05C*
A Call to Worship
Christmas Day (iii) Year C 2012
Psalm 98

We come, singing our joy-filled song of praise to our God,
who is the very breath of our life and love within our beings.
We come, singing a reverent song of praise to our God.

We come, with our prayers of praise and thankfulness
to the God, who hears and answers our yearning prayers.
We come, with the knowledge that God never ever fails us.

We come, confident in our Remembering God, who never
forgets the children created in God’s womb of nurturing love.
Yes, we do come, with purpose and with delight, to worship
our God who has won the greatest of victories - through love. Amen.

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Prayers of Praise
Christmas Day (iii) Year C 2012
Psalm 98

On this special day, we come to joyfully sing praises to our God!
We come, joined in love and fellowship, to offer our shared praises
to our Remembering God - who has loved us from the first moment
of our conception; who will love us until the last feeble beat of our
heart, and the last faltering thought flows within our brain; and who
will finally welcome us into our eternal rest and home through God’s
love. As God’s beloved children, we offer our praises for all that
God has blessed us with, and especially for giving us glimpses of
God’s holiness and gracious mercy; and for that eternal hope of
being in a closer relationship with our Saving and Redeeming God.
We sing a new song of praise to our Wonderful and Glorious God.

On this special day, we come to offer our prayers of praise and
thankfulness to our God, because of God’s announcement to all
of creation, that the victory has been won over evil - for all times!
At the same time, God revealed the righteousness and holiness
that is God’s to all people who have eyes to see; ears to hear;
and a heart and mind open enough to accept the glorious truth
about our God. So, now, all the earth, with all its inhabitants and
its created structures, will be blessed as they learn God’s holy plans.
We pray a new prayer of praise to our God of Creative Love and Life.

On this special day, we come to celebrate with confidence, our
convictions about our Gracious and Nurturing God! Our God has
so generously offered us the opportunity to be a part of God’s
purposes and plans for all of creation. Today, we can confidently
rejoice in God our Saviour; and we can join with all creation in our
songs and prayers of joy-filled praises for all that God has done.
We celebrate a new and personal understanding of our Saving God. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Christmas Day (iii) Year C 2012
Psalm 98

The old children’s game of “Memory” was a great favourite of mine,
when blindfolded, we had to identify a tray of items varying in smell,
texture, weight or shape. Of course, there were always trick objects
shaped to resemble other objects. Some heartless tricks were played
on their victims in the course of the game! Memory is a wonderful gift,
especially in the way it combines, connects and enriches our past
experiences; past events; and links with people. Memory then merges
all these blessings together into a large and beautiful tapestry of life
and living! I especially love the way memory creates links together
musical memories; one’s sense of smell; and the texture of objects.
The Psalmist, through his life experiences of worship and God, was
deeply convinced that God remembered all the promises made to God’s
people; especially the promises to always love and bless them; and
to be faithful in fulfilling past promises - and God proved him right.



The most wonderful experience for me of the connection between music
and memory was in 1995, when I was in China at the United Nations
Women’s Conference, and the United Nations “Anthem” “Ode to joy” –
part of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony - was played at the official Opening
Ceremony by an all-women’s orchestra in a huge open-air sports stadium.
I next experienced that music in Beijing whilst attending worship, when
it was again sung as a tune for one of their hymns. Our representative
group all sung lustily in English, and yet, still felt very much in fellowship
with those persecuted people. I next sang it in the Pacific Islands, when
that tune was again sung, but in their unaccompanied natural harmony.
And finally, we sang that tune in my first Sunday home. The memory of
those events become bonded into an unforgettable spiritual blessing of unity.
God still speaks, his word unchanging, God the first, and God the last.”**
God still speaks, remembering all God’s promises, and God is still fulfilling
them each and every day, to and for all people who love and serve their
Lord. The Psalmist encourages us all to joyfully “....sing and shout God’s
praises...”, and doing that has been one of my life’s richest experiences!

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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.

**“Together in Song” #159:
“God still speaks, his word unchanging,....”
Words by George Wallace Briggs 1875-1959 (alt)
Used with Permission, Word of Life International Licence #2425

*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: christmasdayiiic_2012.pdf

© 2012 Joan Stott - " The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year C