BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//LaughingBird - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:LaughingBird X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://laughingbird.net X-WR-CALDESC:Events for LaughingBird REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Australia/Melbourne BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20270403T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20271002T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20280401T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20280930T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20290331T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20291006T160000 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280413T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280413T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200810T123825Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055538Z UID:10001544-1839196800-1839283199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Thursday of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday) DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Exodus 12: 1-4\, (5-10)\, 11-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n After the King of Egypt had refused to listen to all the warnings\, the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron again\, saying: \n“Rewrite your calendars — from now on\, this month is to be the beginning of the new year. Put the word out among all the Israelite people that on the tenth day of the month\, each household is to obtain a lamb or a young goat to be eaten. Small households can combine with their neighbours to share one\, dividing it up so that there is enough for everyone to have some. The lamb must be a healthy male yearling with no deformities — not a runt. Having obtained the lamb\, the household is to keep it at home for four days. Just after sunset on the fourteenth\, all the Israelites are to slaughter the lambs ready for cooking. Take some of the blood and paint it on the frame of the front door of the house where you are eating the lamb. Cook and eat it that night. Don’t serve it raw or boiled. Don’t even cut it up or gut it. Spit-roast it whole over the fire and serve it with unleavened flat-breads and bitter herbs. Eat it all that night. If there is any left over in the morning you are to burn it. When you eat it\, you are to eat as though you were in a hurry and about to leave on a journey. You should be dressed and packed\, with your walking boots on and your stick at hand. In this way you are to keep the feast of Passover in honour of me\, the LORD. \nThat night\, I will pass through Egypt\, killing the firstborn sons of every family and the firstborn male animals. I am the LORD\, and I will carry out the sentence I have passed on the gods of Egypt this night. The lamb’s blood painted on your door frames will be the sign that your households are to be exempted. I will pass over every house that I see marked with the blood\, and you will not be touched by the plague that will strike down the Egyptians. \nRemember this day and\, in every generation to come\, celebrate it as an annual festival to honour me\, the LORD.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 116: 1-2\, 12-19 \n \n\n \n \n \n I love you\, LORD!\nHow could I not love you\nwhen you always respond to my cries? \nYou are always ready to listen to me\,\nso I will bring my needs to you as long as I live. \nHow can I ever repay you\, LORD?\nWhat gift could ever express my gratitude? \nI will raise my glass in your honour\,\nI will name you as the one who saved me. \nI will make good on all I promised you\, LORD\,\nand I’ll let everyone know its for you. \nWhenever one of your faithful people dies\nit affects you deeply. \nLORD\, you have released me from my chains.\nI will serve you forever\,\njust as my forebears have done. \nI will bring a gift to say thanks;\nI will pray to you\, and you alone. \nI will be true to the vows I’ve made;\nand I won’t keep it hidden.\nIn full view of all your people\,\nin the public place of worship\,\nI’ll do all I promised you\, LORD. \nAll the praise and all the credit are your\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n The teaching I gave you about the Lord’s Supper is worth repeating. I gave it to you exactly as I received it from the Lord himself. On the very night that he was betrayed\, Jesus was sharing a meal. He took a loaf of bread in his hands\, gave thanks to God and then broke the loaf\, saying: \n“This is my body. It is for you.\nDo this so that I will be remembered.” \nAt the end of the meal he did the same thing with the cup\, saying: \n“This cup is God’s new alliance with you —\nan alliance sealed with my blood.\nDo this\, every time you drink it\,\nso that I will be remembered.” \nThe meaning of this is clear: whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you are announcing the truth about the Lord’s death. This truth will continue to be broadcast in this way until the Lord returns. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 13: 1-17\, 31b-35 \n \n\n \n \n \n Even before the sacred Passover festival began\, Jesus knew that his time was running out. He knew that he had come from God\, and he knew that it was time to leave this world and return to God. He had consistently loved his followers in this world\, and he continued to demonstrate his love for them right up to the end. A seed sown by the devil had taken root in the mind of Judas\, the son of Simon Iscariot\, and by the time they gathered for supper\, he was planning to double-cross Jesus. \nJesus knew that everything was up to him\, because God had put everything in his hands. During the supper\, he got up from the table\, took off his jacket and tied a towel around his waist. Filling a large bowl with water\, he began to wash the feet of each of the disciples in turn and to dry them with the towel tied around his waist. When it was his turn\, Simon Peter objected saying\, “Surely it’s not your job to wash my feet\, Lord?” \nJesus answered\, “I know you don’t yet understand why I’m doing this\, but in time it will make sense to you.”\nBut Peter said\, “No way! I’ll never let you wash my feet.”\nJesus answered\, “If I don’t wash you\, then it’s all over between us. You’ll have nothing further to do with me.” \n“In that case\,” Simon Peter replied\, “don’t just wash my feet! Wash my hands; wash my head!”\nJesus said to him\, “You had a bath before you came! Once someone’s had a bath\, they don’t need to wash anything on arrival other than their feet and they’ll be completely clean. You lot are clean.” But then\, because he knew who was going to double-cross him\, he added\, “Well\, most of you are clean anyway.” \nWhen he had finished washing their feet\, he put his jacket back on and sat back down at the table. He said to them: \n“Do you understand what I have just done to you? You lot call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’\, and that’s fair enough\, because that’s exactly what I am. So if I’m your Teacher and Lord\, and I’ve just been down on my knees washing your feet\, then you too ought to serve one another in the same way. I’m modelling the way I want you to live. Do as I have done. You can take it from me: servants do not outrank their boss\, and the postie who brings the letter does not rank as importantly as the one who wrote it. When you get these things sorted out for yourselves\, you’ll discover just how good life can really be. \n“Now the moment of glory has arrived for the New Human\, and it is God’s glory too. If God’s glory is made known in him\, then God will pour out his own glory on him. It’s all happening right now.  \n“You are my children\, but you’re about to be on your own because our time together is almost up. You’ll keep looking for me\, but as I said to the people before\, where I am going\, there is no way you can come. \n“I’ve got one new instruction for you – in fact take it as an order – love one another. I want you to love one another in the same way that I have loved you. If you do that – if you really have love for one another – then it will be apparent to everyone that you are following in my footsteps.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nWe do indeed bring you a gift of thanks\, O God\,\nas we raise the cup of freedom in your name\,\nfor you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ\nand broken us free from the grip of death. \nIn your creative love\, you brought the world to birth\,\nand from the first you loved all who live in it.\nYou heard the cries of your suffering people\nand protected them with the blood of the Passover lamb\nas you struck down those who oppressed them. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, as our Teacher and Lord\nand gave all things into his hands.\nLaying aside his power\,\nhe gave himself to us in humble service\nand taught us to love one another\nas he had loved us.\nWhen the hour for his departure came\,\nhe was betrayed by a friend\nand his body broken on the cross.\nWith his outpoured blood you marked out those\nwho will follow where he has gone\,\ninto the promised land of resurrection life. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We raise the cup of freedom in thanks to you\, O God\,\nfor you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ\,\nwho gave himself to us in humble service\nand taught us to love one another as he had loved us. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n The blood of Christ\, the true lamb\,\nseals God’s new covenant with us\nand marks us out for salvation.\nThe Lord has forgiven your sins\,\nwashed you clean\,\nand freed you from death’s grip. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and fulfil your vows to the Lord.\nLove one another as Christ has loved you\nand give yourselves to one another in humble service\,\njust as Christ has given himself to you.\nCelebrate these holy days as a perpetual ordinance\,\nfor no gift could ever repay God’s goodness to us. \nAnd may God hear you whenever you call;\nMay Christ Jesus keep you safe through his blood;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you further\ninto the depths of God’s saving mysteries. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nDiscerning the Body at the TableA sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 by Nathan Nettleton (This sermon was not intended for Maundy Thursday\, but may provide some applicable ideas) URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc27/2028-04-13/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/27.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280414T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280414T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200810T124845Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T060734Z UID:10001550-1839283200-1839369599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Good Friday DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD says:\n“This one who serves on my behalf will succeed.\nHe will come out on top\nand be honoured by everyone. \nMany people were shocked by what happened to him;\nhis appearance was enough to make them throw up.\nTorture had disfigured him beyond recognition;\nat first sight he no longer looked human. \nThe next time he’s seen will be an even greater shock;\nnations and their kings will fall to their knees\, speechless.\nAll of a sudden\, what they had never seen or understood\nwill be as plain as day\, and all they can think about.” \nThe people reply to this news\, saying:\n“Who could have believed what we now know to be true?\nWho would have recognised what the LORD was doing? \nThis one who serves on the LORD’s behalf\ngrew up hard like a plant taking root in the stony desert.\nTo look at him\, you wouldn’t think he’d amount to much;\nnothing about his appearance would make you look twice. \nOthers wrote him off\, and treated him as scum;\npain and suffering were his constant companions.\nHe was despised and abused\, but we looked away;\nwe didn’t consider him worth caring about. \nThe sickness and brokenness he endured turned out to be ours;\nif it wasn’t for him\, it would have wiped us out.\nBut back then we thought it was his own fault\nand that God was punishing him for what he had done. \nIn reality\, it was what we had done that was to blame.\nIt was us who deserved to be punished\,\nbut him who copped the flak.\nWhen he was left battered\, broken and bleeding\,\nwe were off the hook;\nfree to enjoy the fruits of health and wholeness. \nWe were all doing our own thing in our own way;\nas far off-track as a penguin in the desert;\nas far off-key as a mob of galahs.\nAnd yet the LORD accepted his offer to take the rap\nfor the actions of each and every one of us. \nHe was ripped off and kicked around\,\nbut he took it on the chin.\nNot once did he ever whinge or protest;\nhe was as silent as a lamb that trots to its fate\,\nknowing neither shearer nor slaughterer. \nHis arrest and trial made a mockery of justice.\nNo one knew or cared what he was up against.\nHe was dragged off in the midst of life;\nput to death for crimes committed by our people. \nAlthough he had never breathed a lie\nor done anything to hurt anyone\,\nthey buried him alongside the callous and corrupt\n– thoughtless profiteers who died rich.” \nThe LORD says\,\n“It was me who decided to allow this tragedy\nto befall the one who serves on my behalf.\nHe made the ultimate sacrifice at your hands\,\nand won forgiveness for you in the process.\nSo now he will be rewarded with life;\nhe will live to see his children and their children.\nThrough his actions\,\nmy plans are able to succeed. \nIn the depths of agony and despair he discovered the truth\,\nand with the truth he found true peace.\nThe one who serves on my behalf was beyond reproach\,\nbut he took the rap for what others did\,\nand left their record as spotless as his own. \nBecause of all that he has done\,\nI\, the LORD\, elevate him to the hall of fame\nand give him the rewards of true greatness.\nHe deserves the best\, for he made the ultimate sacrifice\,\naccepting the death of common criminal\nso that through his suffering and prayers\nothers might be cut free from their sin.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 22 \n \n\n \n \n \n God\, my God\, why the hell have you turned your back on me?\nHow come in my most desperate hour\,\nyou are nowhere to be found?  \nI called you all day\, God\, over and over;\nI tossed and turned all night\,\nbut I still didn’t hear back from you. \nAren’t you supposed to be our one and only?\nAren’t you the one we’ve always voted for?\nOur ancestors put their trust in you\nand you never let them down.\nThey cried out for help and you stepped in;\nyou saved them from disaster and shame. \nSo what about me?\nShouldn’t I still be treated as a human being\,\neven if I feel like a worm –\nlooked down on\, loathed\, stomped on? \nEveryone who sees me sticks the boots in;\nthey turn up their noses and dismiss me with a sneering joke;\n“Why don’t you see if God’s on your side?\nSurely if you’re a mate of God’s then God will help you out!” \nWhat’s the story God?\nYour hands eased me from my mother’s womb;\nYou kept me from harm as I suckled at her breast.\nAs a baby\, I rested trustingly in your arms;\nYou’ve been my God since the day I was born. \nDon’t quit on me now.\nAll hell is about to break loose\nand there is no one else I can turn to. \nI’m surrounded by enemies\nlike a mob of wild bulls.\nAngry\, snorting\, stampeding beasts;\nthey charge at me\, all horns and pounding hoofs. \nI’m chucked out like a bucket of dirty water\,\nand I’m so smashed up I can barely move a muscle.\nMy heart has gone to jelly\,\na quivering useless blob.\nMy throat is as dry as a salt pan\,\nand my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.\nAnd you? You have left me for dead\ncovered in dust and flies. \nLike a pack of hungry dingoes they sniff around me;\nevil mongrels\, every one of them.\nI’m so wasted my hands and feet feel like they could snap off;\nMy ribs stick out like a picket fence. \nThey hang me up for a public viewing\,\nboasting over how they finished me off.\nThey empty my pockets\nand toss a coin to see who gets my clothes. \nWhat are you doing\, LORD? Don’t quit on me now!\nGet your act together and come to my rescue!\nSave me before I get my throat cut\,\nbefore my body is dog meat!\nPull me out before they get their teeth into me! \nAt last! Just before the bulls ran me down\, you have rescued me.\nI won’t forget this – I’ll let everyone know.\nWhenever people gather\, I’ll be singing your praise. \nI’ll call on all who honour you\, LORD\, to stand up and say so!\nAll who trace their roots to Jacob will give you the glory!\nAll who share the heritage of Israel will stand in awe of you! \nLORD\, you did not rubbish anyone\nor blame the victims for their suffering.\nYou did not turn away or slip off quietly;\nwhen I cried for help\, you responded. \nWhenever people gather to worship\,\nmy heart overflows and I sing your praises.\nOut in the open for all to see\nI’ll do all that I promised. \nAt your table\, God\, the needy will feast;\nthose who hunger for you will be fed till they burst with praise!\nThey will be able to live it up\, now and forever! \nIn every corner of the earth people will wake up to themselves\nand turn back to you\, LORD.\nEvery race\, nation\, tribe and family\nwill offer themselves to you in worship\,\nfor you have the last word on everything;\nwhat you say goes. \nEven the dead will bow down to you\, LORD;\nthose who are trampled in the dust will look to you in hope\,\nand I will live for you and you alone. \nOur kids and their kids will serve you\, LORD;\nas we pass the message down from one generation to the next.\nPeople not even born yet will hear the story;\nthey will be told of what you have done to set us free. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 10: 16-25 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Holy Spirit says to us in the scriptures: \n“The new alliance I will make with the people\nwill be different\, says the Lord:\nNo more writing down the rules for people to read;\nthis time I’ll write them into their hearts and minds.”\n“I’ll wipe the record of their failings and their perverse behaviour;\nnone of it will ever again even enter my mind.”  \nSo if that’s done – if the slate has been wiped clean – then there is no longer any need to come offering sacrifices to try to make up for what we’ve done wrong. \nSo\, my friends\, now it’s a whole new ball game. Now we can confidently walk straight into the sacred place because Jesus won us that right\, spilling his own blood in the process. We walk in via a new route. The old way had a big curtain between us and the sacred place – on the new route the only thing between us and the sacred place is Jesus\, and he invites us to become part of his own body and go in that way. Add all that to the fact that Jesus himself is now our great priest who says what goes in the house of God\, and you’ll understand what is now open to us. So let’s go! Let’s approach God with integrity and with deep trust. Let us stand before God knowing for sure that not only have our bodies been washed clean in pure water\, but so to have our hearts\, our minds\, our conscience.  \nIn light of all this\, let’s hold on tight to the hope that we’ve put our hands up to. None of this on-again off-again stuff! You can’t get more dependable than the one who has made these promises. So let’s put on our thinking caps and come up with some good strategies for stirring one another up to greater and greater love and more and more ways to put it into action. Some people have got out of the habit of gathering together as a congregation – let’s not go down that path. Gather often\, support and encourage one another. It becomes more and more important the closer we get to that final day. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9 (alternative) \n \n\n \n \n \n Let’s see to it that we stand firm in the faith we’ve already put our hands up to. After all\, the one who will present us to God and speak on our behalf — our great high priest — is Jesus\, and as God’s own Son we can be sure he has God’s ear. We can also be sure that he can relate to the realities we have to live with\, because he has already been through everything we have to go through — weakness\, doubts and torments — and all without selling out to sin. What more could we want in a high priest?! So let’s not be timid. Whenever we’re in need of help\, let’s walk right up to the throne of God and ask\, for our God is extravagantly welcoming and generous — only too happy to wipe our debts and help us out. \nWhen Jesus was among us and the threat of death was closing in on him\, it was with agonized cries and tears that he did his priestly work of offering up prayers and appeals to the God who has the power to save us from death. His pleas were heard because of his prayerful acceptance of God’s will. He was given no special privileges as a Son — he got his lessons in obedience in the same school of suffering as the rest of us. Once he had made the grade\, perfecting all that he had to learn\, he became the one who sets free all who trust and follow him. For them he is the source of life without limit. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 18:1 - 19:42 \n \n\n \n \n \n After the supper\, and after Jesus had prayed for his followers\, they went outside and headed across town to the Kidron Valley gardens where they had often met together before. Judas had now betrayed Jesus\, and of course\, he knew they would be heading for the gardens. Judas showed the way to those sent to arrest Jesus – a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple security guards sent by the chief priests and the hard-line Pharisee party. It was now late\, and so the heavily armed group carried torches and flood lights. Jesus knew what he had coming to him and so when they arrived he just stepped out in the open and asked\, “Who are you looking for?” \nThey answered\, “We’ve been sent to find Jesus of Nazareth.” \n“Well you’ve found him\,” he replied\, “I’m Jesus.” \nWhen he said that\, they were so taken aback you could have knocked them over with a feather. Judas\, the back-stabber\, was still with them. Because they were looking so uncertain\, Jesus asked them again\, “Who are you looking for?” \nAnd again they replied\, “Jesus of Nazareth.” \nJesus answered\, “Like I said\, I’m Jesus. And since I am the man you’re looking for\, you can let these others go in peace.” \nIn so saying\, he backed up the promise he had made in his earlier prayer when he had said\, “I didn’t lose a single one of those you entrusted to me.” \nSuddenly Simon Peter pulled a knife and began slashing wildly. He struck a man named Malchus – a servant of the high priest – and cut off his ear. Jesus yelled at his\, saying\, “Peter\, put that thing away. Do you think I’m going to back out now and refuse to drink the cup that God has poured for me?” \nAt that point\, the soldiers and the Temple security guards surrounded Jesus and made the arrest. They handcuffed him\, and dragged him off to see Annas\, who had issued the arrest warrant. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphus\, who was the high priest that year; and Caiaphus was the one who had persuaded the authorities that\, for the sake of the rest of the population\, it would be best if this one person died. \nSimon Peter and one of the other disciples followed as Jesus was dragged off. When the arrived at the high priest’s residence\, Peter was refused entry at the gate\, but the other disciple knew the high priest and got in. Having got in\, he spoke to the woman in charge of the security gate and had Peter let in too. As he came in\, the woman looked at Peter and said\, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples are you?” \nHe replied\, “No\, I’m not.” \nThe soldiers and guards were standing around an open fire in the middle of the courtyard warming themselves\, because it was a cold night. Not knowing what else to do\, Peter joined them. \nInside\, the high priest was interrogating Jesus about his followers and about the things he had been teaching the people. Jesus answered him\, saying\, “Everything I’ve said has been out in the open. I have always done my teaching in the public places where the people gather – in the synagogues and in the temple. I’ve kept nothing behind closed doors\, so what are you asking me for? Why don’t you ask the people who heard what I said. They can tell you what it was all about.” \nWhen he said this\, one of the security guards gave Jesus a whack in the face\, saying\, “You think you can get away with back-chatting the high priest\, do you?” \nBut Jesus stood his ground\, saying\, “If you think there’s something wrong with what I’ve been saying\, then put your evidence on the table. But if what I’m saying is correct\, what are you smacking me around for?” \nWhile this was happening\, Simon Peter was still keeping warm by the fire with the guards. They asked him\, “Aren’t you one of his disciples?” \n“Not me\,” said Peter\, denying everything. \nOne of the Temple guards there was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off when he’d pulled the knife in the garden. He said\, “Come on mate\, you’ve got to be one of them. Didn’t I just see you with him in the garden when we picked him up?” \nBut Peter denied it again\, and the words were barely out of his mouth when he heard the sound of the rooster crowing. \nShortly after that\, in the early hours of the morning\, Jesus was transferred from the residence of Caiaphus to the headquarters of Pilate\, the Roman governor. The Jewish officers themselves did not go inside the headquarters\, because it was nearly time for the sacred Passover festival\, and going into a gentile home would have ruled them out of participating. Pilate agreed to come out and meet their delegation\, and asked them\, “So\, what have you charged this bloke with?” \nThey answered\, “You can take it for granted that he’s a dangerous criminal – otherwise we wouldn’t have bothered you with his case.” \nPilate replied\, “I’m sure you are quite capable of dealing with him yourselves. Get him out of here and deal with him according to your own local laws.”  \nBut the Jewish officers said\, “We don’t have the power to authorise an execution.” \nClearly the things Jesus had previously said about the sort of death he would die were coming true. \nPilate went back into his headquarters and had Jesus brought inside so he could interrogate him. “Do you see yourself as the King of the Jews?” he asked. \nJesus replied\, saying\, “Is that your own question or has someone else been wording you up?” \n“Give me a break\,” Pilate retorted\, “I’m obviously not one of the Jews\, am I? It wasn’t my people who had you dragged in here. It was your mob\, your own race\, your own religious leaders. What in the world have you done?” \nJesus answered\, “My reign is not tied to this world. If my power base depended on this world\, those who have given their allegiance to me would be fighting tooth and nail to keep me out of the hands of that mob. But it’s not like that. My reign is not tied to this world.” \nPilate latched on to that: “So you are claiming to be a king then?” \n“You’re the one who’s putting the ‘king’ label on me\,” Jesus replied. “If you want to know what I’m on about\, what I was born into the world for\, it’s this: I’m the key witness whose job it is to speak the truth\, the whole truth\, and nothing but the truth. Everyone who has given their allegiance to the truth responds to my voice.” \n“Truth\,” Pilate sneered. “What is truth?” \nThen he went back outside to the delegation from the Temple and told them\, “I can’t find any basis for a case against this prisoner. It is customary for me to release a political prisoner for you at Passover time. How about I release this ‘king of the Jews’ for you? He seems harmless enough to me.” \nBut they shouted back\, “No way! Not this man. Release Barabbas!” Barabbas was a convicted terrorist. \nAt that point\, Pilate handed Jesus over to some of his own soldiers and told them to give him a flogging. The soldiers thought it was huge joke. They hung a purple robe on him and wove a crown out of barbed wire and jammed it on his head. They took turns at coming up to him\, saying\, “Heil\, King of the Jews!” as they saluted him\, and then smashed their fists into his face. When they’d finished their brutal sport\, Pilate went back out to the Temple delegation and said\, “Look\, I’m handing him back over to you and telling you that I can’t find any basis for a case against him.” \nJesus was dragged back out\, still wearing the barbed wire crown and the purple robe. Pilate said “Here he is: the man!” \nBut the minute the chief priests and the Temple security guards saw him\, they began screaming\, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” \nPilate replied\, “You take him and crucify him yourselves. I can’t see that he’s done anything wrong.” \nThe delegation replied\, “The case against him is clear in our law. He claimed to be the Son of God and our law makes the death penalty mandatory for that.” \nWhen Pilate heard this\, he began to really worry\, and went back inside his headquarters to interview Jesus again. “Where have you come from?” he asked him\, but Jesus didn’t answer. Pilate said to him\, “It’s no use claiming the right to silence. Don’t you understand that I can say the word to have you released or to have you tortured to death?” \nJesus replied\, “You wouldn’t have any authority over me at all unless it had been given to you from a higher power. It is the one who handed me over to you who is going to have to answer for the greatest wrongdoing.” \nAfter that\, Pilate tried to have Jesus released\, but the Temple crowd would have none of it. They insisted\, “If you release this man you are no friend of the emperor\, and we’ll see that he hears about it. Anyone who claims to be a king is setting himself up in opposition to the emperor.” \nWith that\, Pilate capitulated to their demands. At noon on the day of Preparation for the Passover festival\, Pilate sat down at the judge’s bench at the Stone Pavement Court – known in Hebrew as Gabbatha – and had Jesus stood in the dock. He said to the Temple delegation\, “Here is your king!” \nThey shouted in chorus\, “Get rid of him! Kill him! Crucify him!” \n“Crucify him?” Pilate replied. “You want me to crucify your king?” \n“We have no king but the emperor!” they shouted. \nWith that\, Pilate passed sentence and handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. \nSo they took Jesus out to the place called Skull Hill\, or in Hebrew\, Golgotha. Jesus was made to carry his own cross on the way out there. When they got there\, they hung him on the cross by nails driven through his flesh. They crucified a couple of other convicted men at the same time – the three of them in a row with Jesus in the middle. On Pilate’s orders\, a sign was hung on the cross Jesus was on\, saying\, “Jesus of Nazareth\, the King of the Jews.” Many people read the sign because the crucifixion occurred in a public place on the main road into the city and the sign was written in three languages – Hebrew\, Latin and Greek. The chief priests from the Temple went to Pilate objecting to the sign. They wanted the sign changed from “The King of the Jews” to “This man claimed to be the King of the Jews” but Pilate told them that what was written was written and that was the end of the story. \nWhen the soldiers had hung Jesus up on the nails\, they divided up his clothes between the four of them. His robe was left over\, and when they saw that it was woven from a single piece of fabric\, with no seams\, they decided that rather than tear it\, they’d have a round of two-up\, and award it to the winner. This backed up what the scriptures had said long ago: \n“They divided up my clothes\,\nand tossed for my coat.”  \nWhile the soldiers tossed coins\, a group of women stood near Jesus’ cross. They were his mother\, his mother’s sister\, Mary the wife of Clopas\, and Mary of Magdala. Jesus saw that his mother was standing with the disciple with whom he was most intimate\, and so he said to his mother\, “Woman\, this man is your son.” And then he said to the disciple\, “This woman is your mother.” From that day on\, Mary moved into the home of that disciple. \nAfter that\, Jesus knew it was all over. He did one more thing that the scriptures had spoken about. He said\, “I’m thirsty.”  \nSomeone had half a bottle of wine that had turned to vinegar\, so they poured some into a sponge and held it up to his mouth. He drank it and then said\, “Everything is finished.” \nWith that\, his head dropped and he gave up his spirit. \nBecause it was the day of Preparation for the Passover\, the Temple authorities wanted to make sure the bodies were not left hanging up on the sacred festival day. They went to Pilate and got him to authorise the soldiers to break the legs of the three crucified men\, so that they’d die quicker. The soldiers broke the legs of the other two crucified men\, but when they came to Jesus\, they saw that there was no need – he was already dead. Just to make sure\, one of the soldiers drove a spear into his side\, and blood and water gushed out.  \nThe eyewitness to these things has given a sworn account of it all. His report is true and can be trusted. Scripture was again shown to be true\, because it was written that not one of his bones would be broken. Similarly in another place the scriptures said\, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” \nWhen it was all over\, a man went to Pilate and got permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. His name was Joseph of Arimethea\, and he had been a closet follower of Jesus\, because he was afraid for his reputation with the Temple hierarchy. He and Nicodemus\, who had first spoken to Jesus in the quiet of night\, removed the body. Nicodemus supplied the embalming spices\, and as was the Jewish custom\, they wrapped the body with the spices in linen cloth. There was a memorial garden not far from the place where Jesus was crucified\, and there was a tomb there which had not yet been used. Because it was the day of preparation and there was little time\, they buried Jesus in that tomb. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Opening Prayer \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the day when life is raw\,\nquivering\, terrifying:\nThe day of numbed emotions\,\nthe day of blunt nails\nand splintered wood\,\nof bruised flesh\nand red blood.\nThe day we loathe\,\nwhen hopes are crushed.\nThe day we long for\,\nwhen pretences fall away—\nBecause the worst that we can do\ncannot kill the love of God.\n\nGracious God\,\nyour love is a light in our darkness\,\nvulnerable\, yet unquenchable.\nWe would stand with Christ\,\nin the midst of the horrors of this world\nwhere betrayal and death\nconstantly threaten your love and peace. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Prayer at the Arrest of Christ (responding to the reading of John 18: 1-12) \n \n\n \n \n \n Again and again\nwe have bound you\nand taken you captive\, O Lord\, \nBecause it's easier\,\neasier than facing the reality\nof what you ask of us. \nAgain and again\nyou have been taken captive\nand your voice silenced. \nAgain and again\nyou have been dragged out\nwhenever it seems\nthat quoting your name will justify\nour attempts to gain what we want\nat the expense of others. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Prayer at the Death of Christ (responding to the reading of John 19:25-30) \n \n\n \n \n \n God\, why did you let this happen\,\nwhy do our greatest hopes\nseem to flicker out and die? \nWe search for meaning in life\nand before we find it\, it is gone.\nWe search for meaning in death\nbut its horrible reality drives us back\nand we are afraid to look. \nGod\, we shudder at the way this life ended:\nsurrounded by cold brutality\,\nrejected and betrayed by a friend\,\ndeprived of justice\,\nand loved by only a frightened few\nwho watched in fear. \nInside we are afraid that this is all there is\,\na flickering light snuffed out\, no meaning\,\nno future\, no love.\nEvil triumphs yet again. \nEvil triumphs so often.\nYours was one of thousands of deaths.\nFrom those times to now\nthousands die in loneliness and fear\,\nvictims of the cruelty and oppression of this world. \nRemind us with every death\,\nthat there is still so much to be done\,\nbefore love reigns\nand fear is driven away. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n The Request for the Disposal of the Body (responding to the reading of John 19:31-37) \n \n\n \n \n \n Once again we don't want to face up\nto what we have done. \nWe quickly seek to clean up the mess\,\nto hide the evidence\,\nto get life normal again. \nWe want it finished\nand the body put out of sight. \nAnd yet that broken body\,\nif we would only face it\nis the evidence of the love we crave\nand the source of\nthe healing we cry for. \nGive us courage\nto see beyond the blood and the horror. \nGive us the hope that in this death\nwe may find our own life. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nJoanna’s StoryA reflection for Good Friday by Margie Dahl\n\n\n\nMoving on from CrucifyingA sermon by Nathan Nettleton (This sermon was written for the Paschal Vigil\, but the first half or more would also be useful in reflecting on Good Friday) URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc28/2028-04-14/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/28.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280415T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200810T125101Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T060945Z UID:10001556-1839369600-1839455999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Holy Saturday (The Day of Nothingness) for services prior to the Paschal Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Job 14: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n Job addressed God saying: \nWhat happened to dying ‘old and full of days’?\n‘Few of days and full of grief’\nseems to be the lot of everyone born.\nLike flowers\, we’re lucky to survive the heat of a single day;\nlike shadows\, we never survive the fall of night. \nSo why have you set your sights on me?\nWhy are you dragging me into court as though I was your equal?\nHow can anyone like me\, born in the gutter\,\nexpect to come out clean on legal street? Not a chance! \nThe length of our lives is already set.\nYou have decided how long we’ve got\,\nand when our number’s up\, there is nothing we can do about it.\nSo why not back off and give us a break?\nCan’t we do our time without you standing over us? \nA tree can still have hope\neven if it is cut down in its prime.\nThere is every chance\nthat it will sprout again and flourish.\nEven if its stump rots away\nand its roots wither in the ground\,\nit only needs a whiff of water and it buds again\nand comes up strong like a young plant reborn. \nBut we mere mortals die\, and that’s it.\nDead and buried\, no human is ever seen again. \nJust like a lake drying out in a never ending drought\,\nor a river fading to a trickle and then its gone\,\nso too we mortals crumble to dust\nwith no hope of a second time round.\nWe think we’ll wake up in the morning\,\nbut no way! Not till hell freezes over. \nIf only the land of the dead was just a prison\nand you could lock me safely away till your anger cools down.\nYou could fix my sentence\nand remember me when my time was done.\nThen I could serve my time and hang on to hope\,\nas I counted down the days till my release.\nWishful thinking!\nWhen we mere mortals die\, that’s it\, isn’t it? \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Lamentations 3: 1-9\, 19-24 (alternative 1st reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n I have borne the brunt of your anger\, God.\nI have suffered the punishment you dished out.\nYou drove me away from the light\nand left me facing the darkness alone.\nYou singled me out for a beating;\nand belted me around day and night. \nUnder your hand\, my body wasted away\,\nand my bones were cracked and broken.\nYou were constantly in my face\,\nstanding over me\, keeping me in fear.\nYou locked me up in darkness\nand death seemed close at hand. \nYou have fenced me in with barbed wire\,\nand chained my ankles for good measure.\nI can cry for help all I like\,\nbut you’ve blocked your ears.\nYou built permanent blockades on every road.\nWherever I go\, I am turned back. \nThe reality I’m facing is like a bitter taste in my mouth.\nGrief and deprivation poison my mind. \nI can’t stop thinking about it over and over\,\nbut every thought makes me want to die. \nThe one thing that gives me hope\,\nthe one thing I keep reminding myself of is this: \nYour love and loyalty never die\, LORD.\nYour generous mercy never runs dry.\nThey are created new every morning\nand you are as trustworthy as the solid rock. \nSo I keep telling myself that you are all I need\nand that I can still trust you to come through for me. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 31: 1-4\, 15-16 \n \n\n \n \n \n I look to you for refuge\, LORD;\ndon’t let me be dragged through the mud.\nYou promised justice – save me! \nGive me your ear – I’m crying for help;\nrescue me before it’s too late.\nBe a secure refuge for me\,\na bomb shelter where I can hide. \nYour solid walls protect me from danger;\nlead me and guide me so I’ll be a credit to you;\nkeep me clear of pitfalls and traps. \nYou are the only refuge I trust\, LORD;\nmy future is in your hands.\nSnatch me from the grasp\nof those who are hunting me down. \nI’m working for you; look on me with love.\nStand by me and save me. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Peter 4: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Messiah put his body on the line and went through serious suffering\, and so now you need to steel yourselves to face it with the same guts and determination. Those who keep putting their bodies on the line at great cost have clearly cut their ties with sin. Even in this age of indulging every bodily appetite\, you will be able to live through it\, freely following the ways of God instead of being driven slavishly by every pathetic desire. You have already done more than enough time being driven along in the ways of the godless by such desires\, caught up in a life of desperate partying\, emotional chaos\, binge drinking\, sexual regrets\, self-degradation\, and out-of-control worship of worthless things. Your old friends can’t believe it when you are no longer first to join them in the same old patterns of compulsive indulgence. “Are you too good for us now?” they sneer\, and they heap offensive insults on all that is good. But they will have to answer to God for their offences\, as everyone will\, living or dead. This is the reason that the great news about God’s love was broadcast even to those who have died. That way\, even though the judgement of the way they lived in their bodies is now in the past — indeed none of us can take back what we have done — they still have the opportunity to live in the spirit as God lives. \nEverything is about to be wrapped up\, so keep your wits about you\, your heads clear\, and your prayers focussed. And make it your number one priority to keep loving one another\, no matter what. Any number of offences will be forgotten if love stays on the job. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 27: 57-66 \n \n\n \n \n \n A few hours after Jesus had died\, a wealthy man from Arimethea went to Pilate and asked permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. The man’s name was Joseph\, and he was a follower of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be released into his care. