38A*
A Call to Worship
Easter 7A 2017
Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35

We come together now to celebrate the joy of God’s Holy Presence with us.
We join together to magnify and exalt the Holy Name of our Liberating God.

We come together now to rejoice and sing of the majestic wonders of our God.
We join together to experience yet again all those faithful blessings of our God.

We come together now to share in the privilege of being part of God’s family of
grace and love, where we are welcomed and accepted as God’s own children.
We join together to celebrate in our knowledge that God is the Father of the
fatherless; the Defender of vulnerable people; and our highest the Joy in life. Amen.

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Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35
For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

1 Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies.
Let those who hate God run for their lives.
2 Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire.
Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.

3 But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence.
Let them be filled with joy.
4 Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the LORD— rejoice in his presence!
5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
6 God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
7 O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
when you marched through the dry wasteland,
Interlude

8 the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain before you,
the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9 You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary land.
10 There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest,
O God, you provided for your needy people.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the LORD.
Interlude

33 Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens,
his mighty voice thundering from the sky.
34 Tell everyone about God’s power.
His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.
35 God is awesome in his sanctuary.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!

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Prayers of Praise
Easter 7A 2017
Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35

As a community of faith, we come together now to celebrate the joy of God’s Holy
Presence with us; and to exalt and magnify the glories of our God; and to sing and
praise God’s Holy Name. Together we share in our prayers and praises of God,
whose acts of liberation from all that oppresses creation, and especially of humanity
still continues throughout the world; and whose gracious mercy is still experienced
by people under trial and distress. We praise our God for not leaving us to flounder
through life; but that God gives us a purpose, a goal and a reason for our existence.
We come together now to magnify and exalt the glorious Name of our Liberating God.

We come together now to rejoice and sing of the majestic wonders of our God; and to
experience yet again the faithful blessings of our God. We admit that there have been
times as a community of faith that we have lost our way; when we have faltered in our
faith and trust in God; but through those difficult experiences, we have all learned new
lessons gifted to us by our gracious God. As individuals, we have also struggled with our
faith and trust in God, especially when faced with trouble; and we too were guided and
blessed by God’s patient love and compassion. Because of those experiences, we praise
our God, and we share our stories of liberation and blessings. All praise to our Holy God!

We come together now to share in the privilege of being part of God’s family of grace
and love, where we are welcomed and accepted as God’s own children who have been
nurtured in the faith by people committed to God’s praise and glory. O God of the ages
and of countless generations, you are our loving Parent; the Father of the fatherless; the
Mother and Defender of all vulnerable people; and the Head of the family of all believers—
and we praise you for this certainty; for this timeless promise; and for this ever-present
reality. We come together now to sing your praises and to offer our prayers of gratitude;
and for the gift of an awareness of your Holy Presence with us, whatever life brings to us.
We rejoice with all God’s people because of the sure and certain knowledge of our God. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Easter 7A 2017
Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35

In various text books, Psalm 68 has been described as being “one of the most
difficult psalms to understand”, but in his recent book “From whom no secrets
are hid”, Professor Walter Brueggemann gives some clues to help to demystify
its message. Apparently, ancient Israel’s liturgists took delight in trying to outdo
the priests of the Canaanite ‘tribal gods’ claims about the power of their ‘god’, by
attributing even greater powers to YHWH. For example, Baal was the ‘rain god’
who was carried on the clouds delivering rain to nurture the earth and its crops.
Whenever it rained, it was believed that Baal was there to make it happen! So the
psalmist sang in vss 4 and 33: “...Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the LORD - rejoice in his presence…Sing to the one who rides across
the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky…” In vs 9, YHWH
is praised thus: “…There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest,
O God, you provided for your needy people. Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth.
Sing praises to the LORD…” YHWH’s people were learning from their ancient beliefs.



In the Old Testament, it emphasizes that within their culture, the care of the widows
and orphans was an expression of who they were as God’s chosen people. Once
again, from ancient Canaanite beliefs Baal was the ‘god’ and father responsible for
the protection of all vulnerable people. Thus we have in verse 5 the description of
YHWH whose care extended beyond the widows and orphans to include people who
were lonely or prisoners and YHWH placed them within the blessedness of family
life and of full acceptance: “…Father to the fatherless, defender of widows - this is
God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners
free and gives them joy…” Therefore, YHWH was worshipped are the Loving Father
who cared for all vulnerable people; with the fulfilment of Isaiah’s promise in the person
of Jesus, as he demonstrated God the Father’s care of vulnerable people: “....The
Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that
the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favour has come….”²



Israel also celebrated YHWH as their Inspiration, Creator and Ruler of all creation; but
they also acknowledged, worshipped and rejoiced in their awareness that YHWH, the
Holy One, was also involved communally and personally with the people of Israel. This
connectedness was celebrated through remembering and reliving their epic experiences
of Exodus; and of YHWH’s compassionate care of them in their times of joy and struggle.
So Israel celebrated: “...Sing praises to God and to his name!...His name is the LORD—
rejoice in his presence!... Sing praises to the LORD....Tell everyone about God’s power. His
majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens. God is awesome in
his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!”



1 Psalm 34:3 (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible, Used with permission)

2 Luke 4: 18-19 (NLT)

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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 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 A. Based on verses from Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35.
Used with permission.

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

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