The Invocation (Or Gathering Prayer)

The invocation calls upon God to be present to the worshiping community.

The word invocation is derived from the Latin invocatio and means the act or process of petitioning for help or support. In worship there are three times when a prayer of invocation is appropriate: (1) in the Entrance, when we ask God to be present in our worship; (2) in the Service of the Word, when we ask God to be present through preaching (sometimes called the prayer of illumination); (3) in the prayers of the Table, when we ask God to send the Holy Spirit upon the people and gifts of bread and wine for the confirmation of faith in truth (called the epiclesis). The Entrance invocation calls on God to be present to the worshiping community and usually follows the call to worship. It is very brief and is often preceded by the traditional salutation to prayer: The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. The salutation engages the people in prayer and expresses the dialogic nature of worship. It is spoken quickly and firmly, and the people respond strongly. The use of this short response, when approached in the right spirit, helps to build a sense of unity and expectancy in the congregation. After the words "Let us pray" it is best to keep silence for a moment, then pray. The time of silence allows for a measure of stillness to fall on the congregation before prayer. Spatially, the invocation, like the greeting, is said while standing sideways to the congregation. This is prayer addressed to God, not to the congregation. Consequently, the bodily position corresponds to the purpose of the prayer. Traditional Examples of the Invocation Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(The Gregorian Sacramentary, seventh century; as adapted in The Book of Common Prayer)

or O God, who makest us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of thy Son our Lord: Grant us this day such blessing through our worship of thee, that the days to come may be spent in thy favor; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(The Book of Common Prayer)

Contemporary Examples of the Invocation Father in heaven, from the days of Abraham and Moses until this gathering of your church in prayer, you have formed a people in the image of your Son. Bless this people with the gift of your kingdom. May we serve you with our every desire and show love for one another even as you have loved us. Grant this through Christ our Lord. or Father in heaven, form in us the likeness of your Son and deepen his life within us. Send us as witnesses of gospel joy Into a world of fragile peace and broken promises. Touch the hearts of all men with your love that they in turn may love one another. We ask this through Christ our Lord.or In faith and love we ask you, Father, to watch over your family gathered here. In your mercy and loving kindness no thought of ours is left unguarded, no tear unheeded, no joy unnoticed. Through the prayer of Jesus may the blessings promised to the poor in spirit lead us to the treasures of your heavenly kingdom. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. (Christian Prayer [New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1976]) Directions for Preparing an Invocation ("Collect"). For those who wish to prepare an invocation, there are four steps to keep in mind. They are: Direction Example 1. Begin with a salutation to God. Almighty God, 2. Continue with a description of God in To whom all hearts are open, all which some aspect of God's character desires known, and from whom or action is extolled. no secrets are hid: 3. Next comes the petition, the heart of Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts the invocation. The petition is often by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that followed by a statement of the end we may perfectly love you and worthily or purpose of the petition. magnify your holy Name; 4. Conclude with an ascription of praise. Through Christ our Lord.   Invocations may often be prepared out of the Scripture texts for the day. Invocation for Seasons of the Christian Year   Advent: Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.   Christmas Eve: Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to the joy of your kingdom, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.   Christmas: Almighty God and Father of light, a child is born for us and a son is given to us. Your eternal Word leaped down from heaven in the silent watches of the night, and now your church is filled with wonder at the nearness of her God. Open our hearts to receive his life and increase our vision with the rising of dawn, that our lives may be filled with his glory and his peace, who lives and reigns forever and ever.   Epiphany: Father of light, unchanging God, today you reveal to men [people] of faith the resplendent fact of the Word made flesh. Your light is strong, your love is near; draw us beyond the limits that this world imposes, to the life where your Spirit makes all life complete. We ask this through Christ our Lord.   Ash Wednesday: Lord, protect us in our struggle against evil. As we begin the discipline of Lent, make this day holy by our self-denial. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.   Lent: Father, through our observance of Lent, help us to understand the meaning of your Son's death and resurrection, and teach us to reflect it in our lives. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.   Palm Sunday: Almighty, ever-living God, you have given the human race Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility. He fulfilled your will by becoming mortal and giving his life on the cross. Help us to bear witness to you by following his example of suffering and make us worthy to share in his resurrection. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.   Maundy Thursday: Father, for your glory and our salvation you appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the people he gained for you by his blood come to share in the power of his cross and resurrection by celebrating his memorial in this Eucharist, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.   Good Friday: Father, look with love upon your faithful people, the love which our Lord Jesus Christ showed us when he delivered himself to evil people and suffered the agony of the cross, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.   Holy Saturday: All-powerful and ever-living God, your only Son went down among the dead and rose again in glory. In your goodness raise up your faithful people, buried with him in baptism, to be one with him in the eternal life of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.   Easter: God our Father, Creator of all, today is the day of Easter joy. This is the morning on which the Lord appeared to men [those] who had begun to lose hope and opened their eyes to what the Scriptures foretold: that first he must die, and then he would rise and ascend into his Father's glorious presence. May the risen Lord breathe on our minds and open our eyes that we may know him in the breaking of bread, and follow him in his risen life. Grant this through Christ our Lord.   Pentecost: Father in heaven, fifty days have celebrated the fullness of the mystery of your revealed love. See your people gathered in prayer, open to receive the Spirit's flame. May it come to rest in our hearts and disperse the divisions of word and tongue. With one voice and one song may we praise your name in joy and thanksgiving. Grant this through Christ our Lord. (Christian Prayer [New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1976])