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linen cloth. He buried Jesus in a new tomb which he had had cut into the rock for his own eventual use. He rolled a boulder over the entrance to the tomb to seal it\, and then went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting opposite the tomb watching all this. \nThe next day was still part of the sacred festival\, and a deputation of the chief priests and members of the Pharisee party held an early meeting with Pilate. They said\, “Sir\, we have remembered that while that con man was still alive\, he claimed that he would rise again three days after his death. So please give orders to have guards secure the tomb for the next three days so that his fan club can’t steal his body and start telling everyone that he has been raised from the dead. A fraud like that would be even more dangerous than the pack of lies he was pushing before.” \nPilate said to them\, “Fair enough. There are security guards at your disposal. Go and do whatever you think is necessary to prevent anyone tampering with the tomb.” \nSo they took the security guards\, taped off the area around the tomb\, sealed the stone\, and kept it under constant surveillance. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 19: 38-42 (alternative gospel reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n Once Jesus was well and truly dead\, a man went to Pilate and got permission to take the body for burial. His name was Joseph of Arimethea\, and he had been a closet follower of Jesus\, because he was afraid for his reputation with the Temple hierarchy. He and Nicodemus\, who had first spoken to Jesus in the quiet of night\, removed the body. Nicodemus supplied the embalming spices\, and as was the Jewish custom\, they wrapped the body with the spices in linen cloth. There was a memorial garden not far from the place where Jesus was crucified\, and there was a tomb there which had not yet been used. Because it was the day of preparation and there was little time\, they buried Jesus in that tomb. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc29/2028-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/29.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200811T140223Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200811T140223Z UID:10002875-1839369600-1839542399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a \n \n\n \n \n \n At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Noah: \n“I want you and your family to board the giant lifeboat you have built\, because you are the only person alive who does the right thing in my eyes. It is time to move the animals on board too. Take seven breeding pairs of every kind of animal that can be offered in worship\, one breeding pair of every kind that cannot\, and seven pairs of every kind of flying bird. In this way we will ensure the survival of all their species on the earth. You’ve only got seven days before the rain starts\, so get cracking. I will make it bucket down\, day and night\, for forty days\, to wipe every living thing from the face of the earth\, everything I have created.” \nSo Noah got stuck into it and followed the LORD’s instructions to the letter. Noah was six hundred years old at the time\, and sure enough\, on the seventeenth day of the second month that year\, great torrents of water came flooding up from beneath the ground and the clouds burst from above. Rain bucketed down\, day and night\, for forty days. The very day it began\, Noah finished loading the lifeboat and moved in with his wife\, his three sons — Shem\, Ham and Japheth — and their three wives. On board they had loaded every kind of animal\, wild and domestic\, every kind of creepy-crawly\, and every kind of bird and flying animal. There were breeding pairs of every species that lives and breathes on the earth\, and they all went on board the lifeboat with Noah. Noah had rounded them all up and herded them into the boat\, just as God had instructed him\, and when they were all aboard\, the LORD closed the door to keep them in. \nThe flood waters surged over the earth for forty days\, and as the waters rose the lifeboat floated up well clear of the ground below. The waters continued to swell\, becoming deeper and deeper over the earth\, but the lifeboat floated safely on the surface. \nWhen the rain stopped after forty days\, Noah opened a window in the lifeboat he had built\, and released a crow. It never came back\, but kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up. So Noah released a pigeon\, in order to find out whether the waters had subsided enough to find dry land. But the pigeon returned to the boat\, because the water was still too deep and it couldn’t find anywhere else to land. Noah put out his hand for the bird to land on and brought it back inside. He waited another seven days and then released the pigeon from the boat again. That evening the pigeon came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak\, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided enough for the land to begin drying out. Seven days later he released the pigeon again\, and this time it never came back. \nThey had been in the lifeboat for nearly a year before the flood was gone completely. It was New Year’s Day when Noah opened up the roof of the boat and took a look around. He could see that the ground was still soggy\, but drying fast. Eventually\, on the twenty seventh day of the second month that year\, the earth was dry enough\, and God said to Noah: \n“It is time for you and your whole family to leave the lifeboat. Unload all the living creatures that are with you; all the birds and animals and creepy-crawlies of every kind. Release them so that they can breed like rabbits and restock the earth.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 46 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod said\, “Go and get Isaac\, your son\, your only son whom you love. Take him to the mountain that I will point out to you in the land of Moriah. There you are to sacrifice him to me on an altar as a burnt offering.” \nSo Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire on the altar. He saddled his donkey and set out for the place that God had told him to go with Isaac and two of his hired hands. After three day’s journey\, Abraham could finally see their destination in the distance. He said to the two hired hands\, “Wait here with the donkey while the boy and I go on up there to worship. We will then return and meet you back here.” \nAbraham got Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering\, and he himself carried the knife and the coals for starting the fire. As the two of them walked on together\, Isaac spoke to Abraham saying\, “Father!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“Haven’t we forgotten something?” Isaac asked. “We’ve got everything we need to get the fire going\, but we haven’t brought a lamb to sacrifice as a burnt offering.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo the two of them walked on together. When they arrived at the spot that God had shown him\, Abraham built an altar and stacked the wood on it ready for the fire. Then he tied up his son Isaac\, and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. He took the knife in hand and was about to kill his son\, when the messenger of the LORD called to him from heaven\, saying\, “Abraham\, Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe messenger said\, “Put down your knife and don’t hurt the boy in any way\, for now I know what I needed to know. Since you have not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I know that you trust God\, no matter what.”\nAs he looked up\, Abraham saw a ram with its horns entangled in the scrub. So he went and got it\, and offered up the ram on the altar as a burnt offering in place of his son. \nFrom then on\, Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide\,” and a saying was coined that you still hear today: “On the LORD’s mountain all will be provided.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI swear to you\, and give you my personal guarantee\, that because you have done what I told you to do\, and not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I will do the right thing by you and set you up for life. I will see to it that your descendants become as countless as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over their cities and towns. Through your offspring\, a better life will be available to everyone on earth\, because you obeyed when I spoke to you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 16 \n \n\n \n \n \n Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Israelites stopped near the Red Sea\, they looked back over their shoulders and saw the King of Egypt and his whole army in hot pursuit. They began to cry out in panic: \n“God help us! What are you doing to us\, Moses? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Weren’t there enough graves there\, so you had to take us off to be slaughtered in the outback? Didn’t we tell you it would come to this\, when we were still safe in Egypt? We said ‘Don’t rock the boat\, Moses. Leave us be. We are better off working as slaves in Egypt than ending up dead in the outback.’ Didn’t we tell you?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“Don’t panic! Hold your nerve\, and you will see the LORD take action to rescue you\, right here and now. Take a last look at your oppressors while you can\, because you will never see them alive again. The LORD will fight this battle for you. That should shut you up!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“Why all this whingeing to me? Tell the Israelites to get travelling. Hold up your walking stick and stretch out your hand towards the sea. Slice it open\, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on a dry track. The Egyptian army are so pig-headed that they will go in after the people\, and when they do\, I will cover myself in glory by defeating the King of Egypt and all his armoured vehicles and soldiers. Then all Egypt will understand that I AM the LORD.” \n    The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moved around and took up a new position\, covering them from the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and settled in a position behind them\, making it impossible for the Egyptians and the Israelites to see each other. The cloud shrouded the Egyptian camp in darkness and lit up the night over the Israelite camp\, and the night passed without any contact between the two camps. \nThen Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and\, with a violent wind that blew all night\, the LORD forced back the sea\, carving out a track of dry ground right through the middle of the water. The Israelites trooped into the sea on the dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side. The Egyptian soldiers gave chase\, charging into the middle of the sea aboard their horses and armoured vehicles. Just before dawn\, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud\, and began to wreak havoc among them\, bogging their vehicles and leaving them stuck in the middle. In panic\, the soldiers began shouting\, “Run for your lives! Get away from these Israelites because the LORD is on their side fighting against us!” \nThen the LORD said to Moses\, “Stretch out your hand towards the sea again so that the water will surge back over the Egyptian army and all their soldiers and armoured vehicles.” \nSo Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and as the dawn broke\, the sea came crashing back down on top of the fleeing army. The LORD trapped the soldiers in the middle of the sea\, and when the waters had closed over and returned to normal\, there wasn’t a soldier or a vehicle left. The Israelites had walked through the sea on a dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side\, but the entire army of the King of Egypt had been swallowed up by the sea while pursuing them. \nSo that day the LORD rescued the people of Israel from their oppressors\, and the people saw all the dead soldiers washed up on the shore. When they saw the power of the LORD’s action against their oppressors\, the people were in awe of the LORD and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses who was working for the LORD. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 12: 2-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 42 & 43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones\, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying\, “Ezekiel\, mortal man\, can these bones come back to life?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“All you dry bones\, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead\, I\, the Lord\, will put breath into you again\, and you will live. Muscles\, ligaments\, organs\, veins; all these I will give you\, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.” \n So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight\, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together\, linking up\, one bone to another. As I watched\, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh\, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“North Wind\, South Wind\, East Wind\, West Wind\, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses\, so that they can live again.” \n Again I spoke as the LORD had said\, and even as I did\, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies\, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd\, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“Ezekiel\, mortal man\, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly\, Ezekiel\, and tell them this:\n“All you people\, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves\, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you\, my people\, when I restore life to your bodies\, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs\, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I\, the LORD\, have spoken and that what I say goes.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 143 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 98 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Surely you know that all of us who have been baptised into union with Christ were\, in that baptism\, dying with Christ. You will understand then\, that having died in baptism\, we have been buried with him; and so now\, in the same way that Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome power of God\, we too can re-enter life in a whole new way. \nYou see\, if we have been united with him in sharing the same kind of death\, you can rest assured we will be united with him further in sharing the same kind of resurrection. We are no longer the people we used to be. Our former selves were put to death with him on the cross in order to eradicate the sin that had taken over our lives\, and to thus allow us to live free of it. Everyone knows that death is the only escape from a sin-infested life — once you are dead\, you are free of it. For us\, though\, that’s no dead-end solution. If we have died with Christ\, we are convinced that we will live with him too. This much we know for sure: Christ has been raised from the dead and will never have to die again. Death has lost any further power over him. When he died\, he took sin out with him\, once and for all. The life he now lives\, then\, is lived in union with God. So you should now think of yourselves in the same way — your former lives\, ended; your new lives\, begun. Your old relationship with sin\, dead; your new relationship with God\, alive and flourishing in Christ Jesus. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 114 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n The morning after the Sabbath\, just as the first day of the new week was dawning\, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly the earth shuddered and shook beneath them and an angel from the Lord appeared from heaven right in front of them\, rolled back the boulder that had sealed the mouth of the tomb\, and sat on it. The angel was as radiant as lightening\, and wore clothes as white as freshly fallen snow. The angel’s appearance had the security guards quaking in their boots and falling like flies\, scared stiff. But to the women\, the angel said\, “Do not be afraid of me! I know you have come here looking for Jesus\, the one they executed\, but you won’t find him here. He has been raised to life\, just as he said he would be. Come and I will show you the place where his body was laid to rest. Then run and tell the rest of his followers that he has been raised from the dead. Tell them that he is heading back to Galilee and you are all to follow. There you will see him for yourselves. This is what I have been sent to tell you.” \nSo they left the tomb on the double\, awestruck and overjoyed\, and ran to tell the rest of his followers the news. On the way\, they suddenly ran straight into Jesus himself. “Good morning!” he said. \nThey threw themselves at him and fell down kissing his feet and worshipping him. Jesus said to them. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Go and tell the rest of my brothers and sisters to go on up to Galilee and I will meet them there.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Sabbath rest day was over\, three of the women – Mary Magdalene\, Mary the mother of James\, and Salome – went and purchased the spices required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. At the crack of dawn on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, they went to the tomb. On the way there they had been discussing whether they would be able to find anyone to shift the large boulder that sealed the entrance to the tomb\, but when they arrived within sight of it\, they could see that the massive stone had already been rolled aside. They went into the tomb and nearly jumped out of their skins when they found a young man\, wearing a white robe\, sitting on the right hand side. He said to them\, “Don’t panic. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was executed. He has been raised up. You won’t find him here. Look\, this is the spot where they laid his body. Off you go. Tell his disciples\, and especially Peter\, that Jesus is going on up to Galilee ahead of you. There\, in Galilee\, you will see him\, just as he told you you would.” \nThe women bolted out of the tomb and fled as fast as they could\, shaking with fear and their heads spinning. They were so frightened that they didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday\, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid\, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in\, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when\, out of the blue\, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said\, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed\, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.” \nSuddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala\, Joanna\, and Mary the mother of James; but even so\, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head\, with no idea what to make of it all. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2028-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/30.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200811T140223Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200811T140223Z UID:10002858-1839369600-1839542399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a \n \n\n \n \n \n At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Noah: \n“I want you and your family to board the giant lifeboat you have built\, because you are the only person alive who does the right thing in my eyes. It is time to move the animals on board too. Take seven breeding pairs of every kind of animal that can be offered in worship\, one breeding pair of every kind that cannot\, and seven pairs of every kind of flying bird. In this way we will ensure the survival of all their species on the earth. You’ve only got seven days before the rain starts\, so get cracking. I will make it bucket down\, day and night\, for forty days\, to wipe every living thing from the face of the earth\, everything I have created.” \nSo Noah got stuck into it and followed the LORD’s instructions to the letter. Noah was six hundred years old at the time\, and sure enough\, on the seventeenth day of the second month that year\, great torrents of water came flooding up from beneath the ground and the clouds burst from above. Rain bucketed down\, day and night\, for forty days. The very day it began\, Noah finished loading the lifeboat and moved in with his wife\, his three sons — Shem\, Ham and Japheth — and their three wives. On board they had loaded every kind of animal\, wild and domestic\, every kind of creepy-crawly\, and every kind of bird and flying animal. There were breeding pairs of every species that lives and breathes on the earth\, and they all went on board the lifeboat with Noah. Noah had rounded them all up and herded them into the boat\, just as God had instructed him\, and when they were all aboard\, the LORD closed the door to keep them in. \nThe flood waters surged over the earth for forty days\, and as the waters rose the lifeboat floated up well clear of the ground below. The waters continued to swell\, becoming deeper and deeper over the earth\, but the lifeboat floated safely on the surface. \nWhen the rain stopped after forty days\, Noah opened a window in the lifeboat he had built\, and released a crow. It never came back\, but kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up. So Noah released a pigeon\, in order to find out whether the waters had subsided enough to find dry land. But the pigeon returned to the boat\, because the water was still too deep and it couldn’t find anywhere else to land. Noah put out his hand for the bird to land on and brought it back inside. He waited another seven days and then released the pigeon from the boat again. That evening the pigeon came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak\, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided enough for the land to begin drying out. Seven days later he released the pigeon again\, and this time it never came back. \nThey had been in the lifeboat for nearly a year before the flood was gone completely. It was New Year’s Day when Noah opened up the roof of the boat and took a look around. He could see that the ground was still soggy\, but drying fast. Eventually\, on the twenty seventh day of the second month that year\, the earth was dry enough\, and God said to Noah: \n“It is time for you and your whole family to leave the lifeboat. Unload all the living creatures that are with you; all the birds and animals and creepy-crawlies of every kind. Release them so that they can breed like rabbits and restock the earth.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 46 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod said\, “Go and get Isaac\, your son\, your only son whom you love. Take him to the mountain that I will point out to you in the land of Moriah. There you are to sacrifice him to me on an altar as a burnt offering.” \nSo Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire on the altar. He saddled his donkey and set out for the place that God had told him to go with Isaac and two of his hired hands. After three day’s journey\, Abraham could finally see their destination in the distance. He said to the two hired hands\, “Wait here with the donkey while the boy and I go on up there to worship. We will then return and meet you back here.” \nAbraham got Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering\, and he himself carried the knife and the coals for starting the fire. As the two of them walked on together\, Isaac spoke to Abraham saying\, “Father!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“Haven’t we forgotten something?” Isaac asked. “We’ve got everything we need to get the fire going\, but we haven’t brought a lamb to sacrifice as a burnt offering.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo the two of them walked on together. When they arrived at the spot that God had shown him\, Abraham built an altar and stacked the wood on it ready for the fire. Then he tied up his son Isaac\, and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. He took the knife in hand and was about to kill his son\, when the messenger of the LORD called to him from heaven\, saying\, “Abraham\, Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe messenger said\, “Put down your knife and don’t hurt the boy in any way\, for now I know what I needed to know. Since you have not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I know that you trust God\, no matter what.”\nAs he looked up\, Abraham saw a ram with its horns entangled in the scrub. So he went and got it\, and offered up the ram on the altar as a burnt offering in place of his son. \nFrom then on\, Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide\,” and a saying was coined that you still hear today: “On the LORD’s mountain all will be provided.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI swear to you\, and give you my personal guarantee\, that because you have done what I told you to do\, and not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I will do the right thing by you and set you up for life. I will see to it that your descendants become as countless as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over their cities and towns. Through your offspring\, a better life will be available to everyone on earth\, because you obeyed when I spoke to you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 16 \n \n\n \n \n \n Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Israelites stopped near the Red Sea\, they looked back over their shoulders and saw the King of Egypt and his whole army in hot pursuit. They began to cry out in panic: \n“God help us! What are you doing to us\, Moses? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Weren’t there enough graves there\, so you had to take us off to be slaughtered in the outback? Didn’t we tell you it would come to this\, when we were still safe in Egypt? We said ‘Don’t rock the boat\, Moses. Leave us be. We are better off working as slaves in Egypt than ending up dead in the outback.’ Didn’t we tell you?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“Don’t panic! Hold your nerve\, and you will see the LORD take action to rescue you\, right here and now. Take a last look at your oppressors while you can\, because you will never see them alive again. The LORD will fight this battle for you. That should shut you up!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“Why all this whingeing to me? Tell the Israelites to get travelling. Hold up your walking stick and stretch out your hand towards the sea. Slice it open\, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on a dry track. The Egyptian army are so pig-headed that they will go in after the people\, and when they do\, I will cover myself in glory by defeating the King of Egypt and all his armoured vehicles and soldiers. Then all Egypt will understand that I AM the LORD.” \n    The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moved around and took up a new position\, covering them from the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and settled in a position behind them\, making it impossible for the Egyptians and the Israelites to see each other. The cloud shrouded the Egyptian camp in darkness and lit up the night over the Israelite camp\, and the night passed without any contact between the two camps. \nThen Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and\, with a violent wind that blew all night\, the LORD forced back the sea\, carving out a track of dry ground right through the middle of the water. The Israelites trooped into the sea on the dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side. The Egyptian soldiers gave chase\, charging into the middle of the sea aboard their horses and armoured vehicles. Just before dawn\, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud\, and began to wreak havoc among them\, bogging their vehicles and leaving them stuck in the middle. In panic\, the soldiers began shouting\, “Run for your lives! Get away from these Israelites because the LORD is on their side fighting against us!” \nThen the LORD said to Moses\, “Stretch out your hand towards the sea again so that the water will surge back over the Egyptian army and all their soldiers and armoured vehicles.” \nSo Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and as the dawn broke\, the sea came crashing back down on top of the fleeing army. The LORD trapped the soldiers in the middle of the sea\, and when the waters had closed over and returned to normal\, there wasn’t a soldier or a vehicle left. The Israelites had walked through the sea on a dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side\, but the entire army of the King of Egypt had been swallowed up by the sea while pursuing them. \nSo that day the LORD rescued the people of Israel from their oppressors\, and the people saw all the dead soldiers washed up on the shore. When they saw the power of the LORD’s action against their oppressors\, the people were in awe of the LORD and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses who was working for the LORD. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 12: 2-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 42 & 43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones\, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying\, “Ezekiel\, mortal man\, can these bones come back to life?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“All you dry bones\, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead\, I\, the Lord\, will put breath into you again\, and you will live. Muscles\, ligaments\, organs\, veins; all these I will give you\, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.” \n So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight\, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together\, linking up\, one bone to another. As I watched\, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh\, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“North Wind\, South Wind\, East Wind\, West Wind\, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses\, so that they can live again.” \n Again I spoke as the LORD had said\, and even as I did\, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies\, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd\, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“Ezekiel\, mortal man\, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly\, Ezekiel\, and tell them this:\n“All you people\, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves\, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you\, my people\, when I restore life to your bodies\, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs\, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I\, the LORD\, have spoken and that what I say goes.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 143 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 98 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Surely you know that all of us who have been baptised into union with Christ were\, in that baptism\, dying with Christ. You will understand then\, that having died in baptism\, we have been buried with him; and so now\, in the same way that Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome power of God\, we too can re-enter life in a whole new way. \nYou see\, if we have been united with him in sharing the same kind of death\, you can rest assured we will be united with him further in sharing the same kind of resurrection. We are no longer the people we used to be. Our former selves were put to death with him on the cross in order to eradicate the sin that had taken over our lives\, and to thus allow us to live free of it. Everyone knows that death is the only escape from a sin-infested life — once you are dead\, you are free of it. For us\, though\, that’s no dead-end solution. If we have died with Christ\, we are convinced that we will live with him too. This much we know for sure: Christ has been raised from the dead and will never have to die again. Death has lost any further power over him. When he died\, he took sin out with him\, once and for all. The life he now lives\, then\, is lived in union with God. So you should now think of yourselves in the same way — your former lives\, ended; your new lives\, begun. Your old relationship with sin\, dead; your new relationship with God\, alive and flourishing in Christ Jesus. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 114 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n The morning after the Sabbath\, just as the first day of the new week was dawning\, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly the earth shuddered and shook beneath them and an angel from the Lord appeared from heaven right in front of them\, rolled back the boulder that had sealed the mouth of the tomb\, and sat on it. The angel was as radiant as lightening\, and wore clothes as white as freshly fallen snow. The angel’s appearance had the security guards quaking in their boots and falling like flies\, scared stiff. But to the women\, the angel said\, “Do not be afraid of me! I know you have come here looking for Jesus\, the one they executed\, but you won’t find him here. He has been raised to life\, just as he said he would be. Come and I will show you the place where his body was laid to rest. Then run and tell the rest of his followers that he has been raised from the dead. Tell them that he is heading back to Galilee and you are all to follow. There you will see him for yourselves. This is what I have been sent to tell you.” \nSo they left the tomb on the double\, awestruck and overjoyed\, and ran to tell the rest of his followers the news. On the way\, they suddenly ran straight into Jesus himself. “Good morning!” he said. \nThey threw themselves at him and fell down kissing his feet and worshipping him. Jesus said to them. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Go and tell the rest of my brothers and sisters to go on up to Galilee and I will meet them there.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Sabbath rest day was over\, three of the women – Mary Magdalene\, Mary the mother of James\, and Salome – went and purchased the spices required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. At the crack of dawn on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, they went to the tomb. On the way there they had been discussing whether they would be able to find anyone to shift the large boulder that sealed the entrance to the tomb\, but when they arrived within sight of it\, they could see that the massive stone had already been rolled aside. They went into the tomb and nearly jumped out of their skins when they found a young man\, wearing a white robe\, sitting on the right hand side. He said to them\, “Don’t panic. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was executed. He has been raised up. You won’t find him here. Look\, this is the spot where they laid his body. Off you go. Tell his disciples\, and especially Peter\, that Jesus is going on up to Galilee ahead of you. There\, in Galilee\, you will see him\, just as he told you you would.” \nThe women bolted out of the tomb and fled as fast as they could\, shaking with fear and their heads spinning. They were so frightened that they didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday\, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid\, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in\, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when\, out of the blue\, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said\, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed\, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.” \nSuddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala\, Joanna\, and Mary the mother of James; but even so\, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head\, with no idea what to make of it all. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2028-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/30.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200811T140223Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200811T140223Z UID:10002870-1839369600-1839542399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a \n \n\n \n \n \n At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Noah: \n“I want you and your family to board the giant lifeboat you have built\, because you are the only person alive who does the right thing in my eyes. It is time to move the animals on board too. Take seven breeding pairs of every kind of animal that can be offered in worship\, one breeding pair of every kind that cannot\, and seven pairs of every kind of flying bird. In this way we will ensure the survival of all their species on the earth. You’ve only got seven days before the rain starts\, so get cracking. I will make it bucket down\, day and night\, for forty days\, to wipe every living thing from the face of the earth\, everything I have created.” \nSo Noah got stuck into it and followed the LORD’s instructions to the letter. Noah was six hundred years old at the time\, and sure enough\, on the seventeenth day of the second month that year\, great torrents of water came flooding up from beneath the ground and the clouds burst from above. Rain bucketed down\, day and night\, for forty days. The very day it began\, Noah finished loading the lifeboat and moved in with his wife\, his three sons — Shem\, Ham and Japheth — and their three wives. On board they had loaded every kind of animal\, wild and domestic\, every kind of creepy-crawly\, and every kind of bird and flying animal. There were breeding pairs of every species that lives and breathes on the earth\, and they all went on board the lifeboat with Noah. Noah had rounded them all up and herded them into the boat\, just as God had instructed him\, and when they were all aboard\, the LORD closed the door to keep them in. \nThe flood waters surged over the earth for forty days\, and as the waters rose the lifeboat floated up well clear of the ground below. The waters continued to swell\, becoming deeper and deeper over the earth\, but the lifeboat floated safely on the surface. \nWhen the rain stopped after forty days\, Noah opened a window in the lifeboat he had built\, and released a crow. It never came back\, but kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up. So Noah released a pigeon\, in order to find out whether the waters had subsided enough to find dry land. But the pigeon returned to the boat\, because the water was still too deep and it couldn’t find anywhere else to land. Noah put out his hand for the bird to land on and brought it back inside. He waited another seven days and then released the pigeon from the boat again. That evening the pigeon came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak\, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided enough for the land to begin drying out. Seven days later he released the pigeon again\, and this time it never came back. \nThey had been in the lifeboat for nearly a year before the flood was gone completely. It was New Year’s Day when Noah opened up the roof of the boat and took a look around. He could see that the ground was still soggy\, but drying fast. Eventually\, on the twenty seventh day of the second month that year\, the earth was dry enough\, and God said to Noah: \n“It is time for you and your whole family to leave the lifeboat. Unload all the living creatures that are with you; all the birds and animals and creepy-crawlies of every kind. Release them so that they can breed like rabbits and restock the earth.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 46 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod said\, “Go and get Isaac\, your son\, your only son whom you love. Take him to the mountain that I will point out to you in the land of Moriah. There you are to sacrifice him to me on an altar as a burnt offering.” \nSo Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire on the altar. He saddled his donkey and set out for the place that God had told him to go with Isaac and two of his hired hands. After three day’s journey\, Abraham could finally see their destination in the distance. He said to the two hired hands\, “Wait here with the donkey while the boy and I go on up there to worship. We will then return and meet you back here.” \nAbraham got Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering\, and he himself carried the knife and the coals for starting the fire. As the two of them walked on together\, Isaac spoke to Abraham saying\, “Father!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“Haven’t we forgotten something?” Isaac asked. “We’ve got everything we need to get the fire going\, but we haven’t brought a lamb to sacrifice as a burnt offering.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo the two of them walked on together. When they arrived at the spot that God had shown him\, Abraham built an altar and stacked the wood on it ready for the fire. Then he tied up his son Isaac\, and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. He took the knife in hand and was about to kill his son\, when the messenger of the LORD called to him from heaven\, saying\, “Abraham\, Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe messenger said\, “Put down your knife and don’t hurt the boy in any way\, for now I know what I needed to know. Since you have not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I know that you trust God\, no matter what.”\nAs he looked up\, Abraham saw a ram with its horns entangled in the scrub. So he went and got it\, and offered up the ram on the altar as a burnt offering in place of his son. \nFrom then on\, Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide\,” and a saying was coined that you still hear today: “On the LORD’s mountain all will be provided.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI swear to you\, and give you my personal guarantee\, that because you have done what I told you to do\, and not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I will do the right thing by you and set you up for life. I will see to it that your descendants become as countless as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over their cities and towns. Through your offspring\, a better life will be available to everyone on earth\, because you obeyed when I spoke to you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 16 \n \n\n \n \n \n Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Israelites stopped near the Red Sea\, they looked back over their shoulders and saw the King of Egypt and his whole army in hot pursuit. They began to cry out in panic: \n“God help us! What are you doing to us\, Moses? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Weren’t there enough graves there\, so you had to take us off to be slaughtered in the outback? Didn’t we tell you it would come to this\, when we were still safe in Egypt? We said ‘Don’t rock the boat\, Moses. Leave us be. We are better off working as slaves in Egypt than ending up dead in the outback.’ Didn’t we tell you?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“Don’t panic! Hold your nerve\, and you will see the LORD take action to rescue you\, right here and now. Take a last look at your oppressors while you can\, because you will never see them alive again. The LORD will fight this battle for you. That should shut you up!