Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi had settled back in Judah and were eking out a living there. One day Naomi said to her:

“My daughter, it’s time I found you a husband so that you can have a home of your own and a secure future. You can’t just look after me forever. I think Boaz is the man for you. You have been working alongside the young women he employs and you know he has treated you well. He is a relative of mine too, so he has some responsibilities toward you. I’ve got a plan. Boaz is threshing grain at the moment, so he’ll be sleeping out at the threshing shed tonight. Go and have a bath, get your hair done and put on perfume and make-up. Dress up in something flattering. Then tonight, get yourself down to the threshing shed. Keep your eyes open but stay out of sight until he has finished eating and had a few drinks. Watch carefully and see whereabouts he lies down to sleep for the night. Then when the lights are out, it’s time to make your move. Tiptoe up, open up his swag from the foot and sleep with him. When he wakes again, it’s his call. See what he decides you should do.”

Ruth replied, “If you think it’s for the best, I’ll do just as you say.”

Well, the upshot of it all was that not long afterwards, Ruth and Boaz were married. The LORD blessed their love-making so that Ruth became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When he was born, the local women celebrated with Naomi, saying:

“The LORD be blessed! Today God has blessed you with a grandson to take care of you in your old age. May he grow up to be a man of renown, looked up to everywhere in Israel! He’ll sure put the smile back on your face and the spring back in your step. He’ll be there for you when you need him in your twilight years. He’s bound to be — it’s in his genes — he’s Ruth’s son and her love has been of more value to you than the love of seven sons.”

Naomi loved the boy to pieces, and from day one he was Grandma’s little boy. The local women all gathered for the naming ceremony and he was given the name Obed. The women still just called him “Naomi’s Boy” though. When Obed grew up he had a son of his own, named Jesse, and Jesse in turn had a son named David, who went on to become the King of Israel.

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Unless you’ve commissioned the building project, LORD,
attempting construction would be futile.

Unless you’re in charge of security, LORD,
our gates and guards are a waste of effort.

We could work ourselves to the bone for nothing;
first on the job in the morning, last home at night,
and what would we have to show for it?
Nothing but heartaches and ulcers.

You, LORD, long for us to slow down.
We can relax and trust in your loving care.

You have given us children, a gift to remind us to play;
time with them is worth more than overtime on double pay.

Good relationships with our children are the best insurance
when trouble comes and threatens to wipe us out.

The respect of our children will give us more joy
than any pat on the back from the boss.

When we give time and love to our children,
we will always be able to hold our heads high,
no matter who denounces our lack of “productivity”!

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Christ didn’t mess around with replicas and enactments. He was for real. He went into the real Holy Place — not our home made model, but heaven itself — and there he is now, in the presence of God, appearing on our behalf. It is not that Jesus has to offer himself to God over and over again. The old high priest had to go into the Holy Place in the temple again every year to offer a sacrifice of blood — not his own, but that of an animal. If Jesus had been required to follow the same system, he would have needed to come back and suffer on earth over and over again, from the day of creation to the end of time. It is not like that though. Jesus waited until time was almost up and then appeared once and for all. He came to remove sin, permanently, and he made the ultimate sacrifice to see the job through. Everyone has to die once — that’s just part of being human — and after that we face the music. Christ died once too — he absorbed into himself all the guilt and grief of the whole dysfunctional human race and sacrificed his own life to save them from it. Having done that once, he will appear again, but not to do the same thing all over again. This time he will appear for the grand finale — the great liberation of all those who have been eagerly anticipating his promised arrival.

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

A large crowd was gathered around Jesus in the temple to hear what he had to teach. He said to them, “Don’t get sucked in by high-flying religious experts. They love cultivating an image of profound sophistication, and basking in the adulation of a gullible public. They get a kick out of always being invited to appear at openings and premieres. At formal occasions they proudly take their place among the distinguished guests. But behind the scenes they are taking advantage of the weak and vulnerable, exploiting them for all they’re worth. Their long and polished public prayers are a mask. They’ll get what’s coming to them eventually.”

After this, Jesus sat down near the temple offering box and watched as people made their financial contributions. Many rich people clearly put in large sums of money. One poor old woman came up and put in a couple of small coins, less than a dollar in total. Jesus called his followers over and pointed this out to them, saying, “The fact of the matter is that this woman was the most generous giver of them all. The rest of them just gave a percentage of their surplus – money they’ll never miss. She, on the other hand, despite never having enough to make ends meet, has given her all – every last cent.”

