St. Luke the Evangelist

St. Luke the Evangelist, Engraving after Valentin de Boulogne

An order for family prayer, primarily to be used in the morning

Together: OUR Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Collect (Prayer) for St. Luke Day

ALMIGHTY God, who calledst Luke the Physician, whose praise is in the Gospel, to an Evangelist, and Physician of the soul: May it please thee that, by the wholesome medicines of the doctrine delivered by him, all the diseases of our souls may be healed; through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Psalm to be read together, Psalm 96

OSING unto the LORD a new song; * sing unto the LORD, all the whole earth.

2 Sing unto the LORD, and praise his Name; * be telling of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his honour unto the heathen, * and his wonders unto all peoples1.

4 For the LORD is great, and cannot worthily be praised;* he is more to be feared than all gods.

5 As for all the gods of the heathen, they are but idols; * but it is the LORD that made the heavens.

6 Glory and worship are before him; * power and honour are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the peoples, * ascribe unto the LORD worship and power.

8 Ascribe unto the LORD the honour due unto his Name; * bring presents, and come into his courts.

9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; * let the whole earth stand in awe of him.

10 Tell it out among the heathen, that the LORD is King, and that it is he who hath made the round world so fast that it cannot be moved; * and how that he shall judge the peoples1 righteously.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; * let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is.

12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it; * then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the LORD.

13 For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; * and with righteousness to judge the world, and the peoples1 with his truth.

A reading for St. Luke Day, ACTS 1:1-8

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

    And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

    So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

(taken from the English Standard Version.)

A Prayer of Acknowledgment of God’s Mercy and Preservation, especially through the Night past.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being; We, thy needy creatures, render thee our humble praises, for thy preservation of us from the beginning of our lives to this day, and especially for having delivered us from the dangers of the past night. For these thy mercies, we bless and magnify thy glorious Name; humbly beseeching thee to accept this our morning sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; for his sake who lay down in the grave, and rose again for us, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

A prayer for the dedication of Soul and Body to God’s Service, with a Resolution to be growing daily in Goodness.

AND since it is of thy mercy, O gracious Father, that another day is added to our lives; We here dedicate both our souls and our bodies to thee and thy service, in a sober, righteous, and godly life: in which resolution, do thou, O merciful God, confirm and strengthen us; that, as we grow in age, we may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer for Grace to enable us to perform that Resolution.

BUT, O God, who knowest the weakness and corruption of our nature, and the manifold temptations which we daily meet with; We humbly beseech thee to have compassion on our infirmities, and to give us the constant assistance of thy Holy Spirit; that we may be effectually restrained from sin, and incited to our duty. Imprint upon our hearts such a dread of thy judgments, and such a grateful sense of thy goodness to us, as may make us both afraid and ashamed to offend thee. And, above all, keep in our minds a lively remembrance of that great day, in which we must give a strict account of our thoughts, words, and actions to him whom thou hast appointed the Judge of quick and dead, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Grace to guide and keep us the following Day, and for God’s Blessing on the business of the Same.

IN particular, we implore thy grace and protection for the ensuing day. Keep us temperate in all things, and diligent in our several callings. Grant us patience under our afflictions. Give us grace to be just and upright in all our dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all men, according to our abilities and opportunities. Direct us in all our ways. Defend us from all dangers and adversities; and be graciously pleased to take us, and all who are dear to us, under thy fatherly care and protection. These things, and whatever else thou shalt see to be necessary and convenient to us, we humbly beg, through the merits and mediation of thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.