22C*
A Call to Worship
Lent 4C 2010
Psalm 32

What joy is there in the merciful love of God!
Our sins are forgiven, How blessèd are we!

We acknowledge before God the heaviness
of sin’s weight on our hearts and minds;
because we have become separated from
God by our sin, and we are deeply regretful.


Teach us your ways, O Lord our God.
Lead us in the ways of your truth and love.
Come, let us worship our forgiving God and
sing for joy to the God so generously loves us. Amen.



Prayers of Praise and Thankfulness
Lent 4C 2010
Psalm 32

Come, let us praise and give thanks to our holy God.
How wonderful is the Lord our God! How merciful
is our forgiving God! How patient is our renewing
and restoring God! With a heart filled with joy, and
a mind free from anxiety, we come together in humble
worship of our generously loving and healing God.

With a feeling of release and freedom we come in a
spirit of deep thankfulness before the Lord our God,
who deals so gently and tolerantly with wayward children.
The Lord our God has taken the burden of sin from us,
and has given each of us new hope and joy. Our days
are filled with songs of praise, and in the worship of our
wonderful God, and our nights blessed by peace-filled rest.

With eager anticipation, we look forward to the continuing
security God’s presence with us, of knowing that we each
can find new strength and hope in God’s eternal presence.
We look forward to being led and taught by God; and of each
of us being the focus of God’s attention, as we seek to love
and serve God all our days. With songs of praise and thankfulness,
we praise the great and holy name of the Lord our God. Amen


A Personal Meditation
Lent 4C 2010
Psalm 32

What a joy and personal relief it is to know that the
LORD our God is a forgiving God! I know this from
experience! The release I feel is too big for simple
‘happiness’ My spoiled ‘slate’ has been wiped clean!

Creative pause: How I rejoice in God!


In stubborn pride I clung to my useless independence!
In my arrogance, I continued to resist God, until the weight
of my sin became unbearably heavy, because my sin
haunted me, and I could not rest! Finally, I came to my senses!
With God’s mercy and blessing, the weight was lifted from
me, and with a song in my heart, I finally let it all go before God!

Creative pause: I finally dropped my useless independence.


My advice to anyone who will listen: “Get it off your chest!
Seek God’s mercy and forgiveness and start again with God.”
Now I am joined with all the voices of our choir ringing out
“Joy to all who follow God’s way, who seek to lead a blessèd life.”

I shelter in the peace-filled presence of my God, and I’m held
securely by God’s mercy. The Lord our God has promised
to teach me how to live trustingly. How very blessèd is the
intimacy of being surrounded and upheld by God’s loving care.

Creative pause: Intimacy with God is such a blessing!



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

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: lent4C_2010.pdf