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“Why all this whingeing to me? Tell the Israelites to get travelling. Hold up your walking stick and stretch out your hand towards the sea. Slice it open\, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on a dry track. The Egyptian army are so pig-headed that they will go in after the people\, and when they do\, I will cover myself in glory by defeating the King of Egypt and all his armoured vehicles and soldiers. Then all Egypt will understand that I AM the LORD.” \n    The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moved around and took up a new position\, covering them from the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and settled in a position behind them\, making it impossible for the Egyptians and the Israelites to see each other. The cloud shrouded the Egyptian camp in darkness and lit up the night over the Israelite camp\, and the night passed without any contact between the two camps. \nThen Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and\, with a violent wind that blew all night\, the LORD forced back the sea\, carving out a track of dry ground right through the middle of the water. The Israelites trooped into the sea on the dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side. The Egyptian soldiers gave chase\, charging into the middle of the sea aboard their horses and armoured vehicles. Just before dawn\, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud\, and began to wreak havoc among them\, bogging their vehicles and leaving them stuck in the middle. In panic\, the soldiers began shouting\, “Run for your lives! Get away from these Israelites because the LORD is on their side fighting against us!” \nThen the LORD said to Moses\, “Stretch out your hand towards the sea again so that the water will surge back over the Egyptian army and all their soldiers and armoured vehicles.” \nSo Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and as the dawn broke\, the sea came crashing back down on top of the fleeing army. The LORD trapped the soldiers in the middle of the sea\, and when the waters had closed over and returned to normal\, there wasn’t a soldier or a vehicle left. The Israelites had walked through the sea on a dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side\, but the entire army of the King of Egypt had been swallowed up by the sea while pursuing them. \nSo that day the LORD rescued the people of Israel from their oppressors\, and the people saw all the dead soldiers washed up on the shore. When they saw the power of the LORD’s action against their oppressors\, the people were in awe of the LORD and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses who was working for the LORD. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 12: 2-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 42 & 43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones\, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying\, “Ezekiel\, mortal man\, can these bones come back to life?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“All you dry bones\, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead\, I\, the Lord\, will put breath into you again\, and you will live. Muscles\, ligaments\, organs\, veins; all these I will give you\, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.” \n So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight\, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together\, linking up\, one bone to another. As I watched\, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh\, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“North Wind\, South Wind\, East Wind\, West Wind\, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses\, so that they can live again.” \n Again I spoke as the LORD had said\, and even as I did\, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies\, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd\, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“Ezekiel\, mortal man\, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly\, Ezekiel\, and tell them this:\n“All you people\, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves\, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you\, my people\, when I restore life to your bodies\, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs\, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I\, the LORD\, have spoken and that what I say goes.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 143 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 98 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Surely you know that all of us who have been baptised into union with Christ were\, in that baptism\, dying with Christ. You will understand then\, that having died in baptism\, we have been buried with him; and so now\, in the same way that Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome power of God\, we too can re-enter life in a whole new way. \nYou see\, if we have been united with him in sharing the same kind of death\, you can rest assured we will be united with him further in sharing the same kind of resurrection. We are no longer the people we used to be. Our former selves were put to death with him on the cross in order to eradicate the sin that had taken over our lives\, and to thus allow us to live free of it. Everyone knows that death is the only escape from a sin-infested life — once you are dead\, you are free of it. For us\, though\, that’s no dead-end solution. If we have died with Christ\, we are convinced that we will live with him too. This much we know for sure: Christ has been raised from the dead and will never have to die again. Death has lost any further power over him. When he died\, he took sin out with him\, once and for all. The life he now lives\, then\, is lived in union with God. So you should now think of yourselves in the same way — your former lives\, ended; your new lives\, begun. Your old relationship with sin\, dead; your new relationship with God\, alive and flourishing in Christ Jesus. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 114 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n The morning after the Sabbath\, just as the first day of the new week was dawning\, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly the earth shuddered and shook beneath them and an angel from the Lord appeared from heaven right in front of them\, rolled back the boulder that had sealed the mouth of the tomb\, and sat on it. The angel was as radiant as lightening\, and wore clothes as white as freshly fallen snow. The angel’s appearance had the security guards quaking in their boots and falling like flies\, scared stiff. But to the women\, the angel said\, “Do not be afraid of me! I know you have come here looking for Jesus\, the one they executed\, but you won’t find him here. He has been raised to life\, just as he said he would be. Come and I will show you the place where his body was laid to rest. Then run and tell the rest of his followers that he has been raised from the dead. Tell them that he is heading back to Galilee and you are all to follow. There you will see him for yourselves. This is what I have been sent to tell you.” \nSo they left the tomb on the double\, awestruck and overjoyed\, and ran to tell the rest of his followers the news. On the way\, they suddenly ran straight into Jesus himself. “Good morning!” he said. \nThey threw themselves at him and fell down kissing his feet and worshipping him. Jesus said to them. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Go and tell the rest of my brothers and sisters to go on up to Galilee and I will meet them there.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Sabbath rest day was over\, three of the women – Mary Magdalene\, Mary the mother of James\, and Salome – went and purchased the spices required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. At the crack of dawn on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, they went to the tomb. On the way there they had been discussing whether they would be able to find anyone to shift the large boulder that sealed the entrance to the tomb\, but when they arrived within sight of it\, they could see that the massive stone had already been rolled aside. They went into the tomb and nearly jumped out of their skins when they found a young man\, wearing a white robe\, sitting on the right hand side. He said to them\, “Don’t panic. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was executed. He has been raised up. You won’t find him here. Look\, this is the spot where they laid his body. Off you go. Tell his disciples\, and especially Peter\, that Jesus is going on up to Galilee ahead of you. There\, in Galilee\, you will see him\, just as he told you you would.” \nThe women bolted out of the tomb and fled as fast as they could\, shaking with fear and their heads spinning. They were so frightened that they didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday\, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid\, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in\, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when\, out of the blue\, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said\, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed\, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.” \nSuddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala\, Joanna\, and Mary the mother of James; but even so\, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head\, with no idea what to make of it all. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2028-04-15/2/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/30.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200811T140223Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T061202Z UID:10001562-1839369600-1839542399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a \n \n\n \n \n \n At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Noah: \n“I want you and your family to board the giant lifeboat you have built\, because you are the only person alive who does the right thing in my eyes. It is time to move the animals on board too. Take seven breeding pairs of every kind of animal that can be offered in worship\, one breeding pair of every kind that cannot\, and seven pairs of every kind of flying bird. In this way we will ensure the survival of all their species on the earth. You’ve only got seven days before the rain starts\, so get cracking. I will make it bucket down\, day and night\, for forty days\, to wipe every living thing from the face of the earth\, everything I have created.” \nSo Noah got stuck into it and followed the LORD’s instructions to the letter. Noah was six hundred years old at the time\, and sure enough\, on the seventeenth day of the second month that year\, great torrents of water came flooding up from beneath the ground and the clouds burst from above. Rain bucketed down\, day and night\, for forty days. The very day it began\, Noah finished loading the lifeboat and moved in with his wife\, his three sons — Shem\, Ham and Japheth — and their three wives. On board they had loaded every kind of animal\, wild and domestic\, every kind of creepy-crawly\, and every kind of bird and flying animal. There were breeding pairs of every species that lives and breathes on the earth\, and they all went on board the lifeboat with Noah. Noah had rounded them all up and herded them into the boat\, just as God had instructed him\, and when they were all aboard\, the LORD closed the door to keep them in. \nThe flood waters surged over the earth for forty days\, and as the waters rose the lifeboat floated up well clear of the ground below. The waters continued to swell\, becoming deeper and deeper over the earth\, but the lifeboat floated safely on the surface. \nWhen the rain stopped after forty days\, Noah opened a window in the lifeboat he had built\, and released a crow. It never came back\, but kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up. So Noah released a pigeon\, in order to find out whether the waters had subsided enough to find dry land. But the pigeon returned to the boat\, because the water was still too deep and it couldn’t find anywhere else to land. Noah put out his hand for the bird to land on and brought it back inside. He waited another seven days and then released the pigeon from the boat again. That evening the pigeon came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak\, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided enough for the land to begin drying out. Seven days later he released the pigeon again\, and this time it never came back. \nThey had been in the lifeboat for nearly a year before the flood was gone completely. It was New Year’s Day when Noah opened up the roof of the boat and took a look around. He could see that the ground was still soggy\, but drying fast. Eventually\, on the twenty seventh day of the second month that year\, the earth was dry enough\, and God said to Noah: \n“It is time for you and your whole family to leave the lifeboat. Unload all the living creatures that are with you; all the birds and animals and creepy-crawlies of every kind. Release them so that they can breed like rabbits and restock the earth.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 46 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod said\, “Go and get Isaac\, your son\, your only son whom you love. Take him to the mountain that I will point out to you in the land of Moriah. There you are to sacrifice him to me on an altar as a burnt offering.” \nSo Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire on the altar. He saddled his donkey and set out for the place that God had told him to go with Isaac and two of his hired hands. After three day’s journey\, Abraham could finally see their destination in the distance. He said to the two hired hands\, “Wait here with the donkey while the boy and I go on up there to worship. We will then return and meet you back here.” \nAbraham got Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering\, and he himself carried the knife and the coals for starting the fire. As the two of them walked on together\, Isaac spoke to Abraham saying\, “Father!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“Haven’t we forgotten something?” Isaac asked. “We’ve got everything we need to get the fire going\, but we haven’t brought a lamb to sacrifice as a burnt offering.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo the two of them walked on together. When they arrived at the spot that God had shown him\, Abraham built an altar and stacked the wood on it ready for the fire. Then he tied up his son Isaac\, and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. He took the knife in hand and was about to kill his son\, when the messenger of the LORD called to him from heaven\, saying\, “Abraham\, Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe messenger said\, “Put down your knife and don’t hurt the boy in any way\, for now I know what I needed to know. Since you have not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I know that you trust God\, no matter what.”\nAs he looked up\, Abraham saw a ram with its horns entangled in the scrub. So he went and got it\, and offered up the ram on the altar as a burnt offering in place of his son. \nFrom then on\, Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide\,” and a saying was coined that you still hear today: “On the LORD’s mountain all will be provided.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI swear to you\, and give you my personal guarantee\, that because you have done what I told you to do\, and not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I will do the right thing by you and set you up for life. I will see to it that your descendants become as countless as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over their cities and towns. Through your offspring\, a better life will be available to everyone on earth\, because you obeyed when I spoke to you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 16 \n \n\n \n \n \n Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Israelites stopped near the Red Sea\, they looked back over their shoulders and saw the King of Egypt and his whole army in hot pursuit. They began to cry out in panic: \n“God help us! What are you doing to us\, Moses? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Weren’t there enough graves there\, so you had to take us off to be slaughtered in the outback? Didn’t we tell you it would come to this\, when we were still safe in Egypt? We said ‘Don’t rock the boat\, Moses. Leave us be. We are better off working as slaves in Egypt than ending up dead in the outback.’ Didn’t we tell you?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“Don’t panic! Hold your nerve\, and you will see the LORD take action to rescue you\, right here and now. Take a last look at your oppressors while you can\, because you will never see them alive again. The LORD will fight this battle for you. That should shut you up!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“Why all this whingeing to me? Tell the Israelites to get travelling. Hold up your walking stick and stretch out your hand towards the sea. Slice it open\, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on a dry track. The Egyptian army are so pig-headed that they will go in after the people\, and when they do\, I will cover myself in glory by defeating the King of Egypt and all his armoured vehicles and soldiers. Then all Egypt will understand that I AM the LORD.” \n    The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moved around and took up a new position\, covering them from the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and settled in a position behind them\, making it impossible for the Egyptians and the Israelites to see each other. The cloud shrouded the Egyptian camp in darkness and lit up the night over the Israelite camp\, and the night passed without any contact between the two camps. \nThen Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and\, with a violent wind that blew all night\, the LORD forced back the sea\, carving out a track of dry ground right through the middle of the water. The Israelites trooped into the sea on the dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side. The Egyptian soldiers gave chase\, charging into the middle of the sea aboard their horses and armoured vehicles. Just before dawn\, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud\, and began to wreak havoc among them\, bogging their vehicles and leaving them stuck in the middle. In panic\, the soldiers began shouting\, “Run for your lives! Get away from these Israelites because the LORD is on their side fighting against us!” \nThen the LORD said to Moses\, “Stretch out your hand towards the sea again so that the water will surge back over the Egyptian army and all their soldiers and armoured vehicles.” \nSo Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and as the dawn broke\, the sea came crashing back down on top of the fleeing army. The LORD trapped the soldiers in the middle of the sea\, and when the waters had closed over and returned to normal\, there wasn’t a soldier or a vehicle left. The Israelites had walked through the sea on a dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side\, but the entire army of the King of Egypt had been swallowed up by the sea while pursuing them. \nSo that day the LORD rescued the people of Israel from their oppressors\, and the people saw all the dead soldiers washed up on the shore. When they saw the power of the LORD’s action against their oppressors\, the people were in awe of the LORD and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses who was working for the LORD. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 12: 2-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 42 & 43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones\, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying\, “Ezekiel\, mortal man\, can these bones come back to life?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“All you dry bones\, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead\, I\, the Lord\, will put breath into you again\, and you will live. Muscles\, ligaments\, organs\, veins; all these I will give you\, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.” \n So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight\, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together\, linking up\, one bone to another. As I watched\, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh\, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“North Wind\, South Wind\, East Wind\, West Wind\, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses\, so that they can live again.” \n Again I spoke as the LORD had said\, and even as I did\, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies\, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd\, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“Ezekiel\, mortal man\, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly\, Ezekiel\, and tell them this:\n“All you people\, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves\, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you\, my people\, when I restore life to your bodies\, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs\, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I\, the LORD\, have spoken and that what I say goes.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 143 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 98 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Surely you know that all of us who have been baptised into union with Christ were\, in that baptism\, dying with Christ. You will understand then\, that having died in baptism\, we have been buried with him; and so now\, in the same way that Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome power of God\, we too can re-enter life in a whole new way. \nYou see\, if we have been united with him in sharing the same kind of death\, you can rest assured we will be united with him further in sharing the same kind of resurrection. We are no longer the people we used to be. Our former selves were put to death with him on the cross in order to eradicate the sin that had taken over our lives\, and to thus allow us to live free of it. Everyone knows that death is the only escape from a sin-infested life — once you are dead\, you are free of it. For us\, though\, that’s no dead-end solution. If we have died with Christ\, we are convinced that we will live with him too. This much we know for sure: Christ has been raised from the dead and will never have to die again. Death has lost any further power over him. When he died\, he took sin out with him\, once and for all. The life he now lives\, then\, is lived in union with God. So you should now think of yourselves in the same way — your former lives\, ended; your new lives\, begun. Your old relationship with sin\, dead; your new relationship with God\, alive and flourishing in Christ Jesus. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 114 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n The morning after the Sabbath\, just as the first day of the new week was dawning\, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly the earth shuddered and shook beneath them and an angel from the Lord appeared from heaven right in front of them\, rolled back the boulder that had sealed the mouth of the tomb\, and sat on it. The angel was as radiant as lightening\, and wore clothes as white as freshly fallen snow. The angel’s appearance had the security guards quaking in their boots and falling like flies\, scared stiff. But to the women\, the angel said\, “Do not be afraid of me! I know you have come here looking for Jesus\, the one they executed\, but you won’t find him here. He has been raised to life\, just as he said he would be. Come and I will show you the place where his body was laid to rest. Then run and tell the rest of his followers that he has been raised from the dead. Tell them that he is heading back to Galilee and you are all to follow. There you will see him for yourselves. This is what I have been sent to tell you.” \nSo they left the tomb on the double\, awestruck and overjoyed\, and ran to tell the rest of his followers the news. On the way\, they suddenly ran straight into Jesus himself. “Good morning!” he said. \nThey threw themselves at him and fell down kissing his feet and worshipping him. Jesus said to them. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Go and tell the rest of my brothers and sisters to go on up to Galilee and I will meet them there.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Sabbath rest day was over\, three of the women – Mary Magdalene\, Mary the mother of James\, and Salome – went and purchased the spices required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. At the crack of dawn on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, they went to the tomb. On the way there they had been discussing whether they would be able to find anyone to shift the large boulder that sealed the entrance to the tomb\, but when they arrived within sight of it\, they could see that the massive stone had already been rolled aside. They went into the tomb and nearly jumped out of their skins when they found a young man\, wearing a white robe\, sitting on the right hand side. He said to them\, “Don’t panic. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was executed. He has been raised up. You won’t find him here. Look\, this is the spot where they laid his body. Off you go. Tell his disciples\, and especially Peter\, that Jesus is going on up to Galilee ahead of you. There\, in Galilee\, you will see him\, just as he told you you would.” \nThe women bolted out of the tomb and fled as fast as they could\, shaking with fear and their heads spinning. They were so frightened that they didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday\, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid\, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in\, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when\, out of the blue\, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said\, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed\, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.” \nSuddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala\, Joanna\, and Mary the mother of James; but even so\, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head\, with no idea what to make of it all. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2028-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/30.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200811T140223Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z UID:10002880-1839369600-1839542399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a \n \n\n \n \n \n At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Noah: \n“I want you and your family to board the giant lifeboat you have built\, because you are the only person alive who does the right thing in my eyes. It is time to move the animals on board too. Take seven breeding pairs of every kind of animal that can be offered in worship\, one breeding pair of every kind that cannot\, and seven pairs of every kind of flying bird. In this way we will ensure the survival of all their species on the earth. You’ve only got seven days before the rain starts\, so get cracking. I will make it bucket down\, day and night\, for forty days\, to wipe every living thing from the face of the earth\, everything I have created.” \nSo Noah got stuck into it and followed the LORD’s instructions to the letter. Noah was six hundred years old at the time\, and sure enough\, on the seventeenth day of the second month that year\, great torrents of water came flooding up from beneath the ground and the clouds burst from above. Rain bucketed down\, day and night\, for forty days. The very day it began\, Noah finished loading the lifeboat and moved in with his wife\, his three sons — Shem\, Ham and Japheth — and their three wives. On board they had loaded every kind of animal\, wild and domestic\, every kind of creepy-crawly\, and every kind of bird and flying animal. There were breeding pairs of every species that lives and breathes on the earth\, and they all went on board the lifeboat with Noah. Noah had rounded them all up and herded them into the boat\, just as God had instructed him\, and when they were all aboard\, the LORD closed the door to keep them in. \nThe flood waters surged over the earth for forty days\, and as the waters rose the lifeboat floated up well clear of the ground below. The waters continued to swell\, becoming deeper and deeper over the earth\, but the lifeboat floated safely on the surface. \nWhen the rain stopped after forty days\, Noah opened a window in the lifeboat he had built\, and released a crow. It never came back\, but kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up. So Noah released a pigeon\, in order to find out whether the waters had subsided enough to find dry land. But the pigeon returned to the boat\, because the water was still too deep and it couldn’t find anywhere else to land. Noah put out his hand for the bird to land on and brought it back inside. He waited another seven days and then released the pigeon from the boat again. That evening the pigeon came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak\, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided enough for the land to begin drying out. Seven days later he released the pigeon again\, and this time it never came back. \nThey had been in the lifeboat for nearly a year before the flood was gone completely. It was New Year’s Day when Noah opened up the roof of the boat and took a look around. He could see that the ground was still soggy\, but drying fast. Eventually\, on the twenty seventh day of the second month that year\, the earth was dry enough\, and God said to Noah: \n“It is time for you and your whole family to leave the lifeboat. Unload all the living creatures that are with you; all the birds and animals and creepy-crawlies of every kind. Release them so that they can breed like rabbits and restock the earth.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 46 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod said\, “Go and get Isaac\, your son\, your only son whom you love. Take him to the mountain that I will point out to you in the land of Moriah. There you are to sacrifice him to me on an altar as a burnt offering.” \nSo Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire on the altar. He saddled his donkey and set out for the place that God had told him to go with Isaac and two of his hired hands. After three day’s journey\, Abraham could finally see their destination in the distance. He said to the two hired hands\, “Wait here with the donkey while the boy and I go on up there to worship. We will then return and meet you back here.” \nAbraham got Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering\, and he himself carried the knife and the coals for starting the fire. As the two of them walked on together\, Isaac spoke to Abraham saying\, “Father!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“Haven’t we forgotten something?” Isaac asked. “We’ve got everything we need to get the fire going\, but we haven’t brought a lamb to sacrifice as a burnt offering.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo the two of them walked on together. When they arrived at the spot that God had shown him\, Abraham built an altar and stacked the wood on it ready for the fire. Then he tied up his son Isaac\, and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. He took the knife in hand and was about to kill his son\, when the messenger of the LORD called to him from heaven\, saying\, “Abraham\, Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe messenger said\, “Put down your knife and don’t hurt the boy in any way\, for now I know what I needed to know. Since you have not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I know that you trust God\, no matter what.”\nAs he looked up\, Abraham saw a ram with its horns entangled in the scrub. So he went and got it\, and offered up the ram on the altar as a burnt offering in place of his son. \nFrom then on\, Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide\,” and a saying was coined that you still hear today: “On the LORD’s mountain all will be provided.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI swear to you\, and give you my personal guarantee\, that because you have done what I told you to do\, and not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I will do the right thing by you and set you up for life. I will see to it that your descendants become as countless as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over their cities and towns. Through your offspring\, a better life will be available to everyone on earth\, because you obeyed when I spoke to you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 16 \n \n\n \n \n \n Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Israelites stopped near the Red Sea\, they looked back over their shoulders and saw the King of Egypt and his whole army in hot pursuit. They began to cry out in panic: \n“God help us! What are you doing to us\, Moses? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Weren’t there enough graves there\, so you had to take us off to be slaughtered in the outback? Didn’t we tell you it would come to this\, when we were still safe in Egypt? We said ‘Don’t rock the boat\, Moses. Leave us be. We are better off working as slaves in Egypt than ending up dead in the outback.’ Didn’t we tell you?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“Don’t panic! Hold your nerve\, and you will see the LORD take action to rescue you\, right here and now. Take a last look at your oppressors while you can\, because you will never see them alive again. The LORD will fight this battle for you. That should shut you up!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“Why all this whingeing to me? Tell the Israelites to get travelling. Hold up your walking stick and stretch out your hand towards the sea. Slice it open\, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on a dry track. The Egyptian army are so pig-headed that they will go in after the people\, and when they do\, I will cover myself in glory by defeating the King of Egypt and all his armoured vehicles and soldiers. Then all Egypt will understand that I AM the LORD.” \n    The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moved around and took up a new position\, covering them from the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and settled in a position behind them\, making it impossible for the Egyptians and the Israelites to see each other. The cloud shrouded the Egyptian camp in darkness and lit up the night over the Israelite camp\, and the night passed without any contact between the two camps. \nThen Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and\, with a violent wind that blew all night\, the LORD forced back the sea\, carving out a track of dry ground right through the middle of the water. The Israelites trooped into the sea on the dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side. The Egyptian soldiers gave chase\, charging into the middle of the sea aboard their horses and armoured vehicles. Just before dawn\, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud\, and began to wreak havoc among them\, bogging their vehicles and leaving them stuck in the middle. In panic\, the soldiers began shouting\, “Run for your lives! Get away from these Israelites because the LORD is on their side fighting against us!” \nThen the LORD said to Moses\, “Stretch out your hand towards the sea again so that the water will surge back over the Egyptian army and all their soldiers and armoured vehicles.” \nSo Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and as the dawn broke\, the sea came crashing back down on top of the fleeing army. The LORD trapped the soldiers in the middle of the sea\, and when the waters had closed over and returned to normal\, there wasn’t a soldier or a vehicle left. The Israelites had walked through the sea on a dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side\, but the entire army of the King of Egypt had been swallowed up by the sea while pursuing them. \nSo that day the LORD rescued the people of Israel from their oppressors\, and the people saw all the dead soldiers washed up on the shore. When they saw the power of the LORD’s action against their oppressors\, the people were in awe of the LORD and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses who was working for the LORD. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 12: 2-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 42 & 43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones\, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying\, “Ezekiel\, mortal man\, can these bones come back to life?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“All you dry bones\, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead\, I\, the Lord\, will put breath into you again\, and you will live. Muscles\, ligaments\, organs\, veins; all these I will give you\, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.” \n So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight\, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together\, linking up\, one bone to another. As I watched\, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh\, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“North Wind\, South Wind\, East Wind\, West Wind\, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses\, so that they can live again.” \n Again I spoke as the LORD had said\, and even as I did\, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies\, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd\, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“Ezekiel\, mortal man\, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly\, Ezekiel\, and tell them this:\n“All you people\, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves\, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you\, my people\, when I restore life to your bodies\, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs\, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I\, the LORD\, have spoken and that what I say goes.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 143 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 98 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Surely you know that all of us who have been baptised into union with Christ were\, in that baptism\, dying with Christ. You will understand then\, that having died in baptism\, we have been buried with him; and so now\, in the same way that Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome power of God\, we too can re-enter life in a whole new way. \nYou see\, if we have been united with him in sharing the same kind of death\, you can rest assured we will be united with him further in sharing the same kind of resurrection. We are no longer the people we used to be. Our former selves were put to death with him on the cross in order to eradicate the sin that had taken over our lives\, and to thus allow us to live free of it. Everyone knows that death is the only escape from a sin-infested life — once you are dead\, you are free of it. For us\, though\, that’s no dead-end solution. If we have died with Christ\, we are convinced that we will live with him too. This much we know for sure: Christ has been raised from the dead and will never have to die again. Death has lost any further power over him. When he died\, he took sin out with him\, once and for all. The life he now lives\, then\, is lived in union with God. So you should now think of yourselves in the same way — your former lives\, ended; your new lives\, begun. Your old relationship with sin\, dead; your new relationship with God\, alive and flourishing in Christ Jesus. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 114 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n The morning after the Sabbath\, just as the first day of the new week was dawning\, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly the earth shuddered and shook beneath them and an angel from the Lord appeared from heaven right in front of them\, rolled back the boulder that had sealed the mouth of the tomb\, and sat on it. The angel was as radiant as lightening\, and wore clothes as white as freshly fallen snow. The angel’s appearance had the security guards quaking in their boots and falling like flies\, scared stiff. But to the women\, the angel said\, “Do not be afraid of me! I know you have come here looking for Jesus\, the one they executed\, but you won’t find him here. He has been raised to life\, just as he said he would be. Come and I will show you the place where his body was laid to rest. Then run and tell the rest of his followers that he has been raised from the dead. Tell them that he is heading back to Galilee and you are all to follow. There you will see him for yourselves. This is what I have been sent to tell you.” \nSo they left the tomb on the double\, awestruck and overjoyed\, and ran to tell the rest of his followers the news. On the way\, they suddenly ran straight into Jesus himself. “Good morning!” he said. \nThey threw themselves at him and fell down kissing his feet and worshipping him. Jesus said to them. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Go and tell the rest of my brothers and sisters to go on up to Galilee and I will meet them there.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Sabbath rest day was over\, three of the women – Mary Magdalene\, Mary the mother of James\, and Salome – went and purchased the spices required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. At the crack of dawn on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, they went to the tomb. On the way there they had been discussing whether they would be able to find anyone to shift the large boulder that sealed the entrance to the tomb\, but when they arrived within sight of it\, they could see that the massive stone had already been rolled aside. They went into the tomb and nearly jumped out of their skins when they found a young man\, wearing a white robe\, sitting on the right hand side. He said to them\, “Don’t panic. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was executed. He has been raised up. You won’t find him here. Look\, this is the spot where they laid his body. Off you go. Tell his disciples\, and especially Peter\, that Jesus is going on up to Galilee ahead of you. There\, in Galilee\, you will see him\, just as he told you you would.” \nThe women bolted out of the tomb and fled as fast as they could\, shaking with fear and their heads spinning. They were so frightened that they didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday\, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid\, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in\, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when\, out of the blue\, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said\, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed\, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.” \nSuddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala\, Joanna\, and Mary the mother of James; but even so\, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head\, with no idea what to make of it all. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2028-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/30.