60C*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 21C [Ordinary 28C] or [Proper 23C] 2016
Psalm 66: 1-12

Guiding God, we come to say to God: “…How awesome are your deeds…”
We come together as God’s people to “...Sing about the glory of his name...”

Empowering God, we come to say to God: “Thank you for all your blessings”.
We come together as God’s people to sing about God’s miracles of grace.

Transforming God, we come to say and sing our “...joyful praises to God…” for
the way God has led and liberated us from all that entraps and inhibits our living.
We come together as God’s people to celebrate the abundance of God’s mercy,
and to encourage all peoples to “...Come and see what our God has done…” Amen.

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Psalm 66: 1-12
For the choir director: A song. A psalm.

1 Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
2 Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.
4 Everything on earth will worship you;
they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.”

Interlude

5 Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he performs for people!
6 He made a dry path through the Red Sea,
and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him.
7 For by his great power he rules forever.
He watches every movement of the nations;
let no rebel rise in defiance.

Interlude

8 Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises.
9 Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling.
10 You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver.
11 You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.
12 Then you put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood,
but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

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Prayers of Thankfulness and Praise
After Pentecost 21C [Ordinary 28C] or [Proper 23C] 2016
Psalm 66: 1-12

Guiding God, we come to share together in songs of thankfulness and praise
and to say to God: “…How awesome are your deeds…” and to celebrate with
joy as God’s own people, as we “...Sing about the glory of his name...” We come
with joy-filled hearts and minds to offer our praises to our Glorious God; but even
those acts of worship are not enough to fully express our gratitude and praise
for God’s goodness to us! We are so challenged by God’s merciful grace to us—
that we can only make a sacrificial offering; and pray that God finds delight in our
thankfulness and praises. We humbly and joyfully recommit our life and love in
God’s service amongst needy and desperate people seeking the freedom and
hope with which we have been so blessed. All praise be to our Generous God!

Empowering God, we come to share together in songs of thankfulness and praise—
and to say thank you for all your blessings to us over our lifetime. We give thanks
for the blessings of prayerful people from the past who have guided and blessed
us on our own faith journey; for prayerful people of whom we are blessed to name as
being our friends; and for prayerful people in the future, who will continue to honour
and serve our God into an unknown hope. We come together as God’s people to
sing about and give thanks for God’s miracles of grace towards repentant people;
and for the promises that God has given to us which have been so faithfully kept.

Transforming God, we come to share together in songs of thankfulness and praise
as we offer our “...joyful praises to God..” for the way God has led and liberated us
from all that entraps and inhibits our living and loving. We come together as God’s
people to celebrate the abundance of God’s mercy, and to encourage all peoples to
“...Come and see what our God has done…” and to call on all peoples to: “…Let the
whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. Our lives are in his hands, and
he keeps our feet from stumbling….” We give thanks and praises for all of God’s care
and faithfulness to those who respond to God’s invitations to join with God’s people. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 21C [Ordinary 28C] or [Proper 23C] 2016
Psalm 66: 1-12

I love reading well researched historical novels that are set within known historical
events, facts and personalities; and that also include the issues that were relevant
in those particular times. I frequently marvel at the imagination of well known authors
who develop their stories, without seeming to steal other people’s ideas or concepts!
I wonder whether the same things happened during the stories recorded in the Old
Testament? Psalm 66 looks back at the story of the people of Israel’s flight from Egypt
as they crossed the Red Sea under God’s direction and Moses’ leadership. At a time
when there was no written text available to ordinary people, I wonder whether any
Jewish fathers were tempted to embellish the stories of the Old Testament heroes such
as Moses and Joshua when rehearsing those stories to their sons; to try to make those
historical facts and messages more memorable? Would it really matter if they did?



Some people may argue that what I have suggested above is almost sacrilege, but I
am not suggesting unauthorised changes to the Biblical text; otherwise, how do the
various new Bible translations come into being as they bring more clarity to the Holy
Scriptures? Various authors of the psalms tell the stories of God’s saving acts of the
people of Israel in different ways, as they heard or experienced them personally. In
addition, there is a lot of repetition in the Old Testament as various sources were used
to retell the original story, and sometimes even in a different context. The stories and
events recorded in the Holy Scriptures are no less the story of God’s relationship with
humanity over several millennia, and the lessons we can learn about God’s patient love.



Psalm 66 urges us to converse with and listen to God: “...Say to God, ‘How awesome
are your deeds…” and then to list them in prayer to God – and to others - from our own
perspective! The psalmist also urged us to: “Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is...” We can sing, tell
and even joyfully shout about God’s activity in our own life, and in the life of the world
around us as we see it, hear it or feel it; in addition to our recognition that these are God’s
blessings on us. That powerful story is so wonderful, that we will not need to embellish it!

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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: pentecost[28]c_2016.pdf