King David made himself at home in his new palace and, thanks to the LORD, there was no trouble from Israel’s enemies for some time.  One day the King consulted Nathan the prophet, and said to him, “It doesn’t seem right for me to be living it up in a palace built of the finest materials while the sacred Ark of God is still in a tent. It’s as though God was sleeping rough!” Nathan replied, “The LORD is with you, so go ahead and do whatever you think should be done.” But Nathan had spoken too soon. That same night, the LORD gave him a different message to pass on to King David. This is what it said:

David, I am the LORD and you are my servant, so listen to what I have to say to you. What makes you think that you are the one to build my house? I’ve been on the road with nothing more than a tent ever since I led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. I didn’t need a house then and I don’t need one now. You’re not the first caretaker I’ve appointed for the tribes of Israel, and you won’t be the last, so think about it – have I ever gone whingeing to any of them and demanded a fancy house?

Now listen to me, and listen good. I am the LORD who rules over everything. I made you what you are today – the leader of my people. If it wasn’t for me you’d still be cleaning up after the sheep. I’ve never let you down, wherever you’ve gone. Whenever enemies have attacked you, I’ve dealt with them, right before your eyes. Thanks to me, you will be known as one of the most famous people who ever lived.

I have chosen a place for my people Israel, a place where they can put down roots, a place to call their own. They won’t need to be looking over their shoulders all the time, because there won’t be any more trouble from the barbarians who have plagued them for so long. For the first time since the days when I sent the legendary heroes to bring justice to my people, Israel will be at peace.

What’s more, I the LORD give you my word that I will make you the foundation stone of a great house. I will see to it that by the time your number’s up and you’re buried alongside your ancestors, you will have fathered your own successor.  Yes, a son of yours will be king. I will back him all the way, anchoring his kingdom and establishing his dynasty forever.  He is the one to whom I shall give the privilege of building my sacred temple. I will be a father to him, and he shall be my son.

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Long ago, in a vision, you spoke to your faithful people, saying: “I have crowned a great hero. Among you, my people, I found one fit for the throne. My search ended with my servant David. Pouring holy oil on his head, I have set him apart as the chosen one. He’ll always be able to look to me for strength; when he needs some muscle, I’ll  be there to back him up. The enemy will not get under his guard, the wicked will never drag him down. I’ll knock flat those who oppose him; despise him and you answer to me! My love for him is unshakable; I’ll be faithful to him for ever. On my say so, he’ll rule supreme and unchallenged. I will put everything in his hands, from coast to coast with all that lies between them. He will cry out to me, ‘Oh, my Father, my God, you are the rock I cling to for safety!’ I will make him number one in all the world, he’ll outrank even the superpowers. Forever and always, I will be true in my love, and the covenant we’ve made will never be broken. I will see that his family name always has an heir, and guarantee his throne to his descendants as long as night follows day. If his children turn their backs on my ways and step off the paths I’ve marked out; if they tear up the instructions I’ve given them and go against my clear directives, they’ll pay for it. They’ll cop the maximum sentence for their crime. I’ll make them lie in the bed they’ve made. But even then I won’t take back my love, and the vows I made to David will still ring true. There is no way I would break my promise or try to take back what I’d already said. I have given my word, once and for all, and staked my whole reputation on it. I will never lie to David. His family tree will be an unbroken line and his dynasty as sure as the sun. It shall be as fixed as the orbit of the moon, as dependable as the lights in the night sky. ©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Always remember where you came from, or you’ll begin to take what God has done for granted. Don’t ever forget that you were once outsiders, and were treated as such by those who had always been insiders. Back then you had no contact with Christ and you were foreigners to his people, Israel. You knew nothing of the rich heritage of promises and mutual responsibility that shaped Israel’s relationship with God. You knew nothing of them and you had no access to their benefits. In the world, but alienated from God — your situation was hopeless. But Christ Jesus has changed all that. No matter how far away you were, through his own blood, sweat and tears, Christ has brought you right into the centre of things. Christ placed his own body in the gap so that now, through our common link to him, our two separate groups may unite as one. With his own hands he has torn down the barricades of ignorance, suspicion and hostility that divided us. We used to relate to God on the basis of the law, with its detailed regulations and prescriptions, but Christ has done away with all that. He saw that the law had divided humanity in two, since not everybody had access to it, and he wanted to create one united world. This unity would not be in the law, but in Christ himself, in his own body. Christ set out to make peace — offering himself to us both equally, suffering on the cross for us both equally — so that in him we might find one shared basis for reconciliation with God. If that’s not enough to eradicate the hostility between us, nothing will! So with that agenda in mind, Christ came preaching peace to both of us — to you foreign outsiders and to us Jewish insiders. Now we are all equal, because we all have access to God in exactly the same way — through Christ, in one Spirit. It’s a whole new ball game. You will never be homeless exiles again. You have been granted citizenship in the province of God and you have the same rights of access as any of the saints. Perhaps you could think of it this way. God is constructing a wonderful temple using every kind of material that comes to hand, regardless of its origins. The foundations are the apostles and prophets and all they did and said. Now all of us are being added, one at a time, with Christ Jesus himself as the central pillar that holds he whole structure together. With every part inseparably linked to him, the whole structure grows day by day into a holy temple dedicated to the Lord. So there you are. United in Christ we become a place where God’s Spirit is proud to live. ©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

