08B*
A Call to Worship
Epiphany of the Lord B 2018
Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

God: you are the King of kings; and we praise you for your powerful love.
“O my Strength, it is you to whom I call…the God who shows me love.”¹

God: you are the Glorious and Awesome Peace and Hope of all peoples.
“…May the God of peace give you peace; the God of hope give you hope…”²

God: you are the Strong and Quiet Centre for all peoples, welcoming all of
us into your generous, gracious and Holy Presence with joy and love; and
so we gather to celebrate the compassion, wisdom and mercy of our God!
Holy God: yes, you are indeed the God of love, hope and peace, whose gentle
and accepting mercy, guides and blesses us each and every day and night. Amen.

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Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14
A psalm of Solomon.

1 Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king’s son.
2 Help him judge your people in the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly.
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful.
4 Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy,
and to crush their oppressors.

5 May they fear you as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon remains in the sky. Yes, forever!
6 May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass,
like the showers that water the earth.
7 May all the godly flourish during his reign.
May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.

10 The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute.
The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts.
11 All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him.
12 He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;
he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
13 He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them.
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are precious to him.

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Prayers of Petition and Trust
Epiphany of the Lord B 2018
Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

Revealing God: on this day when we experience a new revelation of God and
also the many facets of God that have yet to be explored; with reverent awe we
praise you for your powerful love that you - as the King of all kings and queens—
have shown to all of creation . The power of your love calls to us in so many
ways: “O my Strength, it is you to whom I call…the God who shows me love.”¹
as you daily and nightly demonstrate to us your welcoming and joy-filled delight
when we gather as your people to worship and praise you. We pray today for
people who have not known or experienced the blessings of your love for them;
or the awareness of your presence with them through all of life’s ‘ups and downs’.

Inspiring God: on this day when we experience a new revelation of God and also
the many facets of God that have yet to be explored; we gather as your people
to praise you for the patience that you have with us; as we are so slow to learn
and understand how much you care about us. Glorious and Awesome God: you
are Peace and Hope for all peoples; and so our prayer to you today is: “…May the
God of peace give you peace; the God of hope give you hope…”² We give thanks
for the many influences that all add to the limited knowledge we have of our God—
and pray that our daily living and loving will be a blessing to people whom we meet.

Trustworthy God: on this day when we experience a new revelation of God and also
the many facets of God that have yet to be explored; we glorify your Holy Name as
we daily discover that you are indeed God; and that you are the Strong and Quiet
Centre for all peoples; and that you welcome all of us with joy and love - into your
generous, gracious and Holy Presence. We pray for people caught up in the frenetic
pace of life as they restlessly seek the peace and comfort that they need; but do not
know where or how to find it. Strong and Patient God: come to these people in new
ways; giving us all the faith and trust to believe that you do answer prayers; and that
you yearn to gather all people into your strong arms of love. Today we gather again
to celebrate the compassion, forgiveness, wisdom, peace and mercy of our God! Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Epiphany of the Lord B 2018
Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

Whilst this is a prayer by the new king of Israel as he commences his reign, his
petition to God teaches us many things about God’s reign as King of kings. King
Solomon wanted to base his reign on God’s justice, fairness and righteousness.
Authority and power are exhilarating and very heady experiences, no matter what
age we may be; and it is estimated that as Solomon died aged about 80 years,
that he reigned for 40 years; and he was probably in his late 30s when he became
king. So what was behind Solomon’s prayer? Young and possibly spoilt young
men are not always open to receiving advice; or be willing to follow the example
of their father; but Solomon was blessed with a unique and godly man as his father;
and we have the biblical authority that “David found favour with God..” (Acts 7:46a)
We celebrate the Epiphany of the LORD and King of all kings – the LORD Jesus Christ.



Solomon prayed that he would be able to base his reign on God’s compassion
wisdom and generosity - so that through his reign, he would care for and defend
the poor and their children. Solomon prayed that his reign would be refreshing, so
that that the people of Israel recognized that a new era had commenced; and that
they had another king who loved and worshipped God. This new and refreshing
approach to ruling would enable the people who were needy not to be afraid or to
live in fear; and that they would experience no restrictions on the celebrations of
worshipping and thanking God. King Solomon understood all this from his own
experiences of God’s compassion and generosity towards himself and his father
King David; and so he prayed for God’s blessing and guidance on his own reign.



Solomon prayed that he would also be able to base his reign on God’s holy power
and majesty, so that just as he bowed the knee to God, so he prayed that when
other royal guests visited him, they too, would kneel in recognition of God’s superior
and holy reign over all creation. Finally, Solomon prayed that he would be able to
base his reign on God’s merciful grace towards people who were poor, oppressed,
weak and needy; and the victims of senseless violence – and just as God acted in
the past to release them from the bondage of despair - so Solomon prayed that he,
too, would throughout his reign, show gracious mercy. He prayed that he would be
able to always arrange release from oppression for people caught in the trap of
violence and harsh treatment; and that he would offer to those people in need, true
and godly generosity. With God as his Model King, so Solomon would reign in love.



From “Let your heart take comfort” CD Track #1.9 & #2.4
1 “O my Strength, it you to whom I call”
2 “May the God of peace give you peace”
Words and music by Monica Brown
© 2014 Monica Brown & Emmaus Productions
Used with personal permission.

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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:
© 2018 Joan Stott –‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year B. Based on verses from Psalm 72.
Used with permission.

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

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: epiphofthelordb_2018.pdf