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200811T140223Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200811T140223Z UID:10002864-1839369600-1839542399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a \n \n\n \n \n \n At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Noah: \n“I want you and your family to board the giant lifeboat you have built\, because you are the only person alive who does the right thing in my eyes. It is time to move the animals on board too. Take seven breeding pairs of every kind of animal that can be offered in worship\, one breeding pair of every kind that cannot\, and seven pairs of every kind of flying bird. In this way we will ensure the survival of all their species on the earth. You’ve only got seven days before the rain starts\, so get cracking. I will make it bucket down\, day and night\, for forty days\, to wipe every living thing from the face of the earth\, everything I have created.” \nSo Noah got stuck into it and followed the LORD’s instructions to the letter. Noah was six hundred years old at the time\, and sure enough\, on the seventeenth day of the second month that year\, great torrents of water came flooding up from beneath the ground and the clouds burst from above. Rain bucketed down\, day and night\, for forty days. The very day it began\, Noah finished loading the lifeboat and moved in with his wife\, his three sons — Shem\, Ham and Japheth — and their three wives. On board they had loaded every kind of animal\, wild and domestic\, every kind of creepy-crawly\, and every kind of bird and flying animal. There were breeding pairs of every species that lives and breathes on the earth\, and they all went on board the lifeboat with Noah. Noah had rounded them all up and herded them into the boat\, just as God had instructed him\, and when they were all aboard\, the LORD closed the door to keep them in. \nThe flood waters surged over the earth for forty days\, and as the waters rose the lifeboat floated up well clear of the ground below. The waters continued to swell\, becoming deeper and deeper over the earth\, but the lifeboat floated safely on the surface. \nWhen the rain stopped after forty days\, Noah opened a window in the lifeboat he had built\, and released a crow. It never came back\, but kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up. So Noah released a pigeon\, in order to find out whether the waters had subsided enough to find dry land. But the pigeon returned to the boat\, because the water was still too deep and it couldn’t find anywhere else to land. Noah put out his hand for the bird to land on and brought it back inside. He waited another seven days and then released the pigeon from the boat again. That evening the pigeon came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak\, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided enough for the land to begin drying out. Seven days later he released the pigeon again\, and this time it never came back. \nThey had been in the lifeboat for nearly a year before the flood was gone completely. It was New Year’s Day when Noah opened up the roof of the boat and took a look around. He could see that the ground was still soggy\, but drying fast. Eventually\, on the twenty seventh day of the second month that year\, the earth was dry enough\, and God said to Noah: \n“It is time for you and your whole family to leave the lifeboat. Unload all the living creatures that are with you; all the birds and animals and creepy-crawlies of every kind. Release them so that they can breed like rabbits and restock the earth.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 46 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod said\, “Go and get Isaac\, your son\, your only son whom you love. Take him to the mountain that I will point out to you in the land of Moriah. There you are to sacrifice him to me on an altar as a burnt offering.” \nSo Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire on the altar. He saddled his donkey and set out for the place that God had told him to go with Isaac and two of his hired hands. After three day’s journey\, Abraham could finally see their destination in the distance. He said to the two hired hands\, “Wait here with the donkey while the boy and I go on up there to worship. We will then return and meet you back here.” \nAbraham got Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering\, and he himself carried the knife and the coals for starting the fire. As the two of them walked on together\, Isaac spoke to Abraham saying\, “Father!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“Haven’t we forgotten something?” Isaac asked. “We’ve got everything we need to get the fire going\, but we haven’t brought a lamb to sacrifice as a burnt offering.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo the two of them walked on together. When they arrived at the spot that God had shown him\, Abraham built an altar and stacked the wood on it ready for the fire. Then he tied up his son Isaac\, and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. He took the knife in hand and was about to kill his son\, when the messenger of the LORD called to him from heaven\, saying\, “Abraham\, Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe messenger said\, “Put down your knife and don’t hurt the boy in any way\, for now I know what I needed to know. Since you have not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I know that you trust God\, no matter what.”\nAs he looked up\, Abraham saw a ram with its horns entangled in the scrub. So he went and got it\, and offered up the ram on the altar as a burnt offering in place of his son. \nFrom then on\, Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide\,” and a saying was coined that you still hear today: “On the LORD’s mountain all will be provided.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI swear to you\, and give you my personal guarantee\, that because you have done what I told you to do\, and not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I will do the right thing by you and set you up for life. I will see to it that your descendants become as countless as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over their cities and towns. Through your offspring\, a better life will be available to everyone on earth\, because you obeyed when I spoke to you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 16 \n \n\n \n \n \n Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Israelites stopped near the Red Sea\, they looked back over their shoulders and saw the King of Egypt and his whole army in hot pursuit. They began to cry out in panic: \n“God help us! What are you doing to us\, Moses? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Weren’t there enough graves there\, so you had to take us off to be slaughtered in the outback? Didn’t we tell you it would come to this\, when we were still safe in Egypt? We said ‘Don’t rock the boat\, Moses. Leave us be. We are better off working as slaves in Egypt than ending up dead in the outback.’ Didn’t we tell you?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“Don’t panic! Hold your nerve\, and you will see the LORD take action to rescue you\, right here and now. Take a last look at your oppressors while you can\, because you will never see them alive again. The LORD will fight this battle for you. That should shut you up!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“Why all this whingeing to me? Tell the Israelites to get travelling. Hold up your walking stick and stretch out your hand towards the sea. Slice it open\, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on a dry track. The Egyptian army are so pig-headed that they will go in after the people\, and when they do\, I will cover myself in glory by defeating the King of Egypt and all his armoured vehicles and soldiers. Then all Egypt will understand that I AM the LORD.” \n    The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moved around and took up a new position\, covering them from the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and settled in a position behind them\, making it impossible for the Egyptians and the Israelites to see each other. The cloud shrouded the Egyptian camp in darkness and lit up the night over the Israelite camp\, and the night passed without any contact between the two camps. \nThen Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and\, with a violent wind that blew all night\, the LORD forced back the sea\, carving out a track of dry ground right through the middle of the water. The Israelites trooped into the sea on the dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side. The Egyptian soldiers gave chase\, charging into the middle of the sea aboard their horses and armoured vehicles. Just before dawn\, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud\, and began to wreak havoc among them\, bogging their vehicles and leaving them stuck in the middle. In panic\, the soldiers began shouting\, “Run for your lives! Get away from these Israelites because the LORD is on their side fighting against us!” \nThen the LORD said to Moses\, “Stretch out your hand towards the sea again so that the water will surge back over the Egyptian army and all their soldiers and armoured vehicles.” \nSo Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and as the dawn broke\, the sea came crashing back down on top of the fleeing army. The LORD trapped the soldiers in the middle of the sea\, and when the waters had closed over and returned to normal\, there wasn’t a soldier or a vehicle left. The Israelites had walked through the sea on a dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side\, but the entire army of the King of Egypt had been swallowed up by the sea while pursuing them. \nSo that day the LORD rescued the people of Israel from their oppressors\, and the people saw all the dead soldiers washed up on the shore. When they saw the power of the LORD’s action against their oppressors\, the people were in awe of the LORD and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses who was working for the LORD. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 12: 2-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 42 & 43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones\, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying\, “Ezekiel\, mortal man\, can these bones come back to life?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“All you dry bones\, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead\, I\, the Lord\, will put breath into you again\, and you will live. Muscles\, ligaments\, organs\, veins; all these I will give you\, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.” \n So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight\, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together\, linking up\, one bone to another. As I watched\, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh\, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“North Wind\, South Wind\, East Wind\, West Wind\, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses\, so that they can live again.” \n Again I spoke as the LORD had said\, and even as I did\, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies\, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd\, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“Ezekiel\, mortal man\, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly\, Ezekiel\, and tell them this:\n“All you people\, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves\, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you\, my people\, when I restore life to your bodies\, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs\, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I\, the LORD\, have spoken and that what I say goes.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 143 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 98 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Surely you know that all of us who have been baptised into union with Christ were\, in that baptism\, dying with Christ. You will understand then\, that having died in baptism\, we have been buried with him; and so now\, in the same way that Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome power of God\, we too can re-enter life in a whole new way. \nYou see\, if we have been united with him in sharing the same kind of death\, you can rest assured we will be united with him further in sharing the same kind of resurrection. We are no longer the people we used to be. Our former selves were put to death with him on the cross in order to eradicate the sin that had taken over our lives\, and to thus allow us to live free of it. Everyone knows that death is the only escape from a sin-infested life — once you are dead\, you are free of it. For us\, though\, that’s no dead-end solution. If we have died with Christ\, we are convinced that we will live with him too. This much we know for sure: Christ has been raised from the dead and will never have to die again. Death has lost any further power over him. When he died\, he took sin out with him\, once and for all. The life he now lives\, then\, is lived in union with God. So you should now think of yourselves in the same way — your former lives\, ended; your new lives\, begun. Your old relationship with sin\, dead; your new relationship with God\, alive and flourishing in Christ Jesus. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 114 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n The morning after the Sabbath\, just as the first day of the new week was dawning\, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly the earth shuddered and shook beneath them and an angel from the Lord appeared from heaven right in front of them\, rolled back the boulder that had sealed the mouth of the tomb\, and sat on it. The angel was as radiant as lightening\, and wore clothes as white as freshly fallen snow. The angel’s appearance had the security guards quaking in their boots and falling like flies\, scared stiff. But to the women\, the angel said\, “Do not be afraid of me! I know you have come here looking for Jesus\, the one they executed\, but you won’t find him here. He has been raised to life\, just as he said he would be. Come and I will show you the place where his body was laid to rest. Then run and tell the rest of his followers that he has been raised from the dead. Tell them that he is heading back to Galilee and you are all to follow. There you will see him for yourselves. This is what I have been sent to tell you.” \nSo they left the tomb on the double\, awestruck and overjoyed\, and ran to tell the rest of his followers the news. On the way\, they suddenly ran straight into Jesus himself. “Good morning!” he said. \nThey threw themselves at him and fell down kissing his feet and worshipping him. Jesus said to them. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Go and tell the rest of my brothers and sisters to go on up to Galilee and I will meet them there.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Sabbath rest day was over\, three of the women – Mary Magdalene\, Mary the mother of James\, and Salome – went and purchased the spices required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. At the crack of dawn on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, they went to the tomb. On the way there they had been discussing whether they would be able to find anyone to shift the large boulder that sealed the entrance to the tomb\, but when they arrived within sight of it\, they could see that the massive stone had already been rolled aside. They went into the tomb and nearly jumped out of their skins when they found a young man\, wearing a white robe\, sitting on the right hand side. He said to them\, “Don’t panic. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was executed. He has been raised up. You won’t find him here. Look\, this is the spot where they laid his body. Off you go. Tell his disciples\, and especially Peter\, that Jesus is going on up to Galilee ahead of you. There\, in Galilee\, you will see him\, just as he told you you would.” \nThe women bolted out of the tomb and fled as fast as they could\, shaking with fear and their heads spinning. They were so frightened that they didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday\, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid\, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in\, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when\, out of the blue\, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said\, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed\, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.” \nSuddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala\, Joanna\, and Mary the mother of James; but even so\, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head\, with no idea what to make of it all. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2028-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/30.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201104T112826Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250518T054937Z UID:10001726-1839456000-1839542399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Resurrection Sunday Morning - Year C DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Acts 10: 34-43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Peter addressed the gathered people saying: \n“Now it is all perfectly clear to me — God does not play favourites! Whoever you are and wherever you are from\, if you take God seriously and do the right thing\, God will welcome you with open arms! Jesus the Messiah preached God’s message about a peace deal to the people of Israel\, but clearly it did not stop with them — he is Lord of all! No doubt you have heard the news about Jesus of Nazareth\, because since it sparked off in Galilee\, it has spread like wildfire all over Judea. The story began after John started calling everyone to turn their lives around through baptism. God singled Jesus out then and there\, charging him with the Holy Spirit’s power. From then on\, Jesus travelled around working for good and helping people out from under the devil’s thumb and back onto their feet. God was with him in all this. We saw it all ourselves; everything he did in the Judean backblocks and in the city of Jerusalem. They strung him up on a post and killed him\, but three days later God raised him to life and let us see him. Not everybody got to see him\, but God had picked us out to be the ones who would know first hand what had happened. We got to spend time sharing meals and a few drinks with him after he was brought back from the dead. He gave us the job of getting his message out to the people and going public with the fact that he is the one who God has appointed to make the final assessment of everybody on earth\, past and present. You don’t have to take our word alone on this; all the prophets back us up. Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus receives pardon for their sins on his say so.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Alternative 1st Reading: Isaiah 65: 17-25 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, the LORD\, am on the verge of making\nthe heavens and the earth brand new again.\nThe traumas of the past will be long forgotten\,\nfading from memory. \nKick up your heels and start the party!\nCelebrate what I’m bringing into existence.\nI’m creating Jerusalem as a place of joy\,\na place full of happy peaceful people. \nJerusalem will be my pride and joy.\nIts people will be my greatest delight.\nCries of fear will no longer be heard there.\nThe sounds of grieving will be gone for good. \nNever again will there be babies who die young\,\nor adults who don’t live to a ripe old age.\nIf anyone dies at a hundred\,\npeople will say they were cut down in their prime.\nIf they fall short of a hundred\,\nit will seem like some horrible curse. \nThey will live secure in the houses they have worked for.\nThey will enjoy the fruits of their own labours. \nNever again will anyone build a house\,\nonly to have the bank confiscate it.\nNever again will anyone sweat and toil\nonly to see the profit go to someone else. \nMy people will live long and sturdy like the great trees.\nMy chosen people will love their work and enjoy its fruits. \nTheir work will not be wasted.\nTheir children will not be doomed.\nI\, the LORD\, will see that their children flourish\,\nand that all will be well for their children’s children. \nBefore their prayers pass their lips\, I will answer.\nI’ll tune in before they’ve opened their mouths. \nThe dingo and the lamb will feed side by side.\nThe crocodile will go vegetarian.\nSnakes will bite nothing but the dust!\nThere will be no killing or maiming on my holy mountain;\nI\, the LORD\, have given my word! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 118: 1-2\, 14-24 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless!\nMay all your people recognise\nthat your love and loyalty last forever. \nOur energy and strength come from you\, LORD;\nour peace and safety were won by you. \nThe sound of singing rings out\nfrom the homes of all who are honest and true.\nThey sing of what you have done\, LORD\,\nfor you raised your hand and saved the day. \nNow we know that our lives are safe;\nwe will live to tell of what you have done.\nYou gave us the tough medicine we deserved\, LORD\,\nbut you didn’t let death get its claws into us. \nThe minute they open the city gates\n— the gates of justice —\nwe’ll be the first through\, LORD;\neager to tell you how thankful we are. \nThese gates belong to you\, LORD\,\nthose you have put right can come on through. \nThank you for answering our prayers\, LORD;\nfor coming to our rescue and putting us right. \nFrom a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile\nyou cut and polished a priceless jewel.\nThis is obviously your work\, LORD\,\nand we can hardly believe our eyes! \nToday is your day\, LORD\, a day to honour you;\nwe will celebrate with joy and laughter. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 19-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n If we’ve put all our eggs in the Messiah’s basket and it has made no difference to how much life we’ve got — we will still just die and that will be the end of it — then we must be the sorriest bunch of losers who ever drew breath. But the fact of the matter is that the Messiah has been raised from the dead and is more alive than ever. And he’s just the first. Now that he’s set the precedent you can rest assured that there are plenty more to come! The precedent for throwing away life came through one human being\, and now the precedent for throwing off death has come through another. Just as our solidarity with Adam sent us into grave\, so now our solidarity with the Messiah will see us join him in rising from the grave to live. But we have to take our place in the queue and wait our turn. Jesus the Messiah\, as the trail-blazer\, comes first. Then\, when he steps back onto the stage\, those who have signed on with him will follow. And then comes the big finale. Having wiped out the competition — all those systems and structures and powers that seek to rule our lives — the Messiah’s new culture will be complete and he will present it in triumph to God who conceived us all. For the Messiah’s influence must continue to grow until all the enemies of life have fallen beneath his feet. And\, of course\, the final enemy to be destroyed will be death itself. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Alternative 2nd Reading: Acts 10: 34-43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Peter addressed the gathered people saying: \n“Now it is all perfectly clear to me — God does not play favourites! Whoever you are and wherever you are from\, if you take God seriously and do the right thing\, God will welcome you with open arms! Jesus the Messiah preached God’s message about a peace deal to the people of Israel\, but clearly it did not stop with them — he is Lord of all! No doubt you have heard the news about Jesus of Nazareth\, because since it sparked off in Galilee\, it has spread like wildfire all over Judea. The story began after John started calling everyone to turn their lives around through baptism. God singled Jesus out then and there\, charging him with the Holy Spirit’s power. From then on\, Jesus travelled around working for good and helping people out from under the devil’s thumb and back onto their feet. God was with him in all this. We saw it all ourselves; everything he did in the Judean backblocks and in the city of Jerusalem. They strung him up on a post and killed him\, but three days later God raised him to life and let us see him. Not everybody got to see him\, but God had picked us out to be the ones who would know first hand what had happened. We got to spend time sharing meals and a few drinks with him after he was brought back from the dead. He gave us the job of getting his message out to the people and going public with the fact that he is the one who God has appointed to make the final assessment of everybody on earth\, past and present. You don’t have to take our word alone on this; all the prophets back us up. Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus receives pardon for their sins on his say so.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading: John 20: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n Early on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, even before it began to get light\, Mary Magdalene went to visit the tomb where Jesus had been buried. When she got there\, she discovered that the stone had been removed and the tomb was open. She fled as fast as she could\, and found Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus had been closest to. Mary blurted out\, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb\, and we don’t know where they have taken him.” \nSo Peter and the other disciple set off on the double. They were both running at full tilt\, but the other disciple was faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. He didn’t go in\, but he bent down to peer inside and saw that the linen burial shroud had been unwrapped and left behind. Moments later\, Simon Peter arrived\, and barged straight into the tomb. He too\, saw the unwrapped shroud lying there\, and noticed that the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was not with the rest of the shroud\, but had been rolled up and left in a different spot. Then the other disciple\, who had reached the tomb first\, followed Peter in. They had not yet got their minds around the scriptures that said that Jesus must rise from the dead\, but what he saw was enough to convince him that this was no grave robbery\, but something far more extraordinary. \nThe two men left\, and headed off to their homes\, but Mary stayed behind and stood weeping outside the tomb. A little later she bent down to look into the tomb\, and through her tears she saw two angels dressed in white. They were sitting where the body of Jesus had previously been lying\, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her\, “Woman\, why are you crying?” \nShe replied\, “Someone has taken away my Lord\, and I have got no idea where they might have put him.” \nHaving said this\, she turned around and saw Jesus standing behind her\, but she didn’t realise it was him. Jesus asked her\, “Woman\, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” \nMary assumed that he was the cemetery gardener\, so she said to him\, “Mister\, if you have removed his body from the tomb\, please tell me where you have put him\, and I will take him off your hands.” \nJesus said to her\, “Mary!” \nShe spun around and said\, “Rabbouni!”\, which is a Hebrew word meaning ‘Dear Teacher’. \nJesus said to her\, “Don’t try to hold on to me\, because I have not yet fully risen to the Father. But go now\, and tell my whole family of disciples that I am rising up to the one who conceived me and conceived you\, to my God and your God.” \nSo Mary Magdalene went straight to the disciples\, and was the first to make the announcement\, “I have seen the Lord!” \nShe went on to fill them in on all that he had said to her. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Alternative Gospel Reading: Luke 24: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday\, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid\, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in\, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when\, out of the blue\, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said\, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed\, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.” \nSuddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala\, Joanna\, and Mary the mother of James; but even so\, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head\, with no idea what to make of it all. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Christ from the dead\,\nthe first fruits of those who have died. \nYou created the earth\nand your steadfast love endures forever\nfor all the people of every nation. \nAs the prophets testified\,\nyou sent your child Jesus into the world preaching peace\,\nYou anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power\nand he went about doing good\nand healing all who were oppressed.\nLike a stone rejected by the builders\nhe was put to death\, hanging on a tree\,\nbut you raised him on the third day\nand made him the cornerstone of your kingdom.\nNow he meets us in our grief\,\neating and drinking with us\nand raising us all to life in him\,\nso that he might present the kingdom to you\,\nhaving destroyed the last enemy: death itself. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for your risen Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho meets us in our grief\,\neating and drinking with us\nand raising us all to life in him\,\nso that he might present the kingdom to you\,\nhaving destroyed the last enemy: death itself. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Christ from the dead\,\nthe first fruits of those who have died. \nYou created the earth\nand your steadfast love endures forever\nfor all the people of every nation. \nAs the prophets testified\,\nyou sent your child Jesus into the world preaching peace\,\nYou anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power\nand he went about doing good\nand healing all who were oppressed.\nLike a stone rejected by the builders\nhe was put to death\, hanging on a tree\,\nbut you raised him on the third day\nand made him the cornerstone of your kingdom.\nNow he meets us in our grief\,\neating and drinking with us\nand raising us all to life in him\,\nso that he might present the kingdom to you\,\nhaving destroyed the last enemy: death itself.\n\nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n God shows no partiality\,\nbut has sent Jesus to us all\,\npreaching peace and healing those oppressed by evil.\nEveryone who puts their trust in him\nreceives forgiveness of sins through his name. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, glad and rejoicing\,\nfor this is the day that the Lord has made\,\nand Christ is risen\, that all may be made alive in him.\nPut your hope in the risen Christ\,\nand testify that he is the one ordained by God to be Lord of all.\nIn his name\, preach peach\, do good\,\nand proclaim the forgiveness of sins without partiality. \nAnd may God be your strength and your might;\nMay Christ Jesus meet you in your grief\nand become your salvation;\nand may the Holy Spirit raise you to life in Christ. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c31/2028-04-16/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/31.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280417T005959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200812T030128Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250518T055127Z UID:10001570-1839456000-1839545999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Resurrection Sunday Evening DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 25: 6-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n Every people on earth will be invited to the sacred mountain\nfor the huge party thrown by the LORD who rules over everything.\nIt will be the feast to end all feasts\,\nwith the very finest of foods and wines:\nchoice meats\, wines aged to perfection\,\ngourmet delicacies to make every mouth water! \nAnd right here on this sacred mountain\nthe LORD will tear off the pall of death\nand release the nations from the coffin that held them.\nThe LORD will swallow up death once and for all. \nWith that\, the Lord GOD will wipe the tears from every eye\,\nand God’s people will no longer be humiliated and despised;\nThe LORD says so and that settles it. \nWhen that happens people will say\,\nWow! This is our God!\nWe hoped\, we waited\, we trusted God to save us.\nAnd our waiting has not been in vain.\nThe LORD has not let us down.\nCelebrate! Sing and dance\,\nfor God has come to our rescue and set us free. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 114 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 5: 6b-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n You do realise\, don’t you\, that it only takes a little bit of yeast to leaven a whole batch of bread dough? A little bit of corruption can similarly affect a whole congregation\, so get rid of it. Just as we have traditionally cleaned out every trace of yeast from our homes in preparation for the Passover festival when we use only unleavened bread\, so you should clean the corruption from your midst. You are to be the new batch of unleavened bread. In Christ\, our Paschal lamb has been sacrificed. Now is the time for us to celebrate the festival\, and just as we can’t celebrate it with yeast-leavened bread\, neither can we celebrate it with the old yeast of inhumanity and evil. We celebrate this festival with the unleavened bread of truth and integrity. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 24: 13-49 \n \n\n \n \n \n In the afternoon of the day that the tomb had been found empty\, a couple who had been followers of Jesus were heading back home to the small town called Emmaus. As they walked the ten kilometres or so from Jerusalem\, they were talking over everything that had happened in the past few days. Along the way\, Jesus himself joined them\, but to their eyes he was just another stranger on the road. He asked them\, “What’s all this you are discussing so intently as you travel?” \nThey pulled up in their tracks and looked at him with long faces. One of them\, a man named Cleopas\, said to him\, “You must be the only stranger in and around Jerusalem who has not caught up with what’s been going on in the last few days.” \n“What has been going on?” Jesus asked. \nThey replied\, “It is all to do with Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet whose words and actions electrified the people in the presence of God. The religious and civil authorities had him arrested and then pushed for the death penalty. They got their way and he was executed. We’d had our hopes pinned on him being the one who would set Israel back in its rightful place. It’s all been over for three days now. A strange twist has rocked us all today\, though. Some women from our group apparently went to the tomb first thing this morning and couldn’t find his body. They came back and told the rest of us that they had seen a vision of angels who said that Jesus was alive. We sent a group down to check out their story\, and they found things just the way the women had said\, but there was no sign of Jesus anywhere.” \nWhen they had finished filling him in\, Jesus said to them\, “What a thick-headed pair you are! Why are you so slow to get your heads and your hearts around everything that the prophets spelled out?! Hasn’t it always been the case that the Messiah would have to cop all this suffering before getting in on the glory that was in store for him?” \nJesus spent the rest of their journey explaining the scriptures to them. Passage by passage\, he showed them what Moses and the prophets had said about him. \nWhen they reached the turn-off to the town they were heading for\, Jesus appeared set to push on up the highway\, but they put the hard word on him to stop at their place overnight since the sun was going down and the day was almost over. So he accepted their offer of hospitality and went home with them. When he sat down to the evening meal with them\, he picked up a loaf of bread\, gave thanks\, broke it\, and gave it to them. Suddenly their eyes were opened and they realised who he was; and just as suddenly he disappeared from sight. They looked at one another and said\, “No wonder there was such a fire burning in our guts when he was explaining the scriptures to us on the road!” \nSo\, without a moment’s delay\, they were on their feet and hurrying back to Jerusalem to tell the news to the eleven and the rest of the crew. When they found them\, they were all together and abuzz with news: “The Lord really has risen! He has appeared to Simon Peter!” \nThe couple from Emmaus filled them all in on what had happened on the road\, and how it had dawned on them who he was when the bread had been broken. \nWhile they were talking about all this\, Jesus himself suddenly appeared\, standing among them. “Greetings!” he said\, “Peace be with you.” \nTaken by surprise\, they thought he was a ghost\, and were scared spitless. Jesus said to them\, “What have you got to be afraid of? Why are you letting your doubts get the better of you? Here\, take a look at my hands and feet. See for yourselves that it really is me. Reach out and touch me and you will know that I am made of flesh and bone. No ghost can claim that!” \nAs he spoke\, he showed them his hands and feet. It all seemed too good to be true; so wonderful that they couldn’t believe their eyes. Their heads were bursting with joy and disbelief! Jesus asked them\, “Have you got anything here I can eat?” \nThey gave him a piece of grilled fish and he took it and ate it in front of them. Then he said to them\, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses\, the prophets\, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.”  \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.”  \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ to life\nand destroyed the shroud of death that covered all people. \nYou made the earth\, and it trembles in your presence;\nyou rescued your people from slavery\,\nleading them through the deep waters\nfrom death to life. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, to us\,\na prophet mighty in word and deed\nwho taught us to celebrate your salvation\nin sincerity and truth.\nThough he was condemned to death\nand crucified by the religious\,\nyou raised him from the dead\nand wiped the tears from our faces.\nRisen indeed\, he is with us always\,\nbreathing his peace over our fears\nand spreading a rich banquet before us\nso that in the breaking of bread\nand your word proclaimed\,\nour eyes might be opened\nand our hearts set on fire with love. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Risen Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho breathes his peace over our fears\nand spreads a rich banquet before us\nso that in the breaking of bread\nand your word proclaimed\,\nour eyes might be opened\nand our hearts set on fire with love. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ to life\nand destroyed the shroud of death that covered all people. \nYou made the earth\, and it trembles in your presence;\nyou rescued your people from slavery\,\nleading them through the deep waters\nfrom death to life. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, to us\,\na prophet mighty in word and deed\nwho taught us to celebrate your salvation\nin sincerity and truth.\nThough he was condemned to death\nand crucified by the religious\,\nyou raised him from the dead\nand wiped the tears from our faces.\nRisen indeed\, he is with us always\,\nbreathing his peace over our fears\nand spreading a rich banquet before us\nso that in the breaking of bread\nand your word proclaimed\,\nour eyes might be opened\nand our hearts set on fire with love. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n As the scriptures said\,\nthe Messiah suffered and rose from the dead on the third day\,\nso that repentance and forgiveness of sins\nmight be proclaimed in his name to all nations. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now as witnesses of God’s victory over evil and death.\nThe risen Christ has made himself known to you\nin the breaking of bread\,\nso clean out the old yeast of malice and evil\nand live as the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. \nAnd may God wipe every tear from your faces;\nMay Christ Jesus make himself known to you in all things;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit open your eyes\nand set your hearts on fire with love. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nCan’t see the wood for the treesA sermon on Luke 24: 13-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nOpen Minds and Narrow ThinkingA sermon on Luke 24:36b-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nEaster in OrdinaryA sermon on Luke 24.13-35 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nThe Stranger on the Road of DespairA sermon on Luke 24: 13-35 & 1 Peter 1: 17-23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThere and Back AgainA sermon on Luke 24:13-35 by Roslyn Wright URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc32/2028-04-16/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/32.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280423T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280423T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201104T122028Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250525T052716Z UID:10001728-1840060800-1840147199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:2nd Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 5: 27-32 \n \n\n \n \n \n The apostles were arrested for a third time and dragged before the authorities. The High Priest tore strips off them\, saying\, “You were ordered by this court to stop spreading the teachings of Jesus\, but now the things you’ve been saying about him are all over town. And what’s more\, you are determined to make us wear the blame for his death.” \nBut Peter\, backed up by the other apostles\, said\, “Whenever obeying God and obeying some mere human authority are at odds with each other\, we have no choice but to obey God. You had Jesus strung up on a post and killed; but God — the very same God our ancestors worshipped — raised him back to life again. What’s more\, he is now God’s right hand man. God has given him the top job\, as Leader and Saviour\, so that he might give the nation the chance to turn back to God and have their sins forgiven. We know about these things\, first hand\, and it’s our job to tell the truth about them. And our partner in this task is the Holy Spirit\, who is given by God to all who take their cues from God.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 118: 14-29 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our energy and strength come from you\, LORD;\nour peace and safety were won by you. \nThe sound of singing rings out\nfrom the homes of all who are honest and true.\nThey sing of what you have done\, LORD\,\nfor you raised your hand and saved the day. \nNow we know that our lives are safe;\nwe will live to tell of what you have done.