A time to collect and reflect on our thoughts

Each Sunday at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church we say, as part of our service, a “collect” for the day. Collect, with the accent on the first syllable, is a prayer to collect a particular thought for the day, one that often echoes the scripture readings of that day. The collect we’ll say for Christmas goes this way:

“O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Ame...