03A*
A Call to Worship
Advent 3A 2013
Psalm 146: 5-10

Called to be God’s people, we gather in joy-filled celebration of our Creating God.
We celebrate the Godly miracles of creation we experience every day and night.

Called to be a people of faith, we gather to praise our Eternal and Loving God.
Faithful God, we gather to give our thanks that your promises are totally reliable.

Called to be a people of hope and trust, we gather to give thanks for God’s care
and compassion towards people who are vulnerable to life’s fears and stresses.
Justice-loving God, we give thanks that your love and mercy are the source and
power behind God’s commitments to the created world and towards all humanity;
and especially towards vulnerable, dispossessed and isolated people in our midst. Amen.

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Psalm 146: 5-10

5 But happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.

6 He is the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He is the one who keeps every promise forever,
7 who gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry.
The LORD frees the prisoners.
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts the burdens of those bent beneath their loads.
The LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

10 The LORD will reign forever.
O Jerusalem, your God is King in every generation!
Praise the LORD!

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Prayers of Praise and Petition
Advent 3A 2013
Psalm 146: 5-10

Hope-renewing God, called as we are to be your people, we gather
to praise you for the hope you give to each us through your eternal
promises that enrich our lives; and through the generous gifts God
gives to us in understanding the meaning of righteousness and justice.
Forgive us for our failures to be a sign to other people of God’s hope.
Be for us this day, and all other believers, the Source and Power that
enables us to develop right relationships with God, with each other, with
our neighbour, and in the more complex world where God has placed us.

Justice-teaching God, called as we are to be your people, we gather
to thank you for all you have taught us about justice and just living; for
all we have learned about the importance of justice, so that all people
have the opportunity for a fair and just life. Forgive us for our failures
to be a sign to other people of God’s eternal justice. Be for us this day,
and all other believers, the Source and Power that enable us to act
justly, and to encourage by our example, God’s justice for all people.

Compassionate God, called as we are to be your people, we gather
to honour, revere and worship you for the compassion that is central
to the Being of God. Forgive us our hard-hearted and manipulative
attitudes to people less fortunate than we are; people who are waiting
to receive from us, some sign of God’s compassionate care for them
to give them fresh hope, and a new approach to a life of reconciliation
and justice. Be for us this day, and all other believers, the Source and
Power that creates and stimulates love, mercy, grace and compassion—
so that we may help bring to vulnerable people freedom from hunger,
fear, oppression, unfair burdens and limited access to life’s blessings.
To God, the renewing and Almighty God of all goodness, we praise you. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Advent 3A 2013
Psalm 146: 5-10

Based on his belief in God and the reality of that “..the Lord their
God...” is the “...one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and
everything in them...” so the Psalmist continued “.. He is the one
who keeps every promise forever…” Our promises can be easily
and lightly made, depending on the importance of that given promise;
or they can be a life-time commitment to a particular cause or action.
“Promises” may be described as: “a pledge, a vow, a commitment,
a declaration, or an assurance given to carry out some particular
course of action.” We often make promises to ourselves; but also
to others; and to communities as we accept any new responsibility—
but, just how well do we keep those promises and commitments?



I had great difficulty in accepting the concept that it was appropriate
to obtain a divorce, even though that meant breaking marriage vows
made before God, and which I believed to be a life-time commitment.
Do other vows made in services of worship have the same “weight”
as that of marriage vows? How seriously do we take other vows or
promises made before God, for example, in baptism or confirmation?
How effective or appropriate are deprivation of worshipping “rights”
as punishment for broken promises or for promiscuous behaviour?
Where do mercy, forgiveness and grace belong in such punishment?



When I was involved in “Adult Fellowship Groups”, as they are known
in my Australian denomination, in the late 1960s the members routinely
promised at each meeting: “I accept the call to Christian womanhood,
and promise with God’s help to serve the Lord Jesus Christ: to make
my home a place where Christ is known; to make my church a place
where Christ is worshipped; and make my country a realm where Christ
is honoured...” How easy it is to say these vows, and how hard to is to
live them out every day! How important are such vows and promises if
they are so easily broken? Is the daily striving to fulfil promises and vows
more important than actually keeping promises made before our God?

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Acknowledgements:
Unless stated otherwise, all Bible readings and extracts used in these weekly Prayers and
Meditations are from the ‘New Living Translation’, © 1996. Copyright. All rights reserved.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189 USA.

*Revised Indexing Scheme from 'Consultation on Church Union' (COCU).

If the Prayers and/or Meditations are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2013 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year A. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au
www.thetimelesspsalms.net

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: advent3a_2013.pdf

© 2013 Joan Stott - "The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year A