Song of the ages

Psalm 148 and John 1 

This One commanded

This One created

This One now here with us 

We praise the Word

We praise You, Wisdom,

Jesus, we praise Your Holy being 

Sun and moon and shining stars

Heavens and waters and earth

praise You, present through all creation 

Promise and presence

Prophet and Messiah

Your song is sung through time 

Praise to our hope and help

Psalm 146 

We praise you Holy One! 

We sing our praise to you alone,

may the song endure,

your praises never end! 

You live, give life, 

you are always; 

Holy One, you endure,

your praises never end! 

You are our help,

you are our hope,

Creator of sea and land and sky, 

faithful through all of time. 

You are Justice,

you, Liberation,

you, help and hope

for the poor. 

Your way is release

for captives, sight

for the blind and home

for stranger, widow, orphan. 

You lift up,

you open gates,

you are Mercy

and Lovingkindness. 

We praise you Holy One;

we sing praise to you alone; 

may the song endure,

your praises never end! 

Magnificent

Psalm 93 

Holy One, she is Queen, 

majestic, magnificent,

she is resplendent authority. 

He established the world

and it shall not be undone. 

Your dominion is all;

You are timeless, eternal! 

Floods rise, Holy One,

floods rise, and raise their voice;

floods roar their awe of you! 

How the waters thunder: 

mighty, majestic, the waves, the sea – 

and you are more!

Holy One is so much more! 

We can trust your voice;

we affirm your unique holiness.

Forever, forever, Holy One,

our Divine Monarch Magnificent! 

Breathe Again

Confession, Thanksgiving, and Praise 

after Psalm 51:1–17 

for Ash Wednesday 

I stop.

Drop to my knees. 

I can see,

I will look,

all the ways I have not

walked Your Way. 

By my shame

I am brought

to my knees; 

in my sorrow

I fold my head low,

for I know

You know

there is nothing left

but to confess. 

I confess. 

Hear me fairly, 

look through Your eyes

of lovingkindness

that see 

and then choose not

to see

so I may breathe 

again. 

I stop. 

Drop to my knees. 

I can hear,

I will listen, 

in the chamber of my 

secret heart – 

oh, meet me there,

Merciful One, 

and whisper joy,

promise grace

as you have of old,

and I will lift my eyes,

throw wide my arms

and let you in

where You – to my surprise

and my delight – have told me

You will dwell! 

I thank you: 

this freedom,

this life,

this begin anew. 

I thank you

as I breathe

again. 

I stop. 

Drop to my knees. 

I can speak,

I will sing,

Your story 

and your glory

shining, shimmering,

sparkling glass of bubbling gold 

that overflows! 

Come near,

people dear: 

come sing the Song of Life,

the Song of Joy! 

We praise You,

Source of Life;

we praise You,

Way of Life;

we praise You,

Breath of Life,

and we breathe

again. 

Help us carry your light

Psalm 89:1–4, 19–26 

Advent 4: Love 

We praise you Holy One,

giver of peace everlasting. 

In the midst of chaos,

troubled politics,

contagious viruses,

droughts, fires, storms, floods,

be our peace, we pray. 

We praise you Holy One,

faithful in steadfast love. 

In the midst of chaos,

fraught family tensions,

loneliness and isolation,

ill health, grief, hurt,

be our healing love, we pray. 

We praise you Holy One,

redeemer of broken promise. 

In the midst of chaos,

overwork, no work,

relocations, dislocations,

ever new beginnings, 

be the promise we can trust. 

We praise you, Holy One,

light in and after the darkness;

help us carry your light wherever we go. 

Amen

Hope Restored

Psalm 78:1–7 

Listen, people of Holy One: 

listen to the Story. 

Hear the ancient chapters

of struggle, conflict, evil,

of distance from home

and Holy One, of covenant

broken and rejected, 

relationships broken,

Holy One and kin rejected. 

Hear the dark times 

told again: we will not

close our ears not hide

away, but tell what 

our ancestors did 

and came to know; 

we will tell for each new

generation of children 

of Holy One – They are 

faithful, inspire awe,

show love beyond measure, 

restore what is broken again

and again. 

Promises made again

Teaching given again

Covenant written again 

in the heart of the Divine

and Their people. 

