28B*
A Call to Worship
Maundy Thursday, Year B 2015
Psalm 116: 1-2, 12-19

Glorious God, because of all that we have been throughout our past, we give thanks!
Yes, I will give thanks and worship the Lord my God because of all your past mercies.

Holy God, because of all that we are now: our body, mind and spirit, we give you thanks!
Yes, I will always love and give thanks to the Lord my God, because of your blessings.

Guiding God, because of all that we will be into the unknown future, we give you thanks!
Yes, because of all the blessings and mercies I have known in my lifetime; and because I know that my God always hears my prayers, so I will always offer the gift of thankfulness. We know that our God hears our prayers, and so we will always give our God our thanks. Amen.

Psalm 116: 1-2, 12-19

1 I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy.
2 Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!

12 What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the LORD’s name for saving me.
14 I will keep my promises to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 The LORD cares deeply when his loved ones die.
16 O LORD, I am your servant;
yes, I am your servant, born into your household;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will fulfil my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people—
19 in the house of the LORD in the heart of Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

Prayers of Thankfulness
Maundy Thursday, Year B 2015
Psalm 116: 1-2, 12-19

Liberating God, on this Maundy Thursday, we come in thankfulness for your
many blessings to us as individuals and as a community of faith. On this day
as we remember and reflect on the sufferings of our Lord Jesus, we also rejoice
in the knowledge that he too knew the love and blessings of God, and that they
gave him the strength to fulfil his own vows to God “...in the presence of all his
people...”; even if those same people were crying out in rejection of him and
his message of love, acceptance, mercy, healing, compassion and forgiveness.
“...What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me?..." “Praise the LORD!”
“...I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the LORD’s name for saving me...”

Holy God, on this Maundy Thursday, we come in thankfulness to worship and
to give to you our “...sacrifice of thanksgiving..”; an act of worship different to that
from ancient times, but it is just as meaningful to us today. Where those ancient
acts of thanksgiving and worship included the spilling of the blood of a scapegoat—
we praise and thank our God that that sacred living blood poured out by Jesus
was completed for all time in that act of sacrifice by Jesus. Praise be to his name!
“...What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?..." “Praise the LORD!”
“...I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD...”

Faithful God, on this Maundy Thursday, we come in thankfulness to revere and
honour your Sacred Name. You have called us to be your faithful people in this
time and place, and so we respond in gratitude and commitment to the vision you
have inspired in us for this world, and for this place, at this time. Help us to work
and worship together so that your vision for us may become a reality, and that we
may faithfully and honestly serve and obey you in newness of life, in all our days.
“...What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me?..." “Praise the LORD!”
“...I will keep my promises to the LORD in the presence of all his people...” Amen.

A Personal Meditation
Maundy Thursday, Year B 2015
Psalm 116: 1-2, 12-19

Although the Psalms are divided up into five “books”, there are also sub-sections
that follow a particular theme. Psalms 113 to 118 are one such sub-section, and
these are known as the “Hallelujah” or “Hallel Psalms”, that were/are sung and
prayed during the season of the Jewish Passover. Various scholars and authors have
given them various theme titles, and the following description examples. Psalm 113
praised the Lord, whose grace and goodness was beyond comparison with anything
else. Psalm 114 recalled their “Exodus” blessings and the power of their liberating
God. Psalm 115 called on people from the east and west to revere the One True God,
who was their Helper and Shield and who blessed their faithfulness. Psalm 116 is
about thanksgiving for blessings, and what can be offered in response to God’s
goodness and mercy. The two verses in Psalm 117 called on all nations to praise the
steadfast and powerful love of our God. The first and last verses of Psalm 118 sing
the refrain: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”

Creative pause: Which words speak more to you: “Hallelujah!” or “Praise the Lord!”


The selected verses from Psalm 116 include what I believe are a few very significant
words: “because” and “I will...” This segment is entitled “A Personal Meditation”, so
I hope I do not overly indulge! Of special significance to me are the words: “... I will
fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people..” As I began to recover
from the breakup of my marriage and the new responsibility of being the sole parent
of 13 and 11 year old daughters, I rededicated my life to their care and to the worship,
witness and service to and for God. The numbers of people involved in “the presence
of ... his people” has varied considerably over the years, from my own faith community
to the world level of communication. The care of my daughters has changed according
to their needs, as have the acts of “worship, witness and service” also varied over the
last 40 years; yet in all these changes God has been my “Quiet Centre” - opening and
closing doors to the numbers of “...the presence of... his people..” as I sought to fulfil
my vows to God. In my retirement, God has now opened the door to writing to unknown
numbers of people through “The Timeless Psalms” and “Exploring the Psalms”; which
are occasional articles written for “The Tree of Life International Newsletter”; amongst
other writing outlets. How blessed I have been on my journey as I “...fulfilled my vows...”!

Creative pause: In your faith journey, where has “...fulfilling my vows...” taken you?


“Here I am Lord, Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you
lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.”1 These words from the very popular 1981
hymn by Daniel Schutte and based on Isaiah 6:8 have always given me a special blessing,
as they seemed to have regularly signalled a change of direction and activities in my life.

Creative pause: Have you a hymn or poem that triggers a spiritual reaction in you?


1 From “Together in Song” #658
“I the Lord of seas and sky (Here I am, Lord)”
Words and music by Daniel Schutte
© Oregon Catholic Press Used with Permission,
Word of Life International Licence #2425.

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 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:
© 2015 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year B. Used with permission.

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

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