New Years Day
2027-01-01 00:00 - 23:59 (Australia/Melbourne)
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

Things happen in their due season; there is a right time for everything that happens on earth:
a time to be born,
and a time to die;
a time to sow the seed,
and a time to harvest the crop;
a time to end a life,
and a time to rehabilitate;
a time to demolish,
and a time to create;
a time to cry,
and a time to laugh;
a time to grieve,
and a time to party;
a time to throw caution to the wind,
and a time to play it safe;
a time to make love,
and a time to keep your pants on;
a time to keep searching,
and a time to write off the loss;
a time to hold on to what you’ve got,
and a time to let it go;
a time to share another’s pain,
and a time to urge them to move on;
a time to keep your mouth shut,
and a time to speak your mind;
a time to love,
and a time to hate;
a time to fight;
and a time to make peace.
But in the end, what difference does it make what we do? I have observed everyone working hard at the jobs that God has given them. God sets things up so that there is a proper time and place for everything, but we forget too quickly and fail to learn the lessons of history. We see what has happened and what is happening, but we can’t make sense of the connections or see what God is doing in it all. So I figure that there is no point in losing too much sleep over it. The most important thing is for people to be happy and to enjoy their lives for as long as they live. What’s more, there is nothing wrong with eating and drinking and finding satisfaction in our work. They are God’s gifts to us.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 8

Our LORD and ruler,
all over the world
the mere mention of your name sets hearts pounding!
Your glory fills the universe!
The gurgling of babies makes more sense
than the clever arguments of your enemies.
The innocent chatter of children
silences the venomous talk of your opponents.
When I gaze at your handiwork in the night skies
— the moon, the stars, the milky way —
the whole cosmos under your control;
I can’t help but wonder why you bother with us.
Why do you care so much for mere human beings
when we count for so little in the scheme of things?
And yet, for reasons known to you alone,
you created us almost on a par with yourself
and decorated us with the highest honours and glory.
You have even entrusted us with power over your precious creation;
you placed the future of all life in our hands:
sheep and cattle;
emu and kangaroo
insects, reptiles, birds, and sea creatures;
air, land and water and the planet itself.
Our LORD and ruler,
all over the world
the mere mention of your name sets hearts pounding!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Revelaton 21: 1-6a

I, John, had another extraordinary vision. I saw a completely revamped heaven and a radically reconstructed earth. The first heaven, the first earth and the sea were all but a memory. Then I saw Jerusalem, the city dedicated to God, now made completely new. She was coming down the aisle from heaven itself, from God, and she looked sensational, like a bride on her wedding day. I heard a loud voice coming from heaven’s throne. It said:
“See, God has moved in and set up home among ordinary people.
God will live with them and be their God,
and the people will gladly belong
to the God who lives right in their midst.
God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be abolished forever;
pain and grief and tears will be things of the past.
All these things have been made obsolete.”
Then the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new – absolutely everything!”
“Write all this down,” he said, “because these words can be depended on. They are the truth.”
This is what he said: “The job is done! I am the whole story, from A to Z. I am the beginning and I am the end.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Matthew 25: 31-46

While speaking to his followers, Jesus said, “The day is coming when the New Human will turn up in all his glory, accompanied by all his angels, and he will be crowned as king. He will sit down on the judgment seat, and all the nations of the world will be summoned to appear before him. Like a quality controller sorting out the good fruit from the rejects, he will carefully sort the nations into two groups, one on his right side and one on his left. Then the King will say to the group on his right side:
‘Welcome, you who have been given the thumbs up by my Father. Ever since the foundation of the world, there has been a kingdom ready with your name on it. Come now, and inherit it; because
I was hungry and you lot fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I came seeking asylum and you made me welcome,
I didn’t have a stitch to wear
and you lot gave me clothes,
I was diseased and you took care of me,
I was in detention and you visited me.’
Then those compassionate nations will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When were you a refugee and we welcomed you, or in detention and we visited you? When did we find you without clothes or sick and do something about it?’
And the King will reply, ‘The fact is, you did these things for people who were regarded as the dregs of society, but who I love as my nearest and dearest; and each time you helped one of them, you were helping me.’
Then he will say to the nations on the other side:
‘You lot have been written off. Get out of my sight! A time of fire has been ignited by the devil and his agents, and you will be swallowed up in it with them; because
I was hungry and you lot didn’t give me a bite,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing,
I came seeking asylum and you wouldn’t let me in,
I didn’t have a stitch to wear
and you lot left me to freeze,
I was diseased and in detention
and you turned your backs and wouldn’t come near me.’
They too will ask, ‘Lord, when was it that we failed to take care of you? We don’t recall seeing you hungry or thirsty or seeking asylum or naked or sick or in detention.’
But he will answer, ‘The fact is, you failed to do these things for those who were regarded as the dregs of society, and each time you turned your backs on them, you were turning your backs on me.’
And with that, those nations will be gone, swallowed up in the time of punishment. But the nations who did the right thing by others will enjoy life without limit.”
©2023 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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,
and with the whole earth we tell of the greatness of your name,
for you are the God who makes all things new.
The moon and the stars are your handiwork,
and the earth and its inhabitants reflect your glory.
You have created us, dressing us in glory undeserved,
and entrusted the charge of the earth to our hands.
You have created a time for everything under heaven:
a time for remembering,
and a time to set plans for the future;
a time for prayer
and a time to act with courage and compassion;
a time for sacrifice
and a time to enjoy the fruits of our toil.
In Jesus Christ, you have made your home among us,
and gathered our times into your time,
so that we might live the life of the kingdom
which you prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
Therefore with .....
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for gathering all our times into your time,
so that we might live the life of the kingdom
which you prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
and with the whole earth tell of the greatness of your name,
for you are the God who makes all things new.
The moon and the stars are your handiwork,
and the earth and its inhabitants reflect your glory.
You have created us, dressing us in glory undeserved,
and entrusted the charge of the earth to our hands.
You have created a time for everything under heaven:
a time for remembering,
and a time to set plans for the future;
a time for prayer
and a time to act with courage and compassion;
a time for sacrifice
and a time to enjoy the fruits of our toil.
In Jesus Christ, you have made your home among us,
and gathered our times into your time,
so that we might live the life of the kingdom
which you prepared for us from the foundation of 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.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

In Jesus Christ, God makes all things new.
The former things have disappeared.
God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, and embrace the new time which God has given us.
Recognize Christ in friend and stranger,
and as Christ has been gracious to you,
so be gracious to those in need.
And may God dwell with you as your God.
May Christ be your food and drink
and give you pleasure in your work.
And may the Spirit be your beginning and end
and hold all your times in her loving embrace.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

When I was hungry, what did you do?A sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton

When I joined your church, you burned me out!A sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton

Icons on Street CornersA sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton

Will the Sheep Plead for the Goats?A sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton

Judging NationsA sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton

The Feast of the Holy Name
2027-01-01 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Numbers 6: 22-27

The LORD told to Moses to pass on the following instructions to Aaron and his sons for their work as priests:
“These are the words of blessing you are to use when you bless the Israelite people:
May the LORD set you up for life and look after you;
May the LORD smile upon you and be generous to you;
May the LORD keep an eye on you
and give you a life in which all is well.
With these words you will remind my people who they belong to, and I will bless them.”
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 8

Our LORD and ruler,
all over the world
the mere mention of your name sets hearts pounding!
Your glory fills the universe!
The gurgling of babies makes more sense
than the clever arguments of your enemies.
The innocent chatter of children
silences the venomous talk of your opponents.
When I gaze at your handiwork in the night skies
— the moon, the stars, the milky way —
the whole cosmos under your control;
I can’t help but wonder why you bother with us.
Why do you care so much for mere human beings
when we count for so little in the scheme of things?
And yet, for reasons known to you alone,
you created us almost on a par with yourself
and decorated us with the highest honours and glory.
You have even entrusted us with power over your precious creation;
you placed the future of all life in our hands:
sheep and cattle;
emu and kangaroo
insects, reptiles, birds, and sea creatures;
air, land and water and the planet itself.
Our LORD and ruler,
all over the world
the mere mention of your name sets hearts pounding!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Galatians 4:4-7 (alternative)

When the clock had run down and the time was right,
God sent a rescuer,
God’s own Son;
born to a woman in the usual way,
growing up under the thumb of the law,
just like the rest of God’s people.
God sent him into such circumstances
so that he could get everyone else out of them;
paying the price of our freedom
and giving us the opportunity
to be adopted into God’s family.
Because you are now God’s children,
the Spirit of God’s child, Jesus,
has been sent into your hearts;
the Spirit who makes us as eager for God
as children running into their parents’ arms
crying, “Daddy! Mummy!”
So you are no longer at the beck and call
of those things which once dictated your every move;
now you are God’s own children,
and as God’s children, you will receive from God
all that has been kept in trust for God’s children.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Philippians 2: 5-11 (alternative)

Model your attitude on the attitude of the Messiah, Jesus.
Although Jesus was the same as God in every way,
he did not think of his God-like privileges
as something to be milked for all they were worth.
Instead, he laid it all aside
and, with no more privileges than a slave,
was born as a human being.
Having become a human being,
he was the model of humility.
He didn’t demand his own way
but let God set the agenda;
even when it included his own death,
and a gruesome public death at that.
Because of all this,
God has raised him to the status of number one
and honoured him more highly
than anyone else in the universe.
So now, just the mention of the name ‘Jesus’
should bring everyone to their knees;
everyone who has ever lived or ever will.
Everyone, everywhere will honour God
by openly acknowledging
that Jesus the Messiah is Lord of all!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 2: 15-21

When the angels went back to heaven, the shearers were left sitting there looking at one another, gob-smacked. “We’d better go and check this out,” they said. “Let’s go into town and see if we can see what’s happened, what the Lord has let us in on.”
So without messing around they headed straight into Bethlehem, and sure enough, they tracked down Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the feed trough. When they saw all this, they began telling everyone what they had heard about this child. People could hardly believe their ears when they heard what the shearers were saying. But their words were precious to Mary and she repeated them over and over in her mind, wondering what would become of it all. The shearers headed off towards their camp again – a rowdy mob, singing and shouting in the streets about how fabulous God was because of everything they had seen and heard. Everything had been just the way they had been told it would be.
Mary and Joseph followed the law and custom of their people and held a ceremony for the baby boy when he was eight days old to circumcise him and name him. They named him Jesus – the name which God’s messenger had given him before he was conceived in the womb.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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,
joining with the whole world
in telling of the greatness of your name.
From the moment you created and named every living thing
your handiwork has been a source of awe and wonder.
Like the moon and stars you set in place,
your face has shone upon us and blessed us with peace.
In the fullness of time you sent your Son,
born of woman and named by angels,
so that we too might be adopted by you,
and through your Spirit, the treasure of our hearts,
live worthily of the name you have given us.
Therefore with .....
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for sending your Son,
born of woman and named by angels,
so that we too might be adopted by you,
and live worthily of the name you have given us.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We join with the whole world to give you thanks and praise, O God,
and telling of the greatness of your name.
From the moment you created and named every living thing
your handiwork has been a source of awe and wonder.
Like the moon and stars you set in place,
your face has shone upon us and blessed us with peace.
In the fullness of time you sent your Son,
born of woman and named by angels,
so that we too might be adopted by you,
and through your Spirit, the treasure of our hearts,
live worthily of the name you have given us.
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.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

