Sunday 31st January 2021: A psalm of praise

 BURTON JOYCE 

COMMUNITY CHURCH

Sunday 31st January 2021 

This act of worship has been prepared for us by Phil Colbourn. Spend a few moments with God, knowing that other people are also sharing it with you. 

Let’s begin by singing SoF 879: 

Let all the world in every corner sing! 

Opening Prayer 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Say: The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

O Lord, Mother, Father, make haste to help us. Jesus, Healer of all ills, make me whole; give me an inner strength. Holy Spirit, breathe in me. Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord! 

Praise the Lord! In, out. In, out. Breathe. Amen

We sing SoF 466: 

Praise, my soul, the king of heaven

Confession

Lord, in your mercy, receive us. In your mercy, hear us. In your mercy, forgive. We are unprofitable servants, doing what we should not & not what we should. We rely upon your word of grace. We are forgiven in Christ our Lord. Amen

We sing SoF 72: 

Come, let us sing of a wonderful love

This morning’s reading is Psalm 111 

Great are your works, O Lord!

Reflection

This is a psalm of praise but it is also one that asks us to stop and think (v2). God is good, yes, but why is God good? This is also a “church going” psalm. It is a long time since we’ve had a church meeting but that is what is happening here (v1): When we gather, I will praise you for all the great things you’ve done. In the time of Covid, obviously, we do it together, apart.

Why is God great? Let’s think about it, the psalmist says. Perhaps because God does what is right (v3). Perhaps because God acts with compassion and grace (v4). Perhaps because God supplies our every need (v5). This gives us a clue.

As Christians we read this psalm in the light of Christ. Jesus taught us to pray: Our Father, Give us this day our daily bread. This God is recognisably the same God. But, wait a minute, what about verse 6? Whatever the psalmist may have meant originally; our understanding of God is conditioned by knowing Jesus.

For Jesus, and us, the only valid power is love; not military strength, politics or economics. Rome was not won in a day. In fact, it took years of faithful, loving living before God’s people won over the Roman Empire. Not by power or by might,says the Lord, but by my Spirit; that is, the Spirit of love. It took a long time by our standards but the love of Christ did win through in the end. 

The second half of the psalm repeats the thoughts of the first before coming to a conclusion: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. From here, if we wish, we can go to Proverbs (1 v7) and then Ecclesiastes (e.g., 3 v10-14) to learn more! But in the end, the psalmist circles back to the beginning: I will praise the Lord because God is good & can always be relied on to do what is right from the very best of loving motives. Don’t give up on God. Jesus shows us everything we need to know. God is good. God cares. God loves us, every one. Amen

We sing Hymn SoF 1566: 

Through all the changing scenes of life 

Prayers of Intercession 

Almighty God, have mercy on this troubled world of ours. We are pilgrims, captive to our own frailty & yet you have made us in your image & we bear within us your Spirit of life. Give us faith to walk joyfully into the unknown, hope to comfort the despairing & love to hold all humankind in our hearts. Amen¹

And so, we pray for those in need everywhere and in all circumstances. Come to them, O faithful One. Comfort them. Hold them in your arms. Console, revive & strengthen and provide, supply & furnish them with riches beyond imagining.

We pray for the world, for leaders and politicians and everyone with influence; for our own country in this dreadful condition: for work, food, rest & support; for all who grieve, remembering each & everyone of those who have died.

We pray too for all who long to meet with friends, family, loved-ones & cannot. We pray for the church in every place, especially areas of conflict and trouble and here, locally, for the church and the community and our own fellowship

[A time of quiet for special prayers] 

Hear our prayer, In Jesus’ name, Amen

Lord, keep my vision clear. Keep me open to your light. Help me to respond to others with kindness and generosity. Give us all the wisdom to concentrate on what really matters. Go with us in peace each and every day. Amen²

We join together to say the words of the Lord’s Prayer

Let sing SoF 220: 

I know not why God’s wondrous grace 

Blessing 

May the love of God shown to us in our Lord Jesus Christ draw us to himself, may the power of this love as revealed in the Lord Jesus strengthen us in his service & may the joy of the Spirit of Jesus fill our hearts, now & always. Amen. 

^1. Shiela Cassidy in The Way of Healing 

^2. Eddie Askew, A Silence & a Shouting