01A*
A Call to Worship
Advent 1A 2010
Psalm 122

We come in joy to celebrate and worship God in this sacred
space, where countless people have known God’s presence.
We give thanks for the sense of awed reverence we experience
as we have come together to share in our praise of God.

We come in expectation to celebrate and worship God in
this sacred space, where we can experience God’s Shalom.
We give thanks for the freedom and peace we experience,
as we have come together to share in our praise of God.

We come in trust to celebrate and worship God in this sacred
space because here we are challenged to faithfulness.
We give thanks for the God who understands and love us,
and who hears our fears, our tears and our songs of praise.
We joyfully come together to share in our praise of God. Amen.

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Prayers of Praise and Thankfulness
Advent 1A 2010
Psalm 122

God of all ages, with joy we come to praise and bless your
holy name for our experiences of your generous goodness
and mercy. We rejoice that we have the privilege of worshipping
God; that we can come to this place of holiness and beauty; and
that together, we can sing God’s praises, share our joys, our fears
and our sorrows; that we can offer our prayers of thankfulness,
and that we can celebrate together God’s past blessings to us all.

O Lord our God, you have blessed us with a holy sanctuary;
a place where we can step aside from life, and be with God in a
way that is intentional and worshipful. We pray that this holy place
may always have an open door for people to worship our God;
that it may always be a place of peace and refuge, where all
are welcome, and where all can be with God in peace and joy.

Within this sacred space there are many symbols and signs of God’s
faithfulness over many years to past community members, which
give us insights into God’s involvement with humanity, and the hope
that God will always remain faithful as we journey to our home to God.
We give thanks for all faithful people who through the ages have
loved their Lord; and we bless them for their wonderful example.

With joy we pray for each person here, that God’s peace will be in
their hearts and minds, and in their home, family and community life.

Holy God, we seek your blessing on the witness and service
that evolves out of our worship of God here in this special place.
We also seek your blessing on our daily pilgrimage as we try to
serve God in ways that lead to peace in our community life; to the
blessedness of all God’s people; for a just and compassionate
society where people of all conditions can live to harmony; and
where all share in the benefits of God’s goodness and tender mercy. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Advent 1A 2010
Psalm 122

I was glad and I rejoiced in the privilege of being invited to
the house of the Lord; to be part of a significant act of worship,
to experience the worship of God in ways that were culturally
different to mine; and that yet together, we worshipped the same
wonderful God, and which brought us closer together in God!



I was glad and I rejoiced in the privilege of being invited to
the homes of the people of God; and when I was invited to
be part of their family worship, where travellers and strangers
were made at home, as together, we worshipped and praised
the Universal God, within whose creation we call our home.



I was glad and I rejoiced in the privilege of being invited to
the traditional places of my heritage in the faith; to sing the
hymns and songs of my ancestors; to make especially
significant connections there with my forebears; and to
celebrate being a living part of the continuing story of the
faith, as it was lived out by my mothers and fathers in the faith.



I was glad and I rejoiced in the privilege of being invited to
be part of the Shalom of God; where I could say with joy and
hope: ‘Peace be with you’. Yet all the time knowing that other’s
lives are far from peaceful and trouble-free; and that their lives
and their faith was challenged every day that they stay alive.



I was glad and I rejoiced in the privilege of being invited to
celebrate with many others the faith and witness of God’s
faithful people, and to leave that sacred space, confident in
the knowledge that God watches over God’s faithful people;
and that in God’s own time, all with will be well in God’s world.

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Acknowledgements:
Unless stated otherwise, all Bible readings and extracts used in these weekly Prayers and Meditations are from
‘The New Revised Standard Version’ Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

*The additional weekly numbering is from the Revised COCU Indexing Scheme
COCU = ('Consultation on Church Union'); as it offers an easy sequential numbering
for the Revised Common Lectionary for the Church Calendar.

If any part of these Prayers and/or Meditations is used in shared worship, please provide
the following acknowledgement:
© 2010 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year A. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: advent1a_2010.pdf

© 2010 Joan Stott - " The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year A