Prayer of the Day
Minister’s Letter – 2 July 2026
Saint Peter, c.1616-18, anonymous, studio of Sir Peter Paul Rubens,
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, public domain.
Dear Friends, even if you’ve only been attending the Cathedral for a little while, you might have noticed that each Sunday our services include a ‘Prayer of the Day’ (or ‘collect’). These are brief, deep prayers from the Prayer Book. Most of these are prayers set for Sundays or other important days that celebrate the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus, such as Christmas and Easter. But there are other important, if lesser known, days such as Ascension, when we give thanks for Jesus our ascended King.
It’s important to remember that a calendar with special days for remembering and celebrating, such as we use, isn’t strictly necessary. The church calendar is a good servant, but a bad master. In fact, one of the protests within the Reformation was against a rigid use of the calendar. In the Swiss city of Zürich, a controversy arose in 1522 when a group of citizens ate sausages during Lent. (Lent was a time of enforced fasting). The Swiss pastor Huldrych Zwingli defended their actions. He argued that Christians are free to eat meat or not during Lent because it isn’t a gospel issue, and so the Bible gives us liberty. Only faith in Jesus is necessary for salvation – not whether you abstain from pork sausages!
However, the misuse of something not bad in itself doesn’t mean it can’t be used well. I personally find a modest use of the calendar helpful. This year I have been encouraged in my own devotion to Christ through reflecting on Bible passages for special days that commemorate the life and teaching of Jesus’ disciples or other important moments, like when the apostle Paul was converted. Such days are one way to help us remember how important it is to ‘keep our eyes on’ and ‘consider’ the example of mature believers, especially leaders, in our own generation (Philippians 3:17; Hebrews 13:7).
This past Monday 29 June was St Peter’s Day. As we all know, the Gospels paint a ‘warts and all’ portrait of this imperfect man who nevertheless deeply loved Jesus. The prayer for this day, rather than ascribing any merit or privilege to Peter, as if he were higher in status than other Christians, simply draws attention to the grace and responsibility Jesus gave him. The Lord Jesus commanded Peter ‘earnestly to feed [God’s] flock’. Peter was called to a ministry not unique to himself. Sharing God’s word is a responsibility for all Christians, and especially ministers. And so, we are to ask that God would enable ‘all bishops and pastors diligently to preach your holy word, and your people obediently to follow it, that they may receive the crown of everlasting glory’.
Of course, that’s not a prayer we should only pray once a year! We should regularly pray for the diligent teaching of, and faithful obedience to the word of the Lord. But this kind of prayer, together with other prayers from the calendar, shows us how we can read and apply Scripture deeply to our lives, and so be encouraged in our walk with the Lord Jesus.
The prayer for St Peter’s Day (29 June):
Almighty God, who by your Son Jesus Christ gave your apostle Peter many excellent gifts, and commanded him earnestly to feed your flock: enable, we pray, all bishops and pastors diligently to preach your holy word, and your people obediently to follow it, that they may receive the crown of everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Your brother in Christ,
Jonathan Adams
Precentor