33A*
A Call to Worship
Easter 3A 2011
Psalm 116: 1-4, 12-19

Listening God, with joy we celebrate your saving mercy.
We rejoice and give thanks for God’s involvement in our lives.
We give thanks for the blessings of God’s grace-filled promises.

Comforting God, with joy we celebrate the way you bless us.
You led us through the dark valley of suffering to life and hope.
We give thanks to our God who hears and answers our prayers.

Holy God, in this our sacred space of worship, we share in
fellowship together with God, and in the joy of God’s presence.
Faithful God, we gather to worship and praise your holy name. Amen.

Prayers of Thankfulness
Easter 3A 2011
Psalm 116: 1-4, 12-19

Responsive God, with joy and celebration we give thanks for
the way God hears and answers our prayers, and for the way
God is so involved in our daily life. How privileged we are!
As we try to see and understand what the future holds for each
of us, help us to recognise that whatever happens to us in life or
death, that God is there on that journey with us, to bless, guide
and help us as we struggle with the implications of our humanity.

God of all times and conditions in life, how blessed we are to be
loved the way God loves each of us individually, every moment
of every day of our life, however long God gives us to live here!
We give thanks that God accepts our sincere praise and the open
and honest way we honour God’s holy name. We give thanks for
the reassurances of God’s graciousness, and that as servants of
our God, we can serve and witness to God’s goodness all our days.

God, who is Eternal Love, in gratitude for your numerous mercies,
we seek your blessings on the commitments we make to you and
your relationship to us individually and as a community of faith. Bless
our attempts to witness to your loving goodness and mercy with
our lives, our actions and our words. All these are a sacrament of
praise and thanks that is offered to God in faith, hope and love, and
as genuine acts of worship and praise of God’s holy gift of shalom. Amen.

A Personal Meditation
Easter 3A 2011
Psalm 116: 1-4, 12-19

How blest I am! It is almost too good to be true that I am a belovèd
child of God! Yet I know from experience that I can be in a close
relationship with the God of the universe; yet God also cares about
and loves each person, each creature, each example of God’s creative
powers with a generous and nurturing love! How blest I am indeed!

Creative pause: God’s love is personal and individual.


My songs of joyful praise are offered today especially, because God
has heard and answered my prayers when life was tough and scary,
and I did not know how to go about living with that fear and uncertainty.
My faith in God assures me that God accepts my prayers and acts of
praise and thankfulness, as I respond to God’s goodness and mercy.

Creative pause: I sing a new song of praise to God for new blessings.


How can I bear witness to God’s mercies and blessings? Should I stand
up in church and bare my soul to everyone, or just thank God in private?
If I shared my personal experiences, would that help someone else who
was also struggling? This is a question for careful discernment, however,
that should not stop me from living a joy-filled life that others can witness.

Creative pause: I share with others my joy in the God’s goodness.


Praise, glory and honour to you, God of great and merciful love, for you
are Love Eternal, always and forever. You lean down to listen to us and
hear our prayers. You restore me to new life in yourself. Thanks be to God!

Creative pause: Glory be to God’s Holy Name


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

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