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The Timeless Psalmsby Joan Stott |
A Call to Worship
Psalm 90: 1-6, 13-17, Pentecost 19A [Ordinary 30A] or [Proper 25A] 2011
In every generation, the people of God have beenblessed to find their home and resting place in God!
We gather to worship and praise the God of all people.
Since time began, all creation has been blessed
as it finds its birth place is within its Creator’s hands.
We gather to worship the God of all creation.
We gather to worship and praise our God, and to
ask God to fill us with the joy of your unfailing love.
May the favour and blessing of God be upon us this day. Amen.
If used in shared worship, please provide an acknowledgement as follows:
© 2011 Joan Stott – "The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year A, used with permission.
Prayers of Thankfulness and Trust
Psalm 90: 1-6, 13-17, Pentecost 19A [Ordinary 30A] or [Proper 25A] 2011
O Lord our God, you who have been our dwelling placein all the generations of time and eternity, we give thanks
for your wonderful and generous care of us as individuals.
You care for us as if we are the only child of your creation.
Your creative love was reality before the very first mountains
appeared; before the first drop of moisture; before the first
grains of sand. How generous and wonderful is our God!
Holy and Loving God, you have planted within our beings the
magnificent gift of hope, and whilst the years do take their toll
on us physically and emotionally, and we know that our days
are numbered; we have the assurance of God’s loving mercy
to sustain us in times of trial and stress. Through God’s grace
and blessings, we have the promise of God’s unfailing love,
which brings a song to our heart and a lightness to our spirits.
Trustworthy God, we live in a world that is shadowed by evil
and broken relationships; with diseases for which there is no
known cure; where greed and power are sought by ruthless
people; where selfishness and lack of care are a part of every
day life; and where apathy towards God forms huge barriers.
Welcoming God, we also live in a world where there is love,
goodness, tenderness, hospitality and joy – all part of God’s
Being, and God’s gift for all humanity, if they will but receive it.
You, O God, are indeed the Quiet Centre of our individual world,
and we offer you our lives in sincere thanks and complete trust. Amen.
If used in shared worship, please provide an acknowledgement as follows:
© 2011 Joan Stott – "The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year A, used with permission.
A Personal Meditation
Psalm 90: 1-6, 13-17, Pentecost 19A [Ordinary 30A] or [Proper 25A] 2011
Creating God, you were present before the first bird took flight;before the first flower bloomed; before the first faltering human
steps; and every day I marvel at the world in which you have
placed me - and all humanity. You have guided the planets and
suns in their orbits; you have directed the winds in their paths;
you have created the patterns on butterfly wings; and you have
created the smell of baking bread wafting on the morning breeze.
| Creative pause: | God was present before all things that are. |
God, you are beyond time and space; God, you are beyond fear
and doubt; God, you are beyond bodily wear and tear – you have
been present to humanity and the created world before human
knowledge existed; before families became a reality; before human
love was experienced in all its joy-filled delights; and you will be
present at the ultimate end. Awesome God, it is no wonder that my
heart leaps with worship and praise, as I seek to faithfully serve you.
| Creative pause: | Creative pause: God beyond fear, doubt and ageing. |
By your Creative Word, you have created me with all my potential,
and placed me in a human family blessed by love and compassion.
You have created people to live in community with each other, and
provided each of us with the capacity to love, share and to forgive.
| Creative pause: | Living in a world where love is present. |
You have also created me with a body that seems to be falling apart
as I grow older; with a mind that is starting to be forgetful; but also
with an increasing yearning for spiritual nurture, as I come nearer
to my final home in God. I can grumble and grouch about pain and
loss of energy – and I do – but hopefully, I am learning to accept that
these are signposts to the way home to God; that these are hints that
this is not my only place to live my life in all its fullness and wholeness.
| Creative pause: | Following life’s signposts home to God. |