12C*
A Call to Worship
Epiphany 4C 2010
Psalm 71: 1-6
O Lord our Constant God, through all our livesyou have been a place of refuge to us.
Loving God, you allow us to shelter in your presence.
In all your upright powers, hear our cries, O God,
as once again we come to you for security.
Save us from all the fears that separates us
from our loving and saving God.
You, O God, are our strong fortress,
our place of safety from all that threatens us.
Today, we come in prayer and praise, to honour
and worship you and to forever praise your holy name. Amen.
Prayers of Lament and Petition
Epiphany 4C 2010
Psalm 71: 1-6
O Lord our God, our Rock, our Fortress and our Security,with a prayer in our hearts of trust and hope, we come again
to worship you, and to seek refuge from all that threatens us.
You are our only Hope, O God. Bend down to listen to our prayers.
Upright and holy God, we trust in you alone. Shelter us in your
presence, where nothing will shame us or your holy Name.
Deliver us O God, from all that threatens us, from all the
powers of this world that doubt your willingness to save us;
that even doubt that you care for us. They do not know you as
we do! You have been our life-long Hope, Refuge and Security.
Saving God, from our long experiences of your grace and mercy
we know that you welcome us into your presence! We know that
you are listening to our cries for help, because you have always
been our help and our hope. Now that we am older and more
susceptible to dangers and to fears; to unknown situations where
our physical strength is inadequate for the challenges that
face us, even then, we have confidence in your power to save us.
O Lord our God, we have praised you all our life! We praise you
now for your goodness, and in anticipation of your continuing
support and blessing; and of your promised and ongoing love for us,
throughout the rest of our days. Thank you God! Praise be to God! Amen.
A Personal Meditation
Epiphany 4C 2010
Psalm 71: 1-6
O Lord my God, I am getting older, I am becoming more frail,and more dependent on you and on others; yet I know
that in my ageing, I can have the same trust in you as I
had when I was newly born, resting on my mother’s breast.
My Trustworthy God, I seem to need your help so often. Come,
and bend down near to my fragile mind and spirit, and listen to me.
| Creative pause: | I value my lifelong trust in God. |
Please listen to me, my Upright God, for I am relying on you
to save me once again. You are my Steady Rock, my Fortress,
and above all, my only hope of rescue! There are evil enemies
all around and even within me. I am so confused by my fears—
are they real or imagined? My thoughts frighten and worry me.
I need the security of your steady hand to hold and guide me.
| Creative pause: | I so easily become confused. |
Deliver me, my God, rescue and save me from all that brings
shame to me and to your holy Name. I live in a world where
there are evil forces all around. Their powers are so insidious,
so sneaky and mean! They know my vulnerable spots, they
know how easily I can slip and fall, and thus betray all that
I value. Hold me firmly, my Saving God, so I do not fail you.
| Creative pause: | At times, I am very vulnerable. |
O God, my Midwife, my Nurse, my Caregiver, my Guide—
look upon me and listen to me with your tender compassion.
Through my whole life, I have offered you my worship and praise!
And so once again, I lift my voice in songs of praise and of hope,
for not only are you close to me in a supportive relationship,
you are also my Sovereign God, my Saviour, and my God.
| Creative pause: | I continue to praise my God, my secure Fortress. |
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:
© 2010 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year C. Used with permission.
jstott@netspace.net.au
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