When the fullness of time had come,
God sent his Son, born of a woman,
born under the law,
in order to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as God’s children.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, glorifying and praising God
for all you have heard and seen.
You have been named as God’s adopted children:
Live worthily of the glory with which God has dressed you.
And may God bless you and keep you.
May Christ Jesus make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you.
And may the Spirit smile upon you and give you peace.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Exchanging GiftsA sermon on Galatians 4: 4-7 by Nathan Nettleton

The Feast of the Epiphany
2027-01-06 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Isaiah 60:1-6

On your feet, people of God! Let everyone see you!
The glory of the LORD
has set you aglow with light
like the sunrise on the rock.
Darkness overpowers the earth and its peoples,
blinding them, weighing them down;
but for you the sun always shines,
because the LORD has lit up your lives with glory.
As the brightness of your light intensifies,
nations and their rulers will be drawn to you
like moths to a flame.
Open your eyes! Look around you!
The crowds are streaming towards you.
Everyone is coming,
even the children you thought had gone forever.
What a sight for sore eyes!
You’ll be elated and proud – positively aglow.
You’ll be showered with gifts by those who arrive,
priceless gifts from overseas and around the world.
They’ll arrive by the truckload from everywhere,
from places rich and exotic and mysterious.
People will bring gold and frankincense,
and lavish their praise on the LORD.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

Send us a wise ruler, O God,
one who takes after you in justice and honesty;
one who does the right thing by everybody,
and is vigilant in ensuring justice for the poor;
one who will stand up for the disadvantaged,
provide a way out of the poverty trap,
and stomp on those who exploit the vulnerable.
Then the whole land will know prosperity and integrity;
the mountains, the valleys, the hills, the plains.
Send us a wise ruler, O God,
who will outlive the sun and moon,
who will rule forever, generation after generation.
May your chosen one give life to the land
like the spring rains in the wheat country.
May the people yield a bumper crop of honesty,
and may peace be as dependable
as the southern cross in the night sky.
Give your chosen one the top ranking in all the world,
deferred to and revered
by every other monarch, president and governor.
May they all feel compelled to pay homage,
to come bearing gifts, priceless and exotic,
and to put themselves and their nations
at the service of your chosen one.
All this is only right for the one who rescues those in need,
and has compassion for the homeless and the refugees;
who champions the cause of the forgotten and the spurned,
and guarantees the lives of the powerless;
who rescues those subjected to violence and oppression,
and treasures their lives, each and every one.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Ephesians 3:1-12

I, Paul, am in jail for my commitment to Jesus Christ, or more particularly, for my efforts on Christ’s behalf to break down the walls that kept you Gentiles separated from his people. No doubt you have heard about how God, in an amazing act of generosity, assigned me to this job. You’ve also heard - since I just told you a page or so back - about how God let me in on this mystery directly. If you go back and read over what I said about this earlier, you too will be able to understand what God has shown me concerning the mystery of Christ. No previous generation was ever given the opportunity to begin unravelling this mystery. The whole human race was in the dark about it until now. Now though, the Holy Spirit is bringing it all out into the open through Christ’s chosen leaders and messengers. And, in a nutshell, this is what it is all about: the Gentiles are God’s chosen people too! Those who have had no previous contact with God’s people have exactly the same right of access to God as those who can trace their bloodline back to Abraham. There is only one body of people who will inherit all that God has promised, and Jesus Christ has opened it up to everybody, regardless of their origins. No more segregation - Christ has put the welcome mat out for everyone.
I’ve taken on the job of getting this message out into the public arena. I still can’t get over how generous God was in trusting me with the job and equipping me for it. Of the available candidates, you wouldn’t have thought I’d have even made the short list, but in an act of reckless good will, God gave me the tap on the shoulder. So now I have the privilege of letting the Gentiles know that they too can share in the inexhaustible riches and extravagant generosity of Christ. God, who created everything, had always had this plan in mind, but now I have the privilege of giving everyone else their first look at it! The wisdom of God has more angles and aspects than the finest diamond, and more than any one person or group could every comprehend, but through the church it is all being opened up. Through ordinary congregations of believers like you, the powers of the universe and the authorities of the spiritual world are being schooled in God’s ways! God had always planned for it to be this way, and the plan was put into effect through the actions of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is because we trust him that we now have the confidence to deal directly with God and the courage to live accordingly.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Matthew 2:1-12

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in the territory of Judea, during the reign of King Herod. Some time after his birth, a group of eastern mystics turned up in Jerusalem looking for him. “Where can we find the child who has been born to be the king of the Jews?” they asked. “We observed the appearance of the star that heralds his birth, and so we have come all this way to pay our respects.”
When King Herod heard this, he went berserk, and when Herod was agitated, everybody in Jerusalem was on edge. Pulling himself together, he called in the city’s top priests and religious scholars and asked them whereabouts the Messiah was supposed to be born. They were in no doubt: “Bethlehem in Judea,” they said. “The prophet Micah spelt it out quite clearly:
‘Bethlehem in Judea, you’re it!
I’m going to put you on the map!
You will be the home town of my chosen ruler,
the one who will lead my people on the right track.’”
Having sorted that out, Herod met behind closed doors with the visiting mystics and pumped them for information about exactly when the star had first appeared. He then gave them directions to Bethlehem and sent them on their way, saying, “Go, and leave no stone unturned until you find the child. When you’ve found him, drop me a line so that I can come down and pay my respects too.”
So, having gained this information from the king, they hit the road. As they did, they spotted the star again, the same one they had first seen appear. Taking a line from the star, they were able to track down the exact place where the child was. Their search was finally at an end, and they were over the moon! They were allowed into the house and there they saw him, a little child in the arms of his mother, Mary. Overcome with awe, they fell to their knees in reverent wonder before the child. From their luggage, they gave him exotic gifts of gold, aromatic frankincense, and myrrh.
They were warned in a dream to avoid contacting Herod, so they kept a low profile and took the back roads out of Judea as they began their journey home to their own country.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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 are the fulfilment of all our searching.
Since the time you created all things
you have had a plan
— hidden in mystery through the ages —
to draw all the world into one body,
and to share with all peoples your promises of glory.
And now the light has risen,
the mystery is made known:
your beloved child, Jesus, is revealed to the whole world
as Saviour and Redeemer,
and as the King who reigns in justice and peace.
You made him known first
to the magi from the east,
who came to pay him homage,
though they knew of him only what the silent stars could tell.
And now, you draw us again to the feet of Jesus
— the crucified and risen Christ —
to offer our gifts of praise to the light of the world.
Therefore with .....
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give you thanks for your beloved child, Jesus,
who you made known to the magi from the east,
who knew of him only what the silent stars could tell.
You have drawn us again to his feet
and in him we have found the fulfilment of all our searching.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

Gracious God, our hearts rejoice in your presence,
as we give you our thanks and praise,
for you are the fulfilment of all our searching.
Since the time you created all things
you have had a plan
— hidden in mystery through the ages —
to draw all the world into one body,
and to share with all peoples your promises of glory.
And now the light has risen,
the mystery is made known:
your beloved child, Jesus, is revealed to the whole world
as Saviour and Redeemer,
and as the King who reigns in justice and peace.
You made him known first
to the magi from the east,
who came to pay him homage,
though they knew of him only what the silent stars could tell.
And now, you draw us again to the feet of Jesus
— the crucified and risen Christ —
to offer our gifts of praise to the light of 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.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

God has declared that through our union with Christ
and through our faith in him
we may enter God’s presence with all confidence.
Our sins are no longer held against us,
God’s grace has been given to us.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, seek out the Christ wherever he may be found,
and share the good news with all who bear him no ill will.
Bring light to those in thick darkness,
a voice to those no one speaks for,
and hope to those no one cares for.
And may God make you a sharer in the promised light.
May Christ Jesus fill you with his sense of what is right.
And may the Holy Spirit be to you like rain
that gives life to the fertile earth.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

The Visit of the MagiA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Shocking NewsA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Gifts that really matterA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6 & Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Coming to LightA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

An Epiphany TsunamiA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

A Little Child, God Before the AgesA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

The Power and the KingsA sermon on Matthew 2:1-12; Isaiah 60:1-6 & Ephesians 3:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Epiphany and the Hope of UnityA sermon for the Feast of Epiphany by Fr Abel van der Veer

May a Multitude of Camels Cover You!A sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12 & Matthew 2:1-12 by Fr Richard Treloar

SearchingA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7,10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12 & Matthew 2:1-12 by Fr Sam Goodes

The Feast of EpiphanyA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12 & Matthew 2:1-12 by the Revd Marilyn Hope

Wilde Fairytales and Epiphany LightA sermon for the Feast of Epiphany by Fr Matthew Dowsey

By a Different RouteA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2: 1-12 & Ephesians 3:1-12 by the Revd Roxanne Addley

Gifts to be ReceivedA sermon for the Feast of Epiphany by the Revd Dr Craig D’Alton

Brought to LightA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12 & Matthew 2:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Generous LightA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

The Feast of the Baptism of our Lord - Year B
2027-01-10 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Genesis 1: 1-5

At the outset, when God created the universe,
the earth was lifeless and shapeless;
a deep ocean of chaos, shrouded in darkness;
brooded over by the Spirit of God.
Then God called for light,
and light appeared.
God saw that light was a good thing,
and separated it from the darkness.
God named the light Day,
and the darkness Night.
Evening passed and morning came;
the first day was done.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 29

LORD God, like your angels in heaven
we speak of you in glowing terms,
for your glory and strength deserve rave reviews.
We give you a huge wrap, LORD;
we put up you name in lights
and hold a huge ticker tape parade
but it still falls short of the worship you deserve.
Your voice, LORD, rings out like thunder;
resounding over the waters,
drowning out even the waves of the sea.
Your voice echoes with power;
it would bring anyone to their knees.
Your voice, LORD, shatters the Ironbark tree,
and splinters the Mountain Ash like match sticks.
Your presence makes Mount Bogong jump like a calf;
Uluru like a rock wallaby.
Your voice, LORD, strikes fire from stone.
The sound of your voice convulses the wilderness;
the Simpson Desert shudders in labour.
Your voice, LORD, is like a cyclone,
howling through a rainforest,
stripping the leaves from the trees.
We all gather to worship and cheer with all our might;
for you rule forever, LORD,
and neither surging flood
nor tidal wave can undermine you.
Give strength to your people, LORD!
Bless your people with peace!
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Acts 19: 1-7

