Commontide
Almighty God, you gave to your apostles Philip and James the grace and strength to bear witness to Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life: Grant that we, being mindful of their victory of faith, may glorify in life and death the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
BCP 2019, p. 628
Preface of Apostles
Through the great shepherd of your flock, Jesus Christ our Lord, who after his resurrection sent forth his apostles to preach the Gospel and to teach all nations, and promised to be with them always, even to the end of the ages.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
This collect for Philip and James was newly composed for the Episcopal Church's 1979 Prayer Book, replacing the Cranmer prayer ("O Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life") that had served the feast since 1549. The ACNA's 2019 revision kept the 1979 structure while weaving back in the explicit echo of John 14:6 – the verse in which Jesus answers Philip's very question with "I am the way, the truth, and the life."