Jerusalem, I will speak out on you behalf;
I will stick to my guns and not shut up
until your name has been cleared in public
and you shine like the blazing sun at dawn,
safe and secure and radiant.

Jerusalem, the nations and governments around you
will all see that the LORD is on your side.
You will stand tall before them,
and take pride in the new name that God will give you.

You will be like a badge of honour to your God,
a gold medal hung around the LORD’s neck.

Never again will you be called “the reject”;
no more will your land be called “God-forsaken”.
Instead you will be called “the love of my life”;
and your land will be called “God’s own country”,
because the LORD sees the good in you,
and is committed to living with you for better or for worse.

Just like an eager young couple
giving themselves to one another in marriage,
so will you and your creator be united.
In the same way that they fall madly in love,
so will you and your God fill each other with joy.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

You unwavering love fills the universe, LORD;
your loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.

Your passion for doing right
is as solid as the mountain ranges;
your understanding of us
is as deep as the oceans.

You set out to save the lives of every creature, LORD,
and no one – not man nor woman,
not bird nor beast – is left out of your care.

Your love, O God, is our greatest treasure!
You keep a place for everyone
under the shelter of your wings.

You invite all who come to feast at your table;
the wine of your love flows like a river
and no one’s glass is allowed to run dry.

Life bursts forth from you like a fountain;
light shines from you and lights up our world.

Don’t ever give up on us, LORD;
keep loving all who trust you,
keep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sisters and brothers, let me talk to you about spiritual gifts. There is a lot of confusion about these things, so I want to make sure that you know what needs to be known. You’ll remember how confusing it was before you began following Christ - you were easy prey to those who make all kinds of claims and promises in order to seduce people into making gods out of material things. I want to make sure you’re not easily sucked in again, so I’ll try to make these things clear. A good rule of thumb is this: if someone says, “Bugger Jesus!” then you can bet your bottom dollar that they’re not getting their ideas from the Spirit of God. By the same token, if you hear people say, “For better or for worse, we’ll do what Jesus wants,” you can take it as read that they couldn’t have said that if the Holy Spirit was not a force in their lives.

When it comes to spiritual abilities, there is a huge variety, but you can trace them all to the same Spirit. There are all sorts of different ways of doing the Lord’s work, but it’s the same Lord who is served in all of them. Some people get enthused and energised about one thing, some about another, but it is the same God who fires the passions in both.

The Spirit is at work in everyone, and that work takes shape in each person in a way that will be of benefit to all. In one person you see it expressed in the ability to give wise advise; that ability has been given through the Spirit. In another person you see the ability to draw on a wealth of knowledge for the benefit of others; that too comes from the Spirit. Another person is able to keep trusting God when everyone else starts doubting, and of course faith like that comes from the Spirit. Someone else has a gift that enables them to heal the sick, and you guessed it, the same Spirit again! Someone else can work miracles, someone else can tell you what God wants you to hear. Another has the uncanny ability to discern what sort of spirit is behind whatever’s going on. Another is gifted with the ability to speak strange languages and still another with the ability to translate them. All these gifts, and more still, are triggered off in people by one and the same Spirit. The Spirit takes account of each person’s unique potential and decides accordingly how best to equip them.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

There was a wedding in the town of Cana, in Galilee and Jesus, his mother, and his disciples were all among the invited guests. During the celebrations, disaster struck - the hosts ran out of wine! Mary thought Jesus might be able to do something about it, so she told him, “They’re out of wine.”

Jesus replied, “Mum, the catering is not our job, not yours and not mine. And this is hardly the time for me to be drawing attention to myself!”

But Mary took no notice of him and went and told the drinks waiters to go and ask him for instructions. Now the Jewish people have a special ritual way of washing their hands before eating and so, at the wedding, there were six big stone water tubs provided for that purpose. Each one held about a hundred litres. Jesus pointed them out to the drinks waiters and said, “Top up those tubs with water.”

When they had filled them to the brim, he said to them, “Now, ladle some out into a carafe and take it to the Master of Ceremonies.”

They did as he said. When the MC tasted the water that had become wine, he was impressed. The waiters knew where it had come from, but the MC had no idea. He called the bridegroom and said to him, “You’ve got it all back to front. You’re supposed to serve your best wines first up. Once everyone’s had a skinful you can bring out the cheap stuff and they’ll never know the difference. But you’ve waited until everyone’s legless, and now you’re pulling the cork on the pick of the cellar!”

This action by Jesus took place in Cana of Galilee. It was the first indicator Jesus gave that he wasn’t just anybody. It gave people a glimpse of his glory, and it convinced his disciples that he was for real.

©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 give yourself to us in marriage
and intoxicate us with the wine of your love.

You created everything: skies, mountains and seas,
and filled the universe with your justice and faithful love.
You chose for yourself a beloved people
and in them the light of your salvation dawned for all nations.

You sent your child, Jesus Christ, among us
to gather all people under the warmth of your wings.
Sharing with us our joys and sorrows,
he brought forth new gifts in us
when we thought we had run dry.
When his hour had come,
he was cursed and killed,
but you raised him to life again
and through him, filled us with the wine of your Spirit,
equipping each one of us with gifts
to be used in your service for the common good.

Therefore with .....

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We thank you for your son, Jesus Christ,
who gathers us under the warmth of your wings,
fills us with the wine of your love,
and sends to us your Spirit to equip us with gifts
to be used in your service for the common good.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you give yourself to us in marriage
and intoxicate us with the wine of your love.

You created everything: skies, mountains and seas,
and filled the universe with your justice and faithful love.
You chose for yourself a beloved people
and in them the light of your salvation dawned for all nations.

You sent your child, Jesus Christ, among us
to gather all people under the warmth of your wings.
Sharing with us our joys and sorrows,
he brought forth new gifts in us
when we thought we had run dry.
When his hour had come,
he was cursed and killed,
but you raised him to life again
and through him, filled us with the wine of your Spirit,
equipping each one of us with gifts
to be used in your service for the common good.

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

The Lord’s mercy spans the sky
and our salvation lights up like the dawn.
Seek shelter under the warmth of God’s wings,
for the Lord embraces all life in tender mercy.

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

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Go now, with your trust in Christ
who has quenched your thirst with the wine of God’s love.
Do not be silent about God’s faithful love,
but shelter in the warmth of God’s wings
and keep your hearts honest.

And may God rejoice over you and call you “My Delight”;
May Christ Jesus bring out the best in you, to his glory;
And may the Spirit equip you all with gifts for the common good.

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

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net