Paul travelled through Turkey by the inland road, and arrived in Ephesus. He found some students of the faith there who assured him that they had been baptised, but while speaking with them he asked whether they had received the Holy Spirit when they had become believers. They replied, “No, we’re not even sure what you are talking about. We’ve never heard of a Holy Spirit.”
So Paul asked them what sort of baptism they had received, and they answered, “The baptism of John the baptiser.”
“It’s a different thing,” Paul told them. “John baptised people as a sign of their commitment to turning their lives around, but he told them that they should put their trust in the one who would take over where he left off. The one he was pointing to was Jesus.”
When they had got this straight, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul laid his hands on them in prayer, the Holy Spirit took charge of them, and they began to speak in strange languages and to preach inspired messages from God. There were about twelve of them in the group.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Mark 1: 4-11

John the baptiser showed up in the desert preaching to the people. He called them to be baptised, to completely turn their lives around and receive God’s forgiveness for their toxic ways. Everyone came flocking to John from Jerusalem and from all the rural districts of Judea. They owned up to their wrongdoing and were baptised by John in the Jordan River, promising to mend their ways.
John was dressed in rough clothes made of camel hair and animal skins. He lived on bush tucker – grasshoppers and wild honey. This was the guts of his message: “After me comes the One who is way out of my league – I wouldn’t even qualify to get down on my knees and lick his boots. I’m only baptising you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.”
During those days, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. The moment he came up from the water, he saw the sky open up and the Spirit coming down like a diving kookaburra and taking hold of him. And a voice filled the air, saying, “You are my Son; the love of my life. You fill me with pride.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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 rule over the mighty waters
and baptise us into your life.
When your voice first thundered over the seas
your brooding Spirit brought forth the earth from the void
and breathed life into all your creatures.
You called your people to follow your ways,
and sent your servant, John the Baptiser,
to proclaiming a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
He pointed to the one who was to come
— your beloved child, Jesus the Christ —
who came among us,
strengthening us and blessing us with your peace.
When he was baptised in the fearful waters of death,
you raised him to life
and tore open the heavens
so that all might be baptised with your Holy Spirit
and enter into your presence
confident of being declared
to be the children who please you.
Therefore with .....
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give thanks for your beloved Son, Jesus,
who was baptised in the fearful waters of death,
and rose to tear open the heavens
so that all might be baptised with your Holy Spirit
and hear you declare them to be pleasing to you.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you rule over the mighty waters
and baptise us into your life.
When your voice first thundered over the seas
your brooding Spirit brought forth the earth from the void
and breathed life into all your creatures.
You called your people to follow your ways,
and sent your servant, John the Baptiser,
to proclaiming a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
He pointed to the one who was to come
— your beloved child, Jesus the Christ —
who came among us,
strengthening us and blessing us with your peace.
When he was baptised in the fearful waters of death,
you raised him to life
and tore open the heavens
so that all might be baptised with your Holy Spirit
and enter into your presence
confident of being declared
to be the children who please you.
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.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Jesus Christ was baptised in the deep waters of death
so that we might be buried and raised with him
and have our sins washed away
in the depths of God’s mercy.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, with the divine word in your ears
assuring you that you are God’s beloved children.
Live out the depth truths of your baptism
and tell others of the abundant life beyond the waters.
And may God, our beloved, give you strength;
May Christ Jesus fill you with his Holy Spirit;
And may the Holy Spirit strengthen you and bless you with peace.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

The Voice Over the WaterA sermon on Mark 1: 4-11 by Nathan Nettleton

Baptised to What?A sermon on Mark 1: 4-11 by Nathan Nettleton

An Extraordinary Ordinary BaptismA sermon on Mark 1:4-11; Genesis 1:1-5; & Acts 19:1-7 by Nathan Nettleton

Into what were you baptised?A sermon on Acts 19:1-7 & Mark 1:4-11 by Nathan Nettleton

Anointed to ReignA sermon on Mark 1:4-11, Genesis 1:1-5 & Acts 19:1-7 by Nathan Nettleton

Ordained in BaptismA sermon on Mark 1:4-11; Genesis 1:1-5; & Psalm 29 by Nathan Nettleton

2nd Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year B
2027-01-17 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20)

Samuel grew up in the Temple at Shiloh, working as an apprentice to Eli the priest, in the service of the LORD. In those days, the people had completely lost touch with God, and messages or visions from the LORD were rare. The light of God had not gone out, but Eli’s failing eyesight had left him unable to see.
One night, Eli had gone to bed in his room, and Samuel was lying down in the Temple of the LORD near the sacred Ark of God. The LORD called out, “Samuel! Samuel!”
“At your service,” said Samuel, jumping up and running into Eli’s room. “You called me and here I am, at your service.”
But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”
So Samuel went and lay down again, and the LORD called out again, “Samuel!”
Samuel got up and went to Eli, saying “You called me and here I am, at your service.”
But Eli said, “I didn’t call you, my son. Go back to bed.”
Now it was no surprise that Samuel didn’t understand what was going on, because he did not yet know the LORD, and his mind had not yet been opened to what the LORD had to say. The LORD called Samuel a third time, and again he got up and went to Eli, saying “You called me and here I am, at your service.”
Finally the lights went on for Eli and he realised that it was the LORD who was calling the boy, so he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if you hear the call again, say, ‘Speak to me, LORD. I’m at your service, and I’m all ears.’ ”
So Samuel went and lay down again in the same place. The LORD came and stood alongside him, calling out as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel replied, “Speak to me. I’m at your service, and I’m all ears.”
The LORD said to Samuel, “Look, I am about to do something that will make the hair stand up on the back of everyone’s necks when they hear about it. On that day I will follow through on everything I have ever said I would do to Eli and his offspring. I have told him that I am about to bring down a permanent punishment on his family, because his sons have been dragging my name through the mud and even though he knew about their corruption, he didn’t crack down on them. So now I swear to Eli’s family that the charge of corruption will stand against them forever, no matter how many apologies, sacrifices or gifts they offer.”
Samuel had a restless night after that! When he got up in the morning to open the doors of the house of the LORD, he was afraid to say anything about the vision to Eli. But Eli wanted to know, and called him, saying, “Samuel, my son.”
“At your service,” Samuel answered.
“What did the LORD have to say to you?” Eli asked. “Don’t keep me in the dark. May God punish you big time, if you don’t tell me every detail of what was said to you.”
So Samuel told him the whole lot, every last detail, and when he had finished, Eli said, “The LORD has spoken. I will have to cop whatever the LORD sees fit to do.”
As Samuel grew to be a man, the LORD kept a guiding hand on his shoulder, and saw to it that when he spoke, not a word was wasted. Before long, the whole land, from one end to the other, knew that Samuel was the real deal – a messenger of the LORD who could be trusted.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18

You have taken a good hard look at me, LORD,
and you know exactly what makes me tick.
You know when I’ve got my feet up and when I’m on the job;
you can read my mind like an open book.
You see where I am going and where I stop,
and you know all about what I do and why.
You know exactly what I am going to say, LORD,
even before I open my mouth.
You are in front of me, behind me, beside me;
your hand on my shoulder at every turn.
All this is more than I can get my head around;
I pinch myself, and struggle to take it in.
It was you who put me together, every part of me;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I sing your praises, LORD,
for the the way you have made me fills me with awe.
Your creative works blow my mind;
too wonderful for words.
You could see me clearly before I was born;
you watched me taking shape in the secret depths
and laid out the intricacies of nerve and muscle.
You kept your eye on me
from conception to birth.
My life lay before you like an open book
before I had even lived a day.
Your thoughts are way beyond my grasp, God,
and they add up to more than I can count.
Deeper than the oceans,
outnumbering the grains of sand;
I give up trying
but you are with me just the same.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

1 Corinthians 6: 12-20

You people say:
“There is nothing I am not allowed to do.”
Sure, but the fact that you are allowed to do something doesn’t mean it is a good idea to do it.
“There is nothing I am not allowed to do.”
Sure, but I am not about to let such things start taking over my life.
You also hear people say:
“Food belongs in the stomach,
and stomachs were made for food.”
Sure, but that’s not exactly the meaning of life! God could abolish both food and stomachs and leave untouched the things that really matter. Here’s a saying worth getting your teeth into:
“The human body deserves better than sleaze.
The body belongs to the Lord,
and the Lord belongs to the body.”
Indeed, God cares about bodies. God raised the Lord, body and all, and will raise us, body and all, just as powerfully. You do know, don’t you, that your bodies are now integral parts of Christ’s body? So how could I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a sleazy and degraded body? No way! For you do know, don’t you, that when bodies are joined in sexual intimacy — no matter how cheap and sleazy — they are united to one another forever. As scripture says, “The two become one flesh.” But because you are united to the Lord, you are one with the Lord. Steer well clear of sleaze!
Some say:
“The sins people commit are ‘out there’
and have no consequences in the body;”
while others say:
“If you get involved in sleazy sin
you are only hurting yourself.”
You do know, don’t you, that your body is a sacred dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and your life is therefore not your own to trash as you please? You have the Holy Spirit within you, given to you by God. Your whole being, body and soul, belongs to God, and it didn’t come cheap. So, see to it that your bodily life always reflects well on God as its owner and occupier.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 1: 43-51

Jesus went up to Galilee and there he came across a man named Philip who, like Andrew and Peter, came from the city of Bethsaida. “Stick with me,” said Jesus, and Philip did.
Philip later came across his mate Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one everyone has been waiting for; the one who was written about in the law of Moses and in the prophets. It is Jesus, the son of Joseph. He comes from Nazareth.”
Nathanael replied, “Nazareth! You’ve got to be kidding. How could anything good come out of Nazareth?!”
But Philip just said, “Come and see for yourself.”
Jesus took one look at Nathanael and said, “Here we have a fair dinkum Israelite. There’s no bullshit in this bloke!”
Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get your information on me?”
Jesus replied, “I spotted you back there under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the one who will rule God’s people!”
Jesus answered, “Are you ready to put your trust in me just because I told you that I knew what you were made of the minute I spotted you under the fig tree. You will see things that make that pale into insignificance!”
And turning to them all he continued, “I kid you not, you lot will see the New Human become the bridge between heaven and earth, and the messengers of God going back and forth between the two.”
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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 what we know of you is overwhelming,
more wonderful than we can ever understand.
In the hidden depths of time
you formed the newborn earth according to your design,
and knit us together in our mothers’ wombs.
You led your people through Moses,
and corrected them through prophets like Samuel,
whose every word went forth with your power.
In these last days you have sent us your Son
— Jesus, son of Mary, from Nazareth.
In word and deed he brought the truth to light
and called us to follow
in the ways of integrity and discipleship.
When the enemies of life put him to death,
you raised him up by your power,
and likewise you raise us up
and unite us with Christ
that we too may be an honoured dwelling place
for your Holy Spirit.
Therefore with .....
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give you thanks for raising us up
and uniting us with Christ,
so that we can follow him
in the ways of integrity and discipleship,
and become an honoured dwelling place
for your Holy Spirit.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for what we know of you is overwhelming,
more wonderful than we can ever understand.
In the hidden depths of time
you formed the newborn earth according to your design,
and knit us together in our mothers’ wombs.
You led your people through Moses,
and corrected them through prophets like Samuel,
whose every word went forth with your power.
In these last days you have sent us your Son
— Jesus, son of Mary, from Nazareth.
In word and deed he brought the truth to light
and called us to follow
in the ways of integrity and discipleship.
When the enemies of life put him to death,
you raised him up by your power,
and likewise you raise us up
and unite us with Christ
that we too may be an honoured dwelling place
for your Holy Spirit.
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.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

