Collect, First Sunday of Advent (Redub)

God of all things and all people,
 give us grace

to throw off that which diminishes 
and

put on the clothes of eternal peace instead.

May we begin this, 
now,

in the time of our earthly lives.

We would like to be like Jesus, the Christ,

who came and lived with us, plainly and simply.

When, at the last, 
Christ makes a glorious return,

with mercy and love, may we come alive,
in God, in the new creation.

either

Amen.

or


through Christ who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
 one God, now and for ever. Amen.

This Collect could be used as the Post Communion on any day from the Second Sunday of Advent until Christmas Eve instead of the Post Communion provided.

The Gunning Fog readability index suggests 9.42 years of formal education is required to understand this prayer on a first reading, the Common Worship prayer requires 40.58 years.

The information on how this prayer is a redub is here:  
Collects and Post Communion (Redub)

First Sunday of Advent Collection

Index of Prayers (writing project runs from Advent 2012 to Advent 2013).

The Common Worship Collect for the First Sunday of Advent can be found by clicking on the image, below, and at the Common Worship website.