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The Timeless Psalmsby Joan Stott |
A Call to Worship
Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b, Day of Pentecost B 2012
Come, you people of God! Come, let us praise our Creating God!In reverent awe we gather to celebrate and praise our Creating God.
Come, you people of God! Come, let us thank our Creating God!
We celebrate the wonders of our God, with our never-ending thanks.
Come, you people of God! Come, let us worship our Creating God!
God rejoices in all creation, as it displays God’s glory for all eternity!
Let us worship and praise our Glorious God, whose glory is eternal. Amen.
If used in shared worship, please provide an acknowledgement as follows:
© 2012 Joan Stott – "The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year B, used with permission.
Prayers of Praise and Thankfulness
Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b, Day of Pentecost B 2012
Holy God, the Spirit of all creation, who recreates, renews,restores and sustains all things, with songs of praise in our
hearts and minds, and with the lightness of joy and celebration,
we gather together to sing our praises and glorify our Creative
God. Wherever we look, we see and experience wonderful
examples of God’s creativity, and we sometimes even recognise
the joy God knows and receives in the renewal of all creation.
Awe-inspiring God, as we meditate on our God and the movement
of the Spirit in creation, perhaps the most profound recognition
we have of God’s powers and creative joy are discovered in
the waters that cover large parts of this planet. We sense the
power and majesty of God in the powers of the sea, as its
waves crash on rocks and shorelines; we easily recognise the
wonders of God’s grace and beauty as we watch river-waters
plunging down in waterfalls or in small and gentle flows as water
trickles over rocks and into small ponds; we learn something about
the mysteries of our wonderful God when we walk through fog or
drizzle, where shapes become fudged around the edges as they
are gentled by the all-pervasive moist atmosphere. All these images
enable us to understand something of the mystery of our God.
Mysterious God, however we view the vast expanses of water,
perhaps none of these images speak to us as clearly of God
as does the connectedness between water the perception of the
movement of the Holy Spirit, as it breathes life, strength, vitality
and renewal into our staid and conventional lives, and through
the Spirit, shows us the wonders of our God’s creative powers!
All praise and thanks be to God for these insights and blessings. Amen.
If used in shared worship, please provide an acknowledgement as follows:
© 2012 Joan Stott – "The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year B, used with permission.
A Personal Meditation
Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b, Day of Pentecost B 2012
The wisdom of God is an amazing mystery, and is totally beyond meas I seek to know and experience more of the wonders of my God.
As I grew up in a land-locked town many miles from rivers or the sea,
my life and faith journey took on a new dimension when I moved to live
not only by the great southern ocean, but also near a large river! These
wonders opened for me a new understanding of my God, as I sought to
find images and experiences that clarified for me the greatness of God.
| Creative pause: | Exploring experiences that help clarify the mystery of God. |
As I discover the active powers of the Holy Spirit, not only in creation, but
also in people’s lives, when new life is given; when dried-up ideas become
fresh and revitalised; and when dusty concepts become vibrant through the
breath of the Spirit, I marvel at my God, and spontaneous songs of praise
flow from my mind and heart! New songs of joy bubble up within me and
I sing my praise to God, hopefully, as long as I live, even until my last breath!
My prayer is that God will receive with pleasure, these thoughts, and my songs
of praise, as with delight, I reflect on the miracles and mysteries of my God
| Creative pause: | Reflecting on the miracles and mysteries of God! |
Awe-inspiring God, as I remember the daily experiences of God’s creation,
and as I find joy and delight in God’s creativity, I pray that through this, God
may be glorified and honour and praise become my daily song and prayer.
| Creative pause: | Honour and praise of God has become my daily song and prayer. |