08A*
A Call to Worship
Epiphany of our LORD, Year A 2017
Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

What does the Lord require of us, and what we do offer to the Lord?
Sharing God’s gifts of true justice, and in joy, to daily walk with God.

What does the Lord require of us, and what we do offer to the Lord?
Risking reconciliation, and walking in a trusting partnership with God.

What does the Lord require of us, and what we do offer to the Lord?
Sharing God’s gifts of compassion, love, joy and peace; and giving
thanks in all our prayers; as we walk each day in faithful hope with God. Amen.

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Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

1 Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king’s son.
2 Help him judge your people in the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly.
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful.
4 Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy,

and to crush their oppressors. 5 May they fear you as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon remains in the sky. Yes, forever!
6 May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass,
like the showers that water the earth.
7 May all the godly flourish during his reign.
May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.

10 The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute.
The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts.
11 All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him.

12 He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;
he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
13 He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them.
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are precious to him.

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Prayers of Trust and Petition
Epiphany of our LORD, Year A 2017
Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

We come to worship and praise our God who has a deep love and continuing
commitment to justice and equity for all creation. We give thanks that God has
always been the God of justice; who deals honestly and with integrity with all
peoples – and we are grateful that God is so consistent in dealing with all that
has been and continues to be created – especially towards humanity in all its
variations, similarities and differences. We give thanks that we worship the One
True God who listens to the cries of people who are poor, bewildered and fearful.
We pray that people who are oppressed know that God loves and cares for them.

Trustworthy God, we place our trust in you as we worship you, because we know
from past experiences, that God does hear and answer our prayers – although not
as we often have imagined they would be answered. We give thanks for the help
we receive from others who also love and care about each one of us; and that we
are part of a community of faith and trust, who pray for us and encourage us when
life is tough or wearisome through illness or disaster. We pray that God’s healing
presence will be very near to all people who are in need, bringing them hope and
a new sense of God’s gracious mercy and grace that comes to bless and help them.

God of all peoples and God of all nations, we pray today for the appointed leaders
of our nations, that they may lead wisely, and with compassion; so that their people
may live in peace and security, all the days of their lives. We pray especially today
for nations whose leaders are not wise, who are not caring or compassionate; and
who instead oppress and harass their people in ways that are wrong, and even evil.
We pray that our Justice-Loving God will speak wisdom and guidance to them, that
they may listen and learn the error of their ways; so that peace and harmony will once
again return to their people and their nation. God of justice and righteousness, hear
these our prayers and lead all your people to follow the godly ways of peace and joy. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Epiphany of our LORD, Year A 2017
Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

According to Professor Walter Brueggemann and other learned texts, the concept
of a national leader governing and caring for their people pre-dates God’s covenantal
relationship with Israel, and that it was an “...ancient Near eastern conviction.... that
the king has a responsibility to govern such that a viable political and economic
infrastructure is maintained for all members of the community. Specifically, the king
has the responsibility to support and sustain the life of the poor and marginal when
they have no resources by which to sustain themselves...”¹ The Hebrew Scriptures
(Old Testament) is not a secular history book, but the story of the people of Israel
interpreted from a faith perspective. It is about the way God interacted with a scattered
group of people, and how God moulded them into one race of people as God’s own
“chosen people”, as described in 1 Peter 2: 9-10a “...you are a chosen people. You
are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can
show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his
wonderful light. ‘Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people...’”



The prophet Ezekiel had a vision from God about the reasons for Israel’s failure to be
a nation of spiritual integrity and commitment, and in chapter 34, Ezekiel was scathing
about the results of poor and irresponsible leadership by “Israel’s Shepherds” – their
kings – with the suggestion that King Solomon, about whom is prayed for in Psalm 72,
was in fact a poor king, despite his special gifts from God. Because of the traditional
role of a king, we have the psalmist praying for their new king who would replace their
beloved King David as he ruled over God’s own people: “…Give your love of justice to
the king, O God, and righteousness to the king’s son. Help him judge your people in
the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly. May the mountains yield prosperity
for all, and may the hills be fruitful. Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children
of the needy, and to crush their oppressors...” This is a relevant prayer for all our leaders!



I believe that the first real ‘personality’ in the Old Testament was Abram/Abraham, who
listened when God spoke to him and then acted on God’s promises. I have always loved
the way David Kossoff wrote about the Old Testament leaders in his little book “Bible
Stories Retold” and how he made them so very real and authentic, and the way Abram’s
conversations with God were rewritten. Abram described God as a ‘voice’ that spoke to
his mind, and how God spoke into a “familiar velvety dark blackness” that Abraham knew
from past experiences was an initiation/preparation for a Godly encounter, when he would
again hear that ‘voice’. Kossoff underlined in his stories of the Patriarchs/Matriarchs that
the concept of a leader caring for those less privileged as described by Brueggemann, was
the way of life for true leadership. How well is God’s love of justice known about today?



1 Text by Professor Walter Brueggemann
& William H Bellinger Junior from “Psalms”
Psalm 72 , page 313
© 2014 Cambridge University Press

2 Hebrews 11: 8a (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:
© 2017 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year A. Used with permission.

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

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: epiphofthelorda_2017.pdf