Prayers for Illumination

A Prayer for Illumination is a prayer said prior to the reading of the first Scripture lesson. It asks God to help us read and understand His Word.

1
Guide us, O God,
by your Word and Spirit,
that in your light we may see light,
in your truth find freedom,
and in your will discover your peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

2
Gracious God,
we do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from your mouth.
Make us hungry for this heavenly food,
that it may nourish us today
in the ways of eternal life;
through Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen.

3
God our helper,
by your Holy Spirit, open our minds,
that as the Scriptures are read
and your Word is proclaimed,
we may be led into your truth
and taught your will,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

4
Living God,
help us so to hear your holy Word
that we may truly understand;
that, understanding, we may believe,
and, believing,
we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience,
seeking your honor and glory in all that we do;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

5
God, source of all light,
by your Word you give light to the soul.
Pour out upon us
the spirit of wisdom and understanding
that, being taught by you in Holy Scripture,
our hearts and minds may be opened to know the things
that pertain to life and holiness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

6
God of mercy,
you promised never to break your covenant with us.
Amid all the changing words of our generation,
speak your eternal Word that does not change.
Then may we respond to your gracious promises
with faithful and obedient lives;
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

7
Blessed Lord,
who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them,
read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast
the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

8
O Lord, on this Sunday of Transfiguration, we pray that your light would pour over these pages and illumine these old, old words — that they would dance with newness in our hearts and minds, that we would be radiant in reflecting your Word in our living and serving one another. Amen.

9
O God, your Word is more precious than fine gold, and sweeter than purest honey. As we turn to your Scripture, send your Holy Spirit to infuse your Word with truth and grace — so that the good news of your love would shine before our eyes and delight our senses ... so that we cannot help but respond with wonder, faith and trust. Amen.

10
Draw us close, Holy Spirit, as the Scriptures are read and the Word is proclaimed. Let the word of faith be on our lips and in our hearts, and let all other words slip away. May there be one voice we hear today — the voice of truth and grace. Amen.

11
Holy God, Word made flesh, let us come to this word open to being surprised.
Silence our agendas;
banish our assumptions;
cast out our casual detachment.
Confound our expectations;
clear the cobwebs from our ears;
penetrate the corners of our hearts with this word.
We know that you can, we pray that you will, and we wait with great anticipation. Amen.

12
Calm us now, O Lord, into a quietness that heals and listens. Open wounded hearts to the balm of your Word. Speak to us in clear tones so that we might feel our spirits leap for joy and skip with hope as your resurrection witnesses. Amen.
Gracious God, as we turn to your Word for us, may the Spirit of God rest upon us. Help us to be steadfast in our hearing, in our speaking, in our believing, and in our living. Amen.

13
Gracious Lord, like Nicodemus, we come to the word with many questions. Like the Pharisees, we can be captivated by correctness, intent on right answers. As we turn to your word, Spirit of God, do not let our desire for information dominate our need for transformation. Let us hear the word and be moved to greater faith and obedience. Amen.

14
Advent
O Christ who comes, not only as the sweet babe in a manger, but also as Messiah of justice, baptizing with Spirit and fire, may we hear the words of your prophet. Let John’s passionate voice melt our hardened hearts and speak through us of the power of your coming. This Advent, transform the dead branches of our apathy into the good fruit of repentance. May hostility give way to openness, oppression to justice, greed to generosity and despair to hope. We ask this through you, whose coming is certain, even if not always in the ways we imagine.

15
Epiphany
Illumine your word by your Holy Spirit, O God.
Let your good news radiate from these pages;
Let your Epiphany grace break into our hearts and minds.
Captivate all who hear these words, that we might believe and obey, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.