Reformation Prayers Litanies and Quotes   Contents: Scripture Lessons           Reformation Prayers       Complete Service with    homily, prayers, hymns Hymns and Songs           Protestant Communion    Reformation Quotes                Reformation Scripture Lessons Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 46 Romans 3:19-28 John 8:31-36 Reformation Prayers A Reformation Day Prayer Lord God of hosts, the Refuge of every sinner and the Strength of all who put their trust in you, we praise you for having made us partakers of the blessings of your Reformation. Without any merit on our part, you have sent your Holy Spirit into our hearts and brought us to faith in your dear Son, Jesus Christ. You have made known to us the perfect merit of Christ. You have directed our faith to rest on the exceedingly great and precious promises of your Gospel. You have revealed the beauty of your grace, which rescued us from a just condemnation and assured us of certain salvation in Christ. Grant us your grace that we may receive your forgiveness with thanksgiving.  Use us as your witnesses in bringing the message of pardon in Christ to people everywhere. Open our eyes to a better understanding of your Word and a deeper appreciation of your grace that our faith in Christ Jesus may grow and flourish with the fruits of righteous living.  Amen.   Luther's Morning Prayer In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. Martin Luther:  Keep us steadfast in your word Lord, keep us steadfast in your word; curb those who by deceit or sword would wrest the kingdom from your Son and bring to naught all he has done. Lord Jesus Christ, your power make known, for you are Lord of lords alone; defend your holy church, that we may sing your praise triumphantly. O Comforter of priceless worth, send peace and unity on earth; support us in our final strife and lead us out of death to life. Luther's Evening Prayer In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.   A Prayer of Ulrich Zwingli Almighty, eternal and merciful God, whose Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, open and illuminate our minds, that we may purely and perfectly understand thy Word and that our lives may be conformed to what we have rightly understood, that in nothing we may be displeasing unto thy majesty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   A Prayer by John Calvin Grant, Almighty God, that, since to a perverse, and in every way a rebellious people, thou didst formerly show so much grace, as to exhort them continually to repentance, and to stretch forth thy hand to them by thy Prophets, — O grant, that the same word may sound in our ears; and when we do not immediately profit by thy teaching, O cast us not away, but, by thy Spirit, so subdue all our thoughts and affections, that we, being humbled, may give glory to thy majesty, such as is due to thee, and that, being allured by thy paternal favor, we may submit ourselves to thee, and, at the same time, embrace that mercy which thou offerest and presentest to us in Christ, that we may not doubt but thou wilt be a Father to us, until we shall at length enjoy that eternal inheritance, which has been obtained for us by the, blood of thine only-begotten Son. Amen.   Enjoying the Redemption of Christ by John Calvin   Grant, Almighty God, that as we now carry about us this mortal body, yea, and nourish through sin a thousand deaths within us; O grant that we may ever by faith direct our eyes toward heaven, and to that incomprehensible power, which is to be manifested at the last day by Jesus Christ our Lord, so that in the midst of death we may hope that thou wilt be our Redeemer, and enjoy that redemption which he completed when he rose from the dead, and not doubt that the fruit which he then brought forth by his Spirit will come also to us when Christ himself shall come to judge the world; and may we thus alk in the fear of thy name, that we may be really gathered among his members, to be mane partakers of that glory which by his death he has procured for us. Amen   Christ our only Mediator by John Calvin   Grant, Almighty God, that as thou not only invitest us continually by the voice of thy gospel to seek thee, but also offerest to us thy Son as our mediator, through whom an access to thee is open, that we may find thee a propitious Father; O grant, that relying on thy kind invitation, we may through life exercise ourselves in prayer, and as so many evils disturb us on all sides and so many wants distress and oppress us, may we be led more earnestly to call on thee, and in the meanwhile be never wearied in this exercise of prayer; until having been heard by thee throughout life, we may at length be gathered to thine eternal kingdom where we shall enjoy that salvation which thou hast promised to us, and of which also thou daily testifiest to us by thy gospel, and be forever united to thine only-begotten Son of whom we are now members; that we may be partakers of all the blessings which he has obtained for us by his death. Amen.   The Word of God by John Calvin   Grant, Almighty God, that as thou shinest on us by thy word, we may not be blind at midnight, nor wilfully seek darkness, and thus lull our minds asleep: but may we be roused daily by thy words, and may we stir up ourselves more and more to fear thy name and thus present ourselves and all our pursuits, as a sacrifice to thee, that thou mayest peaceably rule, and perpetually dwell in us, until thou gatherest us to thy celestial habitation, where there is reserved for us eternal rest and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.     The Fountain of Life by John Calvin Grant, Almighty God, that since under the guidance of thy Son we have been united together in the body of thy Church, which has been so often scattered and torn asunder, ­­O grant that we may continue in the unity of faith, and perseveringly fight against all the temptations of this world, and never deviate from the right course, whatever new troubles may daily arise; and though we are exposed to many deaths, let us not be seized with fear, such as may extinguish in our hears every hope; but may we, on the contrary, learn to raise up our eyes and minds and all our thoughts to thy great power, by which thou quickenest the dead, and raisest from nothing things which are not, so that, though we be daily exposed to ruin, our souls may ever aspire to eternal salvation, until thou at length really showest thyself to be the fountain of life, when we shall enjoy that endless felicity which has been obtained for us by the blood of thine only begotten Son our Lord. Amen. A Reformation Day Blessing Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you for preserving your holy church throughout the ages. For the gift of the blessed gospel we praise your name. For the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection from the dead and life eternal in Christ, we thank you, loving Father. We treasure the rich heritage handed down from our fathers in the faith. Hear our prayer which we ask in the name of your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, through all eternity.  