51B*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 12B [Ordinary 19B] or [Proper 14B] 2018
Psalm 130

God, our Quiet Centre: you are generously forgiving, so we worship you.
God of love, we come together to experience and share your gracious care.

God, our Source of healing: you offer us wholeness, and so we praise you.
God of hope, we come together to learn more of your healing faithfulness.

God, our Beginning and End: in love you created us; and through your love
you forgive us: and in awe of you, we revere and bless you for that love.
God of transforming grace, we come to thank and praise you for the hope
you give to us; which brings us new joy as we delight in your Holy Presence. Amen.

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Psalm 130
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 From the depths of despair, O LORD, I call for your help.
2 Hear my cry, O LORD. Pay attention to my prayer.

3 LORD, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O LORD, could ever survive?
4 But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.
5 I am counting on the LORD;
yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word.

6 I long for the LORD more than sentries long for the dawn,
yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD
there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from every kind of sin.

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Prayers of Trust and Thankfulness
After Pentecost 12B [Ordinary 19B] or [Proper 14B] 2018
Psalm 130

God, you are our Quiet Centre; and because you are so generously forgiving—
we worship you. God of love, we come to experience and share together your
gracious care of us and of all creation. It is because we trust in your care and
generous mercy, that we offer our thanks to you this day. We also acknowledge
our many failures and our sinfulness in not being true to our commitments to
you; and to our worship, witness and service in your name amongst your needy
and desperate people. We pray today not only for our forgiveness; but also for a
loving, generous and compassionate attitude to people with whom we daily meet.
May we each day be a living channel of God’s love, grace, forgiveness and peace.

God, you are our Source of healing: and because you offer us wholeness, we
praise you as we gather together in reverent worship. God of hope, we come
together to learn more of your healing faithfulness and how that will enrich our
living and our loving as we seek to serve you. We acknowledge our failures to
be an accepting and generously responsive agent towards our family, friends
and neighbourhood - as a sign of the reign of God. We give thanks that even as
we confess these failings; the gracious mercy of God is forgiving and renewing us.
May we each day be a living channel of God’s love, grace, forgiveness and peace.

God, you are our Beginning and End: in love you created us; and through your love
you forgive us; and so in awe of you, we revere, honour and bless you for that love.
Today, we come together in your name, because we trust in the blessedness of
being your beloved child. We acknowledge our selfishness, our pride, and our
obsession with collecting the things of this world. God of transforming grace, we
come to thank and praise you for your forgiveness, and for the hope you give us;
which brings new joy and delight that we experience within your Holy Presence.
May we each day be a living channel of God’s love, grace, forgiveness and peace. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 12B [Ordinary 19B] or [Proper 14B] 2018
Psalm 130

As usual, certain words pop out of familiar Psalms to gain my attention; and this time
they are: “…O LORD…you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you...” The
word “fear” in its Biblical context is often associated with terror, horror, panic or fright,
but scholars suggest replacing it with “awe” or “understanding”! This would then read
as: “…O LORD…you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to be in holy awe of you” OR;
“…O LORD …you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to understand and know you
better.” Brueggemann suggests that our reaction to our forgiveness by God would
normally be to imagine or expect surprised joy and a sense of freedom would be; but
instead, it all happens back-the-front – we are forgiven before our obedience even begins.
“Fear”, “holy awe” or “a better understanding and knowledge of God” inevitably leads
us to hoping in our God. “…hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is unfailing love...”



Awe is described as being overwhelmed by something that is either spiritual, mental,
emotional or physical that far surpasses our expectations or experiences. Awe suggests
our reaction to something that is moving, sublime, sacred, wonderful, powerful or startling
that inspires and uplifts us. When we add ‘holy’ to awe – the colloquial saying: “that blows
my mind” – is not far wrong! Holy awe lifts us beyond our physical responses to that which
is sacred, spiritual and which inspires astonished and reverent wonderment or amazement
within us. There are many Biblical examples of ‘holy awe’, but for me, four are from Moses:
“…The LORD said: “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by,
I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by...”;¹
from Elijah: and after the storms had passed by him: “…there was the sound of a gentle
whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak…”;² the three disciples’
reaction to Jesus’ transfiguration; and the stunned reaction of the believers at Pentecost.



Many years ago, I introduced into church business meetings, a segment on faith sharing—
when board members were invited to share in small groups, their past or present faith
experiences. I know there was a negative reaction to this by some members, but finally
the consensus was that this added value to board meetings, as it reminded them of why
they were board members. In that sharing and learning process, members gradually grew
to understand better their own faith in God; the faith journey their partners had been on;
and thus all grew in their understanding of how God works in people’s lives. As is offered
above: “…O LORD …you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to understand and know
you better…” learning to know and understand God can come in many forms and ways.



1 Exodus 33: 21-22 (NLT)

2 1 Kings 19 11-13 (NLT)

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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 Meditation are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2018 Joan Stott –‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year B. Based on verses from Psalm 130.
Used with permission.

joanstott16@gmail.com
www.thetimelesspsalms.net

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost12[19]b_2018.pdf