54B*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 15B [Ordinary 22B] or [Proper 17B] 2018
Psalm 15

We come in awed wonder to praise our God, whose grace blesses us.
We come, and our inner beings respond in reverence for our Holy God

We come in quiet devotion to worship our God, whose love guides us.
We come, with all the strength of our body and spirit to praise our God.

We come in humility and regret for all that separates us from being
accepted into a holy fellowship with our God, whose mercy heals us.
We come, with our minds alert to learn more about our Glorious God—
who calls us to only love our God; and to live out that love for neighbours. Amen.

Psalm 15
A psalm of David.

1 Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
speaking the truth from sincere hearts.
3 Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbours
or speak evil of their friends.
4 Those who despise flagrant sinners,
and honour the faithful followers of the LORD,
and keep their promises even when it hurts.
5 Those who lend money without charging interest,
and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.

Prayers of Thankfulness and Praise
After Pentecost 15B [Ordinary 22B] or [Proper 17B] 2018
Psalm 15

The psalmist challenges us as we prepare to share in worship of God: “Who may
worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill..”?
Holy God, “we do not presume to come to worship you, trusting in our own goodness,
but in your all-embracing love and mercy…it is your nature to always have mercy…”1
and for this, we give you thanks and praise. Today, we come in awed wonder to praise
our God, whose grace blesses us; and our inner beings respond in reverence for our
Holy God; assuring us that when we come in humility, God welcomes our worship and
our praises. Therefore, this day we gather as your people to worship and praise our God.

The psalmist calls to us as we prepare to share in worship of God and asks: “Who may
worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill..”?
In response, Holy God, we confess that “we do not presume to come to worship you,
trusting in our own goodness, but in your all-embracing love and mercy…it is your nature
to always have mercy…”1 Today, we come in quiet devotion to worship our God,
whose love guides us; and our whole bodies and spirits respond with praise to our God.
We who “… are not worthy to …”1 gather here as your people, but we do so because
we trust in the gracious and healing grace and mercy of God. Praise be to God’s name.

The psalmist challenges us as we prepare to share in worship of God: “Who may
worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill..”?
Holy God, “we do not presume to come to worship you, trusting in our own goodness,
but in your all-embracing love and mercy…it is your nature to always have mercy…”1
Today, we come in humility and regret for all that separates us from being accepted
into a holy fellowship with our God. We come, with our minds alert to learn more about
our Glorious God - who calls us only to love our God; and to live out that holy love with
and for neighbours; and to demonstrate that love as we serve people in need of God with
our compassion and care. May we always gather as your people in the “sanctuary” and
on your “holy hill” with reverent worship, songs of praise, and joyous delight in our God. Amen.

A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 15B [Ordinary 22B] or [Proper 17B] 2018
Psalm 15

In the various forms of media, either in print, television or social media, there has
been increasingly loud comments, criticisms and analysis on the current theme of
personal entitlements, as they relate to our expectations to our rights and privileges.
Most of us would agree that we are all ‘entitled’ to fair and just opportunities for an
education; relevant health care; for employment that provides a fair and just wage
in safe and secure working conditions; and for respect and acceptance as human
beings, regardless of race, gender, culture, traditions and religious affiliation. All
this in addition to our gifts and graces, our wealth, our politics, and/or our personal
appearance and circumstances. Unfortunately, we have come to expect many of
those so-called ‘entitlements’ as our personal indulgence - in spite of the truth of it.

Creative pause: What are our legitimate and relevant entitlements?


When it comes to our relationship with God, what are our entitlements? Psalm 15
commences with an interesting question: “Who may worship in your sanctuary,
LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill…?” Moses challenged the
people of Israel: “…Today I have given you the choice between life and death,
between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the
choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants
might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him,
and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life…”2 Centuries
later, Jesus taught that he alone was the way to life in all its abundance or fullness,
thus making the worship of God-in-Jesus, the central focus of our life and living.

Creative pause: What are your entitlements when worshipping of God?


Our ‘entitlement’ to worship our God are much more than the concept of following the
worship of God according to the strict requirements of the Torah and hence the joy
of ‘Shalom’; because any rigid acceptance of our commitment to God suggests that
we are seeking to ‘earn’ that privilege. Instead, it is by God’s grace alone that we can
take our place in the “sanctuary” or even approach the “holy hill”; as we offer to God
the worship of our life, our living and our loving. Or as Jesus taught: “You must love
the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your
mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself… Do this and you will; live…”3 Yet, even
if we lived every moment of our life fulfilling that teaching of Jesus, it would still be by
God’s grace alone that we could ever come to God, in our worship, prayer and praise.

Creative pause: God’s grace alone enables us to approach God in worship.


1 Extracts from the 1993 version “Book of Common Worship”, Presbyterian Church of USA.

2 Deuteronomy 30: 19 (NLT)

3 Luke 10: 27b, 28b (NLT)

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 15.
Used with permission.

joanstott16@gmail.com
www.thetimelesspsalms.net

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost15[22]b_2018.pdf