61C*
A Call to Worship
Pentecost 21C [Ordinary 29C] or [Proper 24C] 2010
Psalm 119: 97-107

O Lord our God, we gather now to worship you.
We celebrate with joy your words and your wisdom.
We come in reverent awe before the glory of God.

We gather now in worship, to honour the strengths
and purity of God’s own nature, words and wisdom.
We come to give thanks for the lavishness of God’s mercy.

We gather now to worship God, who guides us
away from evil, and leads us onto the path of truth.
We come to rejoice in God’s guidance and blessing. Amen.


Prayers of Praise
Pentecost 21C [Ordinary 29C] or [Proper 24C] 2010
Psalm 119: 97-107

O Lord our God, with love and joy in our hearts,
we celebrate the truths revealed in your holy word,
as spoken to Moses and the prophets so long ago.

We give thanks and are in awe that today, these
same principles are still relevant to our relationships
with God and each other. They invite and encourage
people to have a close and reverent relationship
with God, and they invite and encourage harmonious
and supportive community life. The understanding,
wisdom and power of our Eternal God is wonderful.

We praise the Lord our God for giving humanity
the insights and understanding to discern the truths
of God’s words and wisdom that help us live in today’s
world. We give thanks for the way our life is enriched
individually and communally, as each day we seek
to follow God’s laws for healthy community living.

We give thanks to God for the guidance that we
receive from your decrees; and for the way they
help us to reject all false values that would diminish
our relationship with our God and with each other.
We look with anticipation to God, trusting that God
will continue to bless and guide us into the future. Amen.


A Personal Meditation
Pentecost 21C [Ordinary 29C] or [Proper 24C] 2010
Psalm 119: 97-107

O Lord, my wise and just God, I rejoice and give thanks for the
pleasure I experience when I meditate on your holy words that
have been handed down through the generations of your faithful
people. I am in awe of God’s wisdom, and of the way you
understand the workings of the human mind and heart, with its
frailties and inconsistencies; and in the way we relate to each other.

Creative pause: The blessedness of meditating on God’s word.


My God, I give thanks for the practical ways your decrees
guide my human need to live with you as my God, but also
my need to relate in a meaningful way to people within my
community, which is both secular and multi-faith, with diverse
language, cultural and traditional patterns and expectations.

Creative pause: Living with God in a diverse community.


I give thanks for the wisdom I have attained over the years
of studying your word, and the way it has guided me to follow
your path of truth and justice; and how it has also helped me to
reject the false values and evil influences that pervade our society.
I give thanks for the way you have blessed me and assisted me to
avoid many of the traps that surround me, and which intrude on me
in unexpected ways. I pray that I will always listen to your words.

Creative pause: Insights and blessings from God’s word.


My Lord and God, I give thanks for the richness and beauty
of life, and for the sweetness of living within your laws;
and for the way they help me in resolving my daily priorities.
Each day, I encounter many challenges to my life-style and
commitments; but I rejoice in the strength I receive from
your words, that help me to follow in your way and will.

Creative pause: Sweetness and joy are found within God’s word.



Acknowledgements:
Unless stated otherwise, all Bible readings and extracts used in these weekly Prayers and Meditations are from
‘The New Revised Standard Version’ Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

*The additional weekly numbering is from the Revised COCU Indexing Scheme
COCU = ('Consultation on Church Union'); as it offers an easy sequential numbering
for the Revised Common Lectionary for the Church Calendar.

If any part of these Prayers and/or Meditations is used in shared worship, please provide
the following acknowledgement:
© 2010 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year C. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost21[29]c_2010.pdf