Psalm 65 paints a picture of a renewed earth when all that is wrong with the world is set to right. But that vision can only be achieved through prayer and the gift of God’s grace.
This worship sequence includes congregational refrains taken from Joel 2 and Luke 18, the Old Testament and gospel reading that are paired with Psalm 65 in the Revised Common Lectionary on the 20th Sunday after Pentecost. In addition to the specific Sunday of the RCL, this confession sequence could fit with any service with a theme related to creation or the new creation. As always, you can adapt it to fit your own context and may choose to leave out the congregational refrain.
A Call to Confession: Psalm 65:1–3, NRSVUE
Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed,
O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
Trusting in God’s promises we dare to pray for forgiveness.
Prayer of Confession
Gracious, loving God, we join with the tax collector in praying,
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13, NRSVUE)
We see evidence of our shortcomings all around us.
The natural world is in disarray.
Some places are so dry the smallest spark causes raging fires—
fires that are untamed and consume all in its path.
Other communities have experienced the devastation of raging water—
water that swallows and drowns all in its path.
We have seen the devastation of mud slides and earthquakes.
Yet for many it is the small and the unseen that causes the most harm—
the grasshopper and beetle decimating crops,
the bacterial infection decimating bodies.
In all creation,
chaos grows and so we cry,
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13, NRSVUE)
We see evidence of our shortcomings all around us.
Wars continue to be waged between countries—
where egos and desire for riches take precedence over care for people.
In our own nation, we take up arms against each other—
waging war with ammunition and with words,
instilling fear of the other, of the government, of the future.
People are being treated like pawns—
useful for achieving success, but easily disposed of.
Among nations and our own people,
chaos grows and so we cry,
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13, NRSVUE)
We see evidence of our shortcomings all around us—
in our terse words
and the caring words withheld,
in the lies told
and the truth silenced,
in the hand raised in violence
and the helpful hand withdrawn,
in the stealing of time, money, and things
and the refusal to be generous with the gifts we have,
in our “othering” of people
and the denial of friendship,
in our acts of destruction
and our lack of care for this world.
In our own lives,
chaos grows and so we cry,
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13, NSRVUE)
If desired the refrain “chaos grows and so we cry, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” can be repeated several times, growing and then relaxing in intensity.
Amen.
[Silent Reflection]
Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 65:4–13, NSRVUE
In Genesis we read that, “when God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:1-2, NRSVUE). Our God created life and beauty out of that chaos and promises to do the same for us because God is “the Lord, [our] God and there is no other” (Joel 2:27, NRSVUE). It is that truth that gives us hope in the vision the psalmist paints in Psalm 65,
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
The chaos ceases and hope reigns,
For you are the Lord, our God and there is no other.
By your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
The chaos ceases and hope reigns,
For you are the Lord, our God and there is no other.
Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow;
the hills gird themselves with joy;
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks;
the valleys deck themselves with grain;
they shout and sing together for joy.
The chaos ceases and hope reigns,
For you are the Lord, our God and there is no other.
