04B*
A Call to Worship
Advent 4B 2011
Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26

O God, you are our Father, the Rock of our salvation.
We gather to sing of your everlasting tender mercies.
O God, you are our Father, the Rock of our salvation.

Generous God, your unfailing love lasts to all eternity.
We gather to celebrate God’s everlasting faithfulness.
Generous God, your unfailing love lasts to all eternity.

Loving God, your promises are always to be trusted.
We gather to praise and worship our dependable God.
Loving God, your promises are always to be trusted.
Your unfailing love is like a steady and secure rock. Amen.

Prayers of Thankfulness and Trust
Advent 4B 2011
Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26

Holy God, in reverent awe we gather to praise and bless you
for your generous promises for the future of your people.
We especially thank you for the relationship of trust that
you have established between yourself and your own people—
those children of every age, babes, middle-aged and the old.
We give thanks that you have always raised up leaders to
guide and bless your people, and that your wonderful promises
remain true in every circumstance of the lives of your people.

Trustworthy God, we give thanks for the gift of that special
relationship that evolved out of the heart of our faithful God,
and because of those promises, which we can confidently go
forward, knowing that our God travels with us through all situations

God, the Rock and Refuge of all your people, in all the trials and
struggles of life, we have the everlasting reasurrance that our God
is the Divine Ruler of all things, past, present and into the unknown
future. We give thanks that you are the Righteous and Holy One;
you are the God who rules over all things with compassion and justice.

Holy God, in reverent awe we gather to worship and praise you,
and to give thanks for your ever-new commitment to your people. Amen.

A Personal Meditation
Advent 4B 2011
Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26

Holy and Glorious God, I am so glad that age does not matter
when I meet with others to worship you, and that the croakiness
of the aged blends in with the inarticulate gurgles of little babies.
I am so relieved that I can still sing my songs of praise amongst
the faithful ones, and that my songs will join with the songs of a
mixture of people, each with their own unique reason to trust in God.

Creative pause: We each have a unique reason to trust God.


My songs will be about God’s unfailing faithfulness; God’s gentle
tenderness and compassion; and God’s wisdom in maintaining
a special relationship with all God’s people, which gives me an
anchor to cling to, when all else seems troubled and uncertain.
Other songs I will sing to God will be about the way leaders appear,
who are gifted and willing to lead their people, offering their own
unique qualities and experiences; and those blessed experiences
when the hands of my fellow travellers are laid on me in blessing.

Creative pause: My songs will have many themes of thankfulness.


I give thanks that God plucks out improbable people and gives them
seemingly impossible tasks, reassuring them all the time, that they
do not travel alone, but that their compassionate and empowering
God goes with them always. I give thanks for the unexpected
opportunities for service that have come my way, and for the trust
people placed in me as I sought to serve God and them as I was able.

Creative pause: God empowers all the improbable people.


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:
© 2011 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year B. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au

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