39A*
A Call to Worship
Day of Pentecost Year A 2014
Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b

Holy Creator, still creating, we come to rejoice in the God who surrounds us all.
God around us, God beneath and above us, all creation is God’s presence here.

Holy Mystery, always mysterious, we come to celebrate the God who sustains us.
God within us and God beside us, all creation is God’s living presence around us.

Holy Joy, always joyous, we come to worship the God who initiates creation’s holy order.
God ahead of us, God in our past, present and future, we come to worship, to give thanks, and offer our praises for the signs of God’s parental, joy-filled care over all
God created. Amen.

Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b

24 O LORD, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.

25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life
of every kind, both great and small.
26 See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan,
which you made to play in the sea.
27 Every one of these depends on you
to give them their food as they need it.
28 When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied.
29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.
When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust.

30 When you send your Spirit, new life is born
to replenish all the living of the earth.
31 May the glory of the LORD last forever!
The LORD rejoices in all he has made!
32 The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains burst into flame at his touch.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
34 May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.

35b As for me –I will praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!

Prayers of Thankfulness and Praise
Day of Pentecost Year A 2014
Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b

Holy Creator, still creating, we come to worship and rejoice in the God
whose wisdom surrounds us all with order rather than chaos; whose
Spirit breathes life and joy into all creation; and who prompts us all to
express our own joy and delight in all that God created and continues
to create. Wherever we are, we are surrounded by the signs of God’s
care and blessings, if only we have the eyes, ears, mind, heart and the
awareness to recognise God’s Creative and Living Spirit present with us.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath!

Holy Mystery, always mysterious, we come to celebrate the God who
sustains us, and whose living presence is around us, and upon whom
we are utterly dependent in ways that are creative rather than oppressive;
and whose ways invite our co-operation to bring about order, reason,
peace and justice for all creation. Mysterious Spirit, whose ways encourage
equality of opportunity for all peoples; and whose powers breathe new
possibilities for harmony and mutual care and support for all creation.
I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will rejoice in God to my last breath!

Holy Joy, always joyous, we come to worship the God who initiates holy
order because of God’s abiding presence amongst all God’s creation. This
order is a constant sign to us that we are surrounded by God Holy Presence
and Living Spirit – God around us; God beneath and above us; God ahead
and beside us; and God within us to enliven and renew us every day. We
are so blessed by God as we meet the challenges of living in God’s orderly
world. May we take that orderliness into every part of our life, so that the world
will know we are committed to living and loving amongst all God’s needy and
desperate children, who have no knowledge of such love and generosity; or
of God’s parental, joy-filled care over all that God has created and will create.
“May the glory of the Lord last forever! The Lord rejoices in all he has made!”
I will thank the Lord as long as I live. I will celebrate God to my last breath! Amen.

A Personal Meditation
Day of Pentecost Year A 2014
Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b

The Creative Spirit of the Living God has brought into being a universe of
harmonious order and beauty that is testimony to the Being and Nature of
our Creating God and this harmony and orderliness has been a gift to all of
God’s creatures. There has always been a degree of predictability about life.
Throughout millennia, the sun has always risen in the east and set in the
west; day had always been followed by night; season after season have each
followed their distinctive patterns; and the suns, moons and the stars have
followed their invisible path across the depths of outer space. All of these
wonders are signs and symbols to each of us to the unchanging and constant
love God has for all that is created – past, present and future – and all I can
do is bow in awe and gratitude to being exposed to the glory of our Holy God.

Creative pause: “Sing of God’s grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space..”1


It will always remain a mystery to me about why apple trees only grow apples;
why bulbs keep shooting new leaves and flowers at the same time each year;
why my “love birds” are so individually different, yet still the same; why some
breeds of fish always swim upstream to spawn; why do butterflies only sip nectar
from some flowers; and many other natural world mysteries that I wonder about.
There are some things we humans can know and can even manipulate at times,
such as “Daylight Saving Time” or “Summer/Winter Time” to make the most use
of the sunlit hours; we know when we see heavy clouds that it probably rain; that
when the wind blows from a certain direction it is going to be either hot or cold;
and that when we see a rainbow, we are reminded of God’s everlasting promises.

Creative pause: God’s bountiful care...breathes in the air - it shines in the light...1


For me the greatest mystery is the Spirit of the Living God active in people’s lives—
“....new life is born to replenish all the living of the earth…” and “…God rejoices in
all that God has made...” It is that “rejoicing” that inspires me to know and feel God’s
living presence all around - above ,below, beside and within me – day and night. The
Psalmist understood that we are entirely dependent on God for life and breathe; yet
why do we so often deny or feel threatened or even frightened by our dependency and
need for God? Have we become so self-centred and self-sufficient that our neediness
is a threat to us? “....May God be pleased by all these thoughts…for I rejoice in the
Lord …as for me, I will praise the Lord....May the glory of the Lord last forever…!”

Creative pause: “Frail children of dust...in God do we trust, nor find you to fail...”1


1 From “Together in Song” #133
“O worship the king, all glorious above”
Words by Robert Grant 1779-1838 (alt)
Words are in Public Domain.

Acknowledgements:
Unless stated otherwise, all Bible readings and extracts used in these weekly Prayers and
Meditations are from the ‘New Living Translation’, © 1996. Copyright. All rights reserved.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189 USA.

*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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