24A*
A Call to Worship
Palm Sunday, Lent 6A 2014
Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29

Today, I give thanks to the Lord God, who is always good—
because God’s faithful and steadfast love endures forever.
Today, we give thanks to the Lord God, who is always good—
because God’s faithful and steadfast love endures forever.

Today I declare: You are my God, and I will praise you!
You are my God, and I will always praise and acclaim you!
Today we declare: You are our God, and we will praise you!
You are our God, and we will always praise and acclaim you!

Today I will sing with joy: This is the day the Lord has made.
I will rejoice and be glad in it. I give thanks to the Lord God.
Today we will sing with joy: This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it. We give thanks to the Lord God—
because God’s faithful and steadfast love endures forever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Let the congregation of Israel repeat: "His faithful love endures forever."

19 Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the LORD.
20 Those gates lead to the presence of the LORD, and the godly enter there.
21 I thank you for answering my prayer and saving me!

22 The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD's doing, and it is marvellous to see.
24 This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

19 Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the LORD.
20 Those gates lead to the presence of the LORD, and the godly enter there.
21 I thank you for answering my prayer and saving me!

22 The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD's doing, and it is marvellous to see.
24 This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success.
26 Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, shining upon us. Bring forward the sacrifice and put it on the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you!
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Prayers of Praise and Thankfulness
Palm Sunday, Lent 6A 2014
Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29

Steadfast God, we gather together today, to give our thanks to the Lord our
God, who’s goodness is beyond our understanding; and who’s faithfulness
is far beyond our own experiences, or even our comprehension! You are our
God, and we will praise you! You are our God, and we will praise, celebrate
and acclaim you. You have blessed us by giving us today and we will enjoy it—
and give you thanks. We gather to bless your name in the house of the Lord.

Welcoming God, we give you thanks that the way into God’s righteous and
holy presence is always open to all who seek to love and worship their Lord;
to all who seek justice for themselves and for others. We give our sincere
thanks to our Listening God, because our prayers of distress were heard, and
God’s saving grace blessed us with protection and guidance. We bless God’s
Holy Name for the opportunity for a life full of praise and contentment that is
found only in a life dedicated to loving, serving and responding to God’s voice.

Creating God, you have given us the days and nights to help us celebrate your
glories in all creation, and it is not enough that we only sing: “...This is the day
the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it...” and so today we also sing:
This is the night, but also all time – with its hours and minutes - that the Lord has
made! We will rejoice and be glad in them all – whatever the circumstances
those hours and minutes bring to us – we will remember that they are God’s gift
to us! You are our God, and we will praise you! You are our God, and we will
always praise and acclaim your faithful and steadfast love, which endures forever! Amen.

A Personal Meditation
Palm Sunday, Lent 6A 2014
Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29

We can become so familiar with the words of the Psalms that appear each
year within the “Revised Common Lectionary” that the words can lose some
of their power and significance, unless we can use them the way they were
originally intended to be used. Imagine if you will, your congregation waiting
outside the church, for the worship leader to give the signal to enter together.
The processional began with the declaration: “Let the people say”: and the
people respond: “God’s faithful love endures forever.” Then as the worship
leader moved further into the church, the leader said: “Let all the people from
the east say:” and the response is: “God’s faithful love endures forever.” Then,
“Let all the people from the west… from the north… from the south say: and
the people’s response added to each time: “God’s faithful love endures forever.”

Creative pause: “God’s faithful love does endure forever.”


This sense of joyful celebration and worship helps to convince all those present
that God’s faithful love does indeed endure forever! That is the context in which
this celebratory Psalm was used in worship, culminating with the words: “Open
for me the gates where the righteous enter and I will go in and thank the Lord.”
and the response: “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be
glad in it....” There is a deep sense of worship, thankfulness and hope in these
words and actions, which encouraged the people to remember God’s past saving
actions, and that the unchanging God can be trusted with their own varying future.

Creative pause: “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it....”


This Psalm also includes those prophetic “cornerstone” words – relating to that
first stone around which all other stones in a building are laid; and is used five
times in the New Testament as a reference to Jesus., but the Psalm continues:
“....This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous to see...” That ancient Psalmist
was already claiming God’s future victory over the powers of evil in the world, and
that victory will be an incredible, unbelievable triumph of and for God – forever!

Creative pause: “....This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous to see...”


Acknowledgements:
Unless stated otherwise, all Bible readings and extracts used in these weekly Prayers and
Meditations are from the ‘New Living Translation’, © 1996. Copyright. All rights reserved.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189 USA.

*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:
© 2014 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year A. Used with permission.

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

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