Commontide
Holy Matrimony
O gracious and everliving God, you have created us male and female in your image: Look mercifully upon this man and this woman who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
A collect composed for the 1979 Episcopal prayer book, the first time an Anglican marriage rite opened with an explicit invocation of God's creation of humanity "male and female in your image."