31A*
A Call to Worship
Easter Day Year A 2011
Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24

This is the glorious day that the Lord has made,
and together we will rejoice and celebrate all its mercies!
We give thanks for the goodness to the Lord.
God’s faithful and compassionate love lasts forever.

The Lord’s strength has accomplished great things.
The Lord is my strength and my everlasting song.

Open all that separates us, so we may enter God’s presence.
We gather to celebrate and rejoice in the mercies
of our God; and give thanks for God’s mighty acts. Amen.

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Prayers of Praise and Thankfulness
Easter Day Year A 2011
Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24

Holy God, we gather on this joyful day to sing our praises
to the God of all life, and to give thanks for the faithfulness
of our God in all things. We rejoice that we have life and breath
to praise our God, and to tell of all God’s mighty saving actions.
We give to God our thankful praise for God’s enduring love.

We give thanks for all God’s goodness, even though the glorious
strength and powers of our God are beyond our understanding.
We sing our songs of joy to God from our own limited knowledge
of who and what God is and does; yet our faith and trust in God
enables us to give thanks and praise with joy and with confidence.
We give to God our thankful praise for God’s enduring love.

The Lord our God invites us to come into our sacred spaces so
that we can worship God in the fellowship of community life, as
we love, support and encourage each other in our faith journey.
As we enter God’s holy presence with humble gratitude, we also
celebrate with people from all past generations, the saving grace
of our God. We give thanks that God has journeyed with us in good
and difficult times, and that God still remains our hope and strength.
We give to God our thankful praise for God’s enduring love. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Easter Day Year A 2011
Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24

O my God, what a delight it is to give praise and thanks for
God’s goodness and mercy, and for God’s faithfulness, even
when my own faithfulness has been challenged. I am so
grateful for the endurance of God’s grace-filled presence with
me. Other people also endorse these feelings of thankfulness
too, which adds to my thanks and gratitude, when I see God
at work in the lives of people whom I love and seek to serve.



How marvellous are God’s actions! How generous is my God
in so many ways! I have been severely tested in the struggles
of living, and it has been hard work to start again. When I was
down and out, rejected, forgotten and bewildered; God picked
me up, dusted me off, and set me on a new path in life and love.



I have also been able to draw strength from God’s strength,
which is also an added blessing, giving me a sense of victory
over the trials that are part of my everyday life. God’s strength
has also encouraged me to step out boldly in my struggles to
keep going with confidence in a life where internal and external
factors play a major part. I am so grateful God travels with me.



Today has been made by God. Yesterday and tomorrow are also
God’s handiwork, and after yesterday’s and today’s blessings—
I look forward to being blessed in all the tomorrows ahead of me.

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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:
© 2011 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: easter1a_2011.pdf

© 2011 Joan Stott - " The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year A