55B*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 16B [Ordinary 23B] or [Proper 18B] 2018
Psalm 125

We gather as God’s people, because we can always trust in our God.
We come to give thanks for the spiritual security God grace gives to us.

We gather as God’s people, because God’s love forever encircles us.
We come to praise our God for the merciful love God always offers us.

We gather as God’s people, because God’s trustworthy intimacy and
love are reliable; and its justice and mercy is overwhelmingly generous.
We come in reverent awe, because of God’s goodness to us; which
offers us the encouragement to always be in tune with God’s holy love. Amen.

Psalm 125
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion;
they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
2 Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever.

3 The wicked will not rule the land of the godly,
for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong.

4 O LORD, do good to those who are good,
whose hearts are in tune with you.
5 But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O LORD.
Take them away with those who do evil.
May Israel have peace!

Prayers of Trust and Thankfulness
After Pentecost 16B [Ordinary 23B] or [Proper 18B] 2018
Psalm 125

Trustworthy God, today we gather as your people to give you our sincere thanks
for all the blessings you shower upon us, and today we especially thank you for
the sense of security you give us; not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally
and spiritually. Many of us have spent a lifetime trusting in our God, and for this—
we offer you our worship and thanks as we gather together as a community of faith.
The psalmist likened God’s trustworthiness to the hills of Zion; and we would probably
liken our trust in God to the stability of a local mountain; and whilst it does not have
the same historical, religious connections; it may be significant to our own spirituality.
“Let all that I am, bless God the LORD; and all that is in me… to bless his holy name…”1

Merciful and Loving God, today we gather as your people to praise you that your love
completely encircles us, so that no matter where we look or go, your Holy Presence is
also there with us – always and forever. We give thanks for the life and witness of the
people for whom the Christian faith is a new experience; and we offer them our loving
encouragement and support; asking that God will bless and enable them to grow in hope,
love and trust in the Holy One they have chosen to follow. May we all be nurtured in our
faith and trust in God, so that our worship, witness and service brings honour to God.
“Let all that I am, bless God the LORD; and all that is in me… to bless his holy name…”1

God of relationships and intimacy, we worship you this day as your people in this time
and place, and we give our thanks that God’s love is so overwhelmingly generous in its
justice and mercy. We come in reverent awe, because of God’s goodness to us; which
offers us the encouragement to always be in tune with God’s holy love; and helps us to
accept the challenge to share that love with all whom we meet; and with all with whom
we live or work. We pray today for all who seek to follow you, especially those for whom
this is dangerous or difficult; asking that you will especially bless them in their ministry.
“Let all that I am, bless God the LORD; and all that is in me… to bless his holy name…”1 Amen.

A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 16B [Ordinary 23B] or [Proper 18B] 2018
Psalm 125

Three verses immediately came to my attention in this short but faithful psalm - the
first one is the opening verse: “Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount
Zion…” How do we learn to ‘trust’ anyone? By exposure to their reliable reactions and
responses to us; by our firm belief and confidence in their integrity; their dependability
in times of struggle; their acceptance of us, whatever are our strange quirks or different
ideas? Or that sense of security that they give us, and their own demonstrated trust in us?
If we have the joy of that strength in a relationship with other human beings, how much
more is the joy of trusting in God? “Trusting” in God or the LORD is a continuous theme
in the psalms, and the word “trust” is often linked with God being a secure “hiding place”.

Creative pause: Do you feel safe or threatened by mountains?


The second verse that spoke to me was: “…Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever…” speaks of an incredible
potential for intimacy between God and God’s own people, with the joy of God’s ‘arms’
surrounding and supporting God’s people in love, acceptance, joy and peace. The
suggestion of God’s ‘support’ is to me more powerful than the ‘enfolding’ concept, as it
links with one of my favourite texts: “…The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting
arms are under you...”2 The concept of God’s support under us and lifting us up in a
caring and sympathetic response to our particular needs is very reassuring; and this also
links with us learning by faith and experience, that God can also be trusted to surround us.

Creative pause: “…The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you...”2


The third verse that gained my attention is the prayer: “…O LORD, do good to those who
are good, whose hearts are in tune with you…” Have you ever considered what it means
to be in tune with another person? My elder daughter was head of the music department
at a large school for many years, and I always saved my half-used batteries to power her
tuning forks. The purpose of a tuning fork is primarily to enable musical instruments to be
“in tune” with each other, and thereby setting the standard for perfect harmony between
musical instruments or voices. A tuning fork vibrates across its two-pronged “U” shaped
tines with a pure musical sound, the pitch of which is determined by the length and mass
of the tines; and the tuning fork is usually made from steel because of its flexibility. For
our hearts to be “in tune” with God requires our complete commitment and desire to love,
worship and serve God and all of God’s creation. In my opinion, the prayer asking God
to “do good” to the those “in tune” with God, would have been already answered in the
affirmative, as their lives would already be filled to overflowing with God’s “goodness”.

Creative pause: How “in tune” are you with God?


1 From “The Australian Hymn Book” #20
“Let all that I am, bless God the LORD”
Words from the “Scottish Psalter”
Words in the Public Domain

2 Deuteronomy 33: 27a (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 125.
Used with permission.

joanstott16@gmail.com
www.thetimelesspsalms.net

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost16[23]b_2018.pdf