\nYou gave us the tough medicine we deserved\, LORD\,\nbut you didn’t let death get its claws into us. \nThe minute they open the city gates\n— the gates of justice —\nwe’ll be the first through\, LORD;\neager to tell you how thankful we are. \nThese gates belong to you\, LORD\,\nthose you have put right can come on through. \nThank you for answering our prayers\, LORD;\nfor coming to our rescue and putting us right. \nFrom a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile\nyou cut and polished a priceless jewel.\nThis is obviously your work\, LORD\,\nand we can hardly believe our eyes! \nToday is your day\, LORD\, a day to honour you;\nwe will celebrate with joy and laughter. \nGet us through safely\, LORD!\nIn the tasks ahead\, give us success! \nThe one who comes in your name\, LORD\,\nis the one who is truly blessed.\nGathered here in your house\,\nwe praise you for sending him. \nYou\, LORD\, are our only God\,\nand you light up our lives.\nIn a great procession\,\nwe march to the sacred place\,\nwaving branches and banners;\ntossing flowers in the air. \nYou are our God\nand we give you thanks.\nYou are our God\nand we give you our highest acclaim. \nThank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 150 \n \n\n \n \n \n All praise to you\, LORD! \nWe sing your praises in the house of worship;\nwe sing your praises in the open air! \nWe give you all the credit for the amazing things you have done;\nwe openly declare that your greatness\nis in a league of its own! \nThe bands strike up with songs dedicated to you\,\nmaking every kind of music in your honour. \nFor you\, the haunting sounds of the didgeridoo!\nFor you\, the jazz band’s wailing horns!\nFor you\, a funky bass riff!\nFor you\, the fieriest fiddles!\nFor you\, screaming guitars!\nFor you\, drums and cymbals!\nFor you\, a polished choir!\nFor you\, a full-blooded orchestra! \nAll who can breathe\, sing;\nall who can stand\, dance;\nand all to sound your praises\, LORD! \nAll praise to you\, LORD of all! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 1: 4-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n A message from me\, John\, to you\, the seven churches in the region of Turkey: \nGreetings and best wishes. May the One who is and who was and who is yet to come be generous to you and give you peace. May the seven spirits who gather around heaven’s throne do likewise for you. And so too may Jesus Christ. He is the key witness whose testimony will not be silenced\, no matter what. He is the first one to have been reborn from the grave. He is the one to whom everyone who holds power on earth must answer. \nAll glory and power to Jesus Christ\,\nfor he loves us.\nHe cut us loose from our sins\,\neven spilling his own blood to get it done. \nHe made us citizens of a new global domain\nand priests in the service of his God and Father.\nAll glory and power to Jesus Christ\,\nfrom now to forever. So say all of us! \nBe on the watch - he’s on his way!\nRolling in on the clouds - no one will fail to see him.\nEven those who cut him down will have to look\,\nand the sight of him will cause weeping and wailing\nfrom every race and nation on earth. \nThat’s the long and the short of it\, and so say all of us! \n“I’m the first and the last; the be all and end all\,” says the Lord God\, the invincible one\, who is and who was and who is yet to come. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 20: 19-31 \n \n\n \n \n \n It was a Sunday – the first day of the week – when the tomb was found empty. That same evening\, the disciples met together. They locked all the doors of the house where they were meeting because they were afraid of being tracked down by the religious authorities. Suddenly\, Jesus appeared and stood among them saying\, “Good evening to you all!” \nHe proceeded to show them the deep scars in his hands and side. The disciples\, of course\, were over the moon at seeing the Lord again. Jesus spoke again\, saying\, “All the best to you. God sent me into the world\, and in the same way\, I’m sending you.” \nHaving said that\, he breathed a big breathe onto them and said\, “Receive the Holy Spirit; all of you. If you forgive anyone who has sinned\, then their sins are forgiven. If you withhold forgiveness for any sins\, they remain unforgiven.” \nWhen this happened\, Thomas – known as “the Twin” and one of the twelve – was missing. The other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord\, but they couldn’t convince him. “I’m not falling for that one!” Thomas replied. “I’d have to see the nail holes in his hands before I’d believe it. In fact I’d have to feel the holes myself\, and touch the spear wound in his side.” \nA week later\, the disciples again gathered behind locked doors in the same house\, and this time Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors\, Jesus came and stood among them again and said\, “Good evening to you all!” \nThen he turned to Thomas and said\, “Here are my hands\, Thomas. Put your finger here in the wound.” And pulling up his shirt\, he said\, “And here is my side. You can put your hand in the hole. Let go of your doubts and trust me.”\nThomas\, of course\, was blown away\, and said\, “You are my Lord and my God!” \nJesus said to him\, “Believing is not that hard when you’ve seen me\, is it? Imagine how much God will smile on those who put their trust in me without ever having seen me!” \nThe disciples saw Jesus do many other things that demonstrated to them the reality of who he was\, but they have not all been written down in this book. But what has been written here has been written for you\, dear readers\, so that you will know enough to see that Jesus is the anointed One – the Son of God – and so that by putting your trust in him you can come to have real life: the life that he lived and shares. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you meet us in our doubts\nand fill us with life and peace. \nYou are the one who was and is\, and is to come\n— the beginning and the end —\nwho breathed life into the earth and its creatures.\nOur ancestors put their trust in you\nand celebrated your mighty acts of salvation. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nas a faithful witness to your goodness and love.\nHe was killed by the powerful\,\nbut you raised him\, as the firstborn from the dead.\nAppearing behind the locked doors of our fear\nhe breathed Holy Spirit into us\nand commissioned us\nto carry his words of peace and mercy to the world.\nSeated at your right hand as Leader and Saviour\,\nhe frees us from sin\nand makes us a kingdom of priests\nto serve you forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for your risen Son\, Jesus\,\nthe firstborn from the dead\,\nwho meets us behind the locked doors of our fear\nand breathes Holy Spirit into us\,\ncommissioning us to proclaim peace and mercy to all the world. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you meet us in our doubts\nand fill us with life and peace. \nYou are the one who was and is\, and is to come\n— the beginning and the end —\nwho breathed life into the earth and its creatures.\nOur ancestors put their trust in you\nand celebrated your mighty acts of salvation. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nas a faithful witness to your goodness and love.\nHe was killed by the powerful\,\nbut you raised him\, as the firstborn from the dead.\nAppearing behind the locked doors of our fear\nhe breathed Holy Spirit into us\nand commissioned us\nto carry his words of peace and mercy to the world.\nSeated at your right hand as Leader and Saviour\,\nhe frees us from sin\nand makes us a kingdom of priests\nto serve you forever. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n God has exalted Jesus Christ\, as Leader and Saviour\,\nthat he might turn us back to God\nand free us from our sins by his blood.\nAll who put their trust in him\, have life in his name. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now to love and forgive\,\nfor as God sent Christ\,\nso now Christ is sending you.\nObey God above any other authority\nand bear witness to Christ’s resurrection life. \nAnd may God continue the work of salvation in you;\nMay Christ Jesus meet you in your doubts and fears;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit fill you with peace\nand speak through you with mercy. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nChrist is Risen\, so what’s next?A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBeyond Doubt?A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRedeeming ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Very Different Way of Looking at ThingsA sermon on Revelation 1: 4-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nForgiveness Comes with ScarsA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nPeace Be With YouA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDoubters\, Failures\, and other Model ChristiansA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nMerely-Reserving-Judgement ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShame\, Redemption\, and the Terror of ResurrectionA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBehind Locked DoorsA sermon on John 20:19-31 by Paul Sheppy\n\n\n\nDoubting Thomas has the Last LaughA sermon on John 20:19-31 by Audrey Katenna\n\n\n\nThe An Absolute Game-ChangerA sermon on Revelation 1: 4-8; John 20:19-31 & Acts 5:27-32 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c33/2028-04-23/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/33.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280423T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280423T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201104T122028Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000529Z UID:10002743-1840060800-1840147199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:2nd Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 5: 27-32 \n \n\n \n \n \n The apostles were arrested for a third time and dragged before the authorities. The High Priest tore strips off them\, saying\, “You were ordered by this court to stop spreading the teachings of Jesus\, but now the things you’ve been saying about him are all over town. And what’s more\, you are determined to make us wear the blame for his death.” \nBut Peter\, backed up by the other apostles\, said\, “Whenever obeying God and obeying some mere human authority are at odds with each other\, we have no choice but to obey God. You had Jesus strung up on a post and killed; but God — the very same God our ancestors worshipped — raised him back to life again. What’s more\, he is now God’s right hand man. God has given him the top job\, as Leader and Saviour\, so that he might give the nation the chance to turn back to God and have their sins forgiven. We know about these things\, first hand\, and it’s our job to tell the truth about them. And our partner in this task is the Holy Spirit\, who is given by God to all who take their cues from God.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 118: 14-29 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our energy and strength come from you\, LORD;\nour peace and safety were won by you. \nThe sound of singing rings out\nfrom the homes of all who are honest and true.\nThey sing of what you have done\, LORD\,\nfor you raised your hand and saved the day. \nNow we know that our lives are safe;\nwe will live to tell of what you have done.\nYou gave us the tough medicine we deserved\, LORD\,\nbut you didn’t let death get its claws into us. \nThe minute they open the city gates\n— the gates of justice —\nwe’ll be the first through\, LORD;\neager to tell you how thankful we are. \nThese gates belong to you\, LORD\,\nthose you have put right can come on through. \nThank you for answering our prayers\, LORD;\nfor coming to our rescue and putting us right. \nFrom a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile\nyou cut and polished a priceless jewel.\nThis is obviously your work\, LORD\,\nand we can hardly believe our eyes! \nToday is your day\, LORD\, a day to honour you;\nwe will celebrate with joy and laughter. \nGet us through safely\, LORD!\nIn the tasks ahead\, give us success! \nThe one who comes in your name\, LORD\,\nis the one who is truly blessed.\nGathered here in your house\,\nwe praise you for sending him. \nYou\, LORD\, are our only God\,\nand you light up our lives.\nIn a great procession\,\nwe march to the sacred place\,\nwaving branches and banners;\ntossing flowers in the air. \nYou are our God\nand we give you thanks.\nYou are our God\nand we give you our highest acclaim. \nThank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 150 \n \n\n \n \n \n All praise to you\, LORD! \nWe sing your praises in the house of worship;\nwe sing your praises in the open air! \nWe give you all the credit for the amazing things you have done;\nwe openly declare that your greatness\nis in a league of its own! \nThe bands strike up with songs dedicated to you\,\nmaking every kind of music in your honour. \nFor you\, the haunting sounds of the didgeridoo!\nFor you\, the jazz band’s wailing horns!\nFor you\, a funky bass riff!\nFor you\, the fieriest fiddles!\nFor you\, screaming guitars!\nFor you\, drums and cymbals!\nFor you\, a polished choir!\nFor you\, a full-blooded orchestra! \nAll who can breathe\, sing;\nall who can stand\, dance;\nand all to sound your praises\, LORD! \nAll praise to you\, LORD of all! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 1: 4-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n A message from me\, John\, to you\, the seven churches in the region of Turkey: \nGreetings and best wishes. May the One who is and who was and who is yet to come be generous to you and give you peace. May the seven spirits who gather around heaven’s throne do likewise for you. And so too may Jesus Christ. He is the key witness whose testimony will not be silenced\, no matter what. He is the first one to have been reborn from the grave. He is the one to whom everyone who holds power on earth must answer. \nAll glory and power to Jesus Christ\,\nfor he loves us.\nHe cut us loose from our sins\,\neven spilling his own blood to get it done. \nHe made us citizens of a new global domain\nand priests in the service of his God and Father.\nAll glory and power to Jesus Christ\,\nfrom now to forever. So say all of us! \nBe on the watch - he’s on his way!\nRolling in on the clouds - no one will fail to see him.\nEven those who cut him down will have to look\,\nand the sight of him will cause weeping and wailing\nfrom every race and nation on earth. \nThat’s the long and the short of it\, and so say all of us! \n“I’m the first and the last; the be all and end all\,” says the Lord God\, the invincible one\, who is and who was and who is yet to come. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 20: 19-31 \n \n\n \n \n \n It was a Sunday – the first day of the week – when the tomb was found empty. That same evening\, the disciples met together. They locked all the doors of the house where they were meeting because they were afraid of being tracked down by the religious authorities. Suddenly\, Jesus appeared and stood among them saying\, “Good evening to you all!” \nHe proceeded to show them the deep scars in his hands and side. The disciples\, of course\, were over the moon at seeing the Lord again. Jesus spoke again\, saying\, “All the best to you. God sent me into the world\, and in the same way\, I’m sending you.” \nHaving said that\, he breathed a big breathe onto them and said\, “Receive the Holy Spirit; all of you. If you forgive anyone who has sinned\, then their sins are forgiven. If you withhold forgiveness for any sins\, they remain unforgiven.” \nWhen this happened\, Thomas – known as “the Twin” and one of the twelve – was missing. The other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord\, but they couldn’t convince him. “I’m not falling for that one!” Thomas replied. “I’d have to see the nail holes in his hands before I’d believe it. In fact I’d have to feel the holes myself\, and touch the spear wound in his side.” \nA week later\, the disciples again gathered behind locked doors in the same house\, and this time Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors\, Jesus came and stood among them again and said\, “Good evening to you all!” \nThen he turned to Thomas and said\, “Here are my hands\, Thomas. Put your finger here in the wound.” And pulling up his shirt\, he said\, “And here is my side. You can put your hand in the hole. Let go of your doubts and trust me.”\nThomas\, of course\, was blown away\, and said\, “You are my Lord and my God!” \nJesus said to him\, “Believing is not that hard when you’ve seen me\, is it? Imagine how much God will smile on those who put their trust in me without ever having seen me!” \nThe disciples saw Jesus do many other things that demonstrated to them the reality of who he was\, but they have not all been written down in this book. But what has been written here has been written for you\, dear readers\, so that you will know enough to see that Jesus is the anointed One – the Son of God – and so that by putting your trust in him you can come to have real life: the life that he lived and shares. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you meet us in our doubts\nand fill us with life and peace. \nYou are the one who was and is\, and is to come\n— the beginning and the end —\nwho breathed life into the earth and its creatures.\nOur ancestors put their trust in you\nand celebrated your mighty acts of salvation. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nas a faithful witness to your goodness and love.\nHe was killed by the powerful\,\nbut you raised him\, as the firstborn from the dead.\nAppearing behind the locked doors of our fear\nhe breathed Holy Spirit into us\nand commissioned us\nto carry his words of peace and mercy to the world.\nSeated at your right hand as Leader and Saviour\,\nhe frees us from sin\nand makes us a kingdom of priests\nto serve you forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for your risen Son\, Jesus\,\nthe firstborn from the dead\,\nwho meets us behind the locked doors of our fear\nand breathes Holy Spirit into us\,\ncommissioning us to proclaim peace and mercy to all the world. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you meet us in our doubts\nand fill us with life and peace. \nYou are the one who was and is\, and is to come\n— the beginning and the end —\nwho breathed life into the earth and its creatures.\nOur ancestors put their trust in you\nand celebrated your mighty acts of salvation. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nas a faithful witness to your goodness and love.\nHe was killed by the powerful\,\nbut you raised him\, as the firstborn from the dead.\nAppearing behind the locked doors of our fear\nhe breathed Holy Spirit into us\nand commissioned us\nto carry his words of peace and mercy to the world.\nSeated at your right hand as Leader and Saviour\,\nhe frees us from sin\nand makes us a kingdom of priests\nto serve you forever. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n God has exalted Jesus Christ\, as Leader and Saviour\,\nthat he might turn us back to God\nand free us from our sins by his blood.\nAll who put their trust in him\, have life in his name. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now to love and forgive\,\nfor as God sent Christ\,\nso now Christ is sending you.\nObey God above any other authority\nand bear witness to Christ’s resurrection life. \nAnd may God continue the work of salvation in you;\nMay Christ Jesus meet you in your doubts and fears;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit fill you with peace\nand speak through you with mercy. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nChrist is Risen\, so what’s next?A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBeyond Doubt?A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRedeeming ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Very Different Way of Looking at ThingsA sermon on Revelation 1: 4-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nForgiveness Comes with ScarsA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nPeace Be With YouA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDoubters\, Failures\, and other Model ChristiansA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nMerely-Reserving-Judgement ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShame\, Redemption\, and the Terror of ResurrectionA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBehind Locked DoorsA sermon on John 20:19-31 by Paul Sheppy\n\n\n\nDoubting Thomas has the Last LaughA sermon on John 20:19-31 by Audrey Katenna\n\n\n\nThe An Absolute Game-ChangerA sermon on Revelation 1: 4-8; John 20:19-31 & Acts 5:27-32 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c33/2028-04-23/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/33.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280430T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280430T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201105T074707Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250601T105447Z UID:10001730-1840665600-1840751999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:3rd Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 9: 1-6\, (7-20) \n \n\n \n \n \n Saul was the ringleader of a violent campaign of terror directed against the followers of Jesus. He went to the high priest and got permission to go to Damascus to hunt down anyone who had joined the Way of the Lord there. The high priest gave him a letter of referral to show to the leaders of the Damascus Synagogues\, and authorised him to bring the culprits\, men or women\, back to Jerusalem in chains. Saul wasted no time in heading off\, but just as he got within sight of Damascus\, there was a blinding flash of light that knocked him right out of the saddle. As he hit the ground\, he heard a voice saying to him\, “Saul\, Saul\, why have you got it in for me?” \nSaul replied\, “Who are you\, Lord?” \nThe voice came back\, saying\, “I am Jesus — the one you are seeking to crush. Now I want you to get up and go into the city and then wait for further instructions.” \nThe people who were travelling with Saul stood there gob-smacked\, because they could hear the voice but they couldn’t see who was speaking. Saul picked himself up from the ground and rubbed his eyes\, but he couldn’t see a thing. He had been completely blinded and had to be led into Damascus by the hand. For the next three days he felt as weak as a kitten. He couldn’t eat or drink anything and he couldn’t see at all. \nNow in Damascus\, there lived a man named Ananias who was a follower of Jesus. The Lord called out to him in a vision: “Ananias.” \nHe answered\, “Yes\, Lord. I’m here.” \nThe Lord said to him\, “I want you to get yourself over to Judas’ house in Straight Street. Ask there for a man named Saul who is from Tarsus. Even as we speak he is praying\, and in a vision he has seen you come and lay hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” \nBut Ananias protested\, “Lord\, you’ve got to be kidding. Everyone has heard stories about this man and about the atrocities he has committed against your people in Jerusalem. And the word is that he’s here on the authority of the chief priests to hunt down anybody who declares allegiance to you.” \nBut the Lord insisted: “Go and do as I say. I have chosen this man to work for me. He will be instrumental in bringing me to the attention of people everywhere — kings and commoners\, Jews and Gentiles. He will pay a high price for switching his allegiance to me\, but I myself will give him fair warning of what he is going to be put through.” \nSo Ananias went to the house he had been sent to and found Saul there. He placed his hands on his head and said\, “Saul\, my brother\, the Lord Jesus\, who appeared to you on the road\, has sent me to you so that you may regain the use of your eyes and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” \nThe words were barely out of his mouth when something looking like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see normally again. He got up and was baptised straight away. After a good meal\, he could feel his strength returning. \nSaul spent several days in Damascus with the followers of Jesus. Without delay\, he began to speak out about Jesus in the synagogues\, saying\, “He is the Son of God.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 30 \n \n\n \n \n \n I’ll be singing your praises\, every chance I get\, LORD\,\nbecause you got me out of deep trouble\nand spared me the gloating of my enemies. \nI pleaded for help\, LORD God\,\nand you stepped in and healed me. \nThey were nearly ready to pronounce me dead\nbut your brought me back\, LORD;\nyou put me back on my feet\nwhen I was about to be carried to the morgue. \nSo I’m singing your praises\,\nand I’m encouraging everyone to do the same;\nto name you with joyful thanks. \nWe manage to get you angry at times\,\nbut it blows over in a moment\nbecause your mercy keeps on keeping on.\nWe may have an evening of bitter tears\,\nbut by morning your mercy has us smiling again. \nI was guilty of taking your goodness for granted;\nI thought I had it made.\nYou had put me on top of the world\nbut I got all too full of myself.\nYou stepped aside – made me stand alone —\nand I turned to jelly! \nI realised how much I needed you\, LORD\,\nand in my panic I begged you for mercy. \n“What good is my blood to you?” I cried.\n“How will it help if I’m in the grave?\nCan a corpse sing your praises?\nWill a gravestone publicise your goodness?\nGive me another chance\, LORD.\nPlease\, LORD\, bail me out one more time.” \nAnd sure enough\, you did\, LORD.\nYou turned my tears to laughter;\nyou set my dragging feet dancing;\nyou dusted me off and dressed me up for a party.\nSo now I’m singing your praises\nfrom the bottom of my heart\,\nand no one can shut me up! \nYou are my God\, LORD\,\nand I’m eternally grateful. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 5: 11-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n I had a vision of a huge crowd of angels circling around heaven’s throne. There were thousands and millions of them; trillions perhaps\, more than anyone could count. I heard their voices swelling\, joining with the four awesome creatures and the twenty four elders in a mighty song: \n“The Lamb who was slaughtered deserves all we can offer:\npower and wealth\,\nwisdom and strength\,\nhonour and glory and every good thing! \nThen I heard every creature everywhere joining in the song — from heaven and earth\, from under the earth\, from the waves of the seas — their voices rose as one: \n“To you who sits on the throne\,\nand to the Lamb\,\nwe give it all:\nblessing and honour\,\nglory and strength\,\nforever and ever and ever!” \nAnd at that\, the four awesome creatures said\, “And so say all of us!”\nAnd the twenty four elders fell to their knees and worshipped. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 21: 1-19 \n \n\n \n \n \n One of the places where Jesus appeared to his followers after his resurrection was at Lake Galilee. A few of them had gathered there: Simon Peter; Thomas the Twin; Nathaniel\, who came from Cana in Galilee; the two sons of Zebedee; and a couple of others. Simon Peter had decided to go fishing\, and the rest of them had said\, “You can count us in. We’ll come too.” They spent the night in the boat\, but they didn’t catch a thing. \nThey were heading back in to shore as the sun came up\, when they saw a man standing on the beach. It was Jesus\, but they didn’t recognise him. Jesus called out to them\, “Morning boys! How are the fish biting?” \n“We haven’t caught a thing\,” they replied. \nJesus said\, “Try casting off the right hand side of the boat instead. You’ll find some there.” \nSo they did\, and suddenly there were fish everywhere – more than they could pull in. The disciple with whom Jesus had been most intimate said to Peter\, “It’s got to be the Lord!” \nSimon Peter had been stripped for work\, but when he heard it was the Lord\, he threw his shirt back on\, dived into the sea\, and struck out for the shore. They weren’t far off the beach – no more than a hundred metres – so the rest of them dragged the boat in with the load of fish. \nWhen they arrived on the beach\, they found that Jesus had a fire going and was baking some damper-bread and barbecuing some fish. He looked up and said to them\, “Put on some of the fish you’ve just caught.” \nSimon Peter dragged in the catch. There were a hundred and fifty three fish in all\, most of them whoppers. It was surprising that the fishing tackle was still intact after landing them all. Jesus said\, “Breakfast’s ready. Come and get it!” \nSome of the disciples half wanted to say\, “Who are you?” but none dared because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus divided up the bread among them and then did the same with the fish. This was the third time the disciples had seen Jesus alive since he had been raised from the dead. \nWhen they had finished eating breakfast\, Jesus said to Simon Peter\, “Simon\, son of John\, do you love me above anyone else?” \nSimon Peter replied\, “Yes\, Lord. You know I do.” \nJesus said to him\, “Then feed my lambs.” \nThen he asked him again\, “Simon\, son of John\, do you love me?” \nHe replied\, “Yes\, Lord; you know that I love you.”  \nJesus said to him\, “Well\, take care of my sheep.” \nJesus asked him a third time\, “Simon\, son of John\, do you love me?” \nPeter was starting to feel hurt that Jesus kept questioning his love\, and the third time he replied\, “Lord\, you know everything. You know how much I love you.” \nJesus said to him\, “Feed my sheep. I kid you not\, Simon\, when you were a young bloke\, you dressed however you liked and went wherever you wanted. But when you are an old man\, you’ll put your hands up when you’re told to\, you’ll wear what’s issued to you\, and you’ll be taken places you don’t want to go.” (In saying this\, Jesus was foreshadowing the kind of death Simon Peter would eventually face in his honouring of God.) After that\, Jesus simply said\, “Follow me.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you alone are worthy to receive\nall power and riches and wisdom and strength\nand honour and glory and praise. \nWith your powerful voice and glorious light\nyou created the heavens and the earth.\nIn mercy and love you saved a people from the pit of slavery\,\nand commissioned them\nto bring your name before all the world. \nYour child\, Jesus\, lived your compassion to the full\nand called us to follow him.\nWhen he was killed\nby those who would murder your Way\,\nyou raised him to life again\nand enthroned him as the centre of heaven’s worship.\nHe meets us in our uncertainty\,\nredeeming even our failures and betrayals\,\noffering forgiveness\nand removing the scales from our eyes\,\nso that we might recognise you in everything\,\nand express our love in worship and service. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho redeems even our failures and betrayals\,\nand removes the scales from our eyes\,\nso that we might recognise you in all the earth\,\nand express our love in worship and service. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you alone are worthy to receive\nall power and riches and wisdom and strength\nand honour and glory and praise. \nWith your powerful voice and glorious light\nyou created the heavens and the earth.\nIn mercy and love you saved a people from the pit of slavery\,\nand commissioned them\nto bring your name before all the world. \nYour child\, Jesus\, lived your compassion to the full\nand called us to follow him.\nWhen he was killed\nby those who would murder your Way\,\nyou raised him to life again\nand enthroned him as the centre of heaven’s worship.\nHe meets us in our uncertainty\,\nredeeming even our failures and betrayals\,\noffering forgiveness\nand removing the scales from our eyes\,\nso that we might recognise you in everything\,\nand express our love in worship and service. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Awesome is our God\nwhose anger passes quickly\,\nand whose mercy lasts a lifetime. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and follow the risen Christ.\nLove God and nourish the faith of God’s little ones.\nMake Christ known to all people\nfor God has chosen you as an instrument\nto lead others into the way of mercy and love. \nAnd may God change your anguish into a joyful dance;\nMay Christ Jesus lead you from betrayal to mission;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit fill you with light and love and purpose. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nWhat is Conversion?A sermon on Acts 9:1-20 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWorshipping the Slaughtered OneA sermon on Revelation 5:11-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nPulling your love to piecesA sermon on John 21:1-19 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGoing Back to the Scene of the CrimeA sermon on Acts 9:1-20 & John 21:1-19 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Calls\, Converts\, and Commissions!A sermon on Acts 9:1-20 by Chris Barnden\n\n\n\nConfronting ConversionA sermon on Acts 9:1-20 & John 21:1-19 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c34/2028-04-30/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/34.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280507T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280507T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201105T094058Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000528Z UID:10002742-1841270400-1841356799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:4th Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 9: 36-43 \n \n\n \n \n \n There was a disciple named Tabitha who lived in the town of Joppa. She was also known by the Greek version of her name — Dorcas. She was a very generous woman who never missed an opportunity to pitch in and do something for others; especially the needy. One day she got sick. She went downhill quickly and in no time she was dead. The other disciples prepared her body for burial in the customary way\, and laid her out in an upstairs room so her friends could pay their last respects. \nPeter was in the neighbouring town of Lydda at the time\, and news of his presence quickly reached the disciples in Joppa. They sent two of their number over to Lydda to ask Peter to come quickly and be with them for the funeral. Peter got up and went with them straight away. When he arrived\, they took him in to view the body. The room was full of older women — most of them widows who had appreciated Tabitha’s care — and the tears flowed freely. Several of them began showing Peter the coats that Tabitha had made and the jumpers she had knitted while she was still with them. \nPeter asked to be left alone with the body for a few minutes\, and when everyone was out of the room\, he knelt down and prayed. Then he turned\, looked directly at the body\, and said\, “Tabitha\, get up.” \nSure enough\, she opened her eyes\, and when she saw Peter\, she sat up. Peter gave her his hand and helped her to her feet. Then he opened the door and called in the gathered Christians and the widows\, and presented Tabitha to them\, alive. Word of this spread like wildfire\, and many people in Joppa put their trust in the Lord as a result. Peter spent the next few days in Joppa\, staying in the home of a leather-worker named Simon. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 23 \n \n\n \n \n \n You\, LORD\, are my guide in the wilderness;\nthere is nothing more I could need. \nYou set up camp in places of beauty and shelter;\nyou lead the way on secluded tracks\nbeside creeks of cool clean water.\nI feel my spirit breathing freely again;\nyour reputation puts me at ease;\nI leave the navigating to you\, and follow. \nEven if we hike through a perilous valley\,\nwhere crows keep a menacing watch\,\nfear will still not get the better of me.\nAs long as I stick with you\nI know I’ll make the distance;\nwith a knife and a bit of rope\nyou seem able to tackle any challenge. \nYou cook up a feast for me\,\nas those who wanted to feed on me watch\, frustrated.\nYou pamper me like an honoured guest\nand constantly top up my glass. \nMy life feels charmed\, each and every day.\nLove\, mercy and all good things\nkeep falling into my lap. \nI’m with you for life\, LORD\,\nwhere you go\, I’ll go;\nwhere you live\, I’ll live. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 7: 9-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n I had a vision of an enormous crowd\, bigger than anyone could ever count. It was made up of people from every nation; from all the different ethnic groups\, cultural groups and language groups. They were all standing together before the throne and before the Lamb of God. They were dressed in white robes and were waving banners and throwing flowers in the air. Their voices rose as one – an enormous roar – saying: \n“The life into which we have been saved\nbelongs to our God who is seated on the throne\,\nand to the Lamb of our God.” \nAround the throne stood the four awesome creatures\, and around them stood the twenty four elders\, and around them stood all the angels. All together they fell to their knees before the throne\, with their faces to the ground\, and worshipped God\, singing: \n“So say all of us!\nMay glory and wisdom\nand gratitude and honour\nand authority and strength\nand every good thing\nbe given to our God\,\nfrom now to forever!\nAnd so say all of us! \nThen one of the elders came and spoke to me\, saying\, “What can you tell me about these people in white robes? Who are they\, and where have they come from?” \nI replied\, “I’m not sure\, Sir\, but you have the answers.” \nThen he said to me\, “These are the people who have come through the ultimate atrocity. They have washed their robes as white as snow in the blood of the lamb. \nFor this reason they now have the privilege\nof gathering before the throne of God\,\nand there in the Temple they serve God\, day and night\,\nand the one who is seated on the throne\nprovides them refuge and safe shelter. \nNever again will they go hungry;\nnever again will they go thirsty;\nnever again will they be burned by the sun\,\nor left exposed to any searing heat. \nThe Lamb who is at the centre of the throne\nhas guided them through the wilderness\nand will now care for them forever.\nHe will wipe every tear from their eyes\nand guide them to crystal clear springs\nwhere the water of life bubbles up freely.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 10: 22-30 \n \n\n \n \n \n In the middle of winter\, at the time when the Jewish festival of Hanukkah is celebrated\, Jesus was in Jerusalem. One day he was in the Temple and\, as he walked through the part known as Solomon’s Porch\, a group of religious loyalists surrounded him and began demanding some answers: “How long are you going to keep holding your cards to your chest? If you are God’s Anointed One\, come right out and say it.” \nJesus answered\, “I’ve already laid my cards on the table\, but you don’t take what I say seriously. If you want to know who I am\, then look at what I do\, because everything I do is done on my Father’s behalf. You lot still won’t believe though\, because you’re not among those who have had me as their guide. Those who have\, pick my voice every time. I know them well and they know to respond to my voice and to put their feet in my footsteps. I give them life without limit; life they will never lose. No one can ever drag them out of the safety of my hands. Their care is the greatest responsibility of all\, and my Father has entrusted it to me. They can no more be dragged out of my hands than out of my Father’s. The Father and I are one on this.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are the shepherd\nwho guides us to springs of life-giving water. \nYou spread out creation like a rich banquet and\,\nforming us from the dust of the earth\,\nyou raised us to life and opened our eyes.\nYou chose a people to be your flock\,\ntending them with goodness and love. \nYour child\, Jesus\, came working in your name.\nYou placed those who belonged to you\ninto the safety of his hands\nand they recognised your voice in him.\nWhen he was cast into death’s dark valley\,\nyou raised him to new life.\nNow he lives forever\,\nshepherding all who look to you for salvation.\nYou wipe the tears from our eyes\nand spread a table before us\nso that we might feed forever\nfrom your abundant goodness\,\nand hunger and thirst no more. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for your child\, Jesus\,\nwho shepherds all who look to you for salvation\,\nwiping the tears from our eyes and spreading a table before us\nso that we might feed forever from your abundant goodness. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are the shepherd\nwho guides us to springs of the water of life. \nYou spread out creation like a rich banquet\,\nand forming us from the dust of the earth\,\nyou raised us to life and opened our eyes.\nYou chose a people to be your flock\,\ntending them with goodness and love. \nYour child\, Jesus\, came working in your name.\nYou placed those who belonged to you\ninto the safety of his hands\nand they recognised your voice in him.\nWhen he was cast into death’s dark valley\,\nyou raised him to new life.\nNow he lives forever\,\nshepherding all who look to you for salvation.\nYou wipe the tears from our eyes\nand nourish us with your abundant goodness\,\nso that we hunger and thirst no more. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Salvation belongs to our God!\nAt the cost of his own blood\,\nthe Lamb of God has washed us clean.\nAll who follow Christ\ncan never be snatched out of his hand. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, following the voice of the shepherd. \nFear no evil\, for God is by your side. \nDevote yourselves to the works of God\, \nto words of mercy\, to good deeds and to acts of love. \nAnd may God wipe every tear from your eyes; \nMay Christ Jesus be your shepherd and all that you need; \nAnd may the Holy Spirit tend you with goodness and love \nall the days of your lives. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\, \n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\nBelieve It or NotA sermon on Acts 9:36-43 by Nathan NettletonThe advertiser is my shepherd??A sermon on Psalm 23 by Nathan NettletonThrough the Valley of BloodA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17 & Psalm 23 by Nathan NettletonThe Vindication of the MartyrsA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17; Psalm 23 & John 10.22-30 by Garry DeverellA personal response to Psalm 23A sermon on Psalm 23 by Alison SampsonHonouring the FallenA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17 & John 10.22-30 by Nathan NettletonSacrifice\, Freedom and HonourA sermon on Revelation 7: 9-17 and Anzac Day by Nathan NettletonThe Right MasterA sermon on Psalm 23 by Wai Kwong SunHow long\, O Lord\, must we wait?A sermon on John 10:22-30 and Acts 9:36-43 by Alison SampsonFollowing Jesus and Hearing VoicesA sermon on John 10.22-30 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c35/2028-05-07/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/35.