The apostles were arrested for a third time and dragged before the authorities. The High Priest tore strips off them, saying, “You were ordered by this court to stop spreading the teachings of Jesus, but now the things you’ve been saying about him are all over town. And what’s more, you are determined to make us wear the blame for his death.”

But Peter, backed up by the other apostles, said, “Whenever obeying God and obeying some mere human authority are at odds with each other, we have no choice but to obey God. You had Jesus strung up on a post and killed; but God — the very same God our ancestors worshipped — raised him back to life again. What’s more, he is now God’s right hand man. God has given him the top job, as Leader and Saviour, so that he might give the nation the chance to turn back to God and have their sins forgiven. We know about these things, first hand, and it’s our job to tell the truth about them. And our partner in this task is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to all who take their cues from God.”

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Our energy and strength come from you, LORD;
our peace and safety were won by you.

The sound of singing rings out
from the homes of all who are honest and true.
They sing of what you have done, LORD,
for you raised your hand and saved the day.

Now we know that our lives are safe;
we will live to tell of what you have done.
You gave us the tough medicine we deserved, LORD,
but you didn’t let death get its claws into us.

The minute they open the city gates
— the gates of justice —
we’ll be the first through, LORD;
eager to tell you how thankful we are.

These gates belong to you, LORD,
those you have put right can come on through.

Thank you for answering our prayers, LORD;
for coming to our rescue and putting us right.

From a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile
you cut and polished a priceless jewel.
This is obviously your work, LORD,
and we can hardly believe our eyes!

Today is your day, LORD, a day to honour you;
we will celebrate with joy and laughter.

Get us through safely, LORD!
In the tasks ahead, give us success!

The one who comes in your name, LORD,
is the one who is truly blessed.
Gathered here in your house,
we praise you for sending him.

You, LORD, are our only God,
and you light up our lives.
In a great procession,
we march to the sacred place,
waving branches and banners;
tossing flowers in the air.

You are our God
and we give you thanks.
You are our God
and we give you our highest acclaim.

Thank you, LORD, thank you!
Thank you for your goodness!
Thank you for your love —
rock solid and timeless!

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

All praise to you, LORD!

We sing your praises in the house of worship;
we sing your praises in the open air!

We give you all the credit for the amazing things you have done;
we openly declare that your greatness
is in a league of its own!

The bands strike up with songs dedicated to you,
making every kind of music in your honour.

For you, the haunting sounds of the didgeridoo!
For you, the jazz band’s wailing horns!
For you, a funky bass riff!
For you, the fieriest fiddles!
For you, screaming guitars!
For you, drums and cymbals!
For you, a polished choir!
For you, a full-blooded orchestra!

All who can breathe, sing;
all who can stand, dance;
and all to sound your praises, LORD!

All praise to you, LORD of all!

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

A message from me, John, to you, the seven churches in the region of Turkey:

Greetings and best wishes. May the One who is and who was and who is yet to come be generous to you and give you peace. May the seven spirits who gather around heaven’s throne do likewise for you. And so too may Jesus Christ. He is the key witness whose testimony will not be silenced, no matter what. He is the first one to have been reborn from the grave. He is the one to whom everyone who holds power on earth must answer.

All glory and power to Jesus Christ,
for he loves us.
He cut us loose from our sins,
even spilling his own blood to get it done.

He made us citizens of a new global domain
and priests in the service of his God and Father.
All glory and power to Jesus Christ,
from now to forever. So say all of us!

Be on the watch - he’s on his way!
Rolling in on the clouds - no one will fail to see him.
Even those who cut him down will have to look,
and the sight of him will cause weeping and wailing
from every race and nation on earth.

That’s the long and the short of it, and so say all of us!

“I’m the first and the last; the be all and end all,” says the Lord God, the invincible one, who is and who was and who is yet to come.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

It was a Sunday – the first day of the week – when the tomb was found empty. That same evening, the disciples met together. They locked all the doors of the house where they were meeting because they were afraid of being tracked down by the religious authorities. Suddenly, Jesus appeared and stood among them saying, “Good evening to you all!”

He proceeded to show them the deep scars in his hands and side. The disciples, of course, were over the moon at seeing the Lord again. Jesus spoke again, saying, “All the best to you. God sent me into the world, and in the same way, I’m sending you.”

Having said that, he breathed a big breathe onto them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit; all of you. If you forgive anyone who has sinned, then their sins are forgiven. If you withhold forgiveness for any sins, they remain unforgiven.”

When this happened, Thomas – known as “the Twin” and one of the twelve – was missing. The other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord, but they couldn’t convince him. “I’m not falling for that one!” Thomas replied. “I’d have to see the nail holes in his hands before I’d believe it. In fact I’d have to feel the holes myself, and touch the spear wound in his side.”

A week later, the disciples again gathered behind locked doors in the same house, and this time Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors, Jesus came and stood among them again and said, “Good evening to you all!”

Then he turned to Thomas and said, “Here are my hands, Thomas. Put your finger here in the wound.” And pulling up his shirt, he said, “And here is my side. You can put your hand in the hole. Let go of your doubts and trust me.”
Thomas, of course, was blown away, and said, “You are my Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Believing is not that hard when you’ve seen me, is it? Imagine how much God will smile on those who put their trust in me without ever having seen me!”

The disciples saw Jesus do many other things that demonstrated to them the reality of who he was, but they have not all been written down in this book. But what has been written here has been written for you, dear readers, so that you will know enough to see that Jesus is the anointed One – the Son of God – and so that by putting your trust in him you can come to have real life: the life that he lived and shares.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you meet us in our doubts
and fill us with life and peace.

You are the one who was and is, and is to come
— the beginning and the end —
who breathed life into the earth and its creatures.
Our ancestors put their trust in you
and celebrated your mighty acts of salvation.

You sent your child, Jesus,
as a faithful witness to your goodness and love.
He was killed by the powerful,
but you raised him, as the firstborn from the dead.
Appearing behind the locked doors of our fear
he breathed Holy Spirit into us
and commissioned us
to carry his words of peace and mercy to the world.
Seated at your right hand as Leader and Saviour,
he frees us from sin
and makes us a kingdom of priests
to serve you forever.

Therefore with .....

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We thank you for your risen Son, Jesus,
the firstborn from the dead,
who meets us behind the locked doors of our fear
and breathes Holy Spirit into us,
commissioning us to proclaim peace and mercy to all the world.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you meet us in our doubts
and fill us with life and peace.

You are the one who was and is, and is to come
— the beginning and the end —
who breathed life into the earth and its creatures.
Our ancestors put their trust in you
and celebrated your mighty acts of salvation.

You sent your child, Jesus,
as a faithful witness to your goodness and love.
He was killed by the powerful,
but you raised him, as the firstborn from the dead.
Appearing behind the locked doors of our fear
he breathed Holy Spirit into us
and commissioned us
to carry his words of peace and mercy to the world.
Seated at your right hand as Leader and Saviour,
he frees us from sin
and makes us a kingdom of priests
to serve you forever.

Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

God has exalted Jesus Christ, as Leader and Saviour,
that he might turn us back to God
and free us from our sins by his blood.
All who put their trust in him, have life in his name.

Sisters and Brothers,
  your sins are forgiven;
    be at peace.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Go now to love and forgive,
for as God sent Christ,
so now Christ is sending you.
Obey God above any other authority
and bear witness to Christ’s resurrection life.

And may God continue the work of salvation in you;
May Christ Jesus meet you in your doubts and fears;
And may the Holy Spirit fill you with peace
and speak through you with mercy.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
   In the name of Christ. Amen.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net