At the outset, when God created the universe,
the earth was lifeless and shapeless;
a deep ocean of chaos, shrouded in darkness;
brooded over by the Spirit of God.

Then God called for light,
and light appeared.
God saw that light was a good thing,
and separated it from the darkness.
God named the light Day,
and the darkness Night.
Evening passed and morning came;
the first day was done.

Then God called for a clear space
to keep out the water on either side.
God made the clear space
and the water was split in two, above and below.
That is what happened,
and God named the space Sky.
Evening passed and morning came;
the second day was done.

Then God called for the waters under the sky
to be pooled into one place
and for dry land to appear elsewhere.
That is what happened,
and God named the dry land Earth
and the pooled waters Sea.
God saw that this was a good thing.

Then God called for the earth to produce vegetation:
plants and trees, rich with fertile fruits and seed,
and that is what happened.
The earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;
grasses and vines, shrubs and trees,
fertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.
God saw that this was a good thing.
Evening passed and morning came;
the third day was done.

Then God called for lights in the space called sky;
lights to shine from above and light up the earth,
to separate day from night,
and to mark out the months, seasons and years.
That is what happened;
God made stars to fill the sky
and two big lights:
a bright one to dominate the day,
and a soft one to take over at night.
God set them all in the sky
to light up the earth and determine day and night;
to separate out the light from the darkness.
God saw that this was a good thing.
Evening passed and morning came;
the fourth day was done.

Then God called for the waters to fill with living creatures,
and for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.
God created all the creatures that live and move in the water,
the enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish,
and every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.
God saw that this was a good thing
and set them up for life,
encouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas
and the birds to multiply all over the earth.
Evening passed and morning came;
the fifth day was done.

Then God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:
insects, reptiles, mammals;
animals of every kind, tame and wild.
That is what happened;
God made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth,
every kind of herd and flock,
and every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.
God saw that this was a good thing.

Then God said:
“We will make people in our own image,
modelling them on ourselves.
We will entrust to them the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, the flocks and herds,
and all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.”

So God created people as a reflection of God,
created them to be like God,
created them male and female.

God set them up for life,
and encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.
God told them to exercise control over the earth
and to manage the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air and every living thing on earth.

God said to the people:
“Look, I have given you the grain crops
that grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth,
and all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;
they are all yours for food.
I have also provided vegetation galore
as food for the animals, birds and creepy-crawlies,
for everything that lives and breathes.

So it all happened, just as God said.
Everything God had made was there to be seen
and God was delighted with it all.
Evening passed and morning came;
the sixth day was done.

With that, the universe was complete,
along with everything that fills it.
With the work finished,
God took the seventh day off.

After all the work God had done,
the seventh day was a well earned rest.
So God made the seventh day special,
a sacred day,
because that day was God’s day off
after all the work of creating everything.

So that’s the family lineage of the universe;
the story of how everything came to be.

©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Our LORD and ruler,
all over the world
the mere mention of your name sets hearts pounding!

Your glory fills the universe!

The gurgling of babies makes more sense
than the clever arguments of your enemies.
The innocent chatter of children
silences the venomous talk of your opponents.

When I gaze at your handiwork in the night skies
— the moon, the stars, the milky way —
the whole cosmos under your control;
I can’t help but wonder why you bother with us.
Why do you care so much for mere human beings
when we count for so little in the scheme of things?

And yet, for reasons known to you alone,
you created us almost on a par with yourself
and decorated us with the highest honours and glory.

You have even entrusted us with power over your precious creation;
you placed the future of all life in our hands:
sheep and cattle;
emu and kangaroo
insects, reptiles, birds, and sea creatures;
air, land and water and the planet itself.

Our LORD and ruler,
all over the world
the mere mention of your name sets hearts pounding!

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sisters and brothers, I finish my letter by wishing you every joy and offering these last words:

- get everything on track;
- take courage from what I’ve said;
- seek consensus;
- live in peace.

If you do these things, the presence of the God of love and peace will be known right there among you. Show warmth and tenderness when you greet one another as those dedicated to the Lord. All of God’s people send you their greetings.

May the extravagant generosity of the Lord and Messiah Jesus,
and the love of God,
and the tender solidarity of the Holy Spirit
be within and around you all.

©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

The eleven who were left of Jesus’s closest followers headed north to Galilee and made their way to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they found him there, they fell to their knees worshipping him, even though some of them were still in two minds about whether they could completely trust this experience of him. Jesus came to them and said, “God has given me the job of bringing everything in heaven and earth into line. Your job then is to go to all people everywhere, recruiting and training them to follow me. Baptise them, identifying them as people of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Train them to live the life I have instructed you in. And hold on to the knowledge that I am with you every moment, from now to the completion of the age.”

©2002 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,
and to join with the whole world
in declaring the greatness of your name.

In the beginning your Spirit brooded over the chaos
and brought to birth all the beauty and abundance of creation.
You created humankind in the image
of your own faithful love and desire,
dressing us in glorious splendour
and entrusting the care of the earth into our hands.

From our midst you brought forth your own child,
Jesus the Christ
— one with you, and the embodiment of your Spirit —
and through him you invited all people
to be baptised into your triune dance of love.
When he was killed, you raised him to life
and gave him all authority in heaven and on earth,
and in him, through the Holy Spirit,
you are with us always, even to the end of the age.

Therefore with .....

©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We give you thanks for revealing to us in Jesus Christ,
the faithful love and desire
which unite you with him and the Holy Spirit,
and into which you invite all people to be baptised.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
and to join with the whole world
in declaring the greatness of your name.

In the beginning your Spirit brooded over the chaos
and brought to birth all the beauty and abundance of creation.
You created humankind in the image
of your own faithful love and desire,
dressing us in glorious splendour
and entrusting the care of the earth into our hands.

From our midst you brought forth your own child,
Jesus the Christ
— one with you, and the embodiment of your Spirit —
and through him you invited all people
to be baptised into your triune dance of love.
When he was killed, you raised him to life
and gave him all authority in heaven and on earth,
and in him, through the Holy Spirit,
you are with us always, even to the end of the age.

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.

©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to Jesus Christ,
and it is on the authority of Jesus Christ
that the forgiveness of sins is declared to you and to all.

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

©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Go out into the world and live in peace.
Bear witness to the God of love and peace,
and make disciples of all nations,
teaching them to obey all that Christ has taught us.

And may God look upon you and take delight in you;
May Christ Jesus be with you always, to the end of the age;
And may the Holy Spirit lead you into the dance of love
that is the life of the Trinity.

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

©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net