Amen.     A Reformation Day Service complete with prayers, hymns and homily Greeting: Welcome to our Reformation Day Vesper Service.  On this day of October 31st, 480 years ago, Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis to the door of the church at Wittenburg, Germany. This event is generally identified as the birth of the Protestant Reformation. In his theses, Luther called upon the church of Christ to return to its roots as outlined in the Holy Scriptures. Let us worship God together.  Please join me in the Call to Reformation printed in your bulletin. A Call to Reformation (in unison) Remind us, o Lord, on this Day of Reformation, that we are always in need for renewal. As you spoke to the Reformers of your Holy Church, speak to us, too, your living word of transformation. Help us earthen vessels to yield to the loving hands of the Master Potter. And renew our minds by the power of your Holy Spirit as we present ourselves in worship to you. Opening Hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God Scripture Readings: Psalm 46, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Romans 3:19-28, John 8:31-36 The Reformation principle of justification by faith shines in these lessons. The Psalm turns our thoughts to God as the Source of our help at every time. In the Old Testament Lesson, God proclaims a new covenant with His people, a new covenant that will be characterized by knowledge of His Word and forgiveness of sin. In the Epistle, Paul discusses the righteousness of God that comes by faith alone without works of the Law. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches the importance of remaining in His Word which sets us free and opens to us the Truth in fulfillment of the prophecy of the Old Testament Lesson. These lessons present a wonderful opportunity to emphasize the heart of Luther's message, the restoration of the Gospel to centrality in the life of the Church, justification by faith alone. Hymn: The Church’s One Foundation A Reformation Day Prayer (in unison) Lord God of hosts, the Refuge of every sinner and the Strength of all who put their trust in you, we praise you for having made us partakers of the blessings of your Reformation. Without any merit on our part, you have sent your Holy Spirit into our hearts and brought us to faith in your dear Son, Jesus Christ. You have made known to us the perfect merit of Christ. You have directed our faith to rest on the exceedingly great and precious promises of your Gospel. You have revealed the beauty of your grace, which rescued us from a just condemnation and assured us of certain salvation in Christ. Grant us your grace that we may receive your forgiveness with thanksgiving. Use us as your witnesses in bringing the message of pardon in Christ to people everywhere. Open our eyes to a better understanding of your Word and a deeper appreciation of your grace that our faith in Christ Jesus may grow and flourish with the fruits of righteous living. Amen. Reformation Day Meditation, by Rev. Frank Schaefer What is Reformation for? What is it supposed to do? What is it good for? Well, Martin Luther never intended to start a new movement, a new church. He protested against the dilution of the gospel with human elements. He called the church to reform its customs and message according to the roots of Christianity: the Scriptures. If asked about what the Reformation is good for, Martin would have said: in the end Reformation is about people finding what he found: peace with God and being set free for love toward others. That was what he was willing to die for. As he said before the papal ensign at Worms: Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God! One of the theological points Luther was condemned for was his belief in justification by faith alone, not works. He pointed to the church’s then common practice of selling indulgences to people, which basically carried the message, “you can be justified by works, by giving more than your tithe.” Luther said: “you’ve got it wrong. Look at the apple tree, he said: a healthy tree will produce good fruit. So it is with us, a person needs to be saved first and then will s/he be able to produce good works to God’s glory. In fact, once a person is saved by his/her faith the sacrifices and the good works are a natural outgrowth out of their lives. “Those who have been blessed with everything--including the gift of eternal life, cannot but want to bless God and others around them. Luther looked around and saw how unhappy people were, lost in sin, no peace with God, unable to love. And he saw how the church failed to get the good news of the love of God through to people. And his heart went out to the lost souls around him. One of the things that Luther called the church upon was that her language was not understandable by the common people. That’s why Luther translated the bible into the language of his people. His translation is still used today. He also wrote new church songs. Can you believe that he actually wrote the great hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God” to a then common folk tune. When people from the street would walk in today, would they understand our language? Would our rituals be meaningful to them? Would they experience the love of Christ in our service and through us? Luther’s main message was this: that you, too, can have this personal experience of salvation. You can experience the love of God, so that you know that you know that you are justified and you will find peace and joy. Closing Hymn: Blessed Assurance A Reformation Day Blessing Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you for preserving your holy church throughout the ages. For the gift of the blessed gospel we praise your name. For the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection from the dead and life eternal in Christ, we thank you, loving Father. We treasure the rich heritage handed down from our fathers in the faith. Continue, O God, to raise up faithful leaders among us, so that we may carry on your saving work to the end of time. All glory to your name! Hear our prayer which we ask in the name of your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, through all eternity. Amen.   A Mighty Fortress By Grace I'm Saved The Church of Christ, in Every Age The Church's One Foundation Through Jesus' Blood and Merit My Hope is Built The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace Love Divine, All Loves Excelling Blessed Assurance God's Word is our Great Heritage Faith of Our Fathers Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word God's Word is Our Great Heritage O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth Onward Christian Soldiers

