Seek pardon and peace
Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that they may be cleansed from all their sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind,
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.
There are many ways we can address God in prayer, but given this collect focuses on our need for pardon and cleansing of sin, then it is right to begin by calling on our Merciful Lord.
In Exodus 34, God reveals his character to Moses. He says, the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” It’s a description of God found in many places throughout the Old Testament. It brings comfort to those who follow him and in fact receiving his mercy is essential for a relationship with him. His mercy means we don’t receive what we deserve — his wrath and condemnation because of our sins. God, in his mercy, extends undeserved forgiveness and releases us from his judgment.
Due to his mercy, it is then possible and entirely right for God’s people, those who have given themselves to him, to come once again and request his favour be shown toward them. Not because his pardon and forgiveness weren’t secured through Christ’s one-time sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, for indeed it was. Rather it’s an acknowledgment that on this side of glory, we continue to wrestle with sin and its daily impacts.
In seeking God’s pardon and peace, the result is not only a “clean slate” but also the removal of worldly burdens and temptations that crowd in on us. With the confidence of God’s pardon, we can serve with a quiet mind, focused on him. A mind relieved from the torment of hidden or unspoken sin.
In the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, this collect was used and prayed by ministers (deacons) as the absolution in the Morning Prayer service if the priest was absent. Embedded in this collect, therefore, is confidence and confirmation that after confessing sins to God, he will act in accordance with his character and continue to provide the benefits of his mercy, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness to those who have come to him in humility and repentance.
So pray this with me:
Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that they may be cleansed from all their sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind,
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.