24B*
A Call to Worship
Lent 6B Passion Sunday 2012
Psalm 31: 9-16

O Lord, you are our God, and we gather to worship you.
We come together because we need you, and each other.

O Lord, you are our God, we gather to celebrate your love.
We come to together to bask in the bright light of your love.

O Lord, you are our God, we gather because our times are
in your hands, and you strengthen us with your presence.
We come to together because we trust in our faithful God,
who comes to us in all our needs, with healing and hope. Amen.

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Prayers of Lament and Trust
Lent 6B Passion Sunday 2012
Psalm 31: 9-16

Holy God, you hold all of life, and all that is dear to us in your hands,
and with hope and trust in our hearts we leave all our concerns with
you. O God, we gather with others this day, needing you, and needing
others to support and help us in this our time of distress. We feel
pressured by so many things in life; our personal relationships; all those
things that give us a sense of security now seems to be under threat;
and our rejection and isolation from people who mean a lot to us;
which all adds up to a sense of community gloom and despondency.

Holding God, we are so in need of being held close to your loving and
compassionate heart, as we feel so isolated and alone. The people
we have always trusted to encourage and support us have let us down;
and at times our sense of being valued people have been undermined
by the rejection of people who in the past we looked up to and trusted.
We have been left bewildered by these events, and do not know what
to do to change things, to alter people’s attitudes and opinions about us.

Radiant God, despite this gloomy outlook, we can still confidently come
before our God with our prayers, our anxieties, seeking God’s blessing
and help. Reliable God, we know that the light of your love that beams
upon us will help balance things out for us, and so we pray this day:
“You are our God! Our future is in your hands.... “Let your favour shine on
your servants, and in your unfailing love...,” always hold us in your hands. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Lent 6B Passion Sunday 2012
Psalm 31: 9-16

O Lord my God, today I am resting comfortably in your hands,
rejoicing in the stability that gives to my life; but at other times,
I have felt lost and bewildered by the gap I have in my inner life—
and asked - where are you my God? People were pressing in around
me, looking at me with accusing eyes; sneering at me because I still
trusted in my God to give me the strength to cope with their derision.



What real benefit is to people when they have the power to diminish
me with their scornful words; their sneering looks of contempt; their
untruths that destroy my reputation? Why do they do those things;
and what advantage does that give them over me, that they feel the
need to make me insignificant to my contemporaries? I am so very
grateful that I will never need to ask God these questions, that I can
assume that God will always be there for me, regardless of my needs.



Bend down to me, O God, come closer to me, so I that I can ‘feel’
you there – so near to me. Please cup your hands together, O God,
so that I can safely settle to rest in your hands, as that gives me
such a sense of security, such a place of refuge from the threats
that encircle me. God’s presence is so precious to me, with my entire
future resting in God’s hands. O God, bend down and stay with me
always, for you are my God, always and for ever; the bright light of
God’s favour shines out on people who love and serve God, and I
pray that I will always be considered worthy of being counted as one
of God’s servants, regardless of other people’s estimations or ideas.

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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:
© 2012 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year B. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: passion_sundayb_2012.pdf

© 2012 Joan Stott - " The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year B