63A*
A Call to Worship
All Saints' Day Year A 2014
Psalm 34: 1-10, 22

Come, “come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.”
With joy, we celebrate with awed reverence the mighty wonders of our Holy God.

Come, let us “praise the Lord at all times.” We will constantly speak his praises.
With delight, we share in the pleasure of telling about our Great God to all we know.

Come now, “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who
take refuge in him!....Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy…”
With elation, we exalt the Glorious God of all peoples and all creation; forever
singing God’s praises and meditating on God’s generous goodness and mercy. Amen.

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Psalm 34: 1-10, 22
A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane
in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.

1 I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.
4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.

7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

22 But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.
No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

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Prayers of Thankfulness and Praise
All Saints' Day Year A 2014
Psalm 34: 1-10, 22

We come, Holy God, to celebrate with joy and with awed reverence
the mighty wonders of our Holy God as together we share in worship.
We come to sing, pray and praise the Lord our God’s constant care
and support of God’s children through times of joy and happiness, but
especially through those times of hardship, struggle, fear and that sense
of helplessness that makes us so weak. We give thanks that our God
brings us a sense of balance instead of vulnerability; and a feeling of
strength and courage when were so susceptible to being overwhelmed.
“Worship, honour, glory, blessing, Lord we offer to your name... As
the saints in heaven adore you, we would bow before your throne...”^1#

We come, Uplifting God, to “praise the Lord at all times...” for feeling
freed of all that weighed us down - from the heaviness of mind and spirit
that fear brings to us. We have come together to share in the knowledge
that God has blessed us as a community of faith when we were under
pressure to be faithful to our calling as God’s people. Now we come to
honour and worship God with one mind and heart, as we take delight in
sharing the news of all God has done for us, and done with us, in our time
of stress and anxiety. Great is God’s faithfulness, and we celebrate with
warm hearts the blessedness of being part of God’s family here and now.
“Worship, honour, glory, blessing, Lord we offer to your name... As
the saints in heaven adore you, we would bow before your throne...”^1#

We come, as people committed to the worship of our Glorious God, and
and all that that commitment entails. We come together, as people who
have been blessed by an inheritance that is so great, so enriching that we
have a responsibility to tell others of those great blessings and to invite
them to share in these gifts of God’s goodness and mercy. We come too,
Holy God, whose Being is beyond our comprehension; whose faithfulness
is beyond our experience; whose compassion is beyond our imagination;
and whose gracious mercy is far beyond our understanding – we come
seeking to praise and glorify the Lord God, with every resource we have.
“Worship, honour, glory, blessing, Lord we offer to your name... As
the saints in heaven adore you, we would bow before your throne...”^1# Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
All Saints' Day Year A 2014
Psalm 34: 1-10, 22

The text for today’s Psalm is a very “busy” with words that are instinctive, spiritual,
emotional or mental reactions; and they include praising, speaking, boasting, exalting,
praying, telling, despairing, serving, tasting, seeing, fearing, being in awe and taking
refuge. Almost all of the words listed are reactive actions; whilst tasting, seeing and
fearing are instinctive actions. Have you recently watched a baby putting fingers, toes,
or anything else he/she can hold in its mouth? The instinct to taste seems to be present
at birth, whilst being able to see takes a little longer; and fear is a natural experience
that acts to help prevent harm. The Psalmist invites us to “...Taste and see that the
Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him...Those who look to him
for help will be radiant with joy…” These instinctive acts of learning of God’s presence
in and around us, set the pattern for us of a life of awed commitment to God’s-Own-Self.



Those words inspired by intellect and mental activities mostly relate to responses to
our emotions as we try to share and explain how these experiences impinge on our
life and relationships with God, and with those people with whom we share our deeper
faith and life experiences. We share these experiences by talking about them, even
by boasting of God’s goodness and mercy towards one’s own self. However, we can
only boast because we feel unworthy of such generosity from God. Yet, God’s mercy
and goodness is an experience that anyone can claim to have known and received.



The remaining reactive words relate to our emotions, including our spiritual responses
to God’s unconditional and steadfast love for all that God has created - including me; so
my response to that love is to joyfully pray, praise, exalt and serve my God in ways that
can be fulfilled through my God-given gifts. The other emotions expressed were hiding
from fear, desperation in a difficult situation, helplessness, a lack of shame, and radiant
joy! Other hinted at emotions experienced by the author are confidence and trust in
God’s willingness to listen and act on our prayers for help and guidance; and the clear
recognition of God’s saving and liberating acts. These responses from God to our prayers
underline God’s special love and compassion towards for people who are in deep trouble,
and who feel helpless in the face of disaster. Our Gracious God is indeed our eternal hope!



1 From “Together in Song” #772
Words by Edward Osler 1798-1863
Words in the Public Domain.

# This doxology may be sung instead of spoken:
“Worship, honour, glory, blessing,
Lord we offer to your name;
young and old, their praise expressing,
join your goodness to proclaim.
As the saints in heaven adore you,
we would bow before your throne;
as your angels serve before you,
so on earth your will be done.”

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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 inspiration available from the writings of
Professor Walter Brueggemann; and through the resources from the internet and “The Text this Week” (Textweek).

If the Prayers and/or Meditations are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2014 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: allsaintsdaya_2014.pdf