64A*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 22A [Ordinary 31A] or [Proper 26A] 2017
Psalm 107: 1-7, 33-37

God of new beginnings: we come to thank you for your all blessings.
Your presence has turned the deserts of our living into pools of water.

God of second chances: we come to praise you for offering us hope.
Your presence has turned our barren wastelands into fertile pastures.

God of unending mercy and grace: we come to worship you because
you turn our lives around with your enduring, faithful love and presence.
Your presence has turned the dead-ends of our living into open pathways;
and unlocked the future - because you are always good and trustworthy. Amen.

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Psalm 107: 1-7, 33-37

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

2 Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless.
5 Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.
6 “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress.
7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live.

33 He changes rivers into deserts,
and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
because of the wickedness of those who live there.
35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
the dry land into springs of water.
36 He brings the hungry
to settle there and to build their cities.
37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,
and harvest their bumper crops.

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Prayers of Thankfulness and Praise
After Pentecost 22A [Ordinary 31A] or [Proper 26A] 2017
Psalm 107: 1-7, 33-37

God of new beginnings: we come together today to thank you for all of your many
blessings to us – individually and collectively – and for the way you have guided
us along life’s pathways. We have not always followed your guidance or accepted
your help; because we have been so sure of our own abilities! However, we know
that our lives have not always fulfilled our God-given potential; and in fact, our life
and living has often failed miserably. Yet you, the God of new beginnings, have in
your mercy turned the deserts of our living into refreshing pools of water. So as we
gather here today in shared worship, let us offer our thanks and praises to God, the
Almighty: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever…”

God of second chances: we come together today to praise you for offering us hope—
when not only the present, but also from our past made murky from lost opportunities;
and our failure to realise your gifts to us individually and collectively. But now - through
the grace and mercy of our God – we give our sincere thanks and praises to God, who
has turned the regretted barren wastelands of our failings into fertile pastures. So as
we gather here today in shared worship, let us offer our thanks and praises to God,
the Almighty: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever…”

God of unending mercy and grace: we come to worship you today and to celebrate your
enduring and faithful love and presence. All praise, worship, glory and honour be yours—
God of great love and mercy, because you have turned the dead-ends of our living into
open pathways; and you have unlocked the future with your promised presence and your
eternal goodness. Empower us to share this story of God’s gracious acts in our own life
and living, so that our stories may inspire others who are struggling with life’s challenges.
God of hope, your holy word is filled with stories of confession, forgiveness and your mercy—
so as we gather here today in shared worship, let us offer our thanks and praises to God,
the Almighty: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever…” Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 22A [Ordinary 31A] or [Proper 26A] 2017
Psalm 107: 1-7, 33-37

Telling a personal story can be healing, energising, liberating and quite cathartic!
Recently at a significant meeting, as the guest speaker I decided the only way to
authentically speak on the provided subject was to honestly share my own story—
warts and all! This included being a victim of sexual abuse within my home church
by a respected churchman; and I also experienced marriage breakup and divorce.
I grew up in a small rural town in an era when divorced women were thought to
have dubious morals; and anyone who was sexually abused - received what they
asked for! Following all the revelations in Australia at the “Royal Commission into
Institutional Responses to child Sexual Abuse” many of these myths have been
proven untrue. At that significant event, I was not hissed at, and no one turned their
back on me as I “confessed” to being physically and sexually abused – which was
a real relief! It is amazing how entrenched concepts can affect even mature minds!



There have been several turning points in my life that I can only assume has been
when God has been actively involved in my life and living; and God has blessed
me with new challenges, new roles and responsibilities; and a new understanding
of faith and trust in an enabling God! God has continued to open up doors for me
throughout my life and faith experiences; and encouraged me to walk through those
open doors into an unknown future. Psalm 107 is a warts and all story of the people
of Israel – and how God blessed and guided them through their traumas; opening
new doors that had previously been closed; and restoring and renewing their faith.



The psalmist has some very good advice for us all: “…Has the LORD redeemed you?
Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you…” Speaking out can bring to you
unimagined blessings, encouragement, hope, and a fresh start to a life weighed down
by other people’s perceptions. People who want and need to be challenged; who have
become burdened by stereotypical and conventional attitudes; or who are longing to
simply be “free” can take heart from this Psalm; because it offers hope to the hopeless;
serenity to the stressed; and the promise of harvest to those who accept loving nurture.

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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 107.
Used with permission.

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

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost22[31]a_2017.pdf