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures, from which the first reading is usually chosen, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative.

The weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm.

During the terrible drought, Elijah got word from the LORD saying, “Go and live in the Sidonian town of Zarephath. There is a destitute widow there who I have told to feed you.”

So Elijah hit the road and headed for Zarephath. When he arrived on the outskirts of the town, he saw a destitute widow gathering firewood. He called out to her, saying, “Could you please bring me a cup of water; I need a drink.” As she went to get the water, he called out again, saying, “And grab me a chunk of bread too, please.”

But she stopped and said, “I swear by God, the LORD your God, that I haven’t got any bread to give you. I am down to the last handful of flour in my jar and the last dribble of oil in my jug. With them and the firewood I am collecting here, I will prepare one last meal for myself and my son, and when we’ve eaten that, we will starve to death.

Elijah said to her, “Don’t worry; it will be okay. Go and make the bread as you planned, but make two loaves. Bring one to me, and then share the second one with your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, is promising you: “The flour jar will never be empty and the oil jug will never run dry until the day that the LORD sends down rain on the land.”

She went and made the bread as Elijah had said, and they all had enough to eat for many days. The flour in the jar never ran out and the oil in the jug never ran dry. It was just as Elijah had said: the LORD had given his word.

©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

You are the best, LORD!
With all my heart I sing your praises.
I will never stop talking you up;
I won’t stop spruiking your goodness till the day I die.

There is no one but you that we can depend on, LORD;
not experts, not leaders, no one.
No human being can give what we most need;
no matter what their plans and schemes promise,
the minute they’re gone, their promises die with them.

But we hit the jackpot when we look to you for help, LORD;
when we put all our hopes in you – the God of our ancestors.
You are the one who made earth and sky,
who poured out the seas and filled them with life.
You are true to your word no matter what;
when people are ground into the dirt, you bring about justice;
when people are left to starve, you come with food.

You, LORD, set the prisoners free.
You, LORD, open the eyes of those who can’t see.
You, LORD, put the downtrodden back on their feet.

You, LORD, love those who do the right thing.
You, LORD, keep a caring eye on the asylum seekers.
You stick up for those who have no one else to stick up for them,
but you make the schemes of the corrupt backfire on them.

Take charge forever, LORD,
rule from your sacred Mountain for all time.
You’re the best, LORD. We’re with you all the way!

©2000 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 your love has embraced all people
and you are coming to save all who eagerly await you.

In the beginning you founded the world,
and nourished all life upon it.
You filled men and women with your creative love
and blessed the earth with children.

Whenever our work has been at odds with your plans
you have provided a path to forgiveness and reconciliation.
You came among us in your child, Jesus,
exposing the hypocrisy of the proud
and honouring the generosity of the humble.
The powers of evil had him killed,
but in his sacrificial death he removed our sins.
You raised him to new life
and made him the high priest
who appears on our behalf in your Holy Place,
as he prepares to return in glory
bringing your salvation to all the world.

Therefore with .....

©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We give thanks for your Son, Jesus Christ,
who sacrificed himself to remove our sins,
and who you raised to new life,
making him the high priest
who appears on our behalf in your Holy Place,
to save all who eagerly await you.

©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for your love has embraced all people
and you are coming to save all who eagerly await you.

In the beginning you founded the world,
and nourished all life upon it.
You filled men and women with your creative love
and blessed the earth with children.

Whenever our work has been at odds with your plans
you have provided a path to forgiveness and reconciliation.
You came among us in your child, Jesus,
exposing the hypocrisy of the proud
and honouring the generosity of the humble.
The powers of evil had him killed,
but in his sacrificial death he removed our sins.
You raised him to new life
and made him the high priest
who appears on our behalf in your Holy Place,
as he prepares to return in glory
bringing your salvation to all the world.

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.

©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Jesus Christ appeared once for all
bearing the sins of many
and offering himself to remove sin.
He will appear again to save all those
who eagerly wait for him.

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

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Go out and share God’s love with all.
Do not slave for things that are not life-giving,
but trust in God’s provision,
and give generously of all you have.

And may God watch over you and provide for you;
May Christ Jesus be to you a restorer of life;
and may the Holy Spirit lead you in the ways of humble generosity.

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

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net