A Prayer for Seminary Graduates
May 28, 2016
"Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!" (Ps. 43:3)
Almighty, everliving, merciful Lord God and Heavenly Father, we cry out to you in praise as you are in our midst!
You who spoke in the beginning, and by means of your Word sent light into the darkness and thus everything came to be, so too you spoke a new creation, sending forth your eternal and true Son, clothed in our humanity in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
O Lord Jesus Christ, in whom the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily and in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, we praise you!
You are our light in this dark world; you are our truth amid all its lies; you are that Word made flesh, dwelling among us in our pilgrimage from the Egypt of this world to the New Jerusalem!
O Holy Spirit, assurance and down payment of that city wherein righteousness dwells, we praise you!
You led your apostles into all truth, clothed Christ in the words of the gospel, and preserved their words from one generation to another. And we doubly praise you for granting us faith through the hearing of those words of truth that we might be led to ascend the heavenly Mount Zion and to have blessed fellowship in your dwelling!
Our ever-glorious and ever-gracious Triune God, we cry out to you in petition.
Just as you have led these students to know the saving light and truth of the gospel, send down upon them the healthful Spirit of your grace and pour upon them the continual dew of your blessing!
Enlighten their minds more and more with true knowledge and understanding of your Word;
enliven their hearts with increase of grace to hear meekly your Word and to receive it with pure affection;
enable their wills that by preaching, teaching, and writing they may set forth your truth and show it to the world that another generation living now in darkness, may be brought to dwell in fellowship with you!
All of this we ask through him who is the light and who is the truth—our Lord Jesus Christ—to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be all blessing and glory and honor and praise, world without end. Amen!
