04B*
A Call to Worship
Advent 4B 2017
Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26

We gather, to join in the chorus: “God is love, let heaven adore him…”1
We also sing for joy: “…God is love, let earth rejoice; let creation sing…”1

We join in the joyous celebrations: “…God, who laid the earth’s foundation…”1
We give thanks because: “…God is love, let earth…exalt him with one voice…”1

God of the Covenants and God of eternal promises - we come to praise
you as: “…God’s eternal loving kindness holding, guiding, grace imparts…”1
“God,… who breathes through all creation… gently enfolding all the world
in one embrace…God is love, so love forever over the universe must reign.”
1


Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26
A psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1 I will sing of the LORD’s unfailing love forever!
Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
2 Your unfailing love will last forever.
Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.

3 The LORD said, “I have made a covenant with David,
my chosen servant. I have sworn this oath to him:
4 ‘I will establish your descendants as kings forever;
they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.’”
Interlude

19 Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people.
You said, “I have raised up a warrior.
I have selected him from the common people to be king.
20 I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with my holy oil.
21 I will steady him with my hand; with my powerful arm I will make him strong.
22 His enemies will not defeat him, nor will the wicked overpower him.
23 I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him,
and by my authority he will grow in power.
25 I will extend his rule over the sea, his dominion over the rivers.
26 And he will call out to me,
‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’


Prayers of Praise
Advent 4B 2017
Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26

God: whose Name and Being is Love: we gather together on this Fourth Sunday
in Advent to worship and praise our God. Our theme is “love” - love as only God
knows how to love, and who showed frail humanity the many variations there is
in loving and being loved. We gather too, to join in heaven and the earth’s chorus:
“God is love, let heaven adore him…God is love, let earth rejoice; let creation sing…”1
Today, we gather to offer our praises and thanks for the timeless miracle of God’s
steadfast and unfailing love, faithfulness, mercy and grace. All praise be to God!

Reconciling God: we join in the joyous celebrations: “…God, who laid the earth’s
foundation…”
1, and we praise your Holy Name and give you our thanks because:’
“…God is love, let earth…exalt him with one voice…”1 We confess that often we
do not speak “…with one voice…”; and through the cacophony of our individualism—
we almost drown out the oneness that praises God! We pray that we may be refreshed
and renewed in our faith and trust in the God of all times and all places; so that we
may worthily praise and honour you all the days of our life, and in every loving act
we do in and through your Name – God, who is forever blessed and forever blessing!

God of the Covenants and God of eternal promises - we come to praise you - as we
each day and night rediscover the miracle of God’s compassionate and merciful love
towards all that the Creator sanctified: “…God’s eternal loving kindness holding, guiding,
grace imparts…God,… who breathes through all creation… gently enfolding all the
world in one embrace…God is love, so love forever over the universe must reign.”
1
We gather this day to: “… sing of the LORD’s unfailing love forever! Young and old
will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is
as enduring as the heavens….”
Throughout all the generations – we praise you today! Amen.


A Personal Meditation
Advent 4B 2017
Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26

Psalm 89 is a celebration about the covenant God made with King David when he
was anointed as king. There are a lot about ‘covenants’ in the Bible, but do we really
know what they mean? Some of the synonyms for ‘covenant’ include it being a pact,
a contract, a treaty, an accord, a bargain, a settlement, a protocol, an agreement, an
arrangement, a pledge; or a promise, bond, guarantee or commitment. The fact that
the Initiator and Guarantor of the Biblical Covenants was the LORD God of the universe—
the LORD God Almighty, Creator, Liberator and Loving and Merciful Father-God - is
mind-blowing! Added to that, the other partners in those covenants were humans!
The covenants were often between God and one person, and other times – all creation!

Creative pause: “God is love, let heaven adore him…”1


The first of the major covenant was between God and Noah and included all of creation;
the second with Abraham, and all his subsequent descendants; then there was Moses
with the gift of the covenant of the Ten Commandments – and their explanations; then
came Aaron’s “Priestly Covenant; and finally God’s Covenant with David. Psalm 89: 1-2
offers these praises: “I will sing of the LORD’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will
hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring
as the heavens…”
Scholars seem unable to agree on the actual numbers of God-inspired
Covenants made with creation and with specific humanity. The New Testament speaks of
the “New Covenant” as being Jesus’ inauguration of the Eucharist and of his poured-out
blood given as a sacrifice to God on behalf of all creation. The psalm continues as it celebrates
God’s promise as it is described in 2 Samuel 7: “…I have made a covenant with David, my
chosen servant. I have sworn this oath to him: ‘I will establish your descendants as kings
forever; they will sit on your throne from now until eternity…’”
followed by David’s response.
“…How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you. We have never even
heard of another God like you!...You made Israel your very own people forever, and you
became their God. And now, O LORD God, I am your servant; do as you have promised…”
2

Creative pause: “…God is love, let earth rejoice…”1


For the fourth Sunday in Advent “love” is the theme of worship, and it is quite appropriate
that we read a portion of Psalm 89 as we celebrate and give thanks God’s “hesed” as it is
described in this psalm as God’s steadfast and unfailing love, faithfulness, mercy and grace.
Hymn writer Timothy Rees has a wonderful grasp of the fidelity of God’s “hesed” as he
wrote these words: “…God is love, and gently enfolding all the world in one embrace, with
unfailing grasp is holding every child of every race. And when human hearts are breaking
under sorrow’s iron rod, then they find that selfsame aching deep within the heart of God…”
1

Creative pause: “…let creation sing …and exalt him with one voice…”1


1 From “Together in Song” #153
“God is love, let heaven adore him”
Words by Timothy Rees
© Oxford University Press - Used with Permission.

2 2 Samuel 7: 22, 24, 25a



Acknowledgements:
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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

I acknowledge and give heartfelt thanks for the theological help and inspiration so frequently available from the writings of Professor Walter Brueggemann and Professorial brothers Rolf and Karl Jacobson; and the resources from "The Text this Week" (Textweek).

If the Prayers and/or Meditation are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2017 Joan Stott –‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year B. Based on verses from Psalm 89.
Used with permission.


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

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: advent4b_2017.pdf