After travelling through the villages preaching, Jesus’s chosen ambassadors returned and met up with him again. They filled him in on everything they had been doing and teaching on the road. Jesus said to them, “It’s time to put your feet up for a bit. Let’s head off to a deserted beach somewhere and get some well earned rest.” They certainly needed it. With all the coming and going of people wanting this and that, they hardly even had time to take proper meal breaks. So off they went. They piled into the boat and headed off by themselves for a secluded beach. It was no use though. Several people saw them leaving and managed to figure out where they were headed. Word travelled faster than the boat, and by the time they pulled ashore a crowd was already gathering from the nearby towns. Walking up the beach among the growing crowd, Jesus could feel his heart going out to them. They were like a ship without a rudder, so despite himself, he went straight back to teaching. Much the same thing happened the next day. They had crossed back over in the boat and pulled ashore at Gennesaret. They had barely secured the boat and climbed onto the jetty when someone recognised Jesus and a buzz went through the town. All over the region people were rushing off to their sick friends or relatives and bringing them to wherever they heard Jesus had gone. There were stretcher crews coming from all directions. The story was beginning to repeat itself everywhere he went. City, town or outback road station – if the grapevine said that Jesus was there, there would be people queuing up in no time, bringing the sick for his attention. Day and night they came, all reaching out to him for help, begging for the chance to even just touch the sleeve of his coat. And all who did so were healed. ©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.

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: The writing is on the wall for you leaders of my people. You are supposed to be like shepherds, keeping an eye on my flock and seeing that they are kept united and safe. But you have butchered them and scattered them. You have driven them off and left them defenceless. But I can assure you that I, the LORD, have been keeping my eye on you! I will see that you get what you deserve for your crimes against my people. I will bring back what’s left of my people; bring them home from the lands where I sent them when they fled as refugees. Back home where they belong, they will regain their strength and flourish once again. I, the LORD, will raise up new leaders for them who can be trusted to care for them like real shepherds. My people will no longer have any reason to fear or despair, and none of them will be lost. You can be sure that the time is coming when I, the LORD, will raise up a true king from the family of David; one who will rule with wisdom and do the right thing; who will bring justice to the land and set things right. As long as he reigns the land will be secure and my people will enjoy peace. Whenever his name is mentioned, people will say, “Ah! The LORD has put everything right!” ©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

You, LORD, are my guide in the wilderness; there is nothing more I could need. You set up camp in places of beauty and shelter; you lead the way on secluded tracks beside creeks of cool clean water. I feel my spirit breathing freely again; your reputation puts me at ease; I leave the navigating to you, and follow. Even if we hike through a perilous valley, where crows keep a menacing watch, fear will still not get the better of me. As long as I stick with you I know I’ll make the distance; with a knife and a bit of rope you seem able to tackle any challenge. You cook up a feast for me, as those who wanted to feed on me watch, frustrated. You pamper me like an honoured guest and constantly top up my glass. My life feels charmed, each and every day. Love, mercy and all good things keep falling into my lap. I’m with you for life, LORD, where you go, I’ll go; where you live, I’ll live. ©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 draw all things together in Christ and build us up as a holy temple to your glory. You created the world and made it your dwelling place. When you led your people out of oppression you travelled with them like a homeless refugee. You made a covenant with your servant, David, anointing him to shepherd your people and promising peace to those who followed your ways. Your Son, Jesus, came, filled with compassion for all who were without hope. Though he preached peace and healed the sick and broken, he was ensnared and killed by your enemies. You raised him from the dead, and, in him, you prepared a new covenant — open to all people, near and far — a covenant that breaks down every wall of hostility, and reconciles us to you as one people. Therefore with ..... ©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We give thanks for your Son, Jesus, who came to us showing compassion and healing our brokenness. In him you break down every wall of hostility, drawing all things together and building us up as a holy temple to your glory. ©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion) We give you all thanks and praise, O God, for you draw all things together in Christ and build us up as a holy temple to your glory. You created the world and made it your dwelling place. When you led your people out of oppression you travelled with them like a homeless refugee. You made a covenant with your servant, David, anointing him to shepherd your people and promising peace to those who followed your ways. Your Son, Jesus, came, filled with compassion for all who were without hope. Though he preached peace and healed the sick and broken, he was ensnared and killed by your enemies. You raised him from the dead, and, in him, you prepared a new covenant — open to all people, near and far — a covenant that breaks down every wall of hostility, and reconciles us to you as one people. 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

Though we have abandoned God’s ways, God’s love and faithfulness will not be withdrawn. In Christ Jesus there is forgiveness and healing. At the cost of his own blood, he has reconciled us to God. Sisters and Brothers,   your sins are forgiven;     be at peace. ©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Go out, remembering all God has done for you. Break down the walls of hostility, proclaim peace, have compassion for all, and don’t forget to take time for yourself also. And may God be with you wherever you go; May Christ Jesus heal you and replenish you; and may the Holy Spirit encircle you and strengthen you. We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,    In the name of Christ. Amen. ©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net