24A*
A Call to Worship
Lent 6A, Passion Sunday, Year A 2017
Psalm 31: 9-16

Compassionate God, in our despair and dismay, we come to you for help.
Be for us, O God, our Wisdom and Comfort that you gift to your needy ones.

Tender God, in our pain of rejection and lack of justice, we come to you.
Be for us, O God, our Reassurance and Support in our weakness and pain.

Empowering God, in our bewilderment and panic, we come to you asking
for the strength and resolve, as only you can give us the help we crave.
Be for us, O God, our Strength and Enabling Resource in our distress and
anguish; so that we may once again have the balance in life to serve you. Amen.

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Psalm 31: 9-16

9 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes.
My body and soul are withering away.
10 I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness.
Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.
11 I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbours—
even my friends are afraid to come near me.
When they see me on the street, they run the other way.
12 I am ignored as if I were dead, as if I were a broken pot.
13 I have heard the many rumours about me, and I am surrounded by terror.
My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my life.

14 But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, “You are my God!”
15 My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
16 Let your favour shine on your servant.
In your unfailing love, rescue me.

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Prayers of Petition and Trust
Lent 6A, Passion Sunday, Year A 2017
Psalm 31: 9-16

Compassionate God, we come to you in our despair and dismay, asking for your
help and guidance to sort through these difficult times that threaten our stability
as people of faith; and as people of integrity. Be for us, O God, our Wisdom and
Comfort that you gift to your needy ones, especially those who for a life time, have
trusted in your faithfulness and generous mercy. We know from past experiences
that testing times like this raises many questions for us, as we struggle to cope with
these new challenges; yet Faithful God, you have always been present with us in
and through these tough times, blessing and guiding us through your wise counsel.
We give thanks that we can always trust in the goodness and mercy of our God.

Tender God, we come to you in our pain of rejection and the lack of justice that
has raised its ugly head, and we don’t know what to do, or from whom we should
seek assistance. Be for us, O God, our Reassurance and Support in the pain and
weakness that grinds us down into the depths of despair, so much so, that we do
not know who to trust. Help us to accept what we must; and to adapt our life and
living, when changes are needed because of this deep crisis. You have always been
our Trusted Friend and Companion and so we always turn to you for support and
your enabling powers that help us to follow the path of discipleship and commitment.
We give thanks that our Gracious God generously responds in patient faithfulness.

Empowering God, in our bewilderment and panic, we come to you asking for the
strength and resolve that you alone can give us the help we crave and urgently need.
Be for us, O God, our Strength and Enabling Resource in our distress and anguish;
so that we may once again have the balance in life to love and serve you, as we
have committed ourselves to do. Countless generations have known of and been
so very blessed by the trustworthy nature and being of our God, and we join with them
in offering our thanks to: “This, this is the God we adore: our faithful, unchangeable
friend; whose love is as great as his power, and neither knows measure nor end.”¹ Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Lent 6A, Passion Sunday, Year A 2017
Psalm 31: 9-16

Some years ago, I was given a hand-crafted communion chalice with a special logo
on it, and I treasured it because of its significance and uniqueness; as it was only
one of a very limited number created. Whilst travelling overseas, with my chalice
carefully packed in bubble wrap, it was accidentally dropped and shattered! Fortunately,
the bubble wrap retained all the pottery pieces and chips, and the stem was also
left intact! When I was home again, I carefully glued the pieces together again until
it looked like a chalice again, but it would never again hold any communion wine!
The psalmist cried: “...I am ignored...as if I were a broken pot...” and I knew exactly
what the psalmist meant! Never again would my chalice serve the purpose for which
it was created, and that is what the author felt like - shattered, useless, and not even
a thing of beauty or suited to his original purpose! The potter graciously created one
more chalice for me, and I keep the two chalices side by side in my study, with their
unspoken message. Just like that shattered chalice, my future is in God’s hands.



The suffering psalmist was not at all secure in his bubble wrap, but was exposed to all
the taunts and ridicule that could be hurled at him by his enemies; and the first part of
Psalm 31 is a plea to God as he cried: “O LORD, I have come to you for protection…
Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress
where I will be safe. You are my rock and my fortress…I entrust my spirit into your hand.
Rescue me, LORD, for you are a faithful God….” Then later in the selected verses is yet
another faith statement: “…But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, “You are my God!”
My future is in your hands...” The “but” in that last sentence is what Brueggemann calls
a “disruptive conjunction”. A conjunction joins together two phrases or sentences, and
the “but” in this psalm disrupts the flow of fears about the threats on his life and integrity—
into a calm and peaceful acceptance that the psalmist’s life was in God’s hands. He
asked instead: “...Let your favour shine on your servant...” He handed over all his fears
to God, and in faith later in the psalm he cried out: “...Praise the LORD, for he has shown
me the wonders of his unfailing love… you heard my cry for mercy and answered my
call for help… So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD!”



The suffering psalmist’s belief in the faithfulness of God was being tested by his enemies;
whilst at the same time the author was praying to that same faithful God for mercy and
relief. We may try to wrap ourselves or our loved ones in bubble wrap to prevent us, or
them, from being hurt or damaged, physically, mentally, socially or spiritually, but this is
very poor protection, and we learn nothing from that false protection. Sometimes, when
we are severely challenged we may question the validity of the protection, peace and joy
we have experienced in the past of God’s gracious faithfulness. In the daily journey of life
we are often tested in our faith journey; but God is always faithful, loving and trustworthy!



1 From “Together in Song” #220
“This, this is the God we adore”
Words by Joseph Hart (alt)
Words are in Public Domain.

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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 Meditations are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2017 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year A. Used with permission.

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

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