The God who searches us and knows our inmost thoughts
has bought us at great price.
In Jesus Christ we have been freed from sin
and heaven has been opened to us.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now. Listen for the voice of the Lord
and follow wherever it leads.
Do not be dominated by anything.
Allow no room within yourselves for deceit,
but offer yourselves as a temple for the Holy Spirit.
And may God be with you and speak through you;
May Christ Jesus be one with you and raise you to life;
And may the Holy Spirit dwell within you and make you holy.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Come and SeeA sermon on John 1:43-51; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; 1 Samuel 3:2-10 & Psalm 139 by Nathan Nettleton

Unthinkable: God Right HereA sermon on 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20 & John 1: 43-51 by Michael Hardin

Food, Sex, Body Image and JesusA sermon on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 by Nathan Nettleton

No Laws?A sermon on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 by Nathan Nettleton

Faith-bookA sermon on John 1:43-51; Psalm 139 & 1 Samuel 3:2-10 by Craig Bartlett

3rd Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year B
2027-01-24 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Jonah 3: 1-5, 10

For a second time, the LORD gave orders to Jonah, saying, “Get up, go to the great city of Nineveh, and sound the call there with the words I give you.”
So this time Jonah did as the LORD had told him to, and got up and went to Nineveh. Now the city of Nineveh was so big that even God was amazed, and it would have taken Jonah three days to walk through it. He made a start, walking through the city for a day, and as he went he sounded a call, “In just a few days, Nineveh will be in ruins!”
And the people of Nineveh believed that this call came from the great God, so they took immediate action. They called a day of repentance, and everybody, no matter what their rank in society, dressed in funeral clothes and went without food to show that they were serious about changing their ways.
Seeing what they did, and how they really were turning away from evil and getting their lives back on track, God had a change of heart, and cancelled the disaster that had been planned for the people of Nineveh.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 62: 5-12

A hush comes over every fibre of my being;
for you alone I wait, God;
my future is in your hands.
You alone are the rock I cling to;
my protection, my salvation;
nothing can rattle me.
My freedom and honour depend on you, God,
for you are a solid rock and a safe refuge to me.
Everyone should put their trust in you, God,
and pour their hearts out to you always,
for you are our safety and security.
Ordinary battlers are but a puff of smoke;
toffs and silvertails are nothing but a mirage.
In the overall scheme of things,
no one is of any great consequence.
Those who try stand-over tactics to get ahead,
or think they can make their fortune from crime,
will find that their hopes are in vain;
the money they make
will come at the expense of their peace of mind.
You have given your word, God;
I have heard you say this more than once:
that power is your middle name
and rock-solid love and loyalty are your nature.
Lord, you treat everyone as they deserve
for what they have done.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

1 Corinthians 7: 29-31

Sisters and brothers,
the present circumstances of our lives
are not the be all and end all,
because time is almost up.
From now on, don’t get too bound up in anything,
but live in light of what is to come:
those who are married
as though they are still waiting for love;
those who are grieving
as though comfort is within reach;
those who are celebrating
as though real joy is yet to come;
those who are shopping
as though there is nothing worth owning;
those who are involved in business and politics
as though they are of no consequence.
Why?
Because the world as we know it
is on the way out.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Mark 1: 14-20

After John the baptiser was arrested, Jesus headed up to Galilee and began spreading the good news of God. This was the guts of his message:
“The time has come!
The culture of God is close at hand.
Turn your lives around and accept the good news.”
One day, as he was walking along the beach at Lake Galilee, Jesus came across Simon and his brother Andrew setting their nets in the water, because they made their living from fishing. Jesus called to them and said, “Come with me, and I’ll have you bringing in people rather than fish.”
Right then and there, they gave the fishing away and followed Jesus.
A bit further up the beach, he came across James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee. They were on board their boat, repairing their fishing tackle. Straight away Jesus called them, and they left their old man in the boat with the hired crew, and set off with Jesus.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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 are our rock of safety,
our stronghold, our refuge, our glory.
You created the earth and its inhabitants,
and called them to put their trust in you.
Through your prophets you revealed your willingness
to show mercy to those who turn from evil,
humbling themselves and following your ways.
When the time was fulfilled,
your kingdom drew near to us
in your child, Jesus of Nazareth.
He came among us proclaiming the good news
and calling everyone to repent and follow you.
He was killed by those who trust in wealth and power,
but you raised him to life
and turned our mourning into joy.
Even now as this world passes away,
you call us to cast your nets wide
so that all might be drawn in to the haven
of your strength and love.
Therefore with .....
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give you thanks that,
even as this world passes away,
you cast your nets wide
so that you might draw everyone into the haven
of your strength and love
and show mercy to all who repent and follow you.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you are our rock of safety,
our stronghold, our refuge, our glory.
You created the earth and its inhabitants,
and called them to put their trust in you.
Through your prophets you revealed your willingness
to show mercy to those who turn from evil,
humbling themselves and following your ways.
When the time was fulfilled,
your kingdom drew near to us
in your child, Jesus of Nazareth.
He came among us proclaiming the good news
and calling everyone to repent and follow you.
He was killed by those who trust in wealth and power,
but you raised him to life
and turned our mourning into joy.
Even now as this world passes away,
you call us to cast your nets wide
so that all might be drawn in to the haven
of your strength and love.
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

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Whenever a people humble themselves,
turn from their evil ways,
and put their hope and trust in divine mercy,
God sees and forgives their sin,
and enfolds them in the strength and love of Christ our Lord.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, follow where Christ calls you
and proclaim the message God gives you.
Wait in hope for God.
Avoid become bound up in the business of the world,
but live in readiness for the inbreaking of the Kingdom.
And may God be your haven and your glory;
May Christ Jesus give you courage for his mission;
And may the Spirit embrace your soul in God’s silence.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Repent? Is that a choiceA sermon on Jonah 3: 1 – 5, 10; Psalm 62: 5 – 12; 1 Corinthians 7: 29 – 31 & Mark 1: 14 – 20 by Nathan Nettleton

Doing a JonahA sermon on Jonah 3: 1 – 5, 10; Psalm 62: 5 – 12; 1 Corinthians 7: 29 – 31 & Mark 1: 14 – 20 by Sr Meryl Webb

Desire in a Contracting WorldA sermon on 1 Corinthians 7: 29 – 31 by Michael Hardin

Culture ClashA sermon on Mark 1: 14 – 20 & 1 Corinthians 7: 29 – 31 by Nathan Nettleton

Could it be a Conspiracy Theory?A sermon on Jonah 3: 1 – 5, 10; 1 Corinthians 7: 29 – 31 & Mark 1: 14 – 20 by Nathan Nettleton

Jonah Swallows a SharkA sermon on the book of Jonah by Nathan Nettleton

4th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year B
2027-01-31 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Deuteronomy 18: 15-20

Moses said to the people, “The LORD your God will raise up someone from among you to be a prophet for you. This prophet will be from the same mould as me, and you are to carefully follow what such a prophet says. You yourselves asked the LORD your God to do this for you. Back on the day when we gathered at Mount Sinai, you all said that you would die if you were ever again directly exposed to the sound of the LORD’s voice or the glare of the LORD’s fiery presence. The LORD told me you were right, and said this to me:
I, the LORD, will raise up someone from among their own people to be a prophet for them. This prophet will be from the same mould as you, Moses. I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, and the prophet will tell the people everything I say they are to be told. Anyone who does not take any notice of what the prophet says on my behalf, will have to answer to me. But by the same token, if any prophet claims to represent some other source of truth, or makes out that they are speaking on my behalf when I have not told them to say anything, such a prophet must die.”
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 111

Wow! More power to you, LORD!
We can’t thank you enough.
With all who stand for justice
our hearts burst with gratitude.
The things you do are fantastic, LORD,
and those who see and understand
never tire of exploring them.
Your works are magnificent, majestic,
and their integrity will never be eroded.
You have a reputation for doing amazing things,
and all of them generous and merciful.
You nourish those who honour you
and you are always true to your word.
You have left your people in no doubt
about your power;
you have given them the whole world on a plate.
Everything you put your hands to
is faithful, fair and trustworthy,
as is everything you say.
What you say goes, now and forever,
and no one can afford to ignore it.
You rescue your people and bring them home safe,
for you have committed yourself to them
for all time.
The mere mention of your holy name
makes us go weak all over!
Wisdom is born when your awesome presence
knocks us to our knees
and those who never lose sight of that
have got their heads on straight.
Awestruck, we give you honour and respect for ever.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

1 Corinthians 8: 1-13

Let us now look at your question about food that has been sacrificed to idols in the pagan temples. You ask whether it is okay for Christians to eat at meals where such food is served. What you have said is true:
“superior knowledge dispels superstition.”
But it is also true that superior knowledge can swell your head; while love will clear your head and underpin sound moral judgment. Anyone who claims that their superior knowledge enables them to make their own moral decisions without worrying about anyone else is just proving how little they really know. By contrast, those who love God and seek to express that love in all they do, are truly in-the-know with God.
So, what does knowledge have to say about whether or not it is okay to eat food that has been offered to idols? Plenty! We enlightened people know that “idols are actually nothing,” and we know that “there is only one true God.” No matter how many so-called gods and lords there may be in the world — and there are certainly any number of things to which people devote themselves — we know better. We know that the one and only God is the Father, who brought all things into being and for whom we exist. And we know that the one and only Lord is Jesus the Messiah, through whom all things were brought into being, and through whom we exist.
However, not everyone is up to speed on all this. Some people who, until recently, have been involved in the worship of idols, are not so easily able to make the separation in their heads between the food and the worship of the idols. Their moral warning lights go off more easily, and so if they go ahead and eat the food, they feel defiled by it and wracked with guilt. You can depend on this saying:
“We won’t get into God’s good books for what we eat.”
No one loses anything by abstaining from such food, and no one gains any special benefits from eating it. But — and this is a big but for those of you who feel free to eat it — unless you are very careful, this precious freedom of yours could turn into a minefield for those who are more morally timid. Because of your superior knowledge, you feel free to accept invitations to banquets held at pagan temples, and that’s all very well. But what if some less certain and secure Christians see you go? Perhaps, because they look up to you, they might feel that they should disregard their moral warning lights and join you in eating food that has been offered to idols. And once they start distrusting their own warning lights, they are in trouble because they no longer know which way to turn. Your superior knowledge would then be responsible for crashing the moral integrity of a timid believer for whom Christ laid down his life. You’ve wounded them, causing their fragile conscience to short-circuit. And if you dish out a kick in the guts to one who, under God, is a member of your own family, then you are kicking Christ in the guts. So, for myself, if such food could risk derailing someone, then I’d happily give up eating meat altogether in order to make sure that no one ever goes crashing off the rails because of something I did.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Mark 1: 21-28

