47A*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 6A [Ordinary 15A] or [Proper 10A] 2017
Psalm 119: 105-112

God of promises: We come to thank you for the reliability of your promises.
Faithful God: your love and mercy is so constant, all praise be to your Name!

God of promises: We come to worship you because we trust in your promises.
Trustworthy God: you offer us hope and security, all glory be to your Name!

God of promises: We come to celebrate the promise of your holy and eternal
presence with us; giving all of us hope, forgiveness, mercy and holy grace.
God of your ever-new presence: you are the one who lights the way for us to
walk with you and who guides us on our pilgrimage; all honour be yours forever! Amen.

Psalm 119: 105-112

105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
106 I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again:
I will obey your righteous regulations.

107 I have suffered much, O LORD;
restore my life again as you promised.
108 LORD, accept my offering of praise,
and teach me your regulations.
109 My life constantly hangs in the balance,
but I will not stop obeying your instructions.
110 The wicked have set their traps for me,
but I will not turn from your commandments.

111 Your laws are my treasure;
they are my heart’s delight.
112 I am determined to keep your decrees
to the very end.

Prayers of Thankfulness and Trust
After Pentecost 6A [Ordinary 15A] or [Proper 10A] 2017
Psalm 119: 105-112

God of promises that can be trusted: we come to thank you for the reliability of
your promises, and how much they mean to us individually, and as a community
of faith. The constancy of your love, mercy and grace goes far beyond our fumbling
words; and any expressions of thanks are so inadequate. We take encouragement
and joy from those promises; and we wrap ourselves in them, to give us strength
and courage for the living of each day and night. Just as the psalmist sang: “...My
life constantly hangs in the balance…” so it with all of us, as we day by day journey
with God into an unknown future. All thanks and praise be always to your Holy Name.

God of promises that can be trusted: we come in reverent awe to worship the One
True and Holy God, and we praise you for the reality of your promises, and the way
they ground us in the certainty of your faithfulness to all you have created. We cling
to that certainty of being your beloved children through your love and mercy, offering
us such a sense of security and hope. We give thanks that we can go forward rejoicing
in your timeless and unequalled encouragement, which yet will always remain shrouded
in wonder and mystery. May all honour, praise and glory be offered to your Holy Name.

God of promises that can be trusted: we come to celebrate the promise of your holy
presence with us throughout our life and beyond; which gives us hope, forgiveness,
mercy and holy grace that enables us to walk in your ways of truth, beauty and justice.
We celebrate the constancy of your presence which is as old as time, and as new as
tomorrow. We rejoice in the knowledge and trust gained from a long personal and
committed walk with God; and our trust in the unfailing light of God’s truth that guides us
along the way in our earthy pilgrimage. All reverence and power be always yours forever! Amen.

A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 6A [Ordinary 15A] or [Proper 10A] 2017
Psalm 119: 105-112

A reminder that Psalm 119 is an acrostic psalm, and in this instance, the 22 letters
in the Hebrew alphabet are used for each section; and each of those sections has
eight lines, all commencing with the designated alphabet letter; which explains why
it is such a long psalm! The psalm’s first two verses set the tone for the rest of the
psalm, which celebrates the teachings of the Law of Moses (the Torah); and leads
to a life of commitment and obedience in celebrating God’s Laws. “Joyful are people
of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. Joyful are those who obey his
laws and search for him with all their hearts...”1 It also teaches us that we each have
the ‘right’ and privilege to be a relationship with God and to make God our first priority!

Creative pause: Joyful are those people who live in obedience to God!


Professor Walter Brueggemann wrote about Psalm 119 as a life of joy-filled obedience
to God as follows: “…torah obedience is a starting point, a launching pad from which
to mount an ongoing conversation with God through daily experience… It explores a
range of issues related to faith… It is not a psalm of bargaining, but a psalm of utter
trust and submission.... Thus the psalm becomes a point of entry for exploring the whole
range of interactions with Yahweh...”2 According to the psalmist ‘torah-living’ is grounded
and utterly real! Yet that reality is based solely on living within the grace and mercy of
God. The psalmist “…waits for a move from God – a free, unfettered, uncoerced move
from God…”2 Then he responded as he sang: “...LORD, you are mine! I promise to obey
your words! With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful as you promised….”3
This reliance on God’s mercy is the beginning to a life lived in the spirit, not an ending.

Creative pause: Have we become too arrogant to be submissive before God?


The selected verses for today highlight two important themes: promises and obedience.
The psalmist sang: “...I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again…” and he then
described how he would carry out those promises. He was open to new teachings and
yet would remain completely faithful to older concepts; and promised that God’s “...laws
are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight. I am determined to keep your decrees…”
Today’s selection explains the source of the psalmist’s determination: “…Your word is a
lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path…” We have the same sources and an even
greater level of instruction and teaching from Jesus, but would we describe our promises
or vows to God with the same level of joy-filled commitment as did that long-ago psalmist?

Creative pause: Do you treasure and delight in your commitment to God?


1 Psalm 119: 1-2 (NLT)

2 Text by Professor Walter Brueggemann
from “The Message of the Psalms”
Chapter 2, page 41
©1984 Augsburg Publishing House
Minneapolis MN 55440, USA

3 Psalm 119: 57-58 (NLT)

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 119.
Used with permission.

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

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost6[15]a_2017.pdf