24A*
A Call to Worship
Passion Sunday Year A 2011
Psalm 31: 9-16

Compassionate God, we gather to worship you
to gain strength from you - and from each other.
Holy God, we are experiencing deep anguish,
and we are in desperate need of your mercy.

Each of us are feeling the pain of loss or rejection—
yet in you, we know acceptance and love.
Faithful God, our spiritual life is at rock bottom,
but we know our future is held in your hands.

Generous God, may the light of your unfailing
love shine upon us, to brighten and restore us.
Life-Sustaining God, come to us with your
energies and strength to save us and bless us. Amen.

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Prayers of Confession
Passion Sunday Year A 2011
Psalm 31: 9-16

Holy God, we come to worship you this day with very
mixed feelings and thoughts. We are in deep distress
because of our current situation of rejection and
humiliation by people whom we respect; and yet,
we are also confidently resting in our God’s strength—
because we know our hope in you is grounded deep
within the depths of your compassionate heart of love.

Generous God, even though we feel that the earth
has moved under our feet, and that all we thought
we knew and understood about life and relationships
has had to be re-examined; yet in you, we do not
need to change any of our beliefs or understandings
of our Nurturing God. With a deep sense of trust,
and an inner knowledge that can only be described
as being a gift from God; we know we have to go on
living with these people and within these circumstances;
and so we seek the added gift of the light of your favour
shining directly upon us, to give us courage and strength.

Trustworthy God, with confidence and gratitude we
proclaim that you are our God, and that our future
rests securely in your hands, because of your unfailing
love for us all; and so we give thanks and we worship you. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Passion Sunday Year A 2011
Psalm 31: 9-16

O my Trustworthy God, I look to you for strength
and courage, as all around me lie the tatters of
my reputation; my integrity; my supposedly trusted
relationships; and all that I consider to be important in life;
there they all lie amongst the waste of my lost dreams.



Merciful God, you knew that people were ‘out to get me’,
and how they succeeded! Now, my life as I previously
knew it now it lies in ruin. My emotional life is shattered;
my physical life seems as if I am a spent force; my
former relationships are all under scrutiny by others
from their own perspectives; but thankfully and despite
all these negatives, I give thanks to God that my spiritual
life has been blessed and guided by my unfailing God!



Unchanging God, even though my ‘outer life’ has lost
its focus and purpose, my ‘inner life’ has quietly and
securely rested in God’s care, because I know that my
God will not forsake me; and I know that my future—
whatever that may be, is held securely in God’s hands.



O God, my Light and my Life, shine your life-giving
light upon me, and warm me with your love.

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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:
© 2011 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year A. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: passionsundaya_2011.pdf

© 2011 Joan Stott - " The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year A