Most Protestant traditions call the ritual Communion, rather than the Eucharist and they usually emphasize the commemoration ("do this in remembrance of me") over the means-of-grace aspect.

Perhaps most Lutheran and Episcopalian traditions are closest to the means-of-grace understanding. Luther believed in consubstantiation holding that while the elements are not physically altered, their spiritual properties are, in fact, changed into Christ's body.

While the Episcopalian church does not believe in transubstantiation either, the Eucharist is also seen as more than than a commemorative ritual. In receiving the consecrated Bread and Wine of the sacrament of the Holy Communion, man's spirit is nourished and strengthened by the Body and Blood of Christ.

The difference can best be seen in the prayer of invocation. It is called the " epiclesis"  in the Catholic/Orthodox traditions, the "consecration"  in the Protestant tradition.

While the priest invokes the Holy Spirit “upon us and upon these gifts,” thus rendering the bread to be the Body of Christ and the contents of the cup to be the Blood of Christ, “changing them by Thy Holy Spirit,"  the Protestant minister consecrates the elements asking the Holy Spirit to make them "represent to us the body and blood of Christ."

A Protestant Communion Service:

Invitation

Confession

The congregation and celebrant together:

O Lord Jesus Christ,
We confess that we have sinned against you
     in our thoughts, words, and deeds.
We have had anxieties about the future,
     even though we proclaim you as Lord.
We have failed to love our neighbors,
     and we have disobeyed your commands.
Have mercy upon us, Lord Jesus,
Forgive us our sins
     and cleanse us of all unrighteousness
That we may walk in your ways
     and serve you in grace and love.
This we ask in your holy Name
Amen.

The Word of Grace

The Lord Jesus Christ is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness; therefore you are forgiven! You are cleansed of all unrighteousness, and you are worthy to partake of this holy meal.

The Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you!
Congregation: “and also with you.”

Lift up your hearts!
Congregation: “We lift them up to the Lord”

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!
Congregation: “It is right to give him our thanks and praise.”

It is a right, good, proper, and joyful thing, at all times, and in all places to give you thanks, Lord God. We join our voices with the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven who forever sing this song:

Holy, holy,
     holy Lord
God of power and might
     Heaven and earth are full of your glory
Hosanna in the highest!
     Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord
Hosanna in the highest!

Celebrant:
In the beginning, O Lord, you created us for yourself. But even though we have fallen through our disobedience to sin and death, you in your infinite mercy, grace, and love sent your only begotten Son our Savior Jesus Christ, to live among us as a man, born of a virgin. He suffered every hardship and adversity, every trial, trouble, tribulation, and temptation that we face—except without sin. Finally, He stretched out His arms upon the cross in perfect obedience to your will and offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

On the night on which our Lord Jesus was given over to suffering and death through the betrayal of a friend, He took bread, and after He had blessed it and given thanks to you for it, O Lord, He gave it to His disciples and said, “Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you.” After the supper, he took the cup, and after He had blessed it and given thanks to you for it, O Lord, He said, “Drink of this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the remission of your sins and the sins of the whole world.”

Therefore, as often as we eat this bread and drink of this cup, we eat the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We proclaim His death until He comes again. Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith:

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ is coming again!

Prayer of Consecration

Lord Holy Spirit, you are the giver of life in whom we live and move and have our being; consecrate this bread and wine to be, for us, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and consecrate us, O Lord, to partake of this holy meal. (Additional wording can go here.) All this we ask, Lord Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the glory of His Father, Amen. Therefore we pray the prayer our Lord taught us, saying:

Lord’s Prayer

As Paul said to the Corinthians, I say to you: Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Let us keep the feast!

May the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you unto eternal life.

The Distribution

If the people come forward, the Communion servers might be tempted to pray long prayers with each parishioner as they take Communion, but that only lengthens the service and bores the congregation. It’s best to keep it short and meaningful, and to say the exact same thing to each person, so no one feels like someone else got special attention or that they were publicly singled out.

The person giving out the bread could say to each person, “The body of Christ, the bread of heaven,” or other words to that effect.

The person distributing the Communion wine could say to each person, “The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation,” or other words to that effect.