Jesus and his new followers travelled to the city of Capernaum. On the Sabbath day, he taught in the synagogue there and the locals were stunned by his teaching. It was like nothing they had ever heard before. His words carried great weight and it was clear that he stood behind everything he said, which was quite a contrast to the religious teachers they were used to!
While he was in their synagogue, a man who was defiled by a corrupt spirit came in and began screaming, “What business have you got with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to wipe us out? I’ve got you figured out: you are God’s Special Agent.”
But Jesus cut him down to size, saying, “Shut up, and get out of him, now!”
And the corrupt spirit screamed loudly, threw the man into a fit, and then cleared off. Everyone was gob-smacked, and couldn’t stop talking about it. “What’s going on?” they kept asking one another. “Is this some kind of new teaching? It’s certainly got some weight behind it. He even pulls rank on the corrupt spirits and sends them packing.”
His reputation began to spread like wildfire all over the Galilean countryside.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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 justice stands in splendour and majesty,
and you nourish the faithful
with mercy and kindness.
You are the one God who created all things
and for whom we exist.
From the beginning you have revealed your mighty deeds
and upheld a covenant with your chosen ones.
You raised up among your people
a prophet greater even than Moses,
your Son and our teacher, Jesus of Nazareth.
With words and deeds of authority he has taught us,
not the knowledge that puffs up,
but the love that builds up.
You put your holy words in his mouth,
and at his word even the demons fall silent.
When he was killed, you raised him to life,
and now it is through him that we exist,
and in him, that the crippling grip of death is broken forever.
Therefore with .....
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give thanks for your Son and our teacher, Jesus of Nazareth,
who you raised up and gave words of authority,
to teach us the love that builds up,
to silence the demons
and to break the crippling grip of death forever.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for your justice stands in splendour and majesty,
and you nourish the faithful
with mercy and kindness.
You are the one God who created all things
and for whom we exist.
From the beginning you have revealed your mighty deeds
and upheld a covenant with your chosen ones.
You raised up among your people
a prophet greater even than Moses,
your Son and our teacher, Jesus of Nazareth.
With words and deeds of authority he has taught us,
not the knowledge that puffs up,
but the love that builds up.
You put your holy words in his mouth,
and at his word even the demons fall silent.
When he was killed, you raised him to life,
and now it is through him that we exist,
and in him, that the crippling grip of death is broken 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.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

God, who is merciful and kind,
has come to us in Jesus Christ,
to establish a lasting covenant with us,
forgiving our sins
and releasing us from the grip of evil.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, and heed God’s message.
Never forget God’s wonderful mercy and kindness.
Welcome the freedom that is won in truth,
but never use your freedom to undermine others.
See that your words and actions are worthy of praise.
And may God uphold you in a lasting covenant.
May Christ Jesus free you from all that would harm you.
And may the Holy Spirit nourish you in wisdom and faithfulness.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Truth can destroy and truth can liberateA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton

Raising ProphetsA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & Deuteronomy 18: 15-20 by Nathan Nettleton

The Calling of NamesA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton

With AuthorityA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & Deuteronomy 18: 15-20 by Nathan Nettleton

Confronting Religious DemonsA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 by Nathan Nettleton

A Back-To-School Exorcism!A sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton

Biblical Ethics in the Age of COVIDA sermon on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton

The Feast of the Presentation of our Lord
2027-02-02 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Malachi 3: 1-4

The LORD who rules over everything has this to say:
“Look, I am sending my own messenger to get things ready for my arrival. Then, all of a sudden, the Lord you have been looking for will turn up in the temple. You have been longing to see the messenger who will come to put my promises on the table. Well, he’s coming alright. But will anyone be able to cope with him when he does? Will anyone be able to stand firm in his presence?
You see, he’ll be like a bush fire that clears all the debris from the forest floor, or like paint stripper that takes a surface back to bare metal. He will tear through the whole family of priests and burn away the rubbish once and for all, until they shine like pure polished gold. Then they’ll do what they are supposed to do and bring the right kind of offerings to the LORD. That way the offerings of the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to God again, just like they were in the past.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 84 (alternative canticle)

The place where you live is just exquisite,
O LORD, ruler of all!
With everything inside me, I long to be there;
I go all weak at the very thought of it.
I want to be there, body and soul,
singing my heart out for you, O God of life.
Even the birds find a home in your house;
there are nests in every nook and cranny
where pigeons and sparrows raise their young.
Bird song and incense rise together
to honour you, Sovereign God, ruler of all.
How privileged are those who live in your house;
joyous songs of praise are forever on their lips.
Those who have tapped into your strength
have got it made.
The highway to heaven begins within them;
a direct route to your holy presence.
They are like people who can find water in the desert;
they drink from life giving springs
that no drought can ever dry up.
They go from strength to strength,
and will see you face to face on your holy mountain.
O LORD, ruler of everything, hear my cry.
Tune in to my prayer, O God of our ancestors.
Your presence is our protection, O God;
smile upon us, your chosen ones.
A day spent in your presence
beats a thousand nights in a five star resort.
I’d rather scrub floors in your house, O God,
than rub shoulders with the rich and famous
beneath the flashing lights of greed and corruption.
O LORD our God, you are the sun that shines on us
and the shield that keeps us safe.
You shower us with generosity and honour,
and deny nothing to people of integrity.
O LORD, ruler of all,
everyone who trusts in you has got it made!
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 24: 7-10 (alternative canticle)

We hear the call:
“Wake up! On your feet!
Open the gates and form a guard of honour!
Roll out the red carpet
before the glorious sovereign.”
Who is this majestic ruler?
It is you, LORD, supreme and dynamic,
the conqueror of conflict.
We hear it again:
“Wake up! On your feet!
Open the gates and form a guard of honour!
Roll out the red carpet
before the glorious sovereign.”
Who is this majestic ruler?
It is you, the LORD who rules over everything.
This majestic ruler is you, our God.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Hebrews 2: 14-18

For Jesus to share so fully in the life experience of the children, he had to be of the same flesh and blood as them. It was only in the same flesh and blood that he could go through the same death; and it was in going through death that he destroyed the devil who wields death as his ultimate weapon. That is how he broke open an escape route for those whose fear of death robbed them of their freedom to live. Now it is quite clear that he wasn’t doing this for the benefit of the angels. Rather it was for us human beings, who follow in the footsteps of Abraham, and so he had to become one of us in every respect. Only by being totally identified with us could he have the necessary compassion and loyalty to be the high priest who offers the costly gift to God to cancel out all we have done wrong. Because he himself has survived the worst that life can dish out without giving up, he is now ideally placed to help out those whose limits are being being put to the test.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 2: 22-40

Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary went up to the Jerusalem temple to undergo the purification ritual required by the religious law. They took Jesus with them, and offered the sacrifice which the religious law required of new parents. In their case, because they could not afford much, the required sacrifice was “a pair of young pigeons or doves.” While they were at the Temple, they took the opportunity to make the ritual presentation of the baby to the Lord. This too was in line with God’s law, for it specified that “every firstborn son will be marked out as being dedicated to the Lord.”
A man named Simeon came into the temple that day at the prompting of the Spirit. Simeon was a man of deep integrity and prayer; a man clearly under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He was living in eager anticipation of the day when the sorrows of God’s people would be brought to an end, and the Holy Spirit had let him know that he would see the Lord’s chosen Messiah in person before he died. So when Joseph and Mary brought the child into the temple to do all the customary things that the law required, Simeon was there. He took Jesus in his arms, and began to praise God in prayer, saying:
“At last you are letting your servant go in peace, Lord,
just as you promised you would.
For now, with my own eyes,
I have seen your rescue operation underway.
I have seen the launch of the life you have been preparing
in the midst of the world and its peoples.
I have seen the light which will make you known to the nations,
the light which will have your people basking in glory.”
The parents couldn’t believe their ears when they heard what was being said about their child. Simeon gave them both a blessing, and spoke to the child’s mother, Mary, saying, “This child is destined to be the making or breaking of many people in Israel. He will be a sign of what God is now up to, and many people will turn against him, and thus expose what they are really made of. And as for you, his mother, it will tear your heart out.”
There was also an elderly prophet in the temple that day. Her name was Anna, and she was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was eighty four years old, and had lived as a widow ever since her husband had died after only seven years of marriage. She spent all her time in the temple, worshipping God there, day and night, with prayer and great discipline. As Mary and Joseph presented the child in the temple, Anna came up and began to speak of how wonderful God is. She spoke about the child to all those who were looking forward to the day when everything would be put right again for Jerusalem.
When the family had completed everything that the law of the Lord required of them, they headed back north to Galilee, to their home town of Nazareth. The child grew up strong and healthy, with a wise head on his shoulders, and showing every indication that God was pleased with him.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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 have allowed us to see the salvation
you have prepared for all peoples.
You are the Lord of heaven’s might
who conquered the chaos
and brought forth the newborn earth.
You taught your people through your law and prophets
to present themselves and their offspring to you
to be purified and made holy for your service.
In your child, Jesus, you shared our flesh and blood
and became like us in every way.
As a newborn, he was presented in the temple
and designated as holy to you.
He was recognised by faithful prophets
as the one who would,
through his own suffering and death,
destroy the power of death,
and rise to be a merciful and faithful high priest
who atones for the sins of the people
and frees us from the fear of death.
Therefore with .....
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give thanks for your child, Jesus,
who was presented to you in your temple
and designated as the holy one
who would serve as a merciful and faithful high priest
and, through his own suffering and death,
destroy the power of death forever.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for have allowed us to see the salvation
you have prepared for all peoples.
You are the Lord of heaven’s might
who conquered the chaos
and brought forth the newborn earth.
You taught your people through your law and prophets
to present themselves and their offspring to you
to be purified and made holy for your service.
In your child, Jesus, you shared our flesh and blood
and became like us in every way.
As a newborn, he was presented in the temple
and designated as holy to you.
He was recognised by faithful prophets
as the one who would,
through his own suffering and death,
destroy the power of death,
and rise to be a merciful and faithful high priest
who atones for the sins of the people
and frees us from the fear of death.
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

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Jesus became like us in every way,
so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest
making a sacrifice of atonement
for the sins of the people.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, for the Lord is dismissing you in peace.
Present yourselves to God
to be purified and made holy to the Lord.
Rejoice in the presence of God
who never fails to bless those who walk with integrity.
And may God be pleased with all you offer;
May Christ Jesus help you whenever you are tested;
And may the Holy Spirit purify you with refining fire
and give you honour and grace.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

What Now?A sermon on Luke 2: 22-40 by Nathan Nettleton

The Gift of BelongingA sermon on Luke 2: 22-40 by Alison Sampson

5th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year B
2027-02-07 00:00 - 23:59
This occasion only occurs in 2027 for churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday.

Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Isaiah 40: 21-31

Don’t you understand?
Have you somehow missed hearing about this?
Wasn’t this explained to you from day one?
Isn’t it obvious to you who was responsible
for the creation of the earth?
It is God who is in charge:
God who sees the planet like a ball;
its population like tiny insects.
It is God who spread out the sky like a tarp,
who set up the galaxy like a tent to live in.
It is God who makes governments look powerless;
who reduces kings and presidents to nothing.
They rise up on the earth as confident as mighty trees,
but to God they are like newly sprouted weeds.
No sooner have they popped their heads up
than God turns on them with a puff of breath
and they wither and blow away like dry leaves.
The Holy One puts the challenge to you, saying,
“Who are you going to replace me with?
Who can you find who can hold a candle to me?”
Look up and see the night sky.
Who do you think created all that?
It is God who spreads out the milky way,
numbering the stars and calling them each by name.
So great are God’s strength and power
that not one star goes missing.
So what are you talking about, people of God,
when you raise your voices and say,
“The LORD’s got no idea what is happening to us;
God is paying no attention to our basic rights.”
Don’t you understand?
Have you somehow missed hearing about this?
The LORD is the God who outlasts everyone and everything,
the Creator of the whole earth, from one end to the other.
The LORD never runs out of puff,
and never feels like giving up.
The LORD knows the fine detail
of things we can only guess at.
When your energies are drained,
and you are too weak to stand,
the LORD gives new strength and energy.
Even the youngest and fittest have their limits;
they too eventually drop in their tracks.
But nothing can stop those who hang in there for the LORD.
Their strength will be constantly renewed;
they will soar with the effortless grace of an eagle.
They will run and never grow weary;
they will walk ever onward
and never grow faint.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 147: 1-11, 20c

LORD, we sing your praises!
We love to sing your praises,
for you are incredibly generous
and you deserve all the credit we can give.
You, LORD, are the one who rebuilds the ruined city
and brings home those who have been kicked out.
You bandage the wounds of the brokenhearted,
and nurse them back to health.
It was you who counted out the stars,
and called them all by name.
You are the greatest, LORD,
your strength is off the scale,
and your grasp of what’s going on is mind boggling.
You put those who have been ground into the dirt back on their feet,
and you knock those who are callous and corrupt off their perches.
Our songs are full of thanks to you, LORD,
as we strike up the band in your honour.
It is you who spread the clouds across the sky,
ready to rain on the earth,
ready to bring the grass springing up green.
It is you who feeds the animals;
you who responds to the hungry cry of a currawong chick.
You are not impressed by massive horsepower;
you don’t get your kicks watching tests of speed.
You would much rather that people were awestruck by your love, LORD,
and that they built their future on the solid rock of your faithfulness.
LORD, we sing your praises!
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

1 Corinthians 9: 16-23

Preaching God’s message is not some great accomplishment for which I can expect to be applauded and rewarded. I am just doing what I was created to do, so I’d be up the creek without a paddle if I failed to preach God’s message! If it was just a job I had applied for, then I could expect to be paid an award wage. But since I am not doing this because I want to, but because it is what I was made for, I am simply being true to the call that God has wired into my brain. So is there anything in it for me? Sure! The privilege of being the mouth-piece that brings people into contact with the good news of God’s love is worth more than wages to me. And even better if it doesn’t cost them a cent, so I refrain from calling in the favours I could, by right, claim for my role in bringing that message to you.
Certainly I am free. No one has the right to tell me what I can and can’t do. But despite that, I have voluntarily made myself a slave to everyone else’s customs in order to win over more people. Among Jewish people, I stuck religiously to the Jewish customs in order to avoid offending them, and to maximise the odds of winning them over. Among those who carefully observe the religious law, I too lived as one governed by the law. I did this even though I am free from the law, in order to maximise the odds of winning over those who are bound by the law. Among those who have never lived under the religious law, I didn’t make a display of law-keeping, but lived according to the local customs. I did this in order to maximise the odds of winning them over, even though I am by no means lawless, because Christ calls the shots in my life. Among those who are timid and uncertain, I played it safe, just as they do, in order to win over as many timid and uncertain people as possible. I have become anything and everything to others — whatever it takes to find common ground with people and win their trust — so that by whatever means I can employ I might help people take hold of the lifeline God is throwing them. I do everything I can to promote the message of God’s love, and I look for nothing more in return than to share in the benefits that it brings.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Mark 1: 29-39

Jesus finished teaching in the Capernaum Synagogue and left with his followers. Taking James and John with him, he went to the family home of Simon and Andrew. On arrival he was told that Simon’s mother-in-law was crook in bed, burning up with fever. He went to her bedside, took her by the hand and lifted her to her feet. The fever cleared, then and there, and she set about making them welcome in her home.
By sunset that day, the word was out and a crowd was gathering at the door. It seemed that the whole city was there, bringing everyone who was sick or tormented by demons. Jesus cured many people from various kinds of disease, and freed many from the grip of demons. He would not allow the demons to say a word, because they had him figured out.
Before sunrise the next morning, Jesus got up and left the house on the quiet. He went bush in a remote area and spent the time alone in prayer. When he was missed, Simon and his mates began the search. They tracked him down, and said to him, “Come on, you’ve got everyone looking for you.”
Jesus answered, “Let’s hit the road, so that I can broadcast the message in the other towns in this neck of the woods. That’s what I came to do.”
And so he hiked the length and breadth of Galilee. In every town he preached the message in the places where the people gathered, and drove out the demonic powers.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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 strengthen the powerless
and renew those who wait for you in trust.
You are the Creator of the earth
who stretched out the sky like a curtain
and sent down rain, clothing the mountains in green.
You gathered your people from exile,
healing the broken hearted and binding their wounds.
You came among us, as one of us,
in your child Jesus the Christ,
sharing our weakness in order to save us.
Healing the sick and casting out demonic powers,
he proclaimed your mercy and peace.
Turning his back on the acclaim of the crowds,
he faithfully followed your call
all the way to death on a cross.
You raised him up
and promised that all who trust in him
will rise up with wings like eagles
and run the race without ever growing weary.
Therefore with .....
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give you thanks for gathering us from exile,
healing our broken hearts and binding our wounds,
and raising us up on wings like eagles
that we might go where you send us
and be what you need us to be
without ever growing weary or faint.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you strengthen the powerless
and renew those who wait for you in trust.
You are the Creator of the earth
who stretched out the sky like a curtain
and sent down rain, clothing the mountains in green.
You gathered your people from exile,
healing the broken hearted and binding their wounds.
You came among us, as one of us,
in your child Jesus the Christ,
sharing our weakness in order to save us.
Healing the sick and casting out demonic powers,
he proclaimed your mercy and peace.
Turning his back on the acclaim of the crowds,
he faithfully followed your call
all the way to death on a cross.
You raised him up
and promised that all who trust in him
will rise up with wings like eagles
and run the race without ever growing weary.
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

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

God hears the cries of the brokenhearted
and renews the strength of those who trust in his mercy.
In Jesus Christ, God has taken us by the hand,
forgiving our sins and lifting us up to new life.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, and trust in God’s mercy for your strength.
Proclaim the good news wherever God calls you,
and do not set yourselves apart from others,
but be all things to all people for the sake of the gospel.
And may God give you the strength and freedom of an eagle.
May Christ be the bread that nourishes and renews you.
And may the Holy Spirit be the rising wind beneath your wings.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Jesus the ExorcistA sermon on Mark 1:29-39 by Garry Worete Deverell

When is a Call not a Call?A sermon on Mark 1:29-39, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 & Isaiah 40:21-31 by Nathan Nettleton

A Word from the FireA sermon on Isaiah 40:21-31 by Nathan Nettleton

What is Freedom?A sermon on Mark 1:29-39 & 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 by Nathan Nettleton

The healing that leads to ministryA sermon on Mark 1: 29-39 by Alison Sampson

The Strength to Walk Away from SuccessA sermon on Mark 1:29-39, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 & Isaiah 40:21-31 by Nathan Nettleton

Looking for good news during a pandemicA sermon on Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 & Mark 1:29-39 by Francesca Nuzzolese

Transfiguration Sunday (Last Sunday before Lent) - Year B
2027-02-07 00:00 - 23:59
Churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday may prefer to use the resources for the 5th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent.

Below you will find the Bible readings set for Transfiguration Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Kings 2: 1-12

Shortly before the LORD sent a whirlwind to take Elijah into heaven, Elijah and Elisha headed off on a journey from Gilgal. Elijah had tried to talk Elisha out of coming, saying, “The LORD wants me to go to Bethel, but there is no need for you to come. You can stay here.”
But Elisha said, “I’m sticking with you, come hell or high water!”
So they travelled together down to Bethel. There was a community of prophets in Bethel, and they came out and asked Elisha, “Do you realise that today the LORD is going to take your boss away from you?”
“I know,” Elisha replied, “but shut up! I don’t want to talk about it.”
Elijah said, “Elisha, you stay put. The LORD wants me to go on to Jericho, but there is no need for you to come.”
But Elisha said, “I’m sticking with you, come hell or high water!”
So they were still together when they arrived in Jericho. There was a community of prophets in Jericho, and they came out and asked Elisha, “Do you realise that today the LORD is going to take your boss away from you?”
“I know,” Elisha replied, “but shut up! I don’t want to talk about it.”
Elijah said, “Elisha, you stay put. The LORD wants me to go across the Jordan River, but there is no need for you to come.”
But Elisha said, “I’m sticking with you, come hell or high water!”
So the two of them continued on together. A group of fifty prophets followed them, keeping their distance but not letting them out of their sight. When they arrived at the Jordan River, Elijah took off his coat, rolled it up, and slapped the water with it. The water immediately parted to form a dry path through the middle of the river and the two of them crossed over. When they reached the other side, Elijah said, “Elisha, our time together is almost up. What would you most like me to do for you before I am taken away?”
Elisha replied, “Please make me your successor by leaving to me the largest share of the spirit that empowers you.”
Elijah responded, “That’s a tough ask! But if you actually see me being taken away from you, then you’ll get your wish. If you don’t, you’ll miss out.”
The two of them continued to walk along, deep in conversation, when suddenly a chariot of fire drawn by two blazing horses charged between them and Elijah was sucked up in a whirlwind and taken into heaven. Elisha saw the whole thing and kept crying out, “Father! Father! You are gone with the defenders of Israel, God’s mounted warriors!”
When Elijah disappeared from sight, Elisha was torn apart with grief.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 50: 1-6

