A gathering of the most influential people of Israel made arrangements to meet with the prophet Samuel at Ramah and present their demands. They said to him, “You are getting too old to lead the nation, and the way your sons are going, they’ll never be up to it. It is time for a change of system. We want you to appoint a king to deal out justice for us. Every other nation has a king, and we want one too.” Samuel was horrified by their demand for a king and he went straight to the LORD in prayer about it. But the LORD answered him saying, “Go ahead and give them what they want. It is not only you they are turning their backs on; it’s me. They don’t want me as their ruler. This has been going on ever since I rescued them from their slave-drivers in Egypt. Over and over again they have turned their backs on me and run off after other gods. Now they are doing the same thing to you. So go ahead and give them what they want, but before you do, spell out to them in no uncertain terms what kings are really like once they are in power.” So Samuel went back to the people who were demanding a king and passed on the LORD’s message. He said, “Let me warn you what sort of ‘justice’ your king will deal out once he takes power. He will conscript your sons into his army, some as foot soldiers, some as drivers, some on horseback. He will appoint officers of various ranks to give them orders and lead them off to war. Of those who do not go off to war, he will press some into service on his farms to produce food for the troops, and others he will put to work manufacturing weapons and equipment. He will take your daughters too and set them to work cooking and baking and powdering the noses of the noblewomen. “He will seize the best of your land, your best fields, vineyards and olive orchards, and hand them over to his cronies. He will tax you heavily, taking a big cut of everything you produce and giving it to the freeloaders who serve him as officers and officials. He will help himself to the best of everything you have, your workers, your livestock, your equipment, everything. He will be constantly looking to squeeze a bit more out of you. It will be like being slaves all over again. Then you’ll be sorry and you’ll be begging to be rescued from your king, but it was your idea to have a king, so there will be no point expecting the LORD to do anything about it.” But everything Samuel said fell on deaf ears and the people continued to say, “No! Our mind is made up. We want a king and we will have a king. We want to be just like the other nations with a king to rule over us and rally the troops and lead us into war.” So Samuel said to the people, “Come on then. Let’s go to Gilgal and set a king on a throne for you.” So all the people gathered at Gilgal and there at the sacred site they crowned Saul as their first king. They offered up sacrifices to the LORD, asking for success and prosperity. When it was done, King Saul and all the Israelite people celebrated long and hard. ©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Thank you, LORD, thank you! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! I will stand and sing your praises in the face of every would-be god! Wherever I am, I turn towards your holy Temple and fall to my knees in gratitude, thanking you for your rock-solid love and loyalty; With everything you say and everything you do your reputation continues to go through the roof. The minute I called, you were there for me, you put steel in my spine, gave me the guts to go on. When the things you have been saying sink in, LORD, all the earth’s powerful rulers will give credit to you. They’ll join the party, singing and dancing in your honour, celebrating the wonderful things you do. As great as you are, you never think of ordinary people as beneath you, but you don’t waste your time on those who are pretentious and stuck-up. Although I must often walk into dangerous situations, you protect me from hatred and hostility; your invisible hand is always there, keeping me safe. You, LORD, have made plans for me and you will see them through to completion. Your love is as timeless and dependable as the rock; you have made us what we are and you never give up on us. ©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Why do we speak as we do? We have the same kind of faith as the psalm-writer who said, “What I say is what I believe.” We are no different. We say these things because that’s what we believe. We are quite sure that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead is not going to stop there. God is also going to raise us and you and reunite us all, together with Jesus. So, yes, everything that God is doing is ultimately for your benefit. God’s extravagant generosity just keeps reaching out further and further to more and more people, and so the flood-tide of gratitude just keeps swelling and all the glory goes to God. And rightly so. That’s why we never feel like chucking in the towel. We might look like we are going downhill fast, and it’s true that our bodies are falling apart on us, but on the inside we’ve never been better and God seems to be making us stronger and stronger every day. This run of trouble that we’re copping at the moment is really no big deal in the scheme of things, and it will make the final, infinitely jackpotted prize of glory all the sweeter. We don’t worry about how things look on the surface because the things that really matter aren’t visible. The things you can see won’t last long anyway, but these things you can’t see are rock solid forever. We know that the bodies we live in now are like flimsy tents and soon enough, they’ll be blown away. But no problem. Then we will get to move into the houses that God is giving us. They haven’t been knocked up by amateurs; they’ve been built by God to last forever in paradise. ©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Jesus was at home with his followers when once again such a big crowd gathered around the house that they couldn’t even get out to buy food. There was a rumour going round that Jesus was losing the plot, and when his family heard what was going on, they set out to take him in hand. The religious experts from Jerusalem had arrived too, and they were ready to give their opinion: “He has gone over to Beelzebul,” they said. “It’s all black magic. His power over the demons comes straight from the supreme commander of the demons.” But Jesus gathered the people around him and responded with a riddle. “If there is an attempt to expel the satan from our midst, could his own evil finger-pointing be driving the purge? Think about it. When an empire breaks into factions that undermine one another, it collapses. When a team is split and at war with itself, it all comes crashing down. So if the satan’s mob are divided because they have turned on their own, then he has shot himself in the foot and his game is over. “The fact is, no one can raid the house of a violent thug and carry off his belongings without first dealing with the thug himself. But if you can disarm him and tie him up, then you can help yourself to everything in his house. “I kid you not, people will be forgiven for all their toxic ways, even the most despicable things they have said or done. But those who spit in the face of the Holy Spirit when they see the good things that God is doing have gone too far. There is no turning around once you go down that slippery slope.” Jesus said this in response to allegations that he had teamed up with the forces of evil. When his mother and his brothers arrived, they sent a message in to let him know they had come for him. The crowd sitting around him inside passed on the message, saying, “Your mother and your brothers are outside and they want to see you.” But Jesus replied, saying, “Who are they?” And looking around at those who were with him, he said, “Here are my true family! My brothers and sisters and mothers are those who are doing what God wants.” ©2012 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.

