  And using language we would not normally use helps us to think in ways we would not normally think – a strength of traditional language methinks.

I can relate more easily to the rest of the collect.  In fact, I have energy issues as I type this, so I can certainly relate to the dependence of “they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace” etc.

I think these three late Epiphany collects go very well together and they are favorites as mine as they well express how dependent upon God we are and should be.

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NOTE: I’m leaving out the Epiphany 6 Collect for a reason. It was a new composition for the 1662 BCP and very different than the previous three Cranmerian collects. It does fit well into the church year though, but I will leave that subject for a more apt time.  (This year after Epiphany 5, the traditional BCP has us go into the pre-Lent season.)