58A*
A Call to Worship
Pentecost 15A [Ordinary 26A] or [Proper 21A] 2011
Psalm 78: 1-4, 12-16

We come to worship and praise our God,
and to learn more about the wonders of our God.
How great and wonderful is our Compassionate God.

We come, with ears and hearts open to God,
ready to discover more of God’s mysteries and miracles.
How generous and caring is our Unchanging God.

We gather to share together in our common history,
and to experience the enrichment which that brings us.
All praise and honour to God for past and present
blessings, and for God’s merciful love and grace. Amen.

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Prayers of Petition and Trust
Pentecost 15A [Ordinary 26A] or [Proper 21A] 2011
Psalm 78: 1-4, 12-16

Great and Glorious God, we come together to worship
and praise you for your mighty deeds in times past;
as we seek to share that knowledge with the people
of each succeeding generation. Hear us O God, as we
seek your help and blessing on our efforts to instil in
people’s minds and hearts, the truths of your gracious
dealings with your people in times past, and the way
you continue through every generation, to guide and
bless your people with your generous love and care.

We come seeking your forgiveness too, for our failure
to be faithful to you and to your prescribed path in life.
From childhood, many of us have learned about the way
you blessed and guided your ancient people into new
beginnings, and new opportunities to grow in faith and
love for their Redeeming God. Yet, like so many people
before us, we have not listened or learned from other’s
past experiences, and instead, we think we know it all!
Help us to remember the way you have always blessed
and provided for your people, often in miraculous ways.

Despite our foolishness, we do trust you O God, and we
do seek to follow and serve you all our days. We ask
for your blessing, and for your patience as we struggle
to learn our lessons of life and living; so that we can pass
on to the next generation the mysteries and miracles of
God’s grace and merciful love for humanity, and the world. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Pentecost 15A [Ordinary 26A] or [Proper 21A] 2011
Psalm 78: 1-4, 12-16

As a child, I loved the intensity of the stories of God’s
miraculous care of the people of Israel as they walked
though the deserts and wilderness. I loved the vibrancy,
the power and energy of those stories, and the way God
always came to their rescue when things became too
much for poor old Moses and Joshua. I loved the simplicity
of those stories as I heard about them from my parents.



As I grew older, I started to ask questions about these
and other so-called simple stories, and they soon became
more complex in their meanings, messages and challenges.
I do not think I doubted the goodness of God, or God’s
capacities to ‘save’ the people of Israel; but I did begin
to think about the people themselves, and why they did
what their stories indicated. Why did they forget God?
How could they forget God? Have I ever forgotten God?
God has always been part of the sum total in my living.
I owe that to God’s grace and the excellent level of spiritual
teaching and guidance I have had from my childhood.



Now it is my turn to be a responsible teacher and example!
Now it is my turn to ensure that the people and children
that I know and meet are given the same blessings and
opportunities that I enjoyed all my life. Is it harder now to
teach the truth’s of Biblical events and God’s miraculous
care of the people of God? With so many competing ways
that children are taught and guided in this generation, the
miracles of God’s grace seem very ordinary alongside the
exaggerated actions of the super heroes on TV, films and
video games of today’s world. Yet there is a real difference!
God is real, living, present with us, whilst the super heroes
are distorted figments of people’s overactive imagination.
We need to tell the next generation of the glories of our God!

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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:
© 2011 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year A. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost15[26]a_2011.pdf

© 2011 Joan Stott - " The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year A