Why Bother with the Prayer of the Day?1

Abstract

T structure of the Prayer of the Day, in the form of the Latin mediaeval Collect or the more extended Lutheran Collect, has been continually discussed in Norway since the 1960s. In the 1977 liturgy, the two collect forms were combined, a solution that has perpetuated the discussion. In the new 2011 liturgy, the Prayer of the Day was made optional, giving way to a new, compulsory Gathering Prayer. In view of the Prayer’s historical position, I shall examine the mechanisms underlying this change, and its ecumenical implications. Based on this examination, I shall consider the importance of the Prayer of the Day, and why it is still essential for worship.