The Grace in Anglican Daily Prayer

The Grace is a short scriptural blessing used at the conclusion of Anglican services, especially Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Drawn from 2 Corinthians 13:14, it invokes the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost. In Anglican worship it functions both as a doxological ending and as a communal benediction, marking the close of prayer with explicitly Trinitarian language. Its regular use in the Book of Common Prayer helped make it one of the most familiar biblical texts in English-speaking Anglicanism.

Text and scriptural source

The traditional form in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer is: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore." The wording follows the closing salutation of Saint Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians. In many later Anglican books the phrase "Holy Ghost" is retained in traditional-language rites, while contemporary-language rites commonly use "Holy Spirit."

The text is not a prayer addressed directly to God in the same manner as a collect. It is a scriptural blessing spoken over, or on behalf of, the gathered people. Its first-person plural form, "be with us all," gives it a congregational character. The minister does not merely dismiss the people; the whole assembly is gathered into a final biblical invocation of divine grace, love, and communion.

Place in the Daily Office

In the classical Prayer Book pattern, The Grace appears near the end of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, following the prayers and concluding versicles. Its position gives the office a quiet but definite ending. After psalms, lessons, canticles, creed, suffrages, collects, and intercessions, the office closes with a sentence of Scripture rather than with an extended ceremonial dismissal.

The Grace is also associated with other Anglican gatherings for prayer, including parish meetings, Bible studies, school assemblies, and informal devotional occasions. This wider use reflects the influence of Prayer Book worship beyond strictly liturgical settings. In many Anglican contexts it is said by all present together, reinforcing the corporate nature of common prayer.

The text is distinct from an episcopal or priestly blessing at the Eucharist. In Morning and Evening Prayer, especially when led by a deacon or lay person where permitted by local discipline, The Grace provides a fitting conclusion without depending on sacramental presidency. This has made it especially adaptable in cathedrals, colleges, households, chapels, and mission settings.

Theological significance

The Grace is compactly Trinitarian. It names the Lord Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Ghost in a single blessing, and it associates each with a central gift of salvation: grace, love, and fellowship. Anglican use of the text therefore reinforces the doctrinal pattern expressed elsewhere in the Prayer Book by the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Gloria Patri, and the collects.

The word "grace" points to the saving favor of Christ, received rather than earned. The "love of God" situates Christian prayer in the Father's mercy and providence. The "fellowship" or communion of the Holy Ghost expresses the Spirit's work in uniting believers with God and with one another. The ending of the office thus gathers together themes of redemption, divine charity, and ecclesial communion.

Because it is biblical, brief, and doctrinally dense, The Grace illustrates a characteristic feature of Anglican liturgy: the use of Scripture as prayer. The Prayer Book tradition frequently places biblical sentences, canticles, and psalms on the lips of the Church, allowing worshippers to pray with inherited scriptural language rather than only with newly composed forms.

Anglican usage and reception

The Grace has had a wide reception across Anglican provinces. Its traditional wording remains common in Prayer Book services, choral offices, and institutions shaped by classical Anglican devotion. Contemporary liturgies often preserve the same structure while updating pronouns or the title of the Spirit. In either form, the passage remains recognizable as the Pauline blessing.

Its simplicity has contributed to its durability. It may be spoken by a minister, said by the whole congregation, or used responsively according to local custom. In educational settings influenced by Anglican worship, including church schools and colleges, it has often served as a concise ending to public prayer. For this reason, The Grace belongs not only to formal liturgy but also to the devotional and communal habits formed by the Anglican Prayer Book tradition.