06C*
A Call to Worship
Christmas 1C 2012
Psalm 148

Creative Word, all the heavens respond to your voiceless message—
with all the celestial armies sing their choruses of praise to God.
All the stars, suns, moons and planets join in their triumphant anthem
of praise, to thank their Creator for the way God governs the universe.


Created Word, all the inhabitants of the earth, and all the natural
elements on or under the earth’s surface, join in praising their God.
From ancient times, all the inhabitants and structures of creation on
this planet Earth, join in their songs of praise to their Creator God.


Creating Word, people who are wise or ignorant; and of every, age,
status and gender, gather with one voice to praise and worship God.
We gather as your people of every time to sing and praise your Holy
Name, and to worship and honour our Almighty and Everlasting God. Amen.



Prayers of Praise
Christmas 1C 2012
Psalm 148

Come, all the peoples of the earth, praise the Lord our God!
Let all the peoples of the earth, praise the Holy Name of the
Lord our God, for God’s Name is the greatest ever of all names.
God’s glory dominates and towers over the earth and heavens—
even over the mysteries and marvels of outer space! All the
celestial armies of heavenly beings humbly bow before the Lord!
With reverent awe, we gather to honour and praise Almighty God.

Life-giving, Hope-giving God, humanity is enclosed within the
boundaries of the earth and its seas, lakes and rivers; mountains,
icy stretches, plains and deserts. Individual human beings are
puny creatures, when compared to the majesty and powers of
the created world. Even groups of people have little influence
over the magnificent beauties of nature and creation; yet in God’s
wisdom, humanity has been given special opportunities to honour
God through various expressions of praise that glorify their God,
regardless of their age, gender or status, their tradition or culture.
With reverent wonder, we gather to worship and bless Almighty God.

How good it is that we human beings can gather together to give
praise and to honour our Great Creator, who every moment of every
day, continues to create wonders beyond our imagination, and beauties
too glorious for humanity to comprehend. Praise the Lord our God.
How good it is that we human beings can gather together to humbly
offer our acts of worship, our prayers and songs of thankfulness and
praise to our God, who is the Beginning and End of all things; the very
Breath who gives us life and love. Praise the Lord our God, forever.
With reverent amazement, we gather to joyfully celebrate Almighty God. Amen.


A Personal Meditation
Christmas 1C 2012
Psalm 148

The writer/s of the last five Psalms have provided humanity with dazzling
insights into God’s being and God’s creative powers, yet, even though
these Psalms were written approximately three thousand years ago—
according to scholars - their messages are as new and fresh as the day
they were created. Their understanding of the physical and spiritual world
were very primitive, and restricted in many ways through superstition and
the myths and legends of neighbouring nations, who had little knowledge
or experience of the one true God. Yet, these limited people have gifted
humanity with the beauty and richness of their language and insights into
the being and nature of God! Psalm 8 is a wonderful example of how these
timeless words inspire and engage us in the worship and praise of our God.
“O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth! Your glory is
higher than the heavens. You have taught children and nursing infants to
give you praise.... I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you have set in place—what are mortals that you
should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us...?
1 O Lord,
our personal and shared God, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Creative pause: “O LORD, our LORD, the majesty of your name fills the earth!”


Those Psalmist/s were thinking BIG! No limp or weak phrases for them!
They did not place any limitations on the people who heard their words.
Instead, they invited you and me and all humanity to “ ...pray and praise
thee without ceasing”
[and to] “glory in thy perfect love” [whilst being]
...lost in wonder love and praise!”2 of our Great and Ever-Creating God.
The writers seemed to clearly understand the interdependence and links
between humanity and the created world, and the way humanity can, and
needs to learn so much about God, by observing nature. After naming
the various realms of nature and the “heavens” in his hymn of praise, the
writer adds: “God has made his people strong, honouring in the godly ones,
the ones that are close to God.”
Do we have to always be strong to praise
the Lord? Sometimes, I think it is when I am in my weakest moments, that
I praise my God in the most sincere and heartfelt ways for God’s mercies.

Creative pause: When I am at my weakest, is when I praise God the most!



Copyright information:
1 Extract from Psalm 8 from the ‘New Living Translation’,
© 1996. All rights reserved.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189 USA.

2 “Together in Song” #217
“Love divine, all loves excelling”
Words by Charles Wesley and in the public domain.

Acknowledgements:
*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:
© 2012 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year C. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: christmas1c_2012.pdf