58C*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 19C [Ordinary 26C] or [Proper 21C] 2016
Psalm 91: 1-6, 14-16

Sheltering God, we come in faith to draw ever nearer to your Holy Presence.
We claim your promise: “...When they call on me, I will answer, I will be with them...”

Abiding Holy Presence, we come in confidence to be sustained by your grace.
We claim your promise: “...I will rescue and protect those who trust in my name...”

Most High and Almighty God, we come seeking to dwell always in your presence,
and with hope and trust that you will always be for us our Refuge and Safe Haven.
We claim your promise: “...I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour
them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” Praise the Lord! Amen.

Psalm 91: 1-6, 14-16

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.

3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armour and protection.

5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honour them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

Prayers of Thankfulness and Trust
After Pentecost 19C [Ordinary 26C] or [Proper 21C] 2016
Psalm 91: 1-6, 14-16

Sheltering God, we come in faith to draw ever nearer to your Holy Presence as we
“...find rest in the shadow of the Lord...”1 We celebrate and rejoice in the promises
of our Trustworthy God because we believe and know: “...He who lives, he who lives
in the practise of the presence, he will find his soul restored...”;1 and we give thanks
for this gracious and generous mercy! So many times in our faith journey we have
struggled with issues, challenges and temptations that seek to undermine our faith—
and yet if we place our confidence and hope in God, we are never, ever disappointed.

Abiding Holy Presence, with confidence we come in to be sustained by your grace
and your eternal promises. We give thanks for the lives of saints and sinners who can
attest to the power of our Gracious and Forgiving God; and who in the dark times of
life and living, invites us to find rest into the safe haven of God’s presence. That holy
and awesome presence of our God can be so overwhelming, that we are relieved to
learn of the examples of ‘ordinary’ people who live and have lived within that Presence—
and these people empower us and provide us with a template for a faithful and trusting
relationship with our God. We rejoice that we worship and trust in an Unchanging God.

Most High and Almighty God, we come seeking to dwell always in your presence, and
with hope and trust that you will always be for us “...our Refuge and Safe Haven...”1 We
pray too, that you will always be for us “...our Fortress... our Peace in the storm...1 when
all around us is threatening. We give thanks for the ancient promise that God “...will cover
you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings...” and for the examples we have
known and experienced of God’s protective powers for vulnerable and frightened people.
We give thanks for nature’s examples of the nurturing and ‘motherly’ care of our God for
weak and helpless creatures, and we ask for the faith to live in such trusting faithfulness. Amen.

A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 19C [Ordinary 26C] or [Proper 21C] 2016
Psalm 91: 1-6, 14-16

I have a collection of CD’s that I use at “Worship on Thursday” as a resource for
our hymns and songs in worship, one set of which is based on the Psalms using
various styles of music and instruments. In its chorus, the beautiful Psalm 91 is
paraphrased with these words: “He who dwells, he who dwells in the shelter of
our God, will find rest in the shadow of the Lord. He who lives, he who lives in the
practise of the presence, he will find his soul restored...”1 When we practise at
anything, one usually become proficient at that task, and if anyone has matching
talents for that task, they become experts at it. As well as practising, we also need
to persevere with our commitment to that particular task. That is also very true in our
“...practise of the presence...” of God in our daily living, loving and worship of God!

Creative pause: Living in “the practise of the presence”1 is soul and life restoring!


“Practising the presence” of God is a challenging, whole-of-life experience and a life
time adventure in faith; and the psalmist encourages a recognition that we have our
permanent and eternal home lived within God. When we live “in the shadow of the
Lord...”,1 that implies a special closeness to the One who shelters us; therefore, when
we make a commitment to be “at home” in God we are “practicing” being close to God’s
presence each moment of our days and nights. The holy intimacy that is created when
we “practise the presence” of God becomes an act of worship, that is inspired through
and by God’s presence. God invites us into an intimate relationship with God’s-Own-Self,
and to the recognition that this requires commitment and dedicated practice in praying;
but which brings with it, wholeness to our inner being; and life to our other relationships.

Creative pause: Living “...in the shadow of the Lord...”,1 is soul and life enriching!


The vivid descriptions of God in the two verses include these words: “...Our Refuge,
our Fortress, Almighty God, we put our trust in you. Defender, Protector, our Faithful
Shield... Our Rescue... Unchanging God, we put our trust in you. Safe Harbour, safe
haven, peace in the storm.”1 The words of the song expanded on the imagery of the
psalmist’s imagination as he used the concept of safety, security, shelter and sanctuary
to describe a life lived under the guidance and protection of the trustworthy God whom
he worshipped. However, the words that speak most clearly to me are “...safe haven,
peace in the storm.” Despite the tensions of daily living, there is peace with God even
amongst the stormy weather of relationships that can fail; and safety in God presence
that transcends the darkness of those storms – creating light that illumines our situation—
so we can discern what is real and what is simply fear “...safe haven, peace in the storm.”

Creative pause: “...Unchanging God, we put our trust in you...”1 always and forever!


1 “Sing unto the Lord” #2 CD of a 3 CD Set
“He who dwells in the shelter of our God,”
Based on Psalm 91
Used by Permission CCLI Licence #221735

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: pentecost19[26]c_2016.pdf