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280507T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280507T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201105T094058Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250608T122456Z UID:10001732-1841270400-1841356799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:4th Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 9: 36-43 \n \n\n \n \n \n There was a disciple named Tabitha who lived in the town of Joppa. She was also known by the Greek version of her name — Dorcas. She was a very generous woman who never missed an opportunity to pitch in and do something for others; especially the needy. One day she got sick. She went downhill quickly and in no time she was dead. The other disciples prepared her body for burial in the customary way\, and laid her out in an upstairs room so her friends could pay their last respects. \nPeter was in the neighbouring town of Lydda at the time\, and news of his presence quickly reached the disciples in Joppa. They sent two of their number over to Lydda to ask Peter to come quickly and be with them for the funeral. Peter got up and went with them straight away. When he arrived\, they took him in to view the body. The room was full of older women — most of them widows who had appreciated Tabitha’s care — and the tears flowed freely. Several of them began showing Peter the coats that Tabitha had made and the jumpers she had knitted while she was still with them. \nPeter asked to be left alone with the body for a few minutes\, and when everyone was out of the room\, he knelt down and prayed. Then he turned\, looked directly at the body\, and said\, “Tabitha\, get up.” \nSure enough\, she opened her eyes\, and when she saw Peter\, she sat up. Peter gave her his hand and helped her to her feet. Then he opened the door and called in the gathered Christians and the widows\, and presented Tabitha to them\, alive. Word of this spread like wildfire\, and many people in Joppa put their trust in the Lord as a result. Peter spent the next few days in Joppa\, staying in the home of a leather-worker named Simon. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 23 \n \n\n \n \n \n You\, LORD\, are my guide in the wilderness;\nthere is nothing more I could need. \nYou set up camp in places of beauty and shelter;\nyou lead the way on secluded tracks\nbeside creeks of cool clean water.\nI feel my spirit breathing freely again;\nyour reputation puts me at ease;\nI leave the navigating to you\, and follow. \nEven if we hike through a perilous valley\,\nwhere crows keep a menacing watch\,\nfear will still not get the better of me.\nAs long as I stick with you\nI know I’ll make the distance;\nwith a knife and a bit of rope\nyou seem able to tackle any challenge. \nYou cook up a feast for me\,\nas those who wanted to feed on me watch\, frustrated.\nYou pamper me like an honoured guest\nand constantly top up my glass. \nMy life feels charmed\, each and every day.\nLove\, mercy and all good things\nkeep falling into my lap. \nI’m with you for life\, LORD\,\nwhere you go\, I’ll go;\nwhere you live\, I’ll live. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 7: 9-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n I had a vision of an enormous crowd\, bigger than anyone could ever count. It was made up of people from every nation; from all the different ethnic groups\, cultural groups and language groups. They were all standing together before the throne and before the Lamb of God. They were dressed in white robes and were waving banners and throwing flowers in the air. Their voices rose as one – an enormous roar – saying: \n“The life into which we have been saved\nbelongs to our God who is seated on the throne\,\nand to the Lamb of our God.” \nAround the throne stood the four awesome creatures\, and around them stood the twenty four elders\, and around them stood all the angels. All together they fell to their knees before the throne\, with their faces to the ground\, and worshipped God\, singing: \n“So say all of us!\nMay glory and wisdom\nand gratitude and honour\nand authority and strength\nand every good thing\nbe given to our God\,\nfrom now to forever!\nAnd so say all of us! \nThen one of the elders came and spoke to me\, saying\, “What can you tell me about these people in white robes? Who are they\, and where have they come from?” \nI replied\, “I’m not sure\, Sir\, but you have the answers.” \nThen he said to me\, “These are the people who have come through the ultimate atrocity. They have washed their robes as white as snow in the blood of the lamb. \nFor this reason they now have the privilege\nof gathering before the throne of God\,\nand there in the Temple they serve God\, day and night\,\nand the one who is seated on the throne\nprovides them refuge and safe shelter. \nNever again will they go hungry;\nnever again will they go thirsty;\nnever again will they be burned by the sun\,\nor left exposed to any searing heat. \nThe Lamb who is at the centre of the throne\nhas guided them through the wilderness\nand will now care for them forever.\nHe will wipe every tear from their eyes\nand guide them to crystal clear springs\nwhere the water of life bubbles up freely.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 10: 22-30 \n \n\n \n \n \n In the middle of winter\, at the time when the Jewish festival of Hanukkah is celebrated\, Jesus was in Jerusalem. One day he was in the Temple and\, as he walked through the part known as Solomon’s Porch\, a group of religious loyalists surrounded him and began demanding some answers: “How long are you going to keep holding your cards to your chest? If you are God’s Anointed One\, come right out and say it.” \nJesus answered\, “I’ve already laid my cards on the table\, but you don’t take what I say seriously. If you want to know who I am\, then look at what I do\, because everything I do is done on my Father’s behalf. You lot still won’t believe though\, because you’re not among those who have had me as their guide. Those who have\, pick my voice every time. I know them well and they know to respond to my voice and to put their feet in my footsteps. I give them life without limit; life they will never lose. No one can ever drag them out of the safety of my hands. Their care is the greatest responsibility of all\, and my Father has entrusted it to me. They can no more be dragged out of my hands than out of my Father’s. The Father and I are one on this.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are the shepherd\nwho guides us to springs of life-giving water. \nYou spread out creation like a rich banquet and\,\nforming us from the dust of the earth\,\nyou raised us to life and opened our eyes.\nYou chose a people to be your flock\,\ntending them with goodness and love. \nYour child\, Jesus\, came working in your name.\nYou placed those who belonged to you\ninto the safety of his hands\nand they recognised your voice in him.\nWhen he was cast into death’s dark valley\,\nyou raised him to new life.\nNow he lives forever\,\nshepherding all who look to you for salvation.\nYou wipe the tears from our eyes\nand spread a table before us\nso that we might feed forever\nfrom your abundant goodness\,\nand hunger and thirst no more. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for your child\, Jesus\,\nwho shepherds all who look to you for salvation\,\nwiping the tears from our eyes and spreading a table before us\nso that we might feed forever from your abundant goodness. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are the shepherd\nwho guides us to springs of the water of life. \nYou spread out creation like a rich banquet\,\nand forming us from the dust of the earth\,\nyou raised us to life and opened our eyes.\nYou chose a people to be your flock\,\ntending them with goodness and love. \nYour child\, Jesus\, came working in your name.\nYou placed those who belonged to you\ninto the safety of his hands\nand they recognised your voice in him.\nWhen he was cast into death’s dark valley\,\nyou raised him to new life.\nNow he lives forever\,\nshepherding all who look to you for salvation.\nYou wipe the tears from our eyes\nand nourish us with your abundant goodness\,\nso that we hunger and thirst no more. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Salvation belongs to our God!\nAt the cost of his own blood\,\nthe Lamb of God has washed us clean.\nAll who follow Christ\ncan never be snatched out of his hand. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, following the voice of the shepherd. \nFear no evil\, for God is by your side. \nDevote yourselves to the works of God\, \nto words of mercy\, to good deeds and to acts of love. \nAnd may God wipe every tear from your eyes; \nMay Christ Jesus be your shepherd and all that you need; \nAnd may the Holy Spirit tend you with goodness and love \nall the days of your lives. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\, \n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nBelieve It or NotA sermon on Acts 9:36-43 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe advertiser is my shepherd??A sermon on Psalm 23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThrough the Valley of BloodA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17 & Psalm 23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Vindication of the MartyrsA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17; Psalm 23 & John 10.22-30 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nA personal response to Psalm 23A sermon on Psalm 23 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nHonouring the FallenA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17 & John 10.22-30 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nSacrifice\, Freedom and HonourA sermon on Revelation 7: 9-17 and Anzac Day by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Right MasterA sermon on Psalm 23 by Wai Kwong Sun\n\n\n\nHow long\, O Lord\, must we wait?A sermon on John 10:22-30 and Acts 9:36-43 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nFollowing Jesus and Hearing VoicesA sermon on John 10.22-30 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Struggle to BelieveA sermon on Acts 9:36-43 & Revelation 7: 9-17 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c35/2028-05-07/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/35.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280514T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280514T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201105T103154Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250615T052904Z UID:10001734-1841875200-1841961599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:5th Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 11: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n Word soon got back to the Jewish Christians and their leaders that Peter had been preaching to Gentile people\, and that these ‘outsiders’ had accepted God’s message. So when he got back to Jerusalem he had a lot of questions to answer. The criticism was strongest from those who were adamant that no one could follow Christ without becoming a properly initiated\, law-abiding Jew. They confronted Peter\, saying\, “What on earth were you doing mixing with these God-forsaken people\, and even eating their food?” \nSo Peter explained himself by going back over the details of what had actually happened. He said: \nIt all started while I was staying in the town of Joppa. One day\, while I was in a prayerful trance\, I had a vision. I saw a large picnic blanket being lowered down from heaven by its four corners. It landed right in front of me and I could see that it was laden with food for a picnic. However\, it was all food that is forbidden by our Jewish laws: ham on the bone; platters of prawns; crocodile steaks; pork sausages. But as I looked at it all in disgust\, I heard a voice saying to me\, “Peter\, come over and eat at my picnic.” \nAs you would expect\, I replied\, “There is no way I could eat these things\, Lord\, for I have never in all my life touched any food that was not kosher.” \nBut the voice came from heaven again\, saying\, “If God has made it acceptable\, then you’ve got no business calling it unacceptable.” \nThis happened three times\, so I was left in no doubt about it. At the exact moment that the vision disappeared back into heaven\, there was a knock at the door of the house where I was praying. There were three men there who had been sent from Caesarea specifically to find me. The Spirit told me that I should go with them – no questions asked – just as I would if they had been of our own people. So I went with them\, accompanied by these six men of our own group who can back up what I’m telling you. \nAnyway\, we were welcomed into the home of a man named Cornelius\, and he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his own house. The angel had said to him\, “Send someone to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon\, who is also known as Peter. He has a message for you; a message that will save your life and the lives of everyone in your household.” \nSo\, as invited\, I began to speak; but even as I warmed to the topic\, the Holy Spirit fell on them like fire. It was no different from what happened to us back at the beginning. It reminded me again of the Lord’s own words\, “John baptised you with water\, but soon you will all be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” \nSo I ask you: if God is treating them and us in exactly the same way\, giving us both the same gift when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ\, who am I to stand up to God and argue the toss? \nPeter’s explanation floored them. There was nothing more they could do but sing the praises of God\, saying\, “It’s true then. God is now giving even the outsiders the opportunity to turn around and set their feet on the path of life.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 148 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing your praises\, LORD!\nFrom every corner of the universe\,\nfrom high and low\, near and far\,\nwe join the chorus of praise! \nWith the angels and all who serve you in heaven\,\nwe sing your praises!\nWith the sun and moon\, stars and planets\,\nwe sing your praises!\nWith far flung galaxies and the milky way\,\nwe sing your praises! \nAll of them speak of you in glowing terms\, LORD\,\nfor they owe their very existence to you.\nYou ordered their creation\nand fixed them in place for all time. \nWe sing your praises\, LORD!\nEvery creature on earth joins the choir\,\nsinging your praises for all they’re worth:\ndolphins and whales\nand the ocean itself;\nbushfire and hail storm\,\nsnow and ice\,\ncyclones dancing to your tune;\nmountain ranges and rolling hills\,\norchards and rainforests\,\nanimals from both bush and farm\,\nreptiles and birds;\npeople of every race and class\,\npeople of power and influence;\nmen and women\, old and young\,\nevery voice on earth joins as one! \nOne and all\, we sing your praises\, LORD\,\nyours is the only name on our lips!\nYou alone outshine the glory of the universe! \nYou have given strength to your people\,\nand honour to your faithful ones\,\nto those you have chosen\nand hold close to your heart. \nYou\, LORD\, are the greatest! \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 21: 1-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n 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: \n“See\, God has moved in and set up home among ordinary people.\nGod will live with them and be their God\,\nand the people will gladly belong\nto the God who lives right in their midst. \nGod will wipe every tear from their eyes.\nDeath will be abolished forever;\npain and grief and tears will be things of the past.\nAll these things have been made obsolete.” \nThen the one sitting on the throne said\, “Look\, I am making everything new – absolutely everything!” \n“Write all this down\,” he said\, “because these words can be depended on. They are the truth.” \nThis 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. To all who are thirsty I offer deep draughts of crystal-clear water. I will give it freely\, the ultimate thirst-quencher\, bubbling up from the springs of life-giving water.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 13: 31-35 \n \n\n \n \n \n After Judas left the supper\, Jesus spoke to the remaining disciples\, saying: \n“Now the moment of glory has arrived for the New Human\, and it is God’s glory too. If God’s glory is made known in him\, then God will pour out his own glory on him. It’s all happening right now.  \n“You are my children\, but you’re about to be on your own because our time together is almost up. You’ll keep looking for me\, but as I said to the people before\, where I am going\, there is no way you can come. \n“I’ve got one new instruction for you – in fact take it as an order – love one another. I want you to love one another in the same way that I have loved you. If you do that – if you really have love for one another – then it will be apparent to everyone that you are following in my footsteps.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have made your home in our midst\nand called us to be your people. \nBy your word you called all things into being\nand fixed them in place by eternal decree.\nYou revealed yourself through your law and prophets\nand taught your people to live in your love. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nwe have been loved as you would have us love.\nWhen he was crucified\,\nyou raised him to new life and\,\nthrough your Holy Spirit\,\nyou have brought us the message\nby which we are saved.\nThough we cannot yet go where Christ has gone\,\nyou are preparing a new heaven and earth\,\nwhere there will be no more death\,\nno more mourning or crying or pain.\nThere\, all who thirst will be generously satisfied\nfrom your spring of the water of life. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for your Son\, Jesus\,\nfor in him you have made your home among us\nand loved us as you would have us love.\nIn him\, you are preparing a new heaven and earth\,\nwhere all will drink from your spring of the water of life. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have made your home in our midst\nand called us to be your people. \nBy your word you called all things into being\nand fixed them in place by eternal decree.\nYou revealed yourself through your law and prophets\nand taught your people to live in your love. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nwe have been loved as you would have us love.\nWhen he was crucified\,\nyou raised him to new life and\,\nthrough your Holy Spirit\,\nyou have brought us the message\nby which we are saved.\nThough we cannot yet go where Christ has gone\,\nyou are preparing a new heaven and earth\,\nwhere there will be no more death\,\nno more mourning or crying or pain.\nThere\, all who thirst will be generously satisfied\nfrom your spring of the water of life. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n God has given to all people without distinction\nthe message of repentance that leads to life.\nGod is making all things new\nand the things that were have passed away. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, wherever the Spirit of God leads you.\nDo not reject anything that God has accepted.\nShow all people that you are Christ’s disciples\nby loving one another\njust as he has loved you. \nAnd may God be your beginning and your end;\nMay Christ Jesus make his home among you;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit give you a vision\nof the all-embracing love and goodness of God. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nHow do you know a real Christian?A sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDrink Deep – you’ll need it!A sermon on Revelation 21: 1-6 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhen God Breaks the RulesA sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 & John 13:31-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Glory of LoveA sermon on John 13: 31-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nMaking and Breaking ReputationsA sermon on John 13:31-35 and Acts 11:1-18 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLoving beyond betrayalA sermon on John 13: 31-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy this will they knowA sermon on John 13: 31-35 & Acts 11:1-18 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Testimonial DinnerA sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 by Craig Bartlett URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c36/2028-05-14/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/36.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280514T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280514T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201105T103154Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000528Z UID:10002741-1841875200-1841961599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:5th Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 11: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n Word soon got back to the Jewish Christians and their leaders that Peter had been preaching to Gentile people\, and that these ‘outsiders’ had accepted God’s message. So when he got back to Jerusalem he had a lot of questions to answer. The criticism was strongest from those who were adamant that no one could follow Christ without becoming a properly initiated\, law-abiding Jew. They confronted Peter\, saying\, “What on earth were you doing mixing with these God-forsaken people\, and even eating their food?” \nSo Peter explained himself by going back over the details of what had actually happened. He said: \nIt all started while I was staying in the town of Joppa. One day\, while I was in a prayerful trance\, I had a vision. I saw a large picnic blanket being lowered down from heaven by its four corners. It landed right in front of me and I could see that it was laden with food for a picnic. However\, it was all food that is forbidden by our Jewish laws: ham on the bone; platters of prawns; crocodile steaks; pork sausages. But as I looked at it all in disgust\, I heard a voice saying to me\, “Peter\, come over and eat at my picnic.” \nAs you would expect\, I replied\, “There is no way I could eat these things\, Lord\, for I have never in all my life touched any food that was not kosher.” \nBut the voice came from heaven again\, saying\, “If God has made it acceptable\, then you’ve got no business calling it unacceptable.” \nThis happened three times\, so I was left in no doubt about it. At the exact moment that the vision disappeared back into heaven\, there was a knock at the door of the house where I was praying. There were three men there who had been sent from Caesarea specifically to find me. The Spirit told me that I should go with them – no questions asked – just as I would if they had been of our own people. So I went with them\, accompanied by these six men of our own group who can back up what I’m telling you. \nAnyway\, we were welcomed into the home of a man named Cornelius\, and he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his own house. The angel had said to him\, “Send someone to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon\, who is also known as Peter. He has a message for you; a message that will save your life and the lives of everyone in your household.” \nSo\, as invited\, I began to speak; but even as I warmed to the topic\, the Holy Spirit fell on them like fire. It was no different from what happened to us back at the beginning. It reminded me again of the Lord’s own words\, “John baptised you with water\, but soon you will all be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” \nSo I ask you: if God is treating them and us in exactly the same way\, giving us both the same gift when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ\, who am I to stand up to God and argue the toss? \nPeter’s explanation floored them. There was nothing more they could do but sing the praises of God\, saying\, “It’s true then. God is now giving even the outsiders the opportunity to turn around and set their feet on the path of life.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 148 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing your praises\, LORD!\nFrom every corner of the universe\,\nfrom high and low\, near and far\,\nwe join the chorus of praise! \nWith the angels and all who serve you in heaven\,\nwe sing your praises!\nWith the sun and moon\, stars and planets\,\nwe sing your praises!\nWith far flung galaxies and the milky way\,\nwe sing your praises! \nAll of them speak of you in glowing terms\, LORD\,\nfor they owe their very existence to you.\nYou ordered their creation\nand fixed them in place for all time. \nWe sing your praises\, LORD!\nEvery creature on earth joins the choir\,\nsinging your praises for all they’re worth:\ndolphins and whales\nand the ocean itself;\nbushfire and hail storm\,\nsnow and ice\,\ncyclones dancing to your tune;\nmountain ranges and rolling hills\,\norchards and rainforests\,\nanimals from both bush and farm\,\nreptiles and birds;\npeople of every race and class\,\npeople of power and influence;\nmen and women\, old and young\,\nevery voice on earth joins as one! \nOne and all\, we sing your praises\, LORD\,\nyours is the only name on our lips!\nYou alone outshine the glory of the universe! \nYou have given strength to your people\,\nand honour to your faithful ones\,\nto those you have chosen\nand hold close to your heart. \nYou\, LORD\, are the greatest! \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 21: 1-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n 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: \n“See\, God has moved in and set up home among ordinary people.\nGod will live with them and be their God\,\nand the people will gladly belong\nto the God who lives right in their midst. \nGod will wipe every tear from their eyes.\nDeath will be abolished forever;\npain and grief and tears will be things of the past.\nAll these things have been made obsolete.” \nThen the one sitting on the throne said\, “Look\, I am making everything new – absolutely everything!” \n“Write all this down\,” he said\, “because these words can be depended on. They are the truth.” \nThis 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. To all who are thirsty I offer deep draughts of crystal-clear water. I will give it freely\, the ultimate thirst-quencher\, bubbling up from the springs of life-giving water.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 13: 31-35 \n \n\n \n \n \n After Judas left the supper\, Jesus spoke to the remaining disciples\, saying: \n“Now the moment of glory has arrived for the New Human\, and it is God’s glory too. If God’s glory is made known in him\, then God will pour out his own glory on him. It’s all happening right now.  \n“You are my children\, but you’re about to be on your own because our time together is almost up. You’ll keep looking for me\, but as I said to the people before\, where I am going\, there is no way you can come. \n“I’ve got one new instruction for you – in fact take it as an order – love one another. I want you to love one another in the same way that I have loved you. If you do that – if you really have love for one another – then it will be apparent to everyone that you are following in my footsteps.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have made your home in our midst\nand called us to be your people. \nBy your word you called all things into being\nand fixed them in place by eternal decree.\nYou revealed yourself through your law and prophets\nand taught your people to live in your love. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nwe have been loved as you would have us love.\nWhen he was crucified\,\nyou raised him to new life and\,\nthrough your Holy Spirit\,\nyou have brought us the message\nby which we are saved.\nThough we cannot yet go where Christ has gone\,\nyou are preparing a new heaven and earth\,\nwhere there will be no more death\,\nno more mourning or crying or pain.\nThere\, all who thirst will be generously satisfied\nfrom your spring of the water of life. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for your Son\, Jesus\,\nfor in him you have made your home among us\nand loved us as you would have us love.\nIn him\, you are preparing a new heaven and earth\,\nwhere all will drink from your spring of the water of life. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have made your home in our midst\nand called us to be your people. \nBy your word you called all things into being\nand fixed them in place by eternal decree.\nYou revealed yourself through your law and prophets\nand taught your people to live in your love. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nwe have been loved as you would have us love.\nWhen he was crucified\,\nyou raised him to new life and\,\nthrough your Holy Spirit\,\nyou have brought us the message\nby which we are saved.\nThough we cannot yet go where Christ has gone\,\nyou are preparing a new heaven and earth\,\nwhere there will be no more death\,\nno more mourning or crying or pain.\nThere\, all who thirst will be generously satisfied\nfrom your spring of the water of life. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n God has given to all people without distinction\nthe message of repentance that leads to life.\nGod is making all things new\nand the things that were have passed away. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, wherever the Spirit of God leads you.\nDo not reject anything that God has accepted.\nShow all people that you are Christ’s disciples\nby loving one another\njust as he has loved you. \nAnd may God be your beginning and your end;\nMay Christ Jesus make his home among you;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit give you a vision\nof the all-embracing love and goodness of God. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\nHow do you know a real Christian?A sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 by Nathan NettletonDrink Deep – you’ll need it!A sermon on Revelation 21: 1-6 by Nathan NettletonWhen God Breaks the RulesA sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 & John 13:31-35 by Nathan NettletonThe Glory of LoveA sermon on John 13: 31-35 by Nathan NettletonMaking and Breaking ReputationsA sermon on John 13:31-35 and Acts 11:1-18 by Nathan NettletonLoving beyond betrayalA sermon on John 13: 31-35 by Nathan NettletonBy this will they knowA sermon on John 13: 31-35 & Acts 11:1-18 by Nathan NettletonA Testimonial DinnerA sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 by Craig Bartlett URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c36/2028-05-14/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/36.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280521T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280521T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201110T045100Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250622T044855Z UID:10001736-1842480000-1842566399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:6th Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 16: 9-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n One night Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man urgently beckoning him from across the sea and calling\, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” \nThe vision confirmed to us that God was calling us to expand our horizons into Europe and to preach the good news there. We immediately began making inquiries about booking our passage across. We managed to get berths on a ship sailing from Troas. It made a direct run for Samothrace\, and then on to Neapolis the next day. From there we took the road inland to the Roman garrison-town of Philippi. Philippi is a major regional city in that part of Macedonia\, and we stayed there for several days. \nWe heard that there was a spot on the riverside just outside the city where people gathered for prayer\, so on the Sabbath day we went down there. A group of women gathered there and we sat and talked with them for some time. Among those who were keen to hear what we had to say was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira. She was a worshipper of God and ran a business dealing in top-quality textiles. The Lord gave her an open heart and mind and she responded eagerly to the message Paul shared with them. She and her whole household were subsequently baptised. She put the hard word on us\, saying\, “If you think my faith in the Lord is for real\, then come and stay in my home for a few days.” \nWe hadn’t been planning to stay\, but she talked us into it. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 67 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lord God\, bless us generously;\nsmile on us kindly;\nshow yourself to everyone\, everywhere\nas the one who saves us with power. \nEveryone has reasons to praise you\, O God\,\nabsolutely everyone should be singing your praises. \nThe whole world should celebrate you with joyful song\,\nfor you are even-handed with all people\nand your guidance is there for every nation. \nEveryone has reasons to praise you\, O God\,\nabsolutely everyone should be singing your praises. \nThe land has produced a bumper harvest;\na clear sign of your goodness to us\, God. \nKeep it up\, God\, keep it coming;\nthe whole planet will honour you for it. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 21:10\, 22 - 22:5 \n \n\n \n \n \n I had a vision in which one of the angels spirited me away to the top of an enormous mountain and showed me an astonishing view. I could see the holy city\, Jerusalem\, coming down out of heaven from God. I noticed that the city did not have a temple. It didn’t need one\, because the Lord\, the mighty God\, and the Lamb\, are themselves its temple. The city also had no need of light from the sun or moon\, because it was lit up with the glory of God\, and the Lamb was its shining light. That city will light the way for every nation on earth\, and all rulers and leaders will credit it with their glory. Its gates will stand open in welcome as long as it is day\, and the night will never fall there. People will come from every corner of the earth\, bringing into the city the honours and riches of their homelands. Nothing degraded will get past the gate though\, and neither will anyone who deals in corruption and delusion. Only the people who are listed in the Lamb’s book of life will get in. \nThen the angel showed me the river where the water of life flows. It cascaded from the throne of God and of the Lamb — crystal clear and sparkling like diamonds — and ran down the middle of the city’s main street. Mighty trees stood either side of the river — the tree of life! All year round it produces its fruits\, twelve kinds in all\, and its leaves are the source of healing for the nations of the world. Never more will there be anything in the city that is given over to evil. Everything will be marked out and dedicated to God and to the Lamb. God’s throne will be there\, and God will be clearly seen by all who come there to serve and worship. The guarantee that they are in God’s safekeeping will be written all over their faces. Never again will night fall on them\, and never again will they need sunlight or lamplight to overcome the darkness. The Lord God will shine on them\, and they will reign with God forever and ever and ever. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 14: 23-29 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus said to his disciples\, “Those who love me will faithfully live out the things I’ve taught. My Father will love them\, and we will come on over and move into their lives. Those who don’t love me don’t live by what I teach\, and what you hear me teach is not just coming from me; it’s coming from the Father who sent me. \n“I’ve told you all this while I’m still here with you. When I’m gone\, your new defence counsel — the Holy Spirit who the Father will send on my behalf — will take over\, teaching you everything and keeping all I’ve said fresh in your minds. The gift I’m leaving with you is peace; my kind of peace\, not the mere easing of hostilities that the rest of the world offers. So don’t go dropping your bundle or getting all fearful. You heard me say that I’m going away\, and that I’m coming back to you. If you really love me you’ll be glad that I’m going to be with the Father\, because the Father is the greatest. Now\, I’ve let you in on all this before it happens\, so when it does happen\, you’ll know you can trust me.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR John 5: 1-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus was in Jerusalem during one of the Jewish religious festivals. Not far from the gate in the city wall that leads to the sheep sale yards\, there is a decorative pool. The Hebrew name for the pool is Beth-zatha\, and because it was renowned as a place of healing\, many disabled people camped out in the five alcoves which surrounded it. Some were blind\, others crippled or paralysed\, and still others suffering from various illnesses. One day Jesus came across a man among them who had been flat on his back for thirty-eight years. Realising how long he had been waiting there\, Jesus asked him\, “Do you want to be made well?” \nThe sick man replied\, “Sir\, I don’t have anyone to help me into the pool when the angel stirs up the waters. I try to get in every time\, but someone else always beats me to it.” \nJesus said to him\, “Stand up\, gather up your belongings\, and walk.” \nAt that very moment the man was restored to full health. He gathered up his things and headed off on his own two feet. The day when this happened was a Sabbath. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you lead us to the holy city\nwhere the water of life flows from the throne of the lamb. \nIt was you who stirred up the waters of chaos\nand with a word\, brought forth the earth\nand blessed it with generous harvests.\nThrough the law and prophets\nyou lead all peoples with justice. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nyou have made your home with us\,\nand spoken your words to us.\nIn him\, you have revealed your ways\nand opened our hearts to know your salvation.\nThough he was killed by those who love falsehood\,\nyou raised him to glory\nand made him our temple and our light.\nYou have sent your Holy Spirit to us\,\nto teach us everything\,\nreminding us of the ways of Jesus\,\nand anointing us to bring healing to the nations. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for your Holy Spirit\nwho reminds us of the ways of Jesus\,\nand leads us to the holy city\nwhere the river of the water of life flows\nfrom the throne of the lamb. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you lead us to the holy city\nwhere the water of life flows from the throne of the lamb. \nIt was you who stirred up the waters of chaos\nand with a word\, brought forth the earth\nand blessed it with generous harvests.\nThrough the law and prophets\nyou lead all peoples with justice. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nyou have made your home with us\,\nand spoken your words to us.\nIn him\, you have revealed your ways\nand opened our hearts to know your salvation.\nThough he was killed by those who love falsehood\,\nyou raised him to glory\nand made him our temple and our light.\nYou have sent your Holy Spirit to us\,\nto teach us everything\,\nreminding us of the ways of Jesus\,\nand anointing us to bring healing to the nations. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Do not let your hearts be troubled\,\nand do not let them be afraid\,\nfor through Christ\, the lamb of God\,\nyour names are written in the book of life. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and walk in the light of God’s glory.\nLove Christ\nand keep his word.\nDo not let your hearts be troubled\,\nbut lead others to the waters of life. \nAnd may God’s face shine on you with favour;\nMay Christ Jesus mark you out as his own;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth and peace. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nPeace – but not as the world givesA sermon on John 14:23-29 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCounsel for the DefenceA sermon on John 14:23-29 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo you really want to rise to life?A sermon on John 5:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod abolishes Churches!A sermon on Revelation 21:22 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nJesus or the Bible? A Conflict of AuthorityA sermon on John 5 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Vision of God’s Non-Binary FutureA sermon on Revelation 21:10\, 21:22-22:5 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWanting to be Healed (or not)A sermon on John 5:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c37/2028-05-21/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/37.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280521T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280521T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201110T045100Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000528Z UID:10002740-1842480000-1842566399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:6th Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 16: 9-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n One night Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man urgently beckoning him from across the sea and calling\, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” \nThe vision confirmed to us that God was calling us to expand our horizons into Europe and to preach the good news there. We immediately began making inquiries about booking our passage across. We managed to get berths on a ship sailing from Troas. It made a direct run for Samothrace\, and then on to Neapolis the next day. From there we took the road inland to the Roman garrison-town of Philippi. Philippi is a major regional city in that part of Macedonia\, and we stayed there for several days. \nWe heard that there was a spot on the riverside just outside the city where people gathered for prayer\, so on the Sabbath day we went down there. A group of women gathered there and we sat and talked with them for some time. Among those who were keen to hear what we had to say was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira. She was a worshipper of God and ran a business dealing in top-quality textiles. The Lord gave her an open heart and mind and she responded eagerly to the message Paul shared with them. She and her whole household were subsequently baptised. She put the hard word on us\, saying\, “If you think my faith in the Lord is for real\, then come and stay in my home for a few days.” \nWe hadn’t been planning to stay\, but she talked us into it. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 67 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lord God\, bless us generously;\nsmile on us kindly;\nshow yourself to everyone\, everywhere\nas the one who saves us with power. \nEveryone has reasons to praise you\, O God\,\nabsolutely everyone should be singing your praises. \nThe whole world should celebrate you with joyful song\,\nfor you are even-handed with all people\nand your guidance is there for every nation. \nEveryone has reasons to praise you\, O God\,\nabsolutely everyone should be singing your praises. \nThe land has produced a bumper harvest;\na clear sign of your goodness to us\, God. \nKeep it up\, God\, keep it coming;\nthe whole planet will honour you for it. