57A*
A Call to Worship
Penteccost 16A [Ordinary 25A] or [Proper 20A] 2017
Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45

God of infinite mercy: “...how shall you be named? You are so much more…”¹
You truly are “...Brighter than the morning sun, deeper than the darkest night…”¹

Transcendent God: “...you are sheltering and unfolding, deepest mysteries…”¹
You are continually “...pondering and proclaiming, fashioning and creating…”¹

God of glory and wisdom: “Mothering and fathering, giving birth and protecting…”
nurturing and empowering love itself…¹ balancing and holding firm all that is…”¹
God of mystery: “Oh God, how shall you be named?” You are “…gentler than
the falling spray, stronger than the mountain face, whispering and thundering,
life that is... O God, you are so much more than we could ever dare to dream…”¹ Amen.

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Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45

1 Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
3 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the LORD.
4 Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.
5 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
6 you children of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

37 The LORD brought his people out of Egypt,
loaded with silver and gold; and not one
among the tribes of Israel even stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they were gone,
for they feared them greatly.
39 The LORD spread a cloud above them as a covering
and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.
40 They asked for meat, and he sent them quail;
he satisfied their hunger with manna—bread from heaven.
41 He split open a rock, and water gushed out
to form a river through the dry wasteland.
42 For he remembered his sacred promise to his servant Abraham.
43 So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy,
his chosen ones with rejoicing.
44 He gave his people the lands of pagan nations,
and they harvested crops that others had planted.
45 All this happened so they would follow his decrees and obey his instructions.
Praise the LORD!

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Prayers of Thankfulness and Praise
Penteccost 16A [Ordinary 25A] or [Proper 20A] 2017
Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45

God of infinite mercy: we come to offer you our thanks and praises for your great
goodness to us, and for your many gifts and revelations of God’s-Own-Self to us—
even though the mystery of your Being is utterly beyond us. We give thanks for the
glimpses we have of the mystery that surrounds our God, and for the way we have
gradually come to know a little of your Holy Being. God of mystery and wonder, “...how
shall you be named? You are so much more…”;¹ yet you are truly “...Brighter than
the morning sun, deeper than the darkest night…”¹ We praise your Holy Name for the
miracles you have wrought amongst and around us, and the way this has lead us to
know more about the God whom we worship and praise, and to whom we give thanks.

God, whose glory and beauty transcends all other known beauty: we offer our praises
that you are continually “...pondering and proclaiming, fashioning and creating…”¹ and
that because of your tender and loving generosity, you are also “...sheltering and unfolding
deepest mysteries…”¹ about the God we have known about since childhood; and whose
marvels and miracles throughout history have entranced us as we have matured in faith.
We give thanks that this faith journey has led to our limited understanding of the mystery
of your Holy Presence with us to guide and bless us; and to teach us the way of obedience
to your will and way; whilst still continually discovering that: “…You are so much more…”¹

God of wisdom, and of mystery and miracles, we give our thanks and praises that you are
“…gentler than the falling spray, stronger than the mountain face, whispering and thundering,
life that is...¹ and that you are continually “…balancing and holding firm all that is…”¹ in
the created world around and beyond us. Yet we also praise your Holy Name, that through
history, humanity has instinctively reached out to honour you in awe and praise for your holy
goodness; and for your gracious mercy towards humanity, as we stumble and fall through our
recklessness and human frailty. O God, we pray that you will give us your blessing this day. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Penteccost 16A [Ordinary 25A] or [Proper 20A] 2017
Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45

Memory is one of God’s greatest gifts and so very precious; and it often defines
who we are as a person, as we often act or hope because of our past; and when
that past is lost because of dementia or acquired brain damage, that diminishes
so much of anyone’s persona. When a nation or a people reject their past, they
have no compass to guide their future. As with many ancient cultures, the art of
memory is irreplaceable as by storytelling, their past can become their present and
even their future. So it is with the “memory” psalms, as they retell Israel’s history in
various ways that are timeless lessons to learn. As we read the Psalms and the Old
Testament, we can learn so much from the people of Israel’s journey of gradually
coming to recognise God. “O God, how shall you be named? You are so much more...”¹



The mighty Psalm 105, described by Professors Rolf and Karl Jacobson as it “...takes
a positive view of Israel’s history, focussing mainly on God’s mighty deeds on Israel’s
behalf. Psalm 106, by contrast, takes a negative view, focussing on the history of Israel’s
repeated rebellions against God and failures to be faithful to God... The storyteller
wants the community to know what a powerful and faithful God it has...”² To underline
this notion - the closing words in verse 45 are astonishing: “...All this happened so
they would follow his decrees and obey his instructions. Praise the LORD!” The purpose
of that long story of Israel’s patriarchal heritage was so that the people of Israel - and
all other subsequent readers – learned a lesson about being obedient to God! On this
issue, Professor Walter Brueggemann concludes: “…the psalm is voiced so that Israel
will have sufficient grounds and reasons to embrace YHWH’s demands given in the
Torah. That obedience is the appropriate, intended response of Israel to the goodness
and fidelity of YHWH…”³ In this psalm the message is clear - history and praising God
go hand in hand; and if we deny or ignore that message - our own future is incomplete.



Finding the reasons for spiritual insights and praise and thankfulness to God requires
a mindset that acknowledges that God is always active in the world, in nature and in
creation itself. Therefore, we can learn from those long-ago people who celebrated the
symbols of God’s presence with them day and night. “…The LORD spread a cloud above
them as a covering and gave them a great fire to light the darkness…” From childhood,
this concept has fascinated me, maybe because of vividly illustrated biblical story books
that showed a huge dark cloud over the wandering Israelites; and an angel-type figure
with a flaming sword walking ahead of them through the wilderness! However accurate
were those pictures, they certainly etched into my mind God’s holy presence with those
people on their long journey to their homeland. I believe that we do have reminders all
around us of God’s Holy Presence with us, if we have the eyes to see and the mind to
recognise God active within and around us all the time. These reminders may not be as
exotic as in Old Testament days, but they are no less real that God is always with us!



1 From “A Special Collection” CD track 6
“Oh God, how shall you be named?”
Words and music by Monica Brown
© 1994 Monica Brown & Emmaus Productions
Used with personal permission.

2 Text by Professors Rolf A & Karl N Jacobson
From “Invitation to the Psalms – a readers guide
for discovery & enlightenment” © 2013 Chapter 3, Page/s 79-80
Baker Academic, a Division of Baker Publishing Group
Grand Rapids MI 49516-6287, USA

3 Text by Professor Walter Brueggemann
from “From whom no secrets are hidden”
Chapter 15, page 136
© 2014 Westminster/John Knox Press
Louisville Kentucky USA

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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:
© 2017 Joan Stott –‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year A. Based on verses from Psalm 105.
Used with permission.

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

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