40B*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 1B - Trinity Sunday 2018
Psalm 29

The voice of our Three-in-One and our One-in-Three God calls to us:
We come in response to that call as we celebrate the mystery of God.

The voice of our Creator and Sustainer calls to us to come here together.
We come in response to that call, to be welcomed into God’s embrace.

The voice of our Peace-Giving and Empowering God calls to us to come
with our praises, to thank the God who speaks to us in many different ways.
We come in response to that call as we sing: ‘All glory be to the Triune God—
heaven and earth are full of your glory – throughout all time and all eternity!’
Amen.



Psalm 29
A psalm of David.

1 Honour the LORD, you heavenly beings;
honour the LORD for his glory and strength.
2 Honour the LORD for the glory of his name.
Worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness.

3 The voice of the LORD echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders. The LORD thunders over the mighty sea.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars;
the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD strikes with bolts of lightning.
8 The voice of the LORD makes the barren wilderness quake;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare.

In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
10 The LORD rules over the floodwaters.
The LORD reigns as king forever.
11 The LORD gives his people strength.
The LORD blesses them with peace.


Prayers of Praise
After Pentecost 1B - Trinity Sunday 2018
Psalm 29

With the voice of love and welcome, our Three-in-One and our One-in-Three God calls
to us, and we come in response to that call as we gather together to celebrate the mystery
and revelations of our God. We join with the songs of heaven and earth to honour and
revere our God, who has been our past; who is with us now in the present time; and who
will be there ahead of us into the future. We sing our songs of praise because our God
is behind, around and ahead of us in our daily pilgrimage; and the encouraging voice of
God blesses us as we faithfully follow the path of being in a right relationship with God.
We praise our loving and welcoming God as we rejoice in the knowledge that “God is love,
and gently enfolding all the world in one embrace, with unfailing grasp is holding every
child of every race…”
1 and that the embrace of God is all inclusive and never fails us.

With the voice of love and welcome, our Creator and Sustainer calls to us to come here
together, and we come in response to that call, to be welcomed into God’s the fellowship
of God’s community - God who is the Origin, Purpose and Completion of all that is and all
that will ever be. “…God who laid the earth’s foundation, who spread the heavens above,
and who breathes through all creation, God is love, eternal Love…”
1; and so we praise
our God for being the Source of all life and beauty, and who has become known to us as
the complete expression of love and fidelity. As we gather to worship our God on this holy
day, we praise “…God’s eternal loving kindness holding, guiding, grace imparts…”1; and
that with that grace, guidance and kindness - there is also mercy, forgiveness and renewal.

With the voice of love and welcome, our Peace-Giving and Empowering God calls to us
to come with our praises, to thank the God who speaks to us in many different ways. We
come in response to that call as we sing: ‘All glory be to the Triune God, heaven and earth
are full of your glory – throughout all time and all eternity!’
As we celebrate the empowering
love of our God, we praise God for giving us the strength that helps us to overcome our
times of weakness and fragility; for giving us comfort in times of distress; for forgiveness
that covers all our failures when we are separated from God; and for God’s inner peace
that embraces and supports us in times of disaster. We praise and bless God’s holy voice. Amen.


A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 1B - Trinity Sunday 2018
Psalm 29

This psalm of celebration commences with the instruction for the whole of creation
to honour the LORD! Those instructions are fulfilled in this hymn: “God is love, let
heaven adore him; God is love, let earth rejoice; let creation sing before him, and
exalt him with one voice….”
1 The verses of this hymn continue to honour and praise
the Creating God of the universe who “…breathes through all creation…”1 with the
voice and breath of love. The psalm goes on to describe how “the voice of the LORD”
communicates in various ways with all that God has and is creating. The palmist sings
that God’s voice has an effect on various inanimate elements of God’s creation – and
that they recognise and respond to their Creator’s voice. When one thinks about that—
it would be fascinating to listen to a tree or a mountain communicating with God – we
would probably learn a thing or two about giving thanks - and the true worship of God!

Creative pause: Learning from nature the true meaning of worship?


Many people who are hearing impaired are still able to listen to God’s voice as they
develop a special spirituality that enables them to respond and joyfully interact with
their Creator. I believe that one of God’s great gifts has been of people ‘signing’ for
others who are deaf; so that even without an audible voice – any message can be
shared with the people who would normally miss out on important or precious words.
The psalmist continued to proclaim the blessings and glory of God’s voice: “…The
voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic…”;
which Rees’ hymn
words confirms: “…God’s eternal loving kindness holding, guiding, grace imparts…”1
God’s voice actively and consistently reveals and shares God’s merciful and gracious
Self with all that God has created and continues to create. How blessed are we for this!

Creative pause: If only we had even a little of God’s generosity!


But how do we recognise God’s voice amongst the many “voices” that are perpetually
screaming their diverse messages? Timothy Rees gives us a few clues when he wrote
that God “…breathes through all creation…”1 and “…God’s eternal loving kindness
holding, guiding, grace imparts…"
1 The breath of God is life-giving and life-restoring—
and the grace, guidance, and embrace of God is demonstrated every hour of every day
and night. If we are having trouble in recognising God’s “voice” – we are not listening in
a receptive manner – because the presence and voice of God continually speaks to us.
Then we have to interpret that life-giving, life-restoring message! On this Trinity Sunday,
we are reminded that the Three-In-One-God intercedes for us in our confusion and guides
us into the eternal truth; and “…pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will…”2
because “…The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.”

Creative pause: The Three-In-One-God intercedes for us in our confusion.


1 From “Together in Song” #153
“God is love, let heaven adore him”
Words by Timothy Rees
© Oxford University Press Used with Permission.

2 Romans 8: 27(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 29.
Used with permission.


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

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost1b_2018.pdf