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Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness...

In the Collect we pray that God may keep his Church in continual godliness so that it may be free from all adversities, and able to serve him in good works. The Church is the Household of God and needs his constant care and guidance. Baptism is the birth of a child into the divine family. Holy Communion is the gathering of the family at our Father’s table. We confess in the Creeds that it is the Holy Catholic Church. It is not its members which make the Church holy, but Christ who loved the Church and gave himself for it, purifying it by the washing of water in Holy Baptism. The true Church is glorious and will be presented to him when he returns, perfect without spot or stain. As members of his Church, we are called to become holy in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Trinity Season especially prompts us to grown in holiness as individuals within the household of God. In the epistle for today, St. Paul prays for the Philippians, “that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

...that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities...

The Church is faced with opposition and persecution from without and from within its family. Not only is the Church attacked from an unbelieving world without, but it is also constantly assailed by those within who do not believe in the truth of the Gospel as contained in the Holy Scriptures. We seek God’s protection, for without his presence we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves. We must be “devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name.” We do not ask for God’s protection for the Church simply so that it will survive. The Church exists for the glory of God and its supreme purpose is that it may be devoutly given to serve him in good works. St. Paul prays in today’s Epistle that the Philippians may be “filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God.”

The Church will glorify God if she prays today’s Collect with zeal, that she may be kept “in continual godliness”, relying entirely upon the divine protection, and seeking to serve him in good works. The Collect is an encouragement to us to persevere as members of Christ’s Church, the household of faith.