Listen, people of Holy One – 

listen! 

Hear the Story of hope

that meets the people

of the only Holy One, 

the light that draws us on. 

You are wondrous

Psalm 106:1–6, 19–23 

Praise Holy One! 

Give voice to your gratitude,

for the goodness of Holy One,

whose lovingkindness endures always! 

We haven't the words

to say it all – 

the wonder of Holy One,

the depth of our thanks! 

But we know joy, living 

out your justice, sharing 

the love we know in you. 

Remember me, we cry, 

remember, Holy One, 

your people – do not forget. 

We want to rejoice, 

to celebrate the fulfilment

of your Dream. 

We know we have wronged you,

us, our ancestors before us; 

we have participated in tyranny: 

forgive us

forgive us. 

We make idols, worship images,

success, wealth, status, ourselves,

when we are made to worship you: 

forgive us

forgive us. 

We forget you, Holy One,

who hears our cries, who rescues

promises, redeems our lives: 

forgive us

forgive us. 

You could choose to leave us, 

unfaithful, inconstant, as we are;

we plead with you again, again, 

forgive us

forgive us. 

Thank you for not turning from us,

we sigh with relief, for our lives.

You are wondrous, awesome, faithful: 

help us remember

help us remember. 

Amen. 

Sing with your all

Psalm 149 

Praise Holy One! 

Sing a new song,

proclaim Divine wonder

among the people. 

Be glad in your Maker,

rejoice in your Liberator;

dance your praise, play

tambourine, piano, trumpet! 

Holy One delights

in their people,

showers blessings 

on the humble. 

Sing from where you are,

home, work, streets, fields;

sing with your being, 

with your love, your peace, your kindness! 

Praise Holy One!

Sing a new song,

proclaim Divine wonder,

dance, play, love! 

Breathe

Exodus 3:1–15 

In your presence

Psalm 124 

A prayer of thanks 

We give thanks for your Presence, Holy One:

when trouble threatens to swallow us whole,

in angry fires, on raging seas,

in wild storms, on rising floodwaters,

you do not desert us, we are not alone. 

Like prey released, or birds

set free from cage and snare

to fly again – this joy is ours

when we are in your Presence, Holy One: 

thank you, our help, our joy, our freedom! 

how pleasant it is

Psalm 133 

Song of our hearts

Psalm 105:1–5 

We thank you, Breath of Life; 

we call on your Holy Name

and sing of all you are. 

Our voices rise in song,

our hearts sing praise, sing

thanks, sing wonder for you. 

Your Holy Name gives us joy,

we seek you, you find us,

our hearts sing gladly! 

We seek you, we draw

our strength from you,

from being in your Presence. 

Remember, we remember,

your works, your wonders,

your wisdom: we remember! 

We thank you, Breath of Life,

guide to generations past,

hope for our future. 

We thank you, Breath of Life: 

your works, your wonders,

your Presence – praise your Holy Name! 

I Yearn for Mercy Still

Psalm 31:9-16

Sarah Agnew and Andrew Wright 

 

I feel the weight of these years,

oh, God, years of pain and distress;

 

my eyes are swollen and dry of tears

now, my bones all emptied of sighs.

 

This sorrow drags me to the ground,

drains my muscles and sinews of strength:

 

I yearn for your mercy, though

what on earth can mercy bring me now?

 

I mock me, I shower me 

in scorn — am I so much like death to repulse?

 

I flee from me, forget me, or worse,

I plot to take my life.

 

I yearn for your mercy, with trust,

for you are the Holy One.

 

I am in your hand —

what can I do to me then?

 

Your face at last shines light for me,

and I am safe in your steadfast love.

Sing praises with a Psalm

Acts 1:1–11 and Psalm 47 

Is this the time our nation

will rise again? Is this 

the time we have our own

king again? 

People, clap your hands, 

shout joy, sing loud,

to Holy One Most High,

awesome, king of all the earth! 

Is this the time to sing 

again, to shout our God 

is king of all the earth? 

Sing of God who sets 

our seat beyond the rest; 

sing of God, gone up with shouts

and trumpet sounds, sing praise,

sing praise, sing praises with a psalm! 

Why gaze into the clouds, dear

folk, when he is gone? 

