61A*
A Call to Worship
Pentecost 19A [Ordinary 29A] or [Proper 24A] 2014
Psalm 99

The Majestic God is holy! Come, let us worship God with reverent praise!
“Cherubim ...in unceasing chorus praising, fill the heavens with sweet accord:”¹

God, the King of the Universe is holy! Come, Let us honour God’s name!
“Hear the loud celestial hymn in unceasing chorus praising, holy, holy Lord!”¹

Exalt the Lord our God, for the Lord our God is holy! Come, let us offer God
our praises, for God is supreme over all the nations and over all of creation!
“Holy God, we praise your name, Lord of all, we bow before you; all on earth,
your power proclaim... boundless is your vast domain, everlasting is your reign.”¹ Amen.

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Psalm 99

1 The Lord is king! Let the nations tremble!
He sits on his throne between the cherubim.
Let the whole earth quake!
2 The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem,
exalted above all the nations.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Your name is holy!

4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness.
You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel.
5 Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also called on his name.
They cried to the Lord for help, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud, and they followed
the laws and decrees he gave them.

8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them,
but you punished them when they went wrong.

9 Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem,
for the Lord our God is holy!

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Prayers of Praise
Pentecost 19A [Ordinary 29A] or [Proper 24A] 2014
Psalm 99

Holy God and King, as we continue on our shared faith journey, we gather
again to worship and honour your holy name. On this day of reflection,
we pause to give thanks and to praise the God of all holiness for the blessings
we have received in the past. We acknowledge that with the almost daily
changes in life’s circumstances amongst community members, that our
shared past has been in a state of constant modifications and adjustments—
but one thing has been stable and completely reliable, and that has been
God’s abiding presence with us individually, and as a community of faith.
“Hear the songs your people raise, songs of joyful thanks and praise, calling
all created things to adore you, King of kings - so will all exalt your name.”²

Abiding God and King, in the freshness and the challenges of this new day, we
gather to praise and revere our Holy God, because this new day offers us so
many possibilities for our worship, witness and service to God, and to our sisters
and brothers. We celebrate and praise our God for the reality of God’s presence
with us, and all that that holy presence calls us to be and become. Help us to
accept the reality of God’s presence that challenges us to be active in the world
where “...in God, we live and move and exist.”^3, May we each seek to live as
mediators of justice and liberty for all peoples, so that all people will know the
joy of the freedom to worship and praise their God with glad songs and prayers.
“Hear the songs your people raise, songs of joyful thanks and praise, calling
all created things to adore you, King of kings - so will all exalt your name.”²

Promising God and King, as we move each day into an unknown future, may
we each take with us the promises of God to abide with us in our Christian
faithfulness and commitment. Just as in the past we have relied on our God’s
faithfulness to abide with us, may we boldly step out with God as our Guide
and Counsellor, to worship and serve God in ways that encourage an awareness
of God’s holy presence with us in every new element of our shared life of loving
and living. May all that we do and say as God’s people, be seen and heard as
God’s true reign of peace, acceptance, joy, justice and liberty for all peoples; and
in this holy state of God’s peace and justice, may all peoples honour their Maker.
“Hear the songs your people raise, songs of joyful thanks and praise, calling
all created things to adore you, King of kings - so will all exalt your name.”² Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Pentecost 19A [Ordinary 29A] or [Proper 24A] 2014
Psalm 99

Psalm 99 is known as an “Enthronement Psalm” where the holy and kingly reign
of God is recognised and celebrated. The psalm also reflects on Israel’s past and
its glorious religious and social role in its region, as examples of God’s guidance and
blessing. The author recalls the sacred roles of Moses, Aaron and Samuel as great
religious leaders who maintained their faith in God, and who led their people in the
same pathway of praising and worshipping God. Israel long history was remembered
and celebrated, as they recalled how God’s abiding presence was central to their
very survival in the wilderness, when the constant presence of the Redeeming God
was experienced and celebrated by the nightly fire of God and the daily pillar of the
cloud of God’s presence. This same sense of God’s abiding presence was finally
realised in another of their “wilderness” experiences whilst in exile in Babylon, and
with it, the decisive recognition of God’s kingly rule that brought judgement, justice
and liberation, by adhering to the true worship of their own Holy and Liberating God.



The “people of Israel” were a “central plank” in God’s plan for all of creation, in that
as God’s especially blessed people, they were called to bring “the world” back to
God. The holiness that was God’s gift to the people of Israel - which set them apart
as a “holy people” under God - enabled them to fulfil their calling; but it became rather
tarnished through lack of care, and through their frequent lapses into disobedience
of God; and God’s plan for them did not evolve at that time. God’s Kingly reign would
still become a reality, but not through that nation’s actions, but through one individual.



Sometimes, it is very hard to see the power of God at work in the world amongst the
large international communities that seem to dominate the fabric of our daily life, and
yet it is often in the actions of individuals that change for good occurs. We now live in
a post-Nelson Mandela, post-Mother Teresa and post-Martin Luther-King Jr. age, yet
their influences, along with those of many of their unnamed colleagues, will long
live on bringing light to a dark world. Psalm 91:1 reminds us that “Those who live in
the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Those named
people may be modern day “giants” on the international scene, but it was in their own
local communities that they learned how to become their true selves. The people who
“practice God’s presence” are the people whose lives are whole, fruitful and blessed.



1 From “Together in Song” #127
“Holy God, we praise your name”
Based on the Te Deum Laudamus
Words in the Public Domain

2 From “Together in Song” #TIS 622
“Holy Father, God of might”
Words by Richard Connolly
Used with Permission,
Word of Life International License #2425

3 Acts 17: 28 (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 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:
© 2014 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year A. Used with permission.

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

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