In the cool of the evening breeze, Adam and Eve heard the LORD God walking towards them in the garden. They panicked and hid behind the some trees, trying to avoid coming face to face with the LORD God. But the LORD God was looking for them, and called out to them, saying, “Where are you?” The man said, “I heard you coming through the garden and I panicked because I was stark naked, so I dived for cover.” The LORD God asked, “Who pointed out that you were naked? It never bothered you before. Have you eaten fruit from the tree that I clearly told you not to eat from?” The man said, “It wasn’t my fault. You put this woman here with me. She gave me the fruit and I ate it.” So the LORD God turned to the woman and said, “What’s the story? What have you done?” The woman replied, “I was tricked into eating it by the snake.” So the LORD God passed sentence on each of them, beginning with the snake, saying,

“A curse upon you for what you have done. You of all the animals, cursed! You of all the wild creatures, cursed!

Down on your belly you go! Face down: you can eat dust for the rest of your life!

You and the woman will be sworn enemies. There will always be war between your offspring and hers.

Her offspring will go for your head and you will go for his heel.

©2014 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

From the depths of despair, from rock bottom, I cry to you, O LORD. I beg you to listen! Please tune in and hear what I’m asking! If you put black marks against our names for every failing, Lord, wouldn’t you have to write off everyone? But forgiveness is much more your style, and for this we adore you. I wait in eager anticipation for your presence, LORD. Everything inside me yearns for you and your promises fill me with hope. Deep in my guts there is a hunger for you, LORD, more pressing than a woman waiting for the birth of her baby, more impatient than a child waiting for a birthday; crossing off the days, one by one. O People of Israel, put your trust in the LORD! The LORD’s love never lets us down, and is always ready to rescue us from danger. It is the Lord who will bail us out when we are caught in the consequences of our own sin. ©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 steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever and your Word is exalted above everything. The Earth is the work of your hands, and you redeemed for yourself a people out of slavery. Though you sent prophets to warn them, they rejected you and clamoured for a king, When kings had done their worst and we were mired in unspeakable blasphemies, you sent your child, Jesus, to walk with us in the midst of trouble and extend your grace to all. When Jesus was condemned as unclean, and crucified it seemed that the ruler of demons had won, but you raised Jesus from the dead, binding death’s strong man and plundering his divided house. So now we do not lose heart for you are preparing us for glory beyond measure as the family of our Lord forever. Therefore with ..... ©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We give thanks for your child, Jesus, for you raised him from the dead, binding death’s strong man and plundering his divided house. So now we do not lose heart for you are preparing us for glory beyond measure as the family of our Lord forever. ©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion) We give you all thanks and praise, O God, for your steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever and your Word is exalted above everything. The Earth is the work of your hands, and you redeemed for yourself a people out of slavery. Though you sent prophets to warn them, they rejected you and clamoured for a king, When kings had done their worst and we were mired in unspeakable blasphemies, you sent your child, Jesus, to walk with us in the midst of trouble and extend your grace to all. When Jesus was condemned as unclean, and crucified it seemed that the ruler of demons had won, but you raised Jesus from the dead, binding death’s strong man and plundering his divided house. So now we do not lose heart for you are preparing us for glory beyond measure as the family of our Lord 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. ©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Truly I tell you, your sins will be forgiven for God’s steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever, and the work of God’s hands will not be forsaken. Christ Jesus has bound the ruler of demons and broken us free from the house of sin. Sisters and Brothers,   your sins are forgiven;     be at peace. ©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Go now, praising God’s name with your whole heart. Rejoice in the work of the Holy Spirit, even when others call it evil and denounce you as mad. Be the true brothers and sisters of Jesus by doing the will of God always. And may God extend grace to you and through you; May Christ Jesus walk with you in the midst of trouble; and may the Holy Spirit prepare you for glory beyond all measure. We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,    In the name of Christ. Amen. ©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net