29C*
A Call to Worship
Good Friday Year C 2010
Psalm 22

In the Lord our God, we will ever be thankful
In the Lord our God, we will rejoice.

God, you were the midwife when we were born.
Because of God’s care, we will rejoice in God all our days.

We gather to worship God with thanks and praise
as we remember God’s goodness to our forebears
Our forebears trusted in God, and you never let them down.
They worshipped God, so we too come to praise our God. Amen.



Prayers of Intercession
Good Friday Year C 2010
Psalm 22

On this holy day, as we remember God’s generous self-giving,
we come to worship the Lord our God. We remember with sorrow
and pain, how vulnerable Jesus was to the taunts, the aggression,
the blinkered vision, the wilful ignorance, and the apathy of people.

Gracious God, you created us to live together in relationships,
but there are many people who know pain and sorrow with their
relationships broken through selfishness or thoughtlessness.
Today we pray for vulnerable and suffering people: especially children
who have been abandoned; for the victims of rejection and violence;
for people in relationships that have turned sour by rumour or innuendo;
for all parents, especially those whose children have failed to meet their
expectations, hopes or dreams; and for the children who feel let down
by their parents or their society. May your love heal their wounds.
Father God - may your kingdom come and your will be done on earth.

Generous God, you created your world to be a place where people
could live in peace and harmony, but because of greed and the thirst
for power, there are many people who suffer untold agonies. We pray for:
nations whose leaders are corrupt; for people who are the victims of
torture and violence; for nations where corrupt leaders have misused
their people’s resources; for people who have been deprived of life’s
necessities and for people; and families separated by exploitation.
Father God - may your kingdom come and your will be done on earth.

Compassionate God, you created us to live and grow in health and
strength, and to enjoy the richness of your creation. However, many
adults and children are deprived of these basic human needs, and
so their life is diminished. We pray for people who lack strength due
to inadequate food; for people who are neglected, forgotten or ignored;
for people deprived of equal opportunities regardless of their age, gender
or nationality; for people who want to die, and for people desperate to live.
Father God - may your kingdom come and your will be done on earth. Amen.


A Personal Meditation
Good Friday Year C 2010
Psalm 22

Why have you abandoned me, O Lord my God?
Why is your voice so silent?

Creative pause: Where are you God?


As I seek you O God, my mood swings and
confusion is so painful as I swing from praising my God,
and then back to remorse again. I cry out to God!
How then can I reverently respond to my God?

Creative pause: The bigger picture beckons.


Yet, I know that the Lord my God is nearer than touch,
closer than breath, and more present than I ever imagined.
Despite the uncertainties of life, the Lord my God is holy
and unchanging, and I rely on the long history of God’s loving
care, it is very evident to experienced and discerning hearts.

Creative pause: Remembering God’s love.


I am of little consequence in the grand scheme of things.
My friends and neighbours scoff at my commitment to the
Lord our God, saying: “God could manage better without you.”
But regardless of the jeering, the Lord my God has lifted me up.

Creative pause: God values my unique gifts.


O Lord my God, never abandon me again, because in your
absence, my strength is gone, my courage has vanished like
the morning mist. I turn to you for help, for you are my Lord God.

Creative pause: God’s presence is always sufficient.


What a story I will have to tell to the community of the faithful!
I will give witness to the unending mercy of God, as God journeyed
with me through those pain-filled experiences. Now I can join with
past generations to give thanks for past mercies. I am quite convinced
that God’s generosity will continue on to the as yet unborn generations.

Creative pause: God’s merciful love is unending.



Acknowledgements:
Unless stated otherwise, all Bible readings and extracts used in these weekly Prayers and Meditations are from
‘The New Revised Standard Version’ Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

*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:
© 2010 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year C. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au

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