On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, during the second year of the reign of Darius as king of Persia, the LORD sent the prophet Haggai with a message for the remaining people in Judah, and especially for their governor, Zerubbabel, and their high priest, Joshua. This is what the message said:

How many of you can remember what this temple was like when it stood here in all its glory? How does what you see here now compare? Pathetic, isn’t it? It needn’t stay that way though.

Fire up, Zerubbabel, and get to work.

Fire up, Joshua. You are the high priest. Get to work.

Fire up, all you people of the land, and get to work.

Get to work, because I, the LORD who rules over everything, will be with you, just as I promised I would be when you escaped from the land of slavery. My life-breath is among you and within you, so you have nothing to fear.

I, the LORD who rules over everything, promise you this. Very soon I will again shake up the earth and sky, the oceans and the dry land. I will turn the nations upside down and shake out their treasures so that this temple will be full of splendour. All the world’s silver and all the world’s gold belong to me, the LORD who rules over everything. This temple is going to end up more spectacular than it ever was. From this place I will enrich all people. I, the LORD who rules over everything, have given my word.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We will declare you to be the greatest, God our king,
and put your name up in lights forever.

Every day, without fail, we will sing your praises,
we will honour your name now and forever.

You are wonderful, LORD; you deserve the highest praise,
and your greatness is more than we can comprehend.

Each generation tells the next what you have done,
and speaks with awe about your accomplishments.

We will fill our minds with your splendour and glory,
and with the stories of your amazing exploits.

Justice marks everything you do, LORD,
and generous love colours your every deed.

When honest hearts cry out to you, LORD,
you are right there alongside them.

You satisfy the desires of those who respect you;
you hear their cries and rescue them from death.

You watch out for those who love you, LORD,
and wipe out corruption when it threatens.

Your praises will be always on our lips, LORD,
and with all who live,
we will single out your name for the highest honour
forever and ever.

©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We sing like we’ve never sung before, LORD,
because you have done fantastic things.
With your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in
and came out on top.

Your victory has made the headlines, LORD,
now the whole world can see that you were right all along.

You have never defaulted on your rock-solid love,
or your loyalty to your chosen people.
From one end of the earth to the other,
everyone has seen your victory.

With all the world, LORD, we raise a noisy celebration,
singing our lungs out and shouting your praise.

The bands strike up in your honour, LORD,
filling the air with festive music.
With a brass fanfare and a dancing beat
we loudly celebrate your reign over us.

The whole creation joins in the celebration:
the ocean and its creatures roar their approval;
the land and its animals, cheer and stomp;
rivers and lakes give a standing ovation,
mountains and hills erupt in applause.

We put on the whole show in your presence, LORD,
celebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.
With you in charge we know things will be put right;
now every one on earth will get a fair go.

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sisters and brothers, on the subject of the day our Lord Jesus Christ finally comes and we are gathered together to be with him, let me speak as plainly as I can. Whatever you do, don’t go getting all jumpy about this. Don’t start flipping out because someone says that the day of the Lord has already been and gone; even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision or heard it from some authority, or even read it in a letter from us. There are plenty of hoaxes and con-jobs about these things. Don’t fall for them.

There are some things that have to happen before that day comes. There will be a great turning against God, and the appearance of the one who is a law unto himself. He personifies all that is destined for hell. Arrogant and charismatic, he will set himself up in opposition to all other religions and faiths, and demand that everyone give their ultimate allegiance and devotion to him alone. He will claim the place of God and promote himself as the supreme being. You remember these things, don’t you? I explained them all to you when I was still there with you.

You are greatly loved by God, sisters and brothers, and we can’t stop thanking God for you. From the very beginning, God chose you and set out to save you. Through our preaching of the message, God called you and you accepted the truth. Your trust enabled God’s Spirit to begin the reconstruction of your lives that will prepare you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, sisters and brothers, anchor yourselves firmly to the truth. Hang on tight to the traditions we taught you, both in person and in our letter.

