55C*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 16C [Ordinary 23C] or [Proper 18C] 2016
Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18

“Enfold me in your love, encircle me O God; surround me with your love,
come fill me with your love”¹ – You, the God who knows me so intimately.
Enfold us, encircle us, and surround us all, with God’s all embracing love.

“Enfold me in your peace, encircle me O God; surround me with your peace,
come fill me with your peace.”¹ – You, the God who sees me so accurately.
Enfold us, encircle us, and surround us all, with God’s all embracing peace.

“Enfold me in your grace, encircle me O God; surround me with your grace,
come fill me with your grace.”¹ – You, the God who understands me so well.
Enfold us, encircle us, and surround us all, with God’s all embracing grace—
You, the God who knows, sees, and understands us so well - yet who loves us. Amen.

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Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18
For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up, you are still with me!

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Prayers of Trust and Thankfulness
After Pentecost 16C [Ordinary 23C] or [Proper 18C] 2016
Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18

Trustworthy God, you who knows so intimately all there is to know about us; and
yet who loves and cherishes us; we come to worship and praise you for your holy
and gracious love that accepts us as we are. You also know what our potential is;
and you offer us your empowerment to enable us to grow and become who you
created us to be. We come in trust to you today, to thank you for the generosity of
your love and care over us; for the many times you have responded to our cries for
help; and for those times of celebration where you have been central to our reasons
for giving thanks for our life’s many blessings. For all these blessings, we thank you.

Mysterious God of wonders, you enfold and surround us with your great love, grace,
peace and mercy; yet we know we are undeserving of such wonderful gifts. The
mystery of your loving-kindness towards us is beyond our understanding, yet we
accept all those gifts, and pray for guidance and the wisdom to know ways in which
we can share those gifts with people who most need them. As a community of faith,
open our eyes and ears, so that we may share with others the gifts you offer them;
but which in their poverty of mind and spirit, they seem unable to value or accept.

All-Embracing God, we give thanks that even in the darkest times of life, that your
morning light of grace is gifted to us; and that when we come through those darker
times, that you are still with us, waiting to guide and bless us. We give thanks too,
that often it is in those dark times that we learn so much more about God’s goodness
and mercy. We give thanks that we have learned how to love, how to forgive, and
how to share with others, because you are our Prime Example of loving, forgiving and
sharing. We ask that you continue to teach us new lessons from your gracious store
of mercy and understanding; so that we can more truly become your children as we
walk each day and night in the way of faith and trust in you, our Compassionate God. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 16C [Ordinary 23C] or [Proper 18C] 2016
Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18

“O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me....” Like
millions of people from around the world, I am a very elderly female human being,
who is or has been a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother and grandmother, a cousin,
a niece, an acquaintance, and a friend. Each of those relationships have added
a different dimension to the total of who I am as a person; yet they do not entirely
define me as an individual. Whilst there are familial likenesses to my forebears
and close relatives, neither does that define me as to who I am. It is only when the
mystery of God’s presence within me is added, that the uniqueness of me – and
every other human being – is established and realised. I have long been fascinated
why circumcision was chosen as the symbol and sign that defined the people of
Israel as God’s ‘chosen’ people; and that it is because when semen and ovary join
at conception - God was also there as part of the creation of that new human being.



The psalmist sang these praises to God because: “...You made all the delicate, inner
parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb... You watched me as I
was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb...”
Until recent times, the secrets of my physical inner being were completely unknown, but
recent clinical tests have changed all that; and yet they still do not reveal the real me!
In Biblical times, it was understood that the bowels, heart, lungs, liver or kidneys were the
organs where the centre of human emotions existed; yet even today, when we receive
either bad or good news we say ‘my heart stopped’; or we clutch at our middle, because
we have a clenched feeling there – so maybe those ancient people were not so far wrong!
As the poetic story of God‘s creative activities states: “...So God created human beings in
his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them...”²
Along with God’s presence at conception, we have God as our Originator, Creator and Lover.



“...How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered...!” The
concept that not only is God our Creator and was present at our conception; for me, the
more amazing reality is that God could or would actually think about me! I understand
and cherish the idea that God’s presence is within me, enlivening and enlightening me—
that the very spark or distilled essence of God is within me – but it does not end there!
God is actively involved in every part of my life – physical, mental, spiritual and emotional!
The psalmist also promised “...You see me when I travel...” and this is a valid statement
as all creation is God’s work and will, so that no matter where we are, we are always within
the circle of God’s presence, love, grace and forgiveness. The psalmist also promised:
“...You place your hand of blessing on my head...” That hand placed in blessing, whether
it is a human or divine hand is very reassuring and empowering. The last promise I want
to highlight is: “...when I wake up, you are still with me..”! How wonderful is that promise!
After the darkness and potential dangers of the night - a new day of God’s grace dawns!



1 From “Holy Ground” CD Track #6
“Enfold me in your love”
Words and music by Sister Monica Brown
© 1997 Monica Brown & Emmaus Productions
Used by Personal Permission

2 Genesis 1: 27 (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 inspiration available from the scholarship and writings of
Professor Walter Brueggemann; and through the resources from the internet and “The Text this Week” (Textweek).

If the Prayers and/or Meditations are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2016 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year C. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au
www.thetimelesspsalms.net

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost16[23]c_2016.pdf