You, LORD, are the mighty God.
Wherever the sun shines, from horizon to horizon,
you call the earth to attention.
From the spectacular beauty of your holy mountain,
you approach us in a blaze of glory.
You come with the full fanfare;
flashes of fire in front of you;
thunder storming all around you.
You call the earth and sky to sit as a jury,
and set out the charges against your people.
You call the accused:
those who swore their faithfulness to you,
and signed themselves to a binding alliance.
The whole universe honours you as the judge,
and affirms the honesty of your court.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

2 Corinthians 4: 3-6

Are people saying that the message we preach is hidden behind some kind of mask? Well, I can assure you that the only people who can’t see it clearly are those who will never escape the grip of death. Unable to believe and trust, they were easy prey for the ruling spirit of this present age who messed with their heads and left them blind to the truth. As a result they can’t see the glorious light of the message of Christ, and it is when we see Christ in all his glory, that we see the spitting image of God. We are not preaching about ourselves. The message we preach is that Jesus the Christ is Lord of all. We ourselves are slaves at your service, for Jesus’ sake. The very God who kicked off creation by calling for light to shine from darkness has now filled our hearts with the light that comes from seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus the Christ and knowing it for what it is.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Mark 9: 2-9

Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain away from everyone else. Before their very eyes, the way Jesus looked was suddenly changed from the inside out. His clothing became so white that it was dazzling – an effect beyond anything soap powder could ever achieve. Suddenly they saw Moses and Elijah there too, in deep conversation with Jesus.
Peter said, “Boss, this is fantastic! What a moment! How about we knock up three huts, so that you, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” He was just shooting his mouth off without thinking because they were quaking in their boots.
An awesome cloud engulfed them, and from deep within the cloud, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son, the love of my life. Listen to him!”
Peter, James and John looked around and suddenly everything looked normal again and they saw no one there but Jesus.
As they were coming back down the mountain, Jesus gave them strict instructions not to breathe a word to anyone about about what they had seen, until after the New Human had risen from the dead.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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 transfiguring light has overcome us
and is restoring within us the image of your glory.
When you created the universe you said,
“Let light shine out of darkness,”
and the heavens lit up in testimony to your justice.
Through the law and prophets your light has shone forth,
and your Word has never fallen silent.
On a high mountain you pulled back the veil of heaven
and, as Moses and Elijah passed on their mantles
to the one in whom your saving Word is fulfilled,
you allowed the incomparable glory of your Son
to be seen by his terrified disciples.
He was killed by those who would not listen to you,
but after you raised him from the dead,
you sent the winds of heaven upon us
with an extravagant outpouring of your Holy Spirit.
Therefore with .....
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give thanks for the incomparable glory of your Son
which shines upon us as transfiguring light,
restoring within us the image of your glory
and gathering us up in the wild wind of your Holy Spirit.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for your transfiguring light has overcome us
and is restoring within us the image of your glory.
When you created the universe you said,
“Let light shine out of darkness,”
and the heavens lit up in testimony to your justice.
Through the law and prophets your light has shone forth,
and your Word has never fallen silent.
On a high mountain you pulled back the veil of heaven
and, as Moses and Elijah passed on their mantles
to the one in whom your saving Word is fulfilled,
you allowed the incomparable glory of your Son
to be seen by his terrified disciples.
He was killed by those who would not listen to you,
but after you raised him from the dead,
you sent the winds of heaven upon us
with an extravagant outpouring of your Holy Spirit.
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

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Though we were blinded by sin,
God’s saving light has been beamed into our hearts
that we might see the radiant mercy of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, and speak of what you have seen of God’s glory.
Do not cling to the holy moments
when heaven overshadows you,
but as the Lord lives, listen to Christ and follow him
from the places of revelation
to the places of mission.
And may God shine the light of glory into your hearts.
May Christ be with you and never leave you.
And may the Spirit renew the image of God within you.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Transfiguration PeopleA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton

More Than Meets the EyeA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton

The View from the MountaintopA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton

This is my Son, Listen to himA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton

The Surprising Light Behind the VeilA sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 & Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton

Up and Down the MountainA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Karen Quah

Ash Wednesday
2027-02-10 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17

Ring the alarm bells on the holy mountain.
Sound the sirens for the whole city to hear!
Put the fear of God into everybody,
for the day when the LORD will step in is near –
a dark and menacing day,
a day of fierce heat and dark choking clouds!
Like a raging bushfire sweeping down the mountain,
a terrifying army comes.
Wave upon wave,
it leaves nothing but scorched earth in its path.
It is more terrifying than anything ever seen before,
or anything ever likely to be seen again.
But even now, at the eleventh hour,
the LORD calls to us saying:
“It is not too late!
Get back on track with me.
Show me you mean it with your whole hearts.
Go off your food and get on your knees.
Weep and mourn from the depths of your hearts,
and don’t try to con me
with crocodile tears and cheap black arm bands.
“Come back to me, the LORD your God,
for I am compassionate and generous,
as eager to forgive as any mother.
My love and loyalty always hold back my anger.
Given half a reason I’ll withhold sentence
and give everybody a second chance.
“What have you got to lose by trying?
Perhaps you can convince me to change my mind.
Perhaps I’ll even send good times instead of disaster
and you’ll be eating and drinking in my honour.
“Ring the alarm bells on my holy mountain.
Declare a day of national repentance.
Rally the people, every one of them.
Get them together to pray and fast.
Make sure everyone has prepared themselves properly,
and make sure no one is missing.
Bring the aged and infirm,
the toddlers and the newborn.
Call back the newlyweds from honeymoons
and cancel all leave.
“In the heart of the place of worship
let those who lead you in prayer do so with tears.
Let them cry out to me, the LORD your God,
and beg me to have mercy on you.
Let them plead with me not to make you a laughingstock,
a classic example of a failed nation.
“For why should the rest of the world scoff
and conclude that your downfall is my failure?”
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Isaiah 58: 1-12 (alternative 1st reading)

God has told me to shout until you people hear;
to hammer home the message until it gets through.
You are God’s people, but God feels betrayed by you.
Listen to what God has to say about your sins:
“Day after day, you look good:
you turn up to worship and pay attention to my teachings.
You act like a people who want to do what is right;
like a people who want to obey to the letter.
You ask me for directions before you do anything,
and you seem enthusiastic about getting closer to me.
“Do you want to know why your religious behaviour turns me off?
Do you want to know why I ignore your fasting and bowing?
I’ll tell you why. You put on a great performance of it all,
but then you go straight back to feathering your own nest
and ripping off your workers in the process.
“When you fast, it just makes you irritable and violent;
and when you behave like that, I’ll just hang up on you.
“Do you really think this is what I like to see:
a day of pious misery?
black clothes, long faces and crocodile tears?
giving up chocolate and ice-cream?
Do you think that’s worship?
Do you think that pleases me?
Give me a break!
“Do you want to know what I’d really like to see?
Dismantle the structures of injustice;
take your feet off the throats of the poor;
stop jailing the victims of unfair laws;
and quit plundering nature’s resources.
“Do you want to know what else I’d like to see?
Open your tables to the hungry;
open your hearts and your homes to the refugees;
open your wardrobes to those without clothes;
and don’t go hiding every time you see someone in need.
“Do that, and I’ll put your name up in lights!
Do that and our relationship will be healed in an instant!
I’ll put you under my personal protection;
anyone who attacks you will have to deal with me, the LORD!
I’ll be on hand to respond whenever you need me;
just say the word, and I’ll be there for you.
“If you abandon all forms of exploitation,
and avoid bad-mouthing others to gain an edge;
if you share what you have with those in need,
and respond to the real needs of suffering communities;
then you’ll find that the world will light up for you
and life will be one beautiful day after another.
“I, the LORD, will always be there to guide you;
even in the grip of drought,
I’ll keep you healthy and well fed.
You’ll be like an irrigated vineyard with its own deep bore,
green and lush and full of life!
“Your ruined houses will be renovated and new;
you’ll be able to restore the homes
that have been in your families for generations.
You’ll get a reputation for making dreams possible,
for enabling everyone to find a good place to live.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 51: 1-17

O God, your love never gives up.
Have mercy on me now!
I’m relying on your record of generous mercy:
please wipe my slate clean!
Scrub away the filth I’ve been living in;
Scour away the stain of my sin.
I know only too well what I’ve done;
my sins stare me in the face.
It is you I’ve double-crossed, you I’ve betrayed;
I’ve done things which I knew you despised.
You have all the facts and you know what I deserve;
what ever you decide is fair enough.
I’ve been on the wrong side of you forever.
I turned my back on you before I was born.
You want honesty that comes from deep within,
so teach me your wisdom,
let it take root in my heart.
Get the bleach out and give me the treatment!
Soak me and wash me
until I’m as white as snow.
Open my ears to laughter and music.
Though you ground me into the dirt,
let me now rise to the sounds of joy.
Turn a blind eye to my record;
disregard my prior convictions.
Renovate me from the inside, O God;
rebuild my heart and rewire my brain;
install in me a new fault-free operating system.
Don’t cut me off from you now,
or withdraw your Holy Spirit from me.
Rekindle in me the joy of being safe in your care,
and fill me with an insatiable desire to follow you.
Then I’ll show others how to get back on track;
they’ll quit their corrupt ways and come back to you.
Get me out of this mess before I get blood on my hands, God.
Only you can get me out alive,
and I’ll tell everyone that you did.
Lord, as soon as you’ve got me out
and it’s safe to open my mouth,
I’ll be singing your praises with all my might.
I know I can’t fool you with hollow religion, God.
I could perform all the rituals perfectly, by the book,
but it wouldn’t mean a cracker to you.
What you want to see is a genuine heart-felt apology
and a commitment to a total life-change.
You will never turn away anyone who comes to you heartbroken
and promising to turn over a new leaf.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6:10