Now may Jesus Christ and God who conceived us in love and in extravagant generosity gave us gifts of encouragement and hope which never end, give you real guts and strength in all you do and say for the cause of good.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

The Saducees were a religious group whose teachings denied the belief that God will raise the dead to life. Some of their members approached Jesus with a question:

“Teacher, Moses left instructions about the family responsibilities of a man whose brother dies leaving a wife but no children. The man is to marry his brother’s widow and their first child will be counted as the offspring of his brother. Now give us your opinion about this case. The first of seven brothers married a woman, but he died childless. The second brother fulfilled his responsibility to marry her, but he also died childless. The same thing kept happening until all seven brothers were dead and still there was no child. Finally, the woman also died. Now you say that the dead will be raised to life. If so, whose wife will she be then since all seven had been married to her?”

Jesus answered their question, saying:

“Here and now, people make a big deal about pairing up and starting families. But for those who are accepted into the life that lies beyond death, such things will be superfluous. They will no more start families again than die again, because they will be gathered into the great family of God and have no need of anything more. And if you really want to know whether the dead are raised to life, you can take the word of Moses for it. In his account of the burning bush, he addressed the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Obviously he does not mean that God is the God of corpses. Moses knew that to God, all of them were alive, for God is the God of the living.”

©2004 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.

If only my words of protest could outlive me!

If only they could be published somewhere;
engraved on a plaque in a public place,
or chiselled in giant letters on the rock!

I know that I have a guardian somewhere
who will stand up for me in the end and prove my innocence;
albeit when I’m rotting in my grave.

But I would see God now, before I die.
I would look God in the eye myself,
rather than have another stand on my behalf.

I knot up inside just thinking about it!

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Give me a fair hearing, LORD;
pay attention to my plea.
Listen to what I have to say,
for I speak without a word of a lie.

I want you to be the one who declares me innocent,
for you always see things as they really are.

Put me under the microscope and see what I’m made of;
make a snap inspection anytime, day or night.
Cross examine me as thoroughly as you wish;
there are no skeletons in my closet;
I’ve got nothing to hide
and no tracks to cover.

I don’t just conform to what others do, LORD;
I take my cues from what you’ve said.
I have avoided straying down the path of violence,
and kept my feet firmly on the tracks you’ve shown.

I am calling to you, God,
because I know you will help.
Tune in to what I have to say
and hear me out.

Put your rock-solid love on display for all to see.
You are the one who rescues and shelters
those who seek asylum from violent persecution.

Treasure me and keep me safe;
tuck me safely under your wings;
hide me from those who are out to get me,
from the predators who hunt me down.

©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 chose us as the first fruits for salvation
to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the first of your wonderful deeds
you created the heavens and earth, sea and land,
and every age proclaims your love and justice.
When your people faced ruin and discouragement,
your prophets spoke your word of promise
and the splendour of your worship was revived.

Through your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ,
your good news was proclaimed
and we were called from death to life.
When he was killed by those who oppose you,
you raised him to new life and through him,
you are making us children of the resurrection
and sanctifying us by your Spirit
so that when he comes again
we might all be gathered together to him,
never to die again.

Therefore with .....

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We thank you for choosing us in Jesus Christ
as the first fruits for salvation,
making us children of the resurrection
so that we might all be gathered together to him,
never to die again.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you chose us as the first fruits for salvation
to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the first of your wonderful deeds
you created the heavens and earth, sea and land,
and every age proclaims your love and justice.
When your people faced ruin and discouragement,
your prophets spoke your word of promise
and the splendour of your worship was revived.

Through your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ,
your good news was proclaimed
and we were called from death to life.
When he was killed by those who oppose you,
you raised him to new life and through him,
you are making us children of the resurrection
and sanctifying us by your Spirit
so that when he comes again
we might all be gathered together to him,
never to die again.

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 is near to all who call,
all who cry out from their hearts.
God hears their cry and saves them.

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

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Go now with courage, for God is with you.
Do not let anyone deceive you
but hold fast to the traditions of the Apostles
and put your trust in the God of the living.

And may our Lord Jesus Christ
and God our Father, who loved us
and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,
comfort your hearts through the Holy Spirit
and strengthen them in every good work and word.

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

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net