19C*
A Call to Worship
Lent 1C 2016
Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16

Glorious God, we gather to worship you and to receive your blessing.
We open ourselves to receive God’s: “Blessings before me, blessings
behind me, blessings above, …. below, all around me, deep within me.”¹

Radiant God, we gather to receive the gift of your holy light shining on us.
We open ourselves to receive God’s sustaining “....Bright light to guide
me, warm light to shelter me, hope to sustain me and strength to protect…”¹

Sheltering God, we gather to thank you as we pray: “...O gracious One,
may your blessings be - love to surround me, and peace within me…”¹
Trustworthy God, we gather to thank you and celebrate God’s mercy and
grace, as we receive your blessings that are always within and around us. Amen.

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Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the LORD:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

9 If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.

11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honour them.
16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

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Prayers of Thankfulness and Trust
Lent 1C 2016
Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16

Glorious and light-giving God, we gather to worship you and to receive from
you your many blessings. We give thanks for the bright light of God’s holy
presence that warms and enlivens us to be whom God created us to become.
Even as we give thanks for God’s bright light of love, we also give thanks for
the shelter God offers to us, so that we can find a safe refuge in the shadow
of God when life or issues becomes too burdensome for us; and when the heavy
weight of our sufferings or troubles overwhelm us. We give thanks that we are
promised “...rest in the shadow of the Almighty...” that enables us to pause, and
then to start again on our pilgrimage of trust in the Most High and Almighty God.

Faithful God, we give you our sincere thanks for the blessings of your promises—
and for what those promises mean to us, especially when life is tough! We give
thanks for God’s grace and mercy that your “...faithful promises are our armour
and protection.”² against all that would betray, destroy or undermine us as people,
or as a community. We give thanks that as we trust in the promises of God being
our True Refuge and Shelter; then our life’s priorities are in order and we are on
the path towards being at peace with God, with ourselves, and our neighbours.

Trustworthy God, we especially give thanks for the encouraging words: “...I will
rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they
call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour
them...” God has actually promised that all those who love God an incredible gift
of honouring our love for God; and that God’s glorious presence will be with us to
keep us safe within the fellowship of our loving and trusting relationship with God. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Lent 1C 2016
Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16

This psalm is a fascinating record of ‘real life’ and the many ‘things’ we bring to
our living, including all our deepest fears and ‘hang-ups’. The verses not included
in this selection list many of our secret fears as individuals and as a community.
The author’s list could have been referring to a time of war or internal conflict;
an infectious plague; or a natural disaster when “...ten thousand are dying around
you…”. Was the author referring to personal haunting nightmares when speaking
about “…the terrors of the night...”; and then there were “ …the dangers of the day…
and the “…disasters that strike at midday...” when the heat of the day makes one
so drowsy, lazy and ineffectual; or was it the risk of sunstroke if one was out in the
sun at midday? It is unfortunate that these verses are not included today as they give
context to the shelter and security offered by “…the Most High...” and “...the Almighty...”
who offers refuge and shelter from the things that can and do afflict all humanity.



The psalmist went on to list other fears from within nature, listing the ones in his own
natural environment, including lions and poisonous snakes; and the dangers of living
in rocky country with deep ravines or landslides. In various parts of the world there are
various natural ‘creepy crawlies’ of the many different legged varieties; or those other
‘beasties’ that either fly or swim that send little shivers down one’s spine. The author
presented an amazingly descriptive picture when he sang that God’s “...faithful promises
are your armour and protection...”² Those promises continue: “...If you make the LORD
your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague
will come near your home...” However, there may be people who think such promises
give a false sense of security and that it is just ‘religious talk’! Yet if we do not live trusting
in God’s promises – what hope do we have in an unknown future or a problematic past?



In Exodus 33, we have that wonderful account of the depth of relationship there was
between God and Moses, and Moses’ request of God that he witness God’s glorious
presence. But God responded that Moses could not see God’s face and live, instead
God’s glorious presence would pass by Moses’ sheltered place; Moses would hear God
name God’s-Own-Self; and then glimpse the back of God’s glorious and holy presence.
Having spent some time reflecting on what is NOT in the psalm selection, there are still
many rich blessings in the verses that we do have to reflect upon. God’s faithful people
“...will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty...” and they too will not see God’s face, but
they will know and experience God’s shadow! Just as the length of one’s shadows is
determined by the time of day, so does one’s situation in life determine the need for a
short or longer shadow of God’s glorious presence to heal and bless. The psalm ends
with another wonderful promise from God: “...The LORD says, ‘I will rescue those who
love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour them...’” Thanks be to our God!



1 “Blessings before me, blessings behind me”
Monica Brown & Emmaus Productions CD
Used with personal permission
© 2010 Monica Brown
CD: A heart’s journey “ track 10

2 Psalm 91: 4b (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 inspiration available from the scholarship and writings of
Professor Walter Brueggemann; and through the resources from the internet and “The Text this Week” (Textweek).

If the Prayers and/or Meditations are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2016 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year C. Used with permission.

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

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: lent1c_2016.pdf