Why watch the sky when he

has given you the earth to walk in peace? 

The princes gather? 

Our God is king – with shields

and throne and – ? 

Walk the earth in peace,

your God will come among you

as before and always, not as

the kings of earth. 

A Holy 'king', a Holy realm,

princes will be like all

the people of Holy One, 

exalting Holy One alone,

who are our shield, our song. 

This is the time, so sing

your joy aloud, so open

to the realm of God that comes

upon the earth: sing 

praises with a psalm!

A prayer for strength and sanctuary

Psalm 68:1–10 

Find your strength in Holy One, 

seek in God a sanctuary. 

Parent to the orphan,
we pray for the orphans in our world,
whose parents were taken by war,
by fire, flood, or famine; whose parents
are lost to drug abuse, or accident, to
illness, or poverty, or fear.

May orphaned ones find strength in Holy One,
may there be for you in God and God's people a sanctuary.

Home to the desolate,
we pray for the homeless on our streets,
the un- and under-employed,
the retrenched, the desperate and afraid;
those sleeping on benches, in cars,
in shelters, tents, cardboard boxes.

May desolate ones find strength in Holy One,
may there be for you in God and God's people a sanctuary.

Restorer of prisoners,
we pray for the imprisoned out of our community,
those immersed in justice systems
sometimes devoid of justice;
those spiralling down cycles of crime,
those reaching for change, education,
opportunity, for hope.

May prisoners find strength in Holy One,
may there be for for you in God and God's people a sanctuary.

Provider for the needy,
we pray for all in need today –
for the ill, the grieving, for isolated,
lonely people, for essential workers,
emergency, defence, health system
employees and volunteers; for teachers,
for leaders, for our families,
our friends and neighbours, and we pray
for ourselves.

[leave a time of silence]

May we find strength in Holy One,
May there be for us all in God and God's people a sanctuary.
Amen.

When in need

after Psalm 31:1–5, 15–16 

When I retreat,

I look for you,

Sacred Shelter. 

When I need rest,

I come to you,

Holy Home. 

When we are attacked,

we stand under

Wisdom's Wings. 

When we see injustice,

we stand with you,

Merciful Justice. 

When in need,

You are all,

Most Holy One. 

Amen. 

Holy Saturday Vigil

Psalm 31:1–4, 15–16



I withdraw into the embrace of Holy One:
comfort for pain,
healing for dis-ease,
nurture for weary bones

I trust in the justice and mercy of Holy One:
wisdom for life,
honour and dignity for all,
forgiveness, hope, peace

Holy One hears my cry:
sorrow
grief
loneliness
despair

My defence against attack is the love of Holy One:
I stand tall, feet planted
in Divine soil;
I thrive, drinking
Holy water

My courage rises when I stand in the right Way of Holy One:
Wisdom has shown
the path to rich life,
and there I follow

When I feel trapped, I look to Holy One for my freedom:
Holy One redeems their people
again and again; rescues,
and restores to right
relationship for healing and hope

I trust in the justice and mercy of Holy One:
wisdom for life,
honour, dignity for all,
forgiveness, hope, peace

The turn on the cross

Psalm 22 for Good Friday 



Forsaken

Alone

Unanswered

Faithful

Reaching

Despised

Scorned

Remembering

Faithful

Alone

Hounded

Spent

Thirsty

Mocked

Pleading

Faithful

Remembering

Remembering

Faithful

Proclaiming

A Psalm for Maundy Thursday

Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19



Holy One has heard my voice:
to that love I return my love.

I will call on Holy One forever;
my vow of loyalty I make before all.

Holy One I say to you:
I am yours forever.

I will sing songs of thanksgiving,
my praise I sing with joy.

Holy One hears my voice:
to that love I return my love.

I will call on Holy One always;
a vow of loyalty I will make each day.

Holy Week. Wednesday

Psalm 70



God is matchless,
benevolent,
virtuous:

God is good.
God will help me in my need.

My life is diminished
by my choices
by harm from others
by systems that oppress
and harm us all.

I am troubled:
I call to God in my pain

For God is liberation;
in God is my life,
my hope, my escape
from diminished life.

God is matchless,
benevolent,
virtuous:

God is good.
And in God I shall rest
for my help. Amen.