38A*
A Call to Worship
Easter 7A 2011
Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35

Holy God, we come in awed reverence before you.
We are overwhelmed by your holiness and beauty.
God’s faithful people rejoice and share their delight
in their Lord, and in the holiness of God’s presence.

Compassionate God, you are the Help and Defender
of lost and lonely people; the Sanctuary for all children.
You who are the Father of all fatherless people, and
you welcome people of all ages into your accepting family.

Liberating God, through your involvement with people,
they now know freedom and joy; new hope and a future.
The glory of God’s majesty shines on all God’s people,
like a beacon of hope and joy. Praise be to our Great God. Amen.

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Prayers of Praise
Easter 7A 2011
Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35

Loving God, all praise and glory are yours this day.
Almighty God, we give thanks and we praise you
for the way people have attempted to describe our
God over the centuries, as they struggled to express
in words and pictures something of the magnitude of
God’s Being. This in turn, helps each of us to discover
and develop our own understandings of God’s Holy
Presence and Being that is ever-present with us.
We praise and thank you O God, for these insights.

God’s power has been visualised as God riding upon
the storm clouds and speaking with the loud voice of
thunder. God’s tenderness has been described as God
being the Father of the fatherless; the Help of defenceless
widows; and the Guide and Blessing of all children. God’s
mercy has been seen as the Liberator of people from
captivity; as the Leader of lost people to safety; and as
the Provider of the human needs of food, water and shelter
to landless peoples. All these images and words help us in
our praise of God, and to think about our glorious God.
We praise and thank you O God, for these insights.

Glorious God, we praise you for the way you reveal
something of yourself to us, knowing that we do not
have the capacity to know all that is God – God most
High, God Most Holy, God, whose glorious Light enlivens
our lives; God who is our Hope, our Truth, Strength and
our Way, and God who is our Home. Unchanging God,
above all, through many generations, people have rejoiced
in your unchanging presence, knowing that you are utterly
to be trusted, and for this we praise you Holy Name.
We praise and thank you O God, for these insights. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Easter 7A 2011
Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35

God-of-many-names including the ‘Father of the fatherless’;
Holy God; the Defender of widows; Friend of lonely people;
Releaser of prisoners; Joy of miserable people; Rider of storm
clouds; the Voice that is like thunder; Welcomer to the family;
and Leader of your captive people; I come to you seeking to
know you better through your many names and descriptions.



Rise up. Mighty God and scatter those people who refuse to
seek to know you, so that they cannot gather together to confuse
your faithful people. Generous God, receive the thankfulness
and praise of your faithful people as they sing their joyous songs
for all the goodness and mercy, I and many others, have received.



God of Yesterday, you led your people from the darkness of
captivity into the light of your promised freedom, showing them
something of your great majesty and power. You showered your
people with many blessings, and they responded with thankfulness.
I am so grateful, that I worship a God who leads and blesses.



God of Today, you challenge me and other believers
to share the news about the power, wonder and mystery of our
God, whose light of love shines down on the faithful people of
God, empowering and blessing them as each day, they know
the joy of worshipping together in the presence of the Holy God.



God of Tomorrow, all this is in your hands, gracious and merciful God.

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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: easter7a_2011.pdf

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