Dearly beloved in Christ:

Inasmuch as we are here gathered in the name of the Lord to receive His holy covenant, I exhort you, in the first place, to lift up your heart unto God and to unite with me in the Lord's Prayer, as Christ, our Lord, has taught us and, for our comfort, has promised to hear us.

Namely, that God, our Father in heaven, would mercifully look from heaven upon us, His poor children, and would grant us grace, so that His holy name may be hallowed among us, and throughout the world, by the pure and sincere doctrine of His Word and by the fervent love shown in our conversation; that He would graciously avert from us all false teaching and wicked conduct, whereby His precious name is blasphemed and profaned;

Also that His kingdom would come and be increased; that He would bring all sinners, all who are deluded and held captive in the kingdom of Satan, to the knowledge of true faith in Jesus Christ, His son, and that He would increase the number of Christians;

Also that He would strengthen us with His Spirit, to the end that we may do and suffer according to His will, both in life and in death, in prosperity and in adversity; that He would at all times break, destroy, and mortify our own will;

Also that He would provide our daily bread, preserve us from greed and the cares of the flesh, and make us to look to Him for every blessing;

Also that He would forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, to the end that we may have a sure heart and cheerful conscience before Him, and need not be afraid or terrified at any sin;

Also that He would not lead us into temptation, but help us by His Spirit to conquer our flesh, to despise the world and its ways, and to overcome the devil and his wiles;

Finally, that He would deliver us from all evil, both of body and of soul, in time and in eternity.

All who heartily desire these things, will heartily say Amen, undoubtedly trusting that these petitions are accepted and heard in heaven, as Christ has promised us, saying:  “All things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” 

In the second place, I exhort you in Christ to heed by true faith the covenant of Christ, and to take to heart chiefly those words by which he gives us His body and blood for the remission of our sins, so as to remember and be grateful for the unfathomable love which He has shown us, when He redeemed us by His blood from the wrath of God, from sin, death, and hell; and, thereupon, publicly to receive the bread and wine, that is, His body and blood, for your assurance and as a pledge.

Accordingly, we shall now, in His name and by His command, proceed to administer, in His own words, and to receive this sacrament."

(FromGerman Mass and Order of Divine Service,1526, Leipz. Ed. XXII, 245 f)