Liturgical Moment of the Week: The Collect of Purity

By Josh Reed

Early in our services each week, we start with the Collect for Purity. “Collect” can be a strange word to understand in the context of prayer; its goal and definition go hand in hand: to collect our prayers together and shape and express our reason for gathering, it’s a collected prayer, collected by our gathering.

The Collect for Purity has been part of the liturgy since 1549. We begin our service with this prayer to individually and corporately open ourselves up to God. Open your hearts, and even deeper, your inmost thoughts, to God’s purifying love, his cultivation.

We are always seen by God, but God’s great hope is that we will willingly open up our whole self, for growth and care from the Spirit and worshipping together. We become critical of ourselves, not in a hateful way, but in a way that helps us to see from God’s perspective. We ask, “Is there anything in me that is blocking me from hearing and following God? If so, let it be removed NOW.” Are we willing to pray that today and each day? We enter new self-awareness at the beginning of our liturgy to realize new places where we must become vulnerable to God’s guidance and message. To you all hearts are open, and indeed, in praying this, to you God, my heart is open. Let God’s Spirit purify us and ready us for daily growth.