66C*
A Call to Worship
Pentecost 26C [Ordinary 33C] or [Proper 28C] 2016
Psalm 98

'“...Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God…”'¹
We give thanks that God’s-Own-Self has been partially revealed to God’s people.

'“...I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my … right hand...”'¹
We give thanks that God remembers those ancient promises of love and mercy.

'“...For I hold you by your right hand - I, the LORD your God. And I say to you:
‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you…”’¹ All praises be to our Faithful God.
We give thanks that God judges all peoples and nations fairly, and with justice.
“...Shout to the LORD, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy! Sing your
praise to the LORD ...make a joyful symphony before the LORD, the King...!" Amen.

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Psalm 98

1 Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds.
His right hand has won a mighty victory;
his holy arm has shown his saving power!
2 The Lord has announced his victory
and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!
3 He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.
The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

4 Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!
5 Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song,
6 with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!

7 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the earth and all living things join in.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
Let the hills sing out their songs of joy
9 before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with fairness.

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Prayers of Praise and Thankfulness
Pentecost 26C [Ordinary 33C] or [Proper 28C] 2016
Psalm 98

Encouraging God, we gather together in your holy presence, to thank and praise
you for your timeless promises of hope and security; and for the trust you gift us
with that we can always rely upon. Today, we claim your ancient promise: ‘“...Don’t
be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God…”’¹ We give
thanks that God has trusted humanity enough to reveal something of God’s-Own-Self
to those people who have faithfully worshipped the Creating and Empowering God;
and who have committed themselves to honouring and revering the Eternal One.

God of power and majesty, we give thanks and we praise you that you are the One
who demonstrates the glories of your faithfulness through your love for all that you
have created, and especially that you show your love to and for humanity – even with
all our faults and failures! We gather to sing your praises and to claim your promises;
and to celebrate together the wonderful grace and blessings offered to us by our God—
especially when life is tough and we are in desperate need of God’s loving care, help
and strength. ‘“...I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my … right
hand...”’¹ We give thanks that God can be trusted to walk with us in love and mercy.

God of justice, we gather today to worship the God who is known for righteousness
and fairness of judgements; and for the saving power that reflects the wonder and
glory of God’s-Own-Self! We give thanks for the justice that God exercises over all
creation and all peoples – whether those people are deserving of holy justice or not!
We give thanks for the revelations given to us of God’s righteousness and merciful
judgements, and we revere and celebrate the integrity and fidelity that reflects the
majesty, faithfulness and awesome beauty of God’s-Own-Self! Today, we “Sing a new
song to the Lord, for... he has remembered his promise to love and be faithful...” Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Pentecost 26C [Ordinary 33C] or [Proper 28C] 2016
Psalm 98

The opening verse of Psalm 98 commences thus: “Sing a new song to the LORD,
for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy
arm has shown his saving power…!” When one hears and reads about “God’s right
hand” there is an assumption that God’s right hand means ‘right’ as opposed to ‘left’,
rather than ‘right’ as opposed to ‘wrong’! In the Passion narratives, Jesus is described
as being about to be seated at God’s right hand: “…But from now on the Son of Man
will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand….”² The description ‘right hand’
appears 166 times in the Bible so it had major significance according to traditional
cultural and religious practices; as a person who is invited to sit on the right hand of
an important person, is thereby granted equal status, honour and power as the one
who invites him/her. God’s “right hand” was/is the symbol of God’s presence that was/is
given in blessing; God’s powerful and mighty works; and God’s protection and victory.



Like many other ancient cultures, the Hebrews determined the direction of their actions
by the sunrise, with many biblical passages indicating and understanding that ‘right’
meant ‘south’ and ‘left’ meant ‘north’. In addition, ‘right’ implied ‘strength’ whilst ‘left’
implied ‘weakness’. Apparently the Jewish people were very systematic - especially in
their religious rituals, with their worship leaders always turning to the right when carrying
out their various sacrificial rituals and offerings, and only using the right hand, finger,
foot or arm for those procedures. The ‘right hand’ also indicated a position for a person
of blessing, peace, honour, sovereignty and authority. The prophet Isaiah wrote when
reminding the ancient Israelites of their own special relationship with God: ‘“...Don’t be
afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you
and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand...For I hold you by your right
hand - I, the LORD YOUR GOD. AND I SAY TO YOU: ‘DON’T BE AFRAID. I AM HERE TO HELP YOU....’”¹



So what currently is significant about the ‘right’ side, hand, finger, foot or arm as related
to religious, cultural or social practices? In many cultures, the left hand is never used to
touch food or another person because of its related health issues; and in military matters
throughout history, the right hand has always been offered in peace, with the assumption
that it was their opponents ‘weapon’ hand’, whilst still allowing defensive weapons to be
held in their left hand. Jesus’ most famous “left/right” teaching message found in Matthew
25: 31-46 when he spoke of separating sheep and goats: “...as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left...”³
Yet how different an image of a shepherd are Jesus’ words in John 10:1-18 when mercy,
grace and compassion are part of the Shepherd’s role. If we take that Matthew verse in
isolation, and also noting that God’s right hand signified mercy and God’s left hand justice;
some biblical writers have suggested that Jesus separated the sheep from the goats because
their needs were so different! The sheep’s wool requires them to be housed together in close
sheltered quarters, whilst goat’s hair requires the animal to have open spaces for their resting
comfort. Surely, we can trust in the God of mercy and justice, who knows our different needs!



1 Isaiah 41: 10, 13 & 14b (NLT)

2 Luke 22: 69 (NLT)

3 Matthew 25: 32b (NLT)

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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 inspiration available from the scholarship and 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:
© 2016 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year C. Used with permission.

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

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