32B*
A Call to Worship
Easter 2B 2018
Psalm 133

God of strength and power: we come in response to God’s Holy Presence with us.
We come to praise God, as our response to the way God empowers and guides us.

God of gentleness and calm: we come in response to the quiet promises of God.
We come to give thanks for God’s gifts of inner peace that lifts our life’s burdens.

God of community and togetherness: we come, joining together in thankfulness and
praises, in response to all God’s grace and mercy, which unites and bonds us as one.
We come to celebrate the way God invites us into fellowship with God’s-Own-Self;
and into community with God’s people - who inspire and support us in our faith journey. Amen.

Psalm 133
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
A psalm of David.

1 How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!

2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
that was poured over Aaron’s head,
that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.
3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing,
even life everlasting.

Prayers of Thankfulness and Praise
Easter 2B 2018
Psalm 133

God of strength and power: we come together with our praises in response to God’s
Holy Presence with us; and we give thanks for the way God empowers and guides us.
In response to God’s great goodness, we give thanks for the wonderful privilege it is
to be blessed by God’s care and protection of us; and for the gentle orderliness of our
life and our living. We acknowledge that life is not always smooth sailing; but when it is—
it gives us a special opportunity to celebrate God’s generosity and grace in blessing us
in this way. We give thanks for the blessedness of family love and life; for the real joy
of friendships with like-minded and trustworthy people; and for the challenges we meet
as we live amongst people who are different to us – but who welcome those differences.
“All praise to our redeeming LORD, who joins us by his grace, and bids us, each to each
restored, together seek his face. He bids us build each other up; and gathered into one…”1

God of gentleness and calm: we come in response to the quiet and trustworthy promises
with which God has so blessed us, and every generation since the beginning of time. We
come in response to the gentle strength that God gifts to us that empowers us in our search
for meaning in life; and for meaningful purpose and work that is fulfilling to us in our needs.
We come to offer our thanks for God’s gifts of inner peace that lifts our life’s burdens; which
helps us keep going when the way is rough and tough; and which inspires and rekindles in
us, that holy gift of hope . We give thanks that God has created communities of people to live
together in relationships, so we can learn from each other and be a blessing to each other.
“All praise to our redeeming LORD, who joins us by his grace, and bids us, each to each
restored, together seek his face. He bids us build each other up; and gathered into one…”1

God of community and togetherness: we come, joining as one in thankfulness and praises
in response for all God’s grace and mercy, which unites and bonds us. We come to rejoice
in the way God invites us into fellowship with God’s-Own-Self, to inspire and create within
us, a holy desire to be at-one with God in all our living, loving, thinking and doing. We give
thanks for the encouragement and support we receive in our faith journey from our fellow
travellers; and give thanks that we too, can also be a blessing to others in their neediness.
“All praise to our redeeming LORD, who joins us by his grace, and bids us, each to each
restored, together seek his face. He bids us build each other up; and gathered into one, to
our high calling’s glorious hope, we hand in hand go on… the common peace we feel…”1 Amen.

A Personal Meditation
Easter 2B 2018
Psalm 133

I always think that this is a most unusual psalm, and even wonder about the need
for David – to whom it is attributed – to create a psalm about living life in peace
and quietness! Was life so tempestuous; was life so filled with violent and stormy
emotions, that there was a need to sing praises to God for that quiet experience?
Were their journeys as pilgrims so dangerous and so fraught with tension, that they
sang about how precious it was to be in harmony with family and friends on their
way to worship God? Were tribal relationships so passionately intense that the
pilgrims used it as a song of praise as they travelled towards Jerusalem and their
worship of God the Temple? “How wonderful and pleasant…” Synonyms for ‘pleasant’
are agreeable, nice, enjoyable and satisfying; whilst synonyms for ‘wonderful’ are
amazing, breathtaking, fantastic and astonishing – rather a contrast in description!

Creative pause: Do you thank God for a peace-filled life?


In keeping with the opening verse, harmony is likened to the gentle flow of anointing
sacred oil as it trickled quietly down Aaron’s uncut beard. Harmony is also likened to
the gentle melting of snow on Mount Hermon as it seeped down into the valley below;
or the quiet absorption of dew into parched earth. There was nothing noisy, boisterous
or flamboyant about nature quietly going about its regular business; and there was
nothing dramatic or troublesome about Aaron fulfilling his priestly duties. Does life
always have to be confronting, argumentative or troublesome to be seen as being life
‘really lived’? Is there not a place for serenity, calmness and gentle co-existence? Does
a faithful life committed to God always have to loud, showy or flashy? I give thanks for
the quieter years of ageing - yet still involved - as younger others take their turn to lead.

Creative pause: A serene, calm and gentle co-existence is a blessed life!


I think that the last verse of this psalm quietly speaks volumes “…there the LORD has
pronounced his blessing…” Was it the peace-filled and serene life that was the source
of God’s blessing; or was it the faithful, gathered worship of God? In King David’s life
there had been many times of danger, temptation, trouble and despair; and in 2 Samuel
verse 1, through God’s wisdom, we are told that “…the LORD had given [David] rest from
all the surrounding enemies…” Was that life-experience why David so appreciated the
orderly and supportive co-existence that this psalm suggests; and why his thankfulness
for those blessings was so important to him? May God grant us that holy peace which
enables us to journey through life, enjoying its challenges, and celebrating its variety.

Creative pause: “…Be still, and know that I am God…!”2


1 From “Together in Song” #442
“All praise to our redeeming LORD”
Words by Charles Wesley
Words are in the Public Domain

2 Psalm 46: 10a (NLT)

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 help and inspiration so frequently available from the writings of Professor Walter Brueggemann and Professorial brothers Rolf and Karl Jacobson; and the resources from "The Text this Week" (Textweek).

If the Prayers and/or Meditation are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2018 Joan Stott –‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year B. Based on verses from Psalm 133.
Used with permission.

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

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