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 21:10\, 22 - 22:5 \n \n\n \n \n \n I had a vision in which one of the angels spirited me away to the top of an enormous mountain and showed me an astonishing view. I could see the holy city\, Jerusalem\, coming down out of heaven from God. I noticed that the city did not have a temple. It didn’t need one\, because the Lord\, the mighty God\, and the Lamb\, are themselves its temple. The city also had no need of light from the sun or moon\, because it was lit up with the glory of God\, and the Lamb was its shining light. That city will light the way for every nation on earth\, and all rulers and leaders will credit it with their glory. Its gates will stand open in welcome as long as it is day\, and the night will never fall there. People will come from every corner of the earth\, bringing into the city the honours and riches of their homelands. Nothing degraded will get past the gate though\, and neither will anyone who deals in corruption and delusion. Only the people who are listed in the Lamb’s book of life will get in. \nThen the angel showed me the river where the water of life flows. It cascaded from the throne of God and of the Lamb — crystal clear and sparkling like diamonds — and ran down the middle of the city’s main street. Mighty trees stood either side of the river — the tree of life! All year round it produces its fruits\, twelve kinds in all\, and its leaves are the source of healing for the nations of the world. Never more will there be anything in the city that is given over to evil. Everything will be marked out and dedicated to God and to the Lamb. God’s throne will be there\, and God will be clearly seen by all who come there to serve and worship. The guarantee that they are in God’s safekeeping will be written all over their faces. Never again will night fall on them\, and never again will they need sunlight or lamplight to overcome the darkness. The Lord God will shine on them\, and they will reign with God forever and ever and ever. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 14: 23-29 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus said to his disciples\, “Those who love me will faithfully live out the things I’ve taught. My Father will love them\, and we will come on over and move into their lives. Those who don’t love me don’t live by what I teach\, and what you hear me teach is not just coming from me; it’s coming from the Father who sent me. \n“I’ve told you all this while I’m still here with you. When I’m gone\, your new defence counsel — the Holy Spirit who the Father will send on my behalf — will take over\, teaching you everything and keeping all I’ve said fresh in your minds. The gift I’m leaving with you is peace; my kind of peace\, not the mere easing of hostilities that the rest of the world offers. So don’t go dropping your bundle or getting all fearful. You heard me say that I’m going away\, and that I’m coming back to you. If you really love me you’ll be glad that I’m going to be with the Father\, because the Father is the greatest. Now\, I’ve let you in on all this before it happens\, so when it does happen\, you’ll know you can trust me.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR John 5: 1-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus was in Jerusalem during one of the Jewish religious festivals. Not far from the gate in the city wall that leads to the sheep sale yards\, there is a decorative pool. The Hebrew name for the pool is Beth-zatha\, and because it was renowned as a place of healing\, many disabled people camped out in the five alcoves which surrounded it. Some were blind\, others crippled or paralysed\, and still others suffering from various illnesses. One day Jesus came across a man among them who had been flat on his back for thirty-eight years. Realising how long he had been waiting there\, Jesus asked him\, “Do you want to be made well?” \nThe sick man replied\, “Sir\, I don’t have anyone to help me into the pool when the angel stirs up the waters. I try to get in every time\, but someone else always beats me to it.” \nJesus said to him\, “Stand up\, gather up your belongings\, and walk.” \nAt that very moment the man was restored to full health. He gathered up his things and headed off on his own two feet. The day when this happened was a Sabbath. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you lead us to the holy city\nwhere the water of life flows from the throne of the lamb. \nIt was you who stirred up the waters of chaos\nand with a word\, brought forth the earth\nand blessed it with generous harvests.\nThrough the law and prophets\nyou lead all peoples with justice. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nyou have made your home with us\,\nand spoken your words to us.\nIn him\, you have revealed your ways\nand opened our hearts to know your salvation.\nThough he was killed by those who love falsehood\,\nyou raised him to glory\nand made him our temple and our light.\nYou have sent your Holy Spirit to us\,\nto teach us everything\,\nreminding us of the ways of Jesus\,\nand anointing us to bring healing to the nations. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for your Holy Spirit\nwho reminds us of the ways of Jesus\,\nand leads us to the holy city\nwhere the river of the water of life flows\nfrom the throne of the lamb. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you lead us to the holy city\nwhere the water of life flows from the throne of the lamb. \nIt was you who stirred up the waters of chaos\nand with a word\, brought forth the earth\nand blessed it with generous harvests.\nThrough the law and prophets\nyou lead all peoples with justice. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nyou have made your home with us\,\nand spoken your words to us.\nIn him\, you have revealed your ways\nand opened our hearts to know your salvation.\nThough he was killed by those who love falsehood\,\nyou raised him to glory\nand made him our temple and our light.\nYou have sent your Holy Spirit to us\,\nto teach us everything\,\nreminding us of the ways of Jesus\,\nand anointing us to bring healing to the nations. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Do not let your hearts be troubled\,\nand do not let them be afraid\,\nfor through Christ\, the lamb of God\,\nyour names are written in the book of life. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and walk in the light of God’s glory.\nLove Christ\nand keep his word.\nDo not let your hearts be troubled\,\nbut lead others to the waters of life. \nAnd may God’s face shine on you with favour;\nMay Christ Jesus mark you out as his own;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth and peace. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\nPeace – but not as the world givesA sermon on John 14:23-29 by Nathan NettletonCounsel for the DefenceA sermon on John 14:23-29 by Nathan NettletonDo you really want to rise to life?A sermon on John 5:1-9 by Nathan NettletonGod abolishes Churches!A sermon on Revelation 21:22 by Nathan NettletonJesus or the Bible? A Conflict of AuthorityA sermon on John 5 by Nathan NettletonA Vision of God’s Non-Binary FutureA sermon on Revelation 21:10\, 21:22-22:5 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c37/2028-05-21/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/37.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200827T044009Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003404Z UID:10002818-1842825600-1842911999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 1: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Dear Theophilus\,  \nIn my first book\, The Gospel according to Luke\, I wrote an account of all that Jesus did and taught from the time he started until the day he said goodbye and was taken up to heaven. Before he left\, he gathered the apostles\, who he had chosen through the Holy Spirit\, and spelled out his final instructions.  \nFor forty days after his suffering and death\, he repeatedly showed up and proved in many ways that he really was alive again. Face to face with the apostles\, he spoke with them about the culture of God. While he was still meeting and sharing meals with them\, he put them on notice that they were not to leave Jerusalem yet. “Instead\,” he said\, “you must wait here for the gift I told you about - the gift my Father promised. You remember how John baptised with water. Well\, you will be baptised with Holy Spirit in just a few days time.”  \nWhen they were all together for the last time\, the apostles had one burning question: “Lord\, is this the time? Will you regain our freedom now and give us our own king to reign over Israel?”  \nJesus replied\, “Only the Father can decide such things and the timing is none of your business. Just focus on this: the Holy Spirit will flood over you and drench you with power\, giving you the passion and courage to be my witnesses. Then you will be able to tell everyone about me\, in Jerusalem\, all over Judea and Samaria\, and even to the ends of the earth.”  \nThat was it - his last words. Right before their eyes\, he was carried up into the air where he soon disappeared into the clouds. They just stood there stunned\, staring into the sky. Suddenly two men appeared next to them\, dressed in white robes! They said\, “You Galileans! What are you standing here for\, staring into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven\, but don’t worry. He’ll be back\, just as surely - and just as mysteriously - as he left.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 47 \n \n\n \n \n \n We applaud you\, LORD\, as everyone should;\nwe roar your name and sing for joy. \nYou are an awesome God;\nnumber one in the universe;\nthe great ruler of all the earth. \nYou have subdued those who attacked us;\nput hostile nations at our mercy. \nYou picked out the best land for us;\nyou favoured us with a prized inheritance. \nTake your place at the top of the dais\, LORD God\,\nas we sound trumpets and cheer in your honour. \nYou are our God\, and we’ll sing your praises;\nyou are our ruler\, and we’ll sing your praises. \nYou are the God who rules over all the earth;\nwe’ll sing your praises in all our songs. \nYou are the God who rules over the nations;\nthe throne where you sit is one of a kind. \nLeaders gather from every people on earth\nand\, like Abraham’s descendants\,\ngive their allegiance to you\, God.\nThey lay down their weapons\nand honour you as their ultimate superior. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 93 (alternative psalm) \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, you are the great ruler.\nMajesty enfolds you like a royal robe\nand strength radiates from you.  \nYou have fixed the world firmly in its place.\nYour throne is immovable\, LORD;\never was and ever shall be.  \nSurging floods have risen\, O LORD\,\nsurging up with a mighty roar;\nengulfing everything in thunderous sound.  \nYou are more impressive than the surging waters\,\nmore powerful than the crashing waves;\nyou are number one in all the universe\, LORD!  \nWhatever you say is set in stone.\nThe place you live\, O LORD\, is clearly sacred;\nits holiness will outlast time. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 1: 15-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n Having heard of your deep trust in the Lord Jesus and your active love for his people\, I could hardly stop thanking God for you. And I’m praying for you too. I ask the glorious God of our Lord Jesus the Messiah to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will fill you with wisdom and insight as you get to know God. That way you’ll get a clear picture of all that God wants you to see: \n\n\n\nthe promised goal of the mission to which you are called;\nthe extravagant generosity of God’s provision for us;\nand the immense capacity of the dynamic power which is put to work in us when we trust God.\n\n\n\nThis dynamic power is the same energy that God put to work in the Messiah when he raised him from death and enthroned him in heaven. Now the Messiah sits at God’s right hand\, reigning over the entire universe\, and there is not a single authority that can overrule him\, now or ever. Every religious hierarchy and military regime; every legal jurisdiction and people-power movement; every economic imperative and moral principle; God has put them all under the feet of the Messiah. God has decreed that all things will answer to him. The church\, then\, is central to what the Messiah is doing\, for it is his body\, already filled with the presence of the one who is filling each and every part of the entire universe. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 24: 44-53 \n \n\n \n \n \n On the last day that Jesus was on earth after his resurrection\, he said to his disciples\, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses\, the prophets\, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.” \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.” \nJesus then led his disciples out as far as Bethany\, where he lifted up his hands and spoke a blessing over them. Even as he was blessing them\, he parted from them and was carried into heaven. Falling to their knees\, they worshipped him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy and\, after that\, they were always in the temple praising God. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho you carried up into heaven\nand seated at your right hand\nso that he might be everywhere present\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise with shouts of joy\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n As Jesus Christ instructed his followers\,\nthe forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name\nfrom the holy city to the ends of the earth. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world.\nand in your words and in your lives\nbear witness to the Christ who has ascended\nto be everywhere present. \nAnd as you come to know him\,\nmay God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation\,\nmay Christ Jesus lift up his hands and bless you\,\nand may the Spirit open to you all the riches of Christ’s inheritance. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Ascension: Christ’s superabundant presenceA sermon on Acts 1. 6-14 & John 17:1-11 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nStretching those WingsA sermon for the Feast of the Ascension by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Knowing Where to LookA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLook around you!A sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nThe Ascension of the High PriestA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc38/2028-05-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/38.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200827T044009Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003404Z UID:10002828-1842825600-1842911999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 1: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Dear Theophilus\,  \nIn my first book\, The Gospel according to Luke\, I wrote an account of all that Jesus did and taught from the time he started until the day he said goodbye and was taken up to heaven. Before he left\, he gathered the apostles\, who he had chosen through the Holy Spirit\, and spelled out his final instructions.  \nFor forty days after his suffering and death\, he repeatedly showed up and proved in many ways that he really was alive again. Face to face with the apostles\, he spoke with them about the culture of God. While he was still meeting and sharing meals with them\, he put them on notice that they were not to leave Jerusalem yet. “Instead\,” he said\, “you must wait here for the gift I told you about - the gift my Father promised. You remember how John baptised with water. Well\, you will be baptised with Holy Spirit in just a few days time.”  \nWhen they were all together for the last time\, the apostles had one burning question: “Lord\, is this the time? Will you regain our freedom now and give us our own king to reign over Israel?”  \nJesus replied\, “Only the Father can decide such things and the timing is none of your business. Just focus on this: the Holy Spirit will flood over you and drench you with power\, giving you the passion and courage to be my witnesses. Then you will be able to tell everyone about me\, in Jerusalem\, all over Judea and Samaria\, and even to the ends of the earth.”  \nThat was it - his last words. Right before their eyes\, he was carried up into the air where he soon disappeared into the clouds. They just stood there stunned\, staring into the sky. Suddenly two men appeared next to them\, dressed in white robes! They said\, “You Galileans! What are you standing here for\, staring into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven\, but don’t worry. He’ll be back\, just as surely - and just as mysteriously - as he left.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 47 \n \n\n \n \n \n We applaud you\, LORD\, as everyone should;\nwe roar your name and sing for joy. \nYou are an awesome God;\nnumber one in the universe;\nthe great ruler of all the earth. \nYou have subdued those who attacked us;\nput hostile nations at our mercy. \nYou picked out the best land for us;\nyou favoured us with a prized inheritance. \nTake your place at the top of the dais\, LORD God\,\nas we sound trumpets and cheer in your honour. \nYou are our God\, and we’ll sing your praises;\nyou are our ruler\, and we’ll sing your praises. \nYou are the God who rules over all the earth;\nwe’ll sing your praises in all our songs. \nYou are the God who rules over the nations;\nthe throne where you sit is one of a kind. \nLeaders gather from every people on earth\nand\, like Abraham’s descendants\,\ngive their allegiance to you\, God.\nThey lay down their weapons\nand honour you as their ultimate superior. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 93 (alternative psalm) \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, you are the great ruler.\nMajesty enfolds you like a royal robe\nand strength radiates from you.  \nYou have fixed the world firmly in its place.\nYour throne is immovable\, LORD;\never was and ever shall be.  \nSurging floods have risen\, O LORD\,\nsurging up with a mighty roar;\nengulfing everything in thunderous sound.  \nYou are more impressive than the surging waters\,\nmore powerful than the crashing waves;\nyou are number one in all the universe\, LORD!  \nWhatever you say is set in stone.\nThe place you live\, O LORD\, is clearly sacred;\nits holiness will outlast time. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 1: 15-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n Having heard of your deep trust in the Lord Jesus and your active love for his people\, I could hardly stop thanking God for you. And I’m praying for you too. I ask the glorious God of our Lord Jesus the Messiah to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will fill you with wisdom and insight as you get to know God. That way you’ll get a clear picture of all that God wants you to see: \n\n\n\nthe promised goal of the mission to which you are called;\nthe extravagant generosity of God’s provision for us;\nand the immense capacity of the dynamic power which is put to work in us when we trust God.\n\n\n\nThis dynamic power is the same energy that God put to work in the Messiah when he raised him from death and enthroned him in heaven. Now the Messiah sits at God’s right hand\, reigning over the entire universe\, and there is not a single authority that can overrule him\, now or ever. Every religious hierarchy and military regime; every legal jurisdiction and people-power movement; every economic imperative and moral principle; God has put them all under the feet of the Messiah. God has decreed that all things will answer to him. The church\, then\, is central to what the Messiah is doing\, for it is his body\, already filled with the presence of the one who is filling each and every part of the entire universe. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 24: 44-53 \n \n\n \n \n \n On the last day that Jesus was on earth after his resurrection\, he said to his disciples\, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses\, the prophets\, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.” \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.” \nJesus then led his disciples out as far as Bethany\, where he lifted up his hands and spoke a blessing over them. Even as he was blessing them\, he parted from them and was carried into heaven. Falling to their knees\, they worshipped him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy and\, after that\, they were always in the temple praising God. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho you carried up into heaven\nand seated at your right hand\nso that he might be everywhere present\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise with shouts of joy\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n As Jesus Christ instructed his followers\,\nthe forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name\nfrom the holy city to the ends of the earth. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world.\nand in your words and in your lives\nbear witness to the Christ who has ascended\nto be everywhere present. \nAnd as you come to know him\,\nmay God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation\,\nmay Christ Jesus lift up his hands and bless you\,\nand may the Spirit open to you all the riches of Christ’s inheritance. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Ascension: Christ’s superabundant presenceA sermon on Acts 1. 6-14 & John 17:1-11 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nStretching those WingsA sermon for the Feast of the Ascension by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Knowing Where to LookA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLook around you!A sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nThe Ascension of the High PriestA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc38/2028-05-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/38.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200827T044009Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250622T044507Z UID:10001612-1842825600-1842911999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 1: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Dear Theophilus\,  \nIn my first book\, The Gospel according to Luke\, I wrote an account of all that Jesus did and taught from the time he started until the day he said goodbye and was taken up to heaven. Before he left\, he gathered the apostles\, who he had chosen through the Holy Spirit\, and spelled out his final instructions.  \nFor forty days after his suffering and death\, he repeatedly showed up and proved in many ways that he really was alive again. Face to face with the apostles\, he spoke with them about the culture of God. While he was still meeting and sharing meals with them\, he put them on notice that they were not to leave Jerusalem yet. “Instead\,” he said\, “you must wait here for the gift I told you about - the gift my Father promised. You remember how John baptised with water. Well\, you will be baptised with Holy Spirit in just a few days time.”  \nWhen they were all together for the last time\, the apostles had one burning question: “Lord\, is this the time? Will you regain our freedom now and give us our own king to reign over Israel?”  \nJesus replied\, “Only the Father can decide such things and the timing is none of your business. Just focus on this: the Holy Spirit will flood over you and drench you with power\, giving you the passion and courage to be my witnesses. Then you will be able to tell everyone about me\, in Jerusalem\, all over Judea and Samaria\, and even to the ends of the earth.”  \nThat was it - his last words. Right before their eyes\, he was carried up into the air where he soon disappeared into the clouds. They just stood there stunned\, staring into the sky. Suddenly two men appeared next to them\, dressed in white robes! They said\, “You Galileans! What are you standing here for\, staring into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven\, but don’t worry. He’ll be back\, just as surely - and just as mysteriously - as he left.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 47 \n \n\n \n \n \n We applaud you\, LORD\, as everyone should;\nwe roar your name and sing for joy. \nYou are an awesome God;\nnumber one in the universe;\nthe great ruler of all the earth. \nYou have subdued those who attacked us;\nput hostile nations at our mercy. \nYou picked out the best land for us;\nyou favoured us with a prized inheritance. \nTake your place at the top of the dais\, LORD God\,\nas we sound trumpets and cheer in your honour. \nYou are our God\, and we’ll sing your praises;\nyou are our ruler\, and we’ll sing your praises. \nYou are the God who rules over all the earth;\nwe’ll sing your praises in all our songs. \nYou are the God who rules over the nations;\nthe throne where you sit is one of a kind. \nLeaders gather from every people on earth\nand\, like Abraham’s descendants\,\ngive their allegiance to you\, God.\nThey lay down their weapons\nand honour you as their ultimate superior. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 93 (alternative psalm) \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, you are the great ruler.\nMajesty enfolds you like a royal robe\nand strength radiates from you.  \nYou have fixed the world firmly in its place.\nYour throne is immovable\, LORD;\never was and ever shall be.  \nSurging floods have risen\, O LORD\,\nsurging up with a mighty roar;\nengulfing everything in thunderous sound.  \nYou are more impressive than the surging waters\,\nmore powerful than the crashing waves;\nyou are number one in all the universe\, LORD!  \nWhatever you say is set in stone.\nThe place you live\, O LORD\, is clearly sacred;\nits holiness will outlast time. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 1: 15-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n Having heard of your deep trust in the Lord Jesus and your active love for his people\, I could hardly stop thanking God for you. And I’m praying for you too. I ask the glorious God of our Lord Jesus the Messiah to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will fill you with wisdom and insight as you get to know God. That way you’ll get a clear picture of all that God wants you to see: \n\n\n\nthe promised goal of the mission to which you are called;\nthe extravagant generosity of God’s provision for us;\nand the immense capacity of the dynamic power which is put to work in us when we trust God.\n\n\n\nThis dynamic power is the same energy that God put to work in the Messiah when he raised him from death and enthroned him in heaven. Now the Messiah sits at God’s right hand\, reigning over the entire universe\, and there is not a single authority that can overrule him\, now or ever. Every religious hierarchy and military regime; every legal jurisdiction and people-power movement; every economic imperative and moral principle; God has put them all under the feet of the Messiah. God has decreed that all things will answer to him. The church\, then\, is central to what the Messiah is doing\, for it is his body\, already filled with the presence of the one who is filling each and every part of the entire universe. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 24: 44-53 \n \n\n \n \n \n On the last day that Jesus was on earth after his resurrection\, he said to his disciples\, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses\, the prophets\, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.” \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.” \nJesus then led his disciples out as far as Bethany\, where he lifted up his hands and spoke a blessing over them. Even as he was blessing them\, he parted from them and was carried into heaven. Falling to their knees\, they worshipped him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy and\, after that\, they were always in the temple praising God. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho you carried up into heaven\nand seated at your right hand\nso that he might be everywhere present\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise with shouts of joy\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n As Jesus Christ instructed his followers\,\nthe forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name\nfrom the holy city to the ends of the earth. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world.\nand in your words and in your lives\nbear witness to the Christ who has ascended\nto be everywhere present. \nAnd as you come to know him\,\nmay God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation\,\nmay Christ Jesus lift up his hands and bless you\,\nand may the Spirit open to you all the riches of Christ’s inheritance. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Ascension: Christ’s superabundant presenceA sermon on Acts 1. 6-14 & John 17:1-11 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nStretching those WingsA sermon for the Feast of the Ascension by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Knowing Where to LookA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLook around you!A sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nThe Ascension of the High PriestA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc38/2028-05-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/38.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200827T044009Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003404Z UID:10002812-1842825600-1842911999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 1: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Dear Theophilus\,  \nIn my first book\, The Gospel according to Luke\, I wrote an account of all that Jesus did and taught from the time he started until the day he said goodbye and was taken up to heaven. Before he left\, he gathered the apostles\, who he had chosen through the Holy Spirit\, and spelled out his final instructions.  \nFor forty days after his suffering and death\, he repeatedly showed up and proved in many ways that he really was alive again. Face to face with the apostles\, he spoke with them about the culture of God. While he was still meeting and sharing meals with them\, he put them on notice that they were not to leave Jerusalem yet. “Instead\,” he said\, “you must wait here for the gift I told you about - the gift my Father promised. You remember how John baptised with water. Well\, you will be baptised with Holy Spirit in just a few days time.”  \nWhen they were all together for the last time\, the apostles had one burning question: “Lord\, is this the time? Will you regain our freedom now and give us our own king to reign over Israel?”  \nJesus replied\, “Only the Father can decide such things and the timing is none of your business. Just focus on this: the Holy Spirit will flood over you and drench you with power\, giving you the passion and courage to be my witnesses. Then you will be able to tell everyone about me\, in Jerusalem\, all over Judea and Samaria\, and even to the ends of the earth.”  \nThat was it - his last words. Right before their eyes\, he was carried up into the air where he soon disappeared into the clouds. They just stood there stunned\, staring into the sky. Suddenly two men appeared next to them\, dressed in white robes! They said\, “You Galileans! What are you standing here for\, staring into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven\, but don’t worry. He’ll be back\, just as surely - and just as mysteriously - as he left.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 47 \n \n\n \n \n \n We applaud you\, LORD\, as everyone should;\nwe roar your name and sing for joy. \nYou are an awesome God;\nnumber one in the universe;\nthe great ruler of all the earth. \nYou have subdued those who attacked us;\nput hostile nations at our mercy. \nYou picked out the best land for us;\nyou favoured us with a prized inheritance. \nTake your place at the top of the dais\, LORD God\,\nas we sound trumpets and cheer in your honour. \nYou are our God\, and we’ll sing your praises;\nyou are our ruler\, and we’ll sing your praises. \nYou are the God who rules over all the earth;\nwe’ll sing your praises in all our songs. \nYou are the God who rules over the nations;\nthe throne where you sit is one of a kind. \nLeaders gather from every people on earth\nand\, like Abraham’s descendants\,\ngive their allegiance to you\, God.\nThey lay down their weapons\nand honour you as their ultimate superior. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 93 (alternative psalm) \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, you are the great ruler.\nMajesty enfolds you like a royal robe\nand strength radiates from you.  \nYou have fixed the world firmly in its place.\nYour throne is immovable\, LORD;\never was and ever shall be.  \nSurging floods have risen\, O LORD\,\nsurging up with a mighty roar;\nengulfing everything in thunderous sound.  \nYou are more impressive than the surging waters\,\nmore powerful than the crashing waves;\nyou are number one in all the universe\, LORD!  \nWhatever you say is set in stone.\nThe place you live\, O LORD\, is clearly sacred;\nits holiness will outlast time. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 1: 15-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n Having heard of your deep trust in the Lord Jesus and your active love for his people\, I could hardly stop thanking God for you. And I’m praying for you too. I ask the glorious God of our Lord Jesus the Messiah to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will fill you with wisdom and insight as you get to know God. That way you’ll get a clear picture of all that God wants you to see: \n\n\n\nthe promised goal of the mission to which you are called;\nthe extravagant generosity of God’s provision for us;\nand the immense capacity of the dynamic power which is put to work in us when we trust God.\n\n\n\nThis dynamic power is the same energy that God put to work in the Messiah when he raised him from death and enthroned him in heaven. Now the Messiah sits at God’s right hand\, reigning over the entire universe\, and there is not a single authority that can overrule him\, now or ever. Every religious hierarchy and military regime; every legal jurisdiction and people-power movement; every economic imperative and moral principle; God has put them all under the feet of the Messiah. God has decreed that all things will answer to him. The church\, then\, is central to what the Messiah is doing\, for it is his body\, already filled with the presence of the one who is filling each and every part of the entire universe. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 24: 44-53 \n \n\n \n \n \n On the last day that Jesus was on earth after his resurrection\, he said to his disciples\, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses\, the prophets\, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.” \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.” \nJesus then led his disciples out as far as Bethany\, where he lifted up his hands and spoke a blessing over them. Even as he was blessing them\, he parted from them and was carried into heaven. Falling to their knees\, they worshipped him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy and\, after that\, they were always in the temple praising God. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho you carried up into heaven\nand seated at your right hand\nso that he might be everywhere present\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise with shouts of joy\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n As Jesus Christ instructed his followers\,\nthe forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name\nfrom the holy city to the ends of the earth. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world.\nand in your words and in your lives\nbear witness to the Christ who has ascended\nto be everywhere present. \nAnd as you come to know him\,\nmay God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation\,\nmay Christ Jesus lift up his hands and bless you\,\nand may the Spirit open to you all the riches of Christ’s inheritance. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Ascension: Christ’s superabundant presenceA sermon on Acts 1. 6-14 & John 17:1-11 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nStretching those WingsA sermon for the Feast of the Ascension by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Knowing Where to LookA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLook around you!A sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nThe Ascension of the High PriestA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc38/2028-05-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/38.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200827T044009Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003404Z UID:10002823-1842825600-1842911999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 1: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Dear Theophilus\,  \nIn my first book\, The Gospel according to Luke\, I wrote an account of all that Jesus did and taught from the time he started until the day he said goodbye and was taken up to heaven. Before he left\, he gathered the apostles\, who he had chosen through the Holy Spirit\, and spelled out his final instructions.  \nFor forty days after his suffering and death\, he repeatedly showed up and proved in many ways that he really was alive again. Face to face with the apostles\, he spoke with them about the culture of God. While he was still meeting and sharing meals with them\, he put them on notice that they were not to leave Jerusalem yet. “Instead\,” he said\, “you must wait here for the gift I told you about - the gift my Father promised. You remember how John baptised with water. Well\, you will be baptised with Holy Spirit in just a few days time.”  \nWhen they were all together for the last time\, the apostles had one burning question: “Lord\, is this the time? Will you regain our freedom now and give us our own king to reign over Israel?”  \nJesus replied\, “Only the Father can decide such things and the timing is none of your business. Just focus on this: the Holy Spirit will flood over you and drench you with power\, giving you the passion and courage to be my witnesses. Then you will be able to tell everyone about me\, in Jerusalem\, all over Judea and Samaria\, and even to the ends of the earth.”  \nThat was it - his last words. Right before their eyes\, he was carried up into the air where he soon disappeared into the clouds. They just stood there stunned\, staring into the sky. Suddenly two men appeared next to them\, dressed in white robes! They said\, “You Galileans! What are you standing here for\, staring into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven\, but don’t worry. He’ll be back\, just as surely - and just as mysteriously - as he left.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 47 \n \n\n \n \n \n We applaud you\, LORD\, as everyone should;\nwe roar your name and sing for joy. \nYou are an awesome God;\nnumber one in the universe;\nthe great ruler of all the earth. \nYou have subdued those who attacked us;\nput hostile nations at our mercy. \nYou picked out the best land for us;\nyou favoured us with a prized inheritance. \nTake your place at the top of the dais\, LORD God\,\nas we sound trumpets and cheer in your honour. \nYou are our God\, and we’ll sing your praises;\nyou are our ruler\, and we’ll sing your praises. \nYou are the God who rules over all the earth;\nwe’ll sing your praises in all our songs. \nYou are the God who rules over the nations;\nthe throne where you sit is one of a kind. \nLeaders gather from every people on earth\nand\, like Abraham’s descendants\,\ngive their allegiance to you\, God.\nThey lay down their weapons\nand honour you as their ultimate superior. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 93 (alternative psalm) \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, you are the great ruler.\nMajesty enfolds you like a royal robe\nand strength radiates from you.  \nYou have fixed the world firmly in its place.\nYour throne is immovable\, LORD;\never was and ever shall be.  \nSurging floods have risen\, O LORD\,\nsurging up with a mighty roar;\nengulfing everything in thunderous sound.  \nYou are more impressive than the surging waters\,\nmore powerful than the crashing waves;\nyou are number one in all the universe\, LORD!  \nWhatever you say is set in stone.\nThe place you live\, O LORD\, is clearly sacred;\nits holiness will outlast time. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 1: 15-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n Having heard of your deep trust in the Lord Jesus and your active love for his people\, I could hardly stop thanking God for you. And I’m praying for you too. I ask the glorious God of our Lord Jesus the Messiah to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will fill you with wisdom and insight as you get to know God. That way you’ll get a clear picture of all that God wants you to see: \n\n\n\nthe promised goal of the mission to which you are called;\nthe extravagant generosity of God’s provision for us;\nand the immense capacity of the dynamic power which is put to work in us when we trust God.\n\n\n\nThis dynamic power is the same energy that God put to work in the Messiah when he raised him from death and enthroned him in heaven. Now the Messiah sits at God’s right hand\, reigning over the entire universe\, and there is not a single authority that can overrule him\, now or ever. Every religious hierarchy and military regime; every legal jurisdiction and people-power movement; every economic imperative and moral principle; God has put them all under the feet of the Messiah. God has decreed that all things will answer to him. The church\, then\, is central to what the Messiah is doing\, for it is his body\, already filled with the presence of the one who is filling each and every part of the entire universe. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 24: 44-53 \n \n\n \n \n \n On the last day that Jesus was on earth after his resurrection\, he said to his disciples\, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses\, the prophets\, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.” \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.” \nJesus then led his disciples out as far as Bethany\, where he lifted up his hands and spoke a blessing over them. Even as he was blessing them\, he parted from them and was carried into heaven. Falling to their knees\, they worshipped him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy and\, after that\, they were always in the temple praising God. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho you carried up into heaven\nand seated at your right hand\nso that he might be everywhere present\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise with shouts of joy\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n As Jesus Christ instructed his followers\,\nthe forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name\nfrom the holy city to the ends of the earth. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world.\nand in your words and in your lives\nbear witness to the Christ who has ascended\nto be everywhere present. \nAnd as you come to know him\,\nmay God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation\,\nmay Christ Jesus lift up his hands and bless you\,\nand may the Spirit open to you all the riches of Christ’s inheritance. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Ascension: Christ’s superabundant presenceA sermon on Acts 1. 6-14 & John 17:1-11 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nStretching those WingsA sermon for the Feast of the Ascension by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Knowing Where to LookA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLook around you!A sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nThe Ascension of the High PriestA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc38/2028-05-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/38.