On Christ’s behalf we beg you to accept the generous peace deal that God is offering. The way of reconciliation is on the table before you: you’d be mad to turn your backs on it! Even though Christ had never been sucked into sin like us, God lumped him in with us, so as to make it possible to lump us in with him. United with him, we can become examples of all that God considers to be right and true.
We are working together, shoulder to shoulder with God, and we urge you not to take God’s extravagant generosity for granted.
In the scriptures God says,
“At exactly the right moment,
I heard your call.
The day you needed help,
I was there to bail you out.”
Well, this is it — the exact right moment. This is the day to throw off the shackles and walk free! It won’t be our fault if you don’t take this chance — we’re doing everything in our power not to get in anyone’s way. There’s no point in nit-picking over the details of our work. We have endeavoured to be faithful servants of God and we’re confident that we’ve got the runs on the board. It’s not as though we’ve had it easy either. We have hung in there through hard times, tough times and horrendous disasters. We’ve been bashed, lynched and locked up. We’ve worked ourselves into the ground when things needed to be done, sometimes even going without sleep and food. And through all this we have maintained our integrity — our intentions have been pure and our heads have been clear. We have managed to hold on to our patience, generosity, and holiness of spirit. Our love has been genuine, our speech truthful, and God has continued to work powerfully through us. We have armed ourselves with nothing but an iron commitment to doing what’s right, and we’ve grasped the work of justice with both hands. Sometimes we’ve been honoured and sometimes slandered. We have been true to our word and yet denounced as charlatans. We’ve been treated as nobodies even though everyone knows who we are. We’ve been written of as dead, but here we are, brimming with life. We’ve been flogged to within an inch of our lives but never quite killed. We’ve almost drowned in tears and yet we are still bubbling with joy. They say we are poor, and yet many are enriched by us. They say we have nothing to offer, and yet everything is ours to share.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21

While Jesus was teaching his followers on the mountain, he said:
“It is good to put the disciplines of godly living into practice, but be on your guard against the temptation to start doing it for show. The God who conceived you knows what’s going on, and if the good things you do are done only to impress people, you’ll get no credit for them in heaven.
“Don’t go blowing your own trumpet every time you do something charitable. If you give money for the relief of poverty, don’t go asking for public acknowledgement. The world is full of sponsorship schemes and naming rights deals, but it is all hypocrisy. It’s got more to do with image management than with concern for the poor. Of course it works as a business strategy, but I can assure you that there will be no rewards beyond that. God brought you to birth and understands everything you do, even what you do in secret. So if you want credit from God for giving money to charity, give it anonymously. Go out of your way to keep it quiet – don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. It is that sort of unpretentious generosity that God will reward.
“The same principle holds true when it comes to the inward disciplines such as prayer and fasting. When you pray, don’t turn it into a exhibition. In the media and even in worship services you’ll see people leading so-called ‘prayers’ that look and sound more like campaign speeches, carefully crafted for public consumption. It’s nothing more than hot air; sheer hypocrisy! No doubt they’ll succeed in impressing lots of people, but I can assure you: that’s the only reward they’ll ever get. Take my advice: do your praying behind closed doors so that you won’t be tempted to start grandstanding. Find a place where you can take off your masks and just open yourselves to God in quietness. By getting yourself out of the spotlight, you’ll have a chance of becoming aware of God’s presence – a reward in itself!
“When you are fasting, don’t go drawing attention to the fact. Some hypocrites make a big display of sitting at the table with long faces while everyone else eats. They might gain a reputation for being very religious and self-controlled, but they won’t get anything else out of it. It’s a waste of time training yourself to control one appetite while simultaneously indulging your appetite for adulation. Instead, when you are fasting, maintain your usual outward appearance and demeanour as best you can, so that no one will twig. God always has a loving eye on you and will see to it that your secret fasting reaps rich benefits.
“Don’t go piling up investments here on earth, where they can be wiped out in an instant by fire or flood, or a market crash. There is only one investment strategy that can never fail or be eroded. Invest everything you are and everything you have in the ways of heaven. It is a simple fact that whatever you invest yourself in will monopolise your concerns and therefore shape the person you will become.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Great Prayer Preface

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.
All glory and honour are yours
everywhere and always, O God,
for in your kindness and mercy,
your patience and faithfulness,
you are always ready to forgive and not punish.
We give you thanks and praise for your Son,
our saviour and brother, Jesus Christ,
by whose example and strength
we resist all evil,
and turn our backs on its lures
of comfort and honour, of power and success,
seeking instead to store up treasure in heaven,
knowing that though we may seem to have nothing,
in purity, knowledge, patience and kindness,
we really possess everything.
Therefore with .....
©1999 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for the example our saviour and brother, Jesus Christ,
by whose strength we resist all evil,
seeking instead to store up treasure in heaven,
knowing that though we may seem to have nothing,
in purity, knowledge, patience and kindness,
we really possess everything.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted)

We give you thanks and praise, O God,
for in your kindness and mercy,
your patience and faithfulness,
you are always ready to forgive and not punish.
We thank you for your Son,
our saviour and brother, Jesus Christ,
by whose example and strength
we resist all evil,
and turn our backs on its lures
of comfort and honour, of power and success,
seeking instead to store up treasure in heaven,
knowing that though we may seem to have nothing,
in purity, knowledge, patience and kindness,
we really possess everything.
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

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

The Lord your God is kind and full of mercy,
always ready to forgive and not punish.
Christ, by uniting with us and sharing in our sin,
has enabled us to share in the righteousness of God.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Doing the right thing: a modest entry to the kingdomA sermon on Matthew 6:1-6 by Paul Sheppy

Riches in Heaven and Light in the BodyA sermon on Matthew 6: 19-23 by Peter Mugabi

1st Sunday in Lent - Year B
2027-02-14 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Genesis 9: 8-17

God said to Noah and his family:
“I, myself, am forging an alliance with you, and with all your descendants to come, and with every living creature; all the birds, domestic animals, and wild animals of the earth who came out of the lifeboat with you. In the terms of this alliance which I am forging with you, I am giving you my word that never again will all life be wiped out by a flood. There will never be another flood that will totally destroy the earth. I am making this alliance between me and you and all the living creatures that are with you, and I am signing it in the clouds. The rainbow that I have put in the clouds for you all to see is my signature on the alliance between me and the earth. Whenever I make the clouds gather and my rainbow signature becomes visible there, I will remember the alliance that governs my relationship with you and with every living creature on earth. I will remember, and the waters will never again become a flood that wipes out all life on earth. I will see the rainbow which I have signed in the clouds and remember that I am party to a permanent binding alliance with every living creature of every kind on the earth. I assure you, Noah, that with this signature that you see in the clouds, I have sealed the alliance between me, God, and the entire community of living creatures on the earth.”
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 25: 1-10

I gladly offer you everything I am, LORD .
I have put my trust in you, God;
please don’t let me down;
don’t give my enemies grounds to gloat.
Be there for those who hang in there for you, no matter what:
don’t leave them with egg on their faces.
Save that for the two-faced scabs who deserve it.
Let me in on your way of doing things, LORD;
teach me how to follow your tracks.
Steer me along your ways of truth, and teach me all about them.
Only you can save me from disaster, God,
so I’ll wait for you before setting out.
Your love and mercy have been as timeless and dependable as the rock;
please don’t change your mind about them now!
Don’t keep a record of everything I’ve done wrong in the past.
Let your unshakable love colour your view of me,
and keep your reputation for generosity intact!
You always do what is good and right, LORD,
and so you patiently retrain those who do wrong.
You pilot a safe course for those who are not too full of themselves;
you give lessons on your ways to the humble folk.
Every path you tread, LORD, is marked by solid love and loyalty
for the benefit of all who keep our end of the bargain with you.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

1 Peter 3: 18-22

The Messiah copped the consequences of human corruption
and suffered them all in one hit.
He who had done only what is right
suffered for those who had done wrong
in order to bring you home to God.
He was killed by human hands
but made alive by the Spirit.
In the spirit, he went and preached freedom to those who refused God’s way in past generations and whose spirits have remained in prison ever since. In their own day, God had given them every chance. While Noah was building his boat, for example, there was plenty of time for people to realise why and change their ways, but in the end a mere eight people were saved from the waters by getting into that lifeboat. Their experience was a bit of a preview of the way baptism saves you. It is not just a bath to clean up your appearance. Rather, you are pulled from the water to a new life so that you can stand before God with a clear conscience. You are raised from death to life with Jesus the Messiah, who has since taken his place in heaven as God’s right hand man, and he has the last word on everything and everyone. There is no authority or power, human or angel, that can overrule him.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Mark 1: 9-15

During those days, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. The moment he came up from the water, he saw the sky open up and the Spirit coming down like a diving kookaburra and taking hold of him. And a voice filled the air, saying, “You are my Son; the love of my life. You fill me with pride.”
Straight after that, the Spirit drove him out into a remote wilderness area. He had to prove himself for forty days in the bush, while the devil tried every trick in the book to lure him off-track. Jesus was in tough country, surrounded by wild animals, and God’s angels took care of everything he needed.
After John the baptiser was arrested, Jesus headed up to Galilee and began spreading the good news of God. This was the guts of his message:
“The time has come!
The culture of God is close at hand.
Turn your lives around and accept the good news.”
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

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 in tenderness and faithful love
you forgive our sins and guide us when we stray.
When the ancient flood destroyed the world you had created,
you saved Noah and his family from the waters,
and established a covenant with them
and with every living creature for all time.
In later times your Son, Jesus,
came forth from the waters of baptism,
and after proving himself in the wilderness
where waves of temptation threatened to engulf him,
he began proclaiming the good news of your kingdom,
calling people to repent and believe in the gospel.
He was cast down to the land of the dead
where he preached even to those lost in the flood,
but you raised him to new life
and seated him at your side
to reign over every authority and power for ever.
Therefore with .....
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give thanks for your Son, Jesus,
who proved himself stronger than the devil’s temptations,
and who in death preached even to those lost in the flood,
and in resurrection reigns over every authority and power for ever.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for in tenderness and faithful love
you forgive our sins and guide us when we stray.
When the ancient flood destroyed the world you had created,
you saved Noah and his family from the waters,
and established a covenant with them
and with every living creature for all time.
In later times your Son, Jesus,
came forth from the waters of baptism,
and after proving himself in the wilderness
where waves of temptation threatened to engulf him,
he began proclaiming the good news of your kingdom,
calling people to repent and believe in the gospel.
He was cast down to the land of the dead
where he preached even to those lost in the flood,
but you raised him to new life
and seated him at your side
to reign over every authority and power for ever.
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

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Christ suffered for sins, once for all,
the righteous for the unrighteous,
in order to bring you to God.
Through the mercy of Christ, God remembers you
but not your faults or your sins.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, and live in the spirit of your baptism,
even when you are led into wild and hard places.
With repentance and trust, give yourselves to God,
and with fasting and prayer,
strengthen yourselves against the ways of the tempter.
And may God enfold you in tender and lasting love.
May Christ be beside you in times of struggle.
And may the Spirit guide you back to the path
whenever you stray, that you may keep the covenant.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Ministering AngelsA sermon on Mark 1:9-15 by Garry Deverell

What God has given up for LentA sermon on Genesis 9:8-17, 1 Peter 3:1-18 & Mark 1:9-15 by Nathan Nettleton

Into the wildernessA sermon on Mark 1:9-15 by Alison Sampson

Put to the TestA sermon on Mark 1:9-15 by Nathan Nettleton

A God of WeaknessA sermon on Genesis 9:8-17, 1 Peter 3:1-18 & Mark 1:9-15 by Nathan Nettleton

Reading the RainbowA sermon on Genesis 9:8-17 by Nathan Nettleton