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280525T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200827T044009Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003404Z UID:10002833-1842825600-1842911999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 1: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Dear Theophilus\,  \nIn my first book\, The Gospel according to Luke\, I wrote an account of all that Jesus did and taught from the time he started until the day he said goodbye and was taken up to heaven. Before he left\, he gathered the apostles\, who he had chosen through the Holy Spirit\, and spelled out his final instructions.  \nFor forty days after his suffering and death\, he repeatedly showed up and proved in many ways that he really was alive again. Face to face with the apostles\, he spoke with them about the culture of God. While he was still meeting and sharing meals with them\, he put them on notice that they were not to leave Jerusalem yet. “Instead\,” he said\, “you must wait here for the gift I told you about - the gift my Father promised. You remember how John baptised with water. Well\, you will be baptised with Holy Spirit in just a few days time.”  \nWhen they were all together for the last time\, the apostles had one burning question: “Lord\, is this the time? Will you regain our freedom now and give us our own king to reign over Israel?”  \nJesus replied\, “Only the Father can decide such things and the timing is none of your business. Just focus on this: the Holy Spirit will flood over you and drench you with power\, giving you the passion and courage to be my witnesses. Then you will be able to tell everyone about me\, in Jerusalem\, all over Judea and Samaria\, and even to the ends of the earth.”  \nThat was it - his last words. Right before their eyes\, he was carried up into the air where he soon disappeared into the clouds. They just stood there stunned\, staring into the sky. Suddenly two men appeared next to them\, dressed in white robes! They said\, “You Galileans! What are you standing here for\, staring into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven\, but don’t worry. He’ll be back\, just as surely - and just as mysteriously - as he left.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 47 \n \n\n \n \n \n We applaud you\, LORD\, as everyone should;\nwe roar your name and sing for joy. \nYou are an awesome God;\nnumber one in the universe;\nthe great ruler of all the earth. \nYou have subdued those who attacked us;\nput hostile nations at our mercy. \nYou picked out the best land for us;\nyou favoured us with a prized inheritance. \nTake your place at the top of the dais\, LORD God\,\nas we sound trumpets and cheer in your honour. \nYou are our God\, and we’ll sing your praises;\nyou are our ruler\, and we’ll sing your praises. \nYou are the God who rules over all the earth;\nwe’ll sing your praises in all our songs. \nYou are the God who rules over the nations;\nthe throne where you sit is one of a kind. \nLeaders gather from every people on earth\nand\, like Abraham’s descendants\,\ngive their allegiance to you\, God.\nThey lay down their weapons\nand honour you as their ultimate superior. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 93 (alternative psalm) \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, you are the great ruler.\nMajesty enfolds you like a royal robe\nand strength radiates from you.  \nYou have fixed the world firmly in its place.\nYour throne is immovable\, LORD;\never was and ever shall be.  \nSurging floods have risen\, O LORD\,\nsurging up with a mighty roar;\nengulfing everything in thunderous sound.  \nYou are more impressive than the surging waters\,\nmore powerful than the crashing waves;\nyou are number one in all the universe\, LORD!  \nWhatever you say is set in stone.\nThe place you live\, O LORD\, is clearly sacred;\nits holiness will outlast time. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 1: 15-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n Having heard of your deep trust in the Lord Jesus and your active love for his people\, I could hardly stop thanking God for you. And I’m praying for you too. I ask the glorious God of our Lord Jesus the Messiah to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will fill you with wisdom and insight as you get to know God. That way you’ll get a clear picture of all that God wants you to see: \n\n\n\nthe promised goal of the mission to which you are called;\nthe extravagant generosity of God’s provision for us;\nand the immense capacity of the dynamic power which is put to work in us when we trust God.\n\n\n\nThis dynamic power is the same energy that God put to work in the Messiah when he raised him from death and enthroned him in heaven. Now the Messiah sits at God’s right hand\, reigning over the entire universe\, and there is not a single authority that can overrule him\, now or ever. Every religious hierarchy and military regime; every legal jurisdiction and people-power movement; every economic imperative and moral principle; God has put them all under the feet of the Messiah. God has decreed that all things will answer to him. The church\, then\, is central to what the Messiah is doing\, for it is his body\, already filled with the presence of the one who is filling each and every part of the entire universe. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 24: 44-53 \n \n\n \n \n \n On the last day that Jesus was on earth after his resurrection\, he said to his disciples\, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses\, the prophets\, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.” \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.” \nJesus then led his disciples out as far as Bethany\, where he lifted up his hands and spoke a blessing over them. Even as he was blessing them\, he parted from them and was carried into heaven. Falling to their knees\, they worshipped him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy and\, after that\, they were always in the temple praising God. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho you carried up into heaven\nand seated at your right hand\nso that he might be everywhere present\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise with shouts of joy\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n As Jesus Christ instructed his followers\,\nthe forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name\nfrom the holy city to the ends of the earth. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world.\nand in your words and in your lives\nbear witness to the Christ who has ascended\nto be everywhere present. \nAnd as you come to know him\,\nmay God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation\,\nmay Christ Jesus lift up his hands and bless you\,\nand may the Spirit open to you all the riches of Christ’s inheritance. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Ascension: Christ’s superabundant presenceA sermon on Acts 1. 6-14 & John 17:1-11 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nStretching those WingsA sermon for the Feast of the Ascension by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Knowing Where to LookA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLook around you!A sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nThe Ascension of the High PriestA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc38/2028-05-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/38.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280528T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280528T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201110T075219Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000528Z UID:10002739-1843084800-1843171199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:7th Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 16: 16-34 \n \n\n \n \n \n One day\, as we were on our way with Paul to a prayer gathering\, we ran into a girl who worked as a clairvoyant. She was a slave: her whole life was controlled by the spirit that enabled her to predict people’s futures\, and by the money-men who were making a fortune out of her. She began following us around and yelling out\, “These men are puppets of the Most High God; here to sell you another way of salvation.” She kept this up for days and it was beginning to drive Paul nuts. Eventually he spat the dummy. Turning to her\, he gave the spirit that controlled her its marching orders: “On the authority of Jesus Christ I order you to get out of her.” And right then and there\, she was free of it. \nThis was not a popular move with the money-men who had been exploiting the girl. All they could see was her market value plummeting and their profits going down the drain. They got pretty heavy-handed with Paul and Silas and dragged them into the town square to face the law. The local magistrates were brought in and the men brought their accusations\, saying\, “These troublemakers are disturbing the peace. They are Jews from a dangerous religious sect and they are recruiting people to a lifestyle that is undermining the family values and Roman laws that make our city strong.” \nThat got the crowd fired up\, and soon everyone was screaming for blood. The magistrates gave orders to have them publicly beaten. Paul and Silas had the clothing torn from their backs and were viciously bashed with batons. They were then locked up and the prison guard was given orders to do whatever it took to make sure they had no chance of escape. Following his orders\, he put them in leg-irons and chained them to the wall in a maximum security cell. \nIn the middle of the night\, much to the surprise of the other prisoners\, Paul and Silas were sitting up in their cell\, praying and singing hymns to God at the top of their voices. Suddenly\, a severe earthquake shook the prison so violently that its walls and floors were giving way. The security doors all burst off their hinges and everyone’s chains were shattered. The prison guard woke up and\, seeing all the doors blown open he naturally assumed that all the prisoners had escaped. Knowing how the authorities would take it out on him\, he was about to kill himself and beat them to it\, when Paul screamed at him\, “Stop! You don’t need to top yourself. We are all still here!” \nGrabbing a torch\, the guard rushed in to look for himself. Seeing Paul and Silas there\, he fell to his knees\, shaking like a leaf. When he had pulled himself together\, he took them outside and asked\, “Sirs\, help me. How am I going to get out of this mess alive?” \nThey answered\, “Put your trust in the Lord Jesus\, and you will be saved. And the same goes for all your household.” \nThe prison guard welcomed them into his own home straight away and washed and dressed their wounds. Paul and Silas shared the Lord’s message with him and with all who lived in his house. The response was so eager that before the night was done\, the guard and his entire family were baptised. The night turned into quite a party. Paul and Silas were plied with food as the whole household celebrated their new life as people who trusted in God. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 97 \n \n\n \n \n \n You\, LORD\, are the ruler of everything!\nThe whole earth celebrates!\nUp and down the coast\, everyone is shouting for joy! \nDeep\, dark clouds of mystery hide you from us;\njustice and integrity are the bedrock of your rule. \nYou are a consuming fire\, leaping in all directions\,\npurging the earth of its enemies. \nYour touch splits the darkness with bolts of light;\nthe earth is lit up and shakes like a leaf. \nYou are Lord of all the earth\, and in your presence\neven the mountains go weak and melt like wax. \nThe heavens herald you as the one who puts things right;\nall people everywhere witness your day of glory. \nThose who worshipped hollow facades\nwill hang their heads in shame.\nThose who take pride in the power of possessions\nwill be horrified when it all proves worthless.\nAll these false gods and short-lived saviours\ncrumble and fall before you\, the real thing. \nFrom the Temple Mountain to the farthest flung town\,\nyour people are celebrating with great joy\, O God\,\nbecause you have seen the truth and brought about justice. \nYou\, LORD\, are number one in all the universe;\nin a league of your own\,\nfar above anything else that seeks our allegiance. \nYou love those who detest evil\, LORD;\nYou stand guard over those who are loyal to you;\nYou come to their rescue if they fall prey to violence. \nWhen people have integrity and do what is right\,\nyou light up their lives and fill them with joy. \nAll who build their lives on the bedrock of your truth and justice\nare celebrating all you do\, LORD.\nJust the mention of your holy name\nand they burst forth with a flood of gratitude! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 22: 12-14\, 16-17\, 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n I heard the Lord say: \n“Look; I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon. When I arrive\, I’ll have the prizes with me and I’ll hand them out on the basis of what everyone has done with their lives. I am the whole story\, from ‘A’ to ‘Z’. I am the first and the last; the opening night and the grand finale.\n“How good it will be for those who have scrubbed up well. They will be granted unlimited access to the tree of life\, to eat its fruits forever. They will be given priority entry rights at the gates of the city.\n“I am Jesus. It was me who sent the angel to you to deliver this message for the churches. I am the roots of the tree of David\, and its ultimate fruit. I am the bright star that heralds the morning.” \nWhat other response could we make but “Come on down”?\nThe Spirit says\, “Come on down!”\nThe bride prepared for Christ says\, “Come on down!”\nLet everyone who hears this message say it too: “Come on down!”\nAnd let all of us who thirst\, come on down ourselves.\nThe water of life is available as a free gift to anyone who wants it. \nThe one who has delivered this message and sworn to it\, says again\, “I kid you not. I am on my way. I’ll be there soon.” \nYou beauty! Come on down\, Lord Jesus!\nMay the extravagant generosity of the Lord Jesus surround everyone and everything! And so say all of us! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 17: 20-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n After the supper\, and after giving his final teaching to his followers\, Jesus prayed to God\, saying: \n“My prayer is for all who will follow me;\nnot only for these few disciples gathered here\,\nbut also for all those who will put their trust in me\nwhen they hear about me from this lot. \nI pray that they will all be as one.\nIn the same way as you\, Father\, are living in me\,\nand I am living in you;\nI am praying that they will live in us.\nIf they do\, then the rest of the world will be able to accept\nthat it was you who sent me. \nYou have given me great honour\,\nand I have passed all the honour on to them\,\nso that they may be as closely united as you and I are.\nWith me living in them\,\nand you living in me\,\nthey can reach complete unity.\nTheir unity will allow the rest of the world to recognise\nthat it was you who sent me.\nIt will also demonstrate that you have loved these people\nas much as you have loved me. \nFather\, my desire for all these people you have given me\,\nis that they will be able to be with me wherever I am.\nYou loved me even before you kick-started the creation of the earth\nand now you are giving me all the glory\,\nand I want them to be able to say they witnessed it all. \nFather\, you always do what is right\nand integrity is your middle name.\nThe world does not know you\n- never has -\nbut I know you\,\nand now these few understand\nthat it was you who sent me. \nI let them know the truth of who you really are\,\nand I’ll continue to do so.\nIn that way\, the love you have always had for me\nwill find a home in their hearts too\,\nand I’ll be forever a part of them.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are the Alpha and the Omega\, the first and the last\,\nwho shields the lives of those who love you. \nYou laid the foundation of the world\,\nand will come in glory to bring all things to fulfilment.\nWrapped in thunder clouds and throned on justice\,\nyou led your people by fire into the land of promise. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you came to us\nas the promised descendant of David\,\nwith a love that revealed your glory\neven in suffering and death.\nWhen you raised him from the grave\,\nthe strongholds of death were shaken\,\nand the chains of captivity were broken\,\nfreeing everyone to follow him into oneness with you.\nNow you are in us\, and we are in you\,\nand the waters of life\nwash our wounds and satisfy our deepest thirst. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for revealing your love in your Son\, Jesus Christ.\nWhen you raised him from the grave\,\nthe strongholds of death were shaken violently\,\nbreaking off the chains of captivity\nand freeing everyone to follow him into oneness with you. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are the Alpha and the Omega\, the first and the last\,\nwho shields the lives of those who love you. \nYou laid the foundation of the world\,\nand will come in glory to bring all things to fulfilment.\nWrapped in thunder clouds and throned on justice\,\nyou led your people by fire into the land of promise. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you came to us\nas the promised descendant of David\,\nwith a love that revealed your glory\neven in suffering and death.\nWhen you raised him from the grave\,\nthe strongholds of death were shaken\,\nand the chains of captivity were broken\,\nfreeing everyone to follow him into oneness with you.\nNow you are in us\, and we are in you\,\nand the waters of life\nwash our wounds and satisfy our deepest thirst. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n The Lord says that all may receive the water of life as a gift.\nThrough your trust in the Lord Jesus\,\nyou will be saved\, washed clean\,\nand your lives shielded in God. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, rejoicing in God.\nLove the Lord\, hate evil;\nBe as one with one another\, just as God is one.\nLet all the world see the love of God\nat work within you and among you. \nAnd may God shield your faithful lives with love;\nMay Christ Jesus give you the water of life as a gift;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit break you free from all captivity. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\nThe Whole Story\, from A to ZA sermon on Revelation 22 by Nathan NettletonOne God – One ChurchA sermon on John 17.20-26 by Nathan NettletonWhen the Truth Ain’t the TruthA sermon on Acts 16.16-34\, John 17.20-26 & Revelation 22 by Garry DeverellWhat must I do to be SavedA sermon on Acts 16.16-34 by Nathan NettletonBacklashA sermon on Acts 16.16-34 & John 17.20-26 by Nathan NettletonMaintaining Unity in DisagreementA sermon on John 17.20-26 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c39/2028-05-28/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/39.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280528T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280528T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201110T075219Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250629T104033Z UID:10001738-1843084800-1843171199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:7th Sunday of Pascha - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 16: 16-34 \n \n\n \n \n \n One day\, as we were on our way with Paul to a prayer gathering\, we ran into a girl who worked as a clairvoyant. She was a slave: her whole life was controlled by the spirit that enabled her to predict people’s futures\, and by the money-men who were making a fortune out of her. She began following us around and yelling out\, “These men are puppets of the Most High God; here to sell you another way of salvation.” She kept this up for days and it was beginning to drive Paul nuts. Eventually he spat the dummy. Turning to her\, he gave the spirit that controlled her its marching orders: “On the authority of Jesus Christ I order you to get out of her.” And right then and there\, she was free of it. \nThis was not a popular move with the money-men who had been exploiting the girl. All they could see was her market value plummeting and their profits going down the drain. They got pretty heavy-handed with Paul and Silas and dragged them into the town square to face the law. The local magistrates were brought in and the men brought their accusations\, saying\, “These troublemakers are disturbing the peace. They are Jews from a dangerous religious sect and they are recruiting people to a lifestyle that is undermining the family values and Roman laws that make our city strong.” \nThat got the crowd fired up\, and soon everyone was screaming for blood. The magistrates gave orders to have them publicly beaten. Paul and Silas had the clothing torn from their backs and were viciously bashed with batons. They were then locked up and the prison guard was given orders to do whatever it took to make sure they had no chance of escape. Following his orders\, he put them in leg-irons and chained them to the wall in a maximum security cell. \nIn the middle of the night\, much to the surprise of the other prisoners\, Paul and Silas were sitting up in their cell\, praying and singing hymns to God at the top of their voices. Suddenly\, a severe earthquake shook the prison so violently that its walls and floors were giving way. The security doors all burst off their hinges and everyone’s chains were shattered. The prison guard woke up and\, seeing all the doors blown open he naturally assumed that all the prisoners had escaped. Knowing how the authorities would take it out on him\, he was about to kill himself and beat them to it\, when Paul screamed at him\, “Stop! You don’t need to top yourself. We are all still here!” \nGrabbing a torch\, the guard rushed in to look for himself. Seeing Paul and Silas there\, he fell to his knees\, shaking like a leaf. When he had pulled himself together\, he took them outside and asked\, “Sirs\, help me. How am I going to get out of this mess alive?” \nThey answered\, “Put your trust in the Lord Jesus\, and you will be saved. And the same goes for all your household.” \nThe prison guard welcomed them into his own home straight away and washed and dressed their wounds. Paul and Silas shared the Lord’s message with him and with all who lived in his house. The response was so eager that before the night was done\, the guard and his entire family were baptised. The night turned into quite a party. Paul and Silas were plied with food as the whole household celebrated their new life as people who trusted in God. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 97 \n \n\n \n \n \n You\, LORD\, are the ruler of everything!\nThe whole earth celebrates!\nUp and down the coast\, everyone is shouting for joy! \nDeep\, dark clouds of mystery hide you from us;\njustice and integrity are the bedrock of your rule. \nYou are a consuming fire\, leaping in all directions\,\npurging the earth of its enemies. \nYour touch splits the darkness with bolts of light;\nthe earth is lit up and shakes like a leaf. \nYou are Lord of all the earth\, and in your presence\neven the mountains go weak and melt like wax. \nThe heavens herald you as the one who puts things right;\nall people everywhere witness your day of glory. \nThose who worshipped hollow facades\nwill hang their heads in shame.\nThose who take pride in the power of possessions\nwill be horrified when it all proves worthless.\nAll these false gods and short-lived saviours\ncrumble and fall before you\, the real thing. \nFrom the Temple Mountain to the farthest flung town\,\nyour people are celebrating with great joy\, O God\,\nbecause you have seen the truth and brought about justice. \nYou\, LORD\, are number one in all the universe;\nin a league of your own\,\nfar above anything else that seeks our allegiance. \nYou love those who detest evil\, LORD;\nYou stand guard over those who are loyal to you;\nYou come to their rescue if they fall prey to violence. \nWhen people have integrity and do what is right\,\nyou light up their lives and fill them with joy. \nAll who build their lives on the bedrock of your truth and justice\nare celebrating all you do\, LORD.\nJust the mention of your holy name\nand they burst forth with a flood of gratitude! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Revelation 22: 12-14\, 16-17\, 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n I heard the Lord say: \n“Look; I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon. When I arrive\, I’ll have the prizes with me and I’ll hand them out on the basis of what everyone has done with their lives. I am the whole story\, from ‘A’ to ‘Z’. I am the first and the last; the opening night and the grand finale.\n“How good it will be for those who have scrubbed up well. They will be granted unlimited access to the tree of life\, to eat its fruits forever. They will be given priority entry rights at the gates of the city.\n“I am Jesus. It was me who sent the angel to you to deliver this message for the churches. I am the roots of the tree of David\, and its ultimate fruit. I am the bright star that heralds the morning.” \nWhat other response could we make but “Come on down”?\nThe Spirit says\, “Come on down!”\nThe bride prepared for Christ says\, “Come on down!”\nLet everyone who hears this message say it too: “Come on down!”\nAnd let all of us who thirst\, come on down ourselves.\nThe water of life is available as a free gift to anyone who wants it. \nThe one who has delivered this message and sworn to it\, says again\, “I kid you not. I am on my way. I’ll be there soon.” \nYou beauty! Come on down\, Lord Jesus!\nMay the extravagant generosity of the Lord Jesus surround everyone and everything! And so say all of us! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 17: 20-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n After the supper\, and after giving his final teaching to his followers\, Jesus prayed to God\, saying: \n“My prayer is for all who will follow me;\nnot only for these few disciples gathered here\,\nbut also for all those who will put their trust in me\nwhen they hear about me from this lot. \nI pray that they will all be as one.\nIn the same way as you\, Father\, are living in me\,\nand I am living in you;\nI am praying that they will live in us.\nIf they do\, then the rest of the world will be able to accept\nthat it was you who sent me. \nYou have given me great honour\,\nand I have passed all the honour on to them\,\nso that they may be as closely united as you and I are.\nWith me living in them\,\nand you living in me\,\nthey can reach complete unity.\nTheir unity will allow the rest of the world to recognise\nthat it was you who sent me.\nIt will also demonstrate that you have loved these people\nas much as you have loved me. \nFather\, my desire for all these people you have given me\,\nis that they will be able to be with me wherever I am.\nYou loved me even before you kick-started the creation of the earth\nand now you are giving me all the glory\,\nand I want them to be able to say they witnessed it all. \nFather\, you always do what is right\nand integrity is your middle name.\nThe world does not know you\n- never has -\nbut I know you\,\nand now these few understand\nthat it was you who sent me. \nI let them know the truth of who you really are\,\nand I’ll continue to do so.\nIn that way\, the love you have always had for me\nwill find a home in their hearts too\,\nand I’ll be forever a part of them.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are the Alpha and the Omega\, the first and the last\,\nwho shields the lives of those who love you. \nYou laid the foundation of the world\,\nand will come in glory to bring all things to fulfilment.\nWrapped in thunder clouds and throned on justice\,\nyou led your people by fire into the land of promise. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you came to us\nas the promised descendant of David\,\nwith a love that revealed your glory\neven in suffering and death.\nWhen you raised him from the grave\,\nthe strongholds of death were shaken\,\nand the chains of captivity were broken\,\nfreeing everyone to follow him into oneness with you.\nNow you are in us\, and we are in you\,\nand the waters of life\nwash our wounds and satisfy our deepest thirst. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for revealing your love in your Son\, Jesus Christ.\nWhen you raised him from the grave\,\nthe strongholds of death were shaken violently\,\nbreaking off the chains of captivity\nand freeing everyone to follow him into oneness with you. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are the Alpha and the Omega\, the first and the last\,\nwho shields the lives of those who love you. \nYou laid the foundation of the world\,\nand will come in glory to bring all things to fulfilment.\nWrapped in thunder clouds and throned on justice\,\nyou led your people by fire into the land of promise. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you came to us\nas the promised descendant of David\,\nwith a love that revealed your glory\neven in suffering and death.\nWhen you raised him from the grave\,\nthe strongholds of death were shaken\,\nand the chains of captivity were broken\,\nfreeing everyone to follow him into oneness with you.\nNow you are in us\, and we are in you\,\nand the waters of life\nwash our wounds and satisfy our deepest thirst. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n The Lord says that all may receive the water of life as a gift.\nThrough your trust in the Lord Jesus\,\nyou will be saved\, washed clean\,\nand your lives shielded in God. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, rejoicing in God.\nLove the Lord\, hate evil;\nBe as one with one another\, just as God is one.\nLet all the world see the love of God\nat work within you and among you. \nAnd may God shield your faithful lives with love;\nMay Christ Jesus give you the water of life as a gift;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit break you free from all captivity. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Whole Story\, from A to ZA sermon on Revelation 22 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nOne God – One ChurchA sermon on John 17.20-26 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhen the Truth Ain’t the TruthA sermon on Acts 16.16-34\, John 17.20-26 & Revelation 22 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nWhat must I do to be SavedA sermon on Acts 16.16-34 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBacklashA sermon on Acts 16.16-34 & John 17.20-26 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nMaintaining Unity in DisagreementA sermon on John 17.20-26 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c39/2028-05-28/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/39.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280531T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280531T000000 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20200830T121453Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T030936Z UID:10001620-1843344000-1843344000@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1 Samuel 2: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n After the birth of her son\, Samuel\, Hannah prayed the following prayer: \n“Thanks to you\, LORD\, I am full of joy;\nthanks to you\, I can stand strong and proud.\nI can return the insults that were hurled at me\,\nand kick up my heels\, because you have set me free. \nThere is no other god like you\, LORD\,\nno one who can hold a candle to you;\nnot even the ancient rock is as dependable as you. \nI can tell the proud to stop their boasting;\ntell the arrogant to put a sock in it.\nYou\, LORD\, know us inside and out;\nyou see whether or not we live up to our words. \nYou\, LORD\, disarm the powerful\,\nand redistribute their strength to the helpless.\nThose who consumed to excess are now queuing at soup kitchens\,\nbut those who were deprived now feast in splendour.\nInfertile couples are having children\, one after the other\,\nwhile those who flaunted their children\nfind their families falling apart. \nLife is yours to give or to take\, LORD;\nyou can send someone to the land of the dead\,\nand you can bring them back again. \nYou\, LORD\, can make us or break us;\nyou can put us on a pedestal or knock us off.\nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities.\nYou can do all this because the earth is yours;\nyou set it up and you wrote the rules. \nTo those who are faithful\, you guarantee safe passage;\nthose who are corrupt soon lose sight of any light to steer by\,\nfor no matter how strong people are\,\nthey can’t make it alone. \nYou are the LORD!\nThose who try to obstruct you\nfind that it is like standing in the path of a train\nas you thunder towards your destination.\nYou\, LORD\, have the final word on all that is done on earth.\nYou will give strength and power to your chosen ruler.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 113 \n \n\n \n \n \n You are the greatest\, LORD! \nWe\, your servants\, can’t stop singing your praises;\nthe mere mention of your name sets us singing! \nFrom now on and forever\,\nyour name will be held sacred\, LORD. \nFrom east to west\, from dawn to dusk\,\nyour name will inspire songs of praise. \nYou are ranked number one\, LORD\,\nway above even the greatest nations\,\noutshining even the sun and the stars. \nCan anyone compare with you\, LORD?\nIs there anyone else even close to your league?\nNot likely! You are seated so high\nthat you look down even to see the sky! \nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities. \nYou give the infertile couple a family\nfilling their lives with the laughter of children. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 12: 9-16b \n \n\n \n \n \n See to it that your love is for real and without pretence. Avoid corruption like the plague. Dig your heels in and don’t be budged from the side of good. Love one another\, and not just in theory but with warmth and friendly affection. If you need something to compete over\, see who can score the most points for treating everyone else like royalty. Don’t let your enthusiasm get slack\, but keep yourselves on the boil and work hard for the Lord. Celebrate in anticipation of all that is to come. When you are being put through the wringer\, tough it out\, and pray all the harder. Do what you can to help out other Christians who are in need\, and work at making strangers feel welcome and at home among you. \nWhen others persecute you\, wish them all the best and pray that God will look after them. Seek the best for them; don’t wish disaster on them. When others are celebrating\, celebrate with them. When others are hurting\, share the pain with them. Stay in tune with one another\, living a shared life based on common commitments. Don’t be full of yourselves\, but hang out with those who the world writes off as nobodies. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 1:39-57 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the angel told Mary that both she and her relative Elizabeth were going to have babies\, Mary took the first opportunity to make the trip to visit Elizabeth. Elizabeth lived with her husband Zechariah in a Judean town in the hills. Mary sang out as soon as she arrived at their house\, and when she heard the greeting\, Elizabeth felt the baby jump in her womb. The Holy Spirit welled up in Elizabeth and she cried out with joy\, saying: \n“You have been blessed like no other woman!\nAnd doubly blessed is the child in your womb!\nAnd what about me? Why am I so blessed\,\nthat my Lord’s own mother should knock at my door?\nThe moment your greeting reach my ears\,\nthe baby in my womb began bouncing with glee!\nClearly you are God’s favoured one\,\nbecause you believed what God said to you;\ntrusting God to follow through on every promise. \nMary too was bursting with joy. She said: \n“Let me turn the spotlight on God’s greatness!\nWith all that I am I dance with joy over God\, my saviour!\nGod has smiled upon me\, though I was no one special.\nNow I’ll be remembered forever as the favoured one.\nThe supreme God has done wonderful things for me.\nNo other name is in the same league as God’s. \nIn every generation\, those who treat God with respect\nare rewarded with showers of mercy.\nWith sleeves rolled up\, God has made a show of strength\,\nand sent packing those who were so full of themselves. \nGod has kicked the power mongers out of office\,\nand lifted the downtrodden back to their feet.\nGod has put on a feast for those who were hungry\,\nand slammed the door on the rich without giving them a bite. \nThe Lord’s servant Israel receives a helping hand.\nGod always remembers them with tender care.\nThis is exactly what God promised long ago\,\na vow made to Abraham and Sarah for every generation.” \nMary didn’t return home for about three months\, but stayed until Elizabeth’s baby was born. Elizabeth gave birth to a boy who was given the name John. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc45/2028-05-31/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/45.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280604T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280604T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T090755 CREATED:20201111T000259Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000528Z UID:10002738-1843689600-1843775999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Day of Pentecost - Year C DESCRIPTION: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. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections 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. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Acts 2: 1-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n On the Feast Day of Pentecost all the believers were together in one place. Suddenly\, as if out of nowhere\, there was a sound like a raging cyclone - and nothing could be heard above it anywhere in the house. And then the Holy Spirit burst in among them like a bushfire\, with sparks and fireballs leaping out to engulf every one there. With fire in their guts and the Holy Spirit unleashing their tongues\, they began to speak of God in languages they had never learned. \nNow in Jerusalem at that time\, there were faithful Jewish pilgrims from all over the world. The wild noise among the believers quickly drew a crowd. What they heard bewildered them because everyone\, no matter where they were from\, heard their native language being spoken by the believers. Almost unable to believe their ears\, they asked: \n“Don’t all these people come from Galilee? How come we can all hear them speaking our own native languages? Some of us are Parthians\, some Medes\, others Elamites. There are people visiting here from Mesopotamia\, Judea and Cappadocia\, Pontus and Asia\, Phrygia and Pamphylia\, Egypt and the Cyrenene occupied parts of Libya. There are immigrants from Rome\, both ethnic Jews and converts. Some here are even Cretans and Arabs! But these Galileans are speaking all our languages and telling us about the extraordinary things God has done.”  \nThey were all in a spin\, unable to make head nor tail of what was happening. They kept asking one another what was going on and what it could all mean. Others though\, just sneered and said\, “They’ve been on the turps. They’re just a bunch of drunks.”  \nPeter stood up with the other eleven and addressed the crowd as loudly and clearly as he could: \n“Men and women of Jerusalem\, locals and visitors\, listen up and I’ll let you in on what this is all about. If you think that these people are drunk\, you are wrong. Think about it - the pubs aren’t even open this early in the morning. No\, what is happening here was explained long ago in the words of the prophet Joel:  \n“This is what I will do\nwhen time reaches its climax\, God declares:  \nI will pour out my Spirit on everyone. \nYour sons and your daughters\nshall speak as prophets.\nThe young among you will see visions\,\nand the old will dream dreams.  \n  I even have men and women among those\nwhose rights no one cares about\,\nand in those days\nI will pour out my Spirit upon them too;\nand they shall proclaim my justice.  \n  I will perform miraculous signs in the sky above\nand awesome wonders on the earth below\,\nblood\, and fire\, and clouds of smoke.  \n  The sun will go black and the moon blood-red\nbefore the dawning\nof the awesome and glorious day of the Lord.  \n  And everyone who cries out to the Lord\nshall be saved.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Genesis 11: 1-9 (alternative 1st reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n In ancient times\, everyone in the whole world spoke the same language and could understand each other clearly. As the human race spread out towards the East\, they settled the plains region in an area known as Shinar. Once there\, an enormous project was proposed: \n“Come one and all\, let’s build ourselves a great city with the world’s tallest skyscraper. Let’s use the latest technology: kiln-fired bricks instead of stone\, and bitumen instead of mortar. Let’s earn ourselves a global reputation for innovation and excellence. If we don’t\, we’ll be nothing but mediocre little mobs\, scattered all over the world!” \nSo the project was begun\, and the LORD came down for a look. Seeing the construction of the city and the skyscraper underway\, the LORD said: \n“Look\, these people are getting too big for their boots\, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. United by a common language and common ambition\, there will be no stopping them. Come\, let us go down and reprogram their tongues so that they will begin to speak in different languages and not be able to understand each other.” \nSo the LORD split them up into different language groups and scattered them across the face of the globe. The construction of the city was abandoned. The place came to be known as Babel because it was there that the peoples’ languages became like confused babble to one another and they split up into separate tribes that kept away from each other. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 104: 24-34\, 35b \n \n\n \n \n \n O LORD\, what a wildly fabulous world!\nWorking hand in hand with wisdom\nyou have made\nan earthful of wonderful creatures.  \nJust look at the deep wide sea\,\nswarming with life beyond our imagining\,\nfrom coral to crayfish\, from mussels to marlin. \nShips plough the waves\,\nwhile mythical monsters cavort in the depths. \nLike seagulls at a picnic\,\nevery creature looks to you for food. \nThey gather around in eager expectation\,\nand gorge themselves when you open your hand.  \nIf you turned your back\, they’d be panic stricken;\nif you withdrew your Spirit\nthey would have nothing to breathe\,\ntheir bodies would quickly crumble. \nBut when you breathe your spirit into them\,\nlife sprouts up fresh and fragrant again\nand the earth itself is revived. \nGlorious is all you do\, LORD\,\nmay you be honoured forever.\nMay everything created be a joy to the LORD. \nOne look from the LORD makes even the earth quiver;\none touch and even the mountains erupt. \nWith every breath I will sing to the LORD;\nas long as there is life in me\,\nI will give honour to my God in song. \nEven my unspoken thoughts I offer to the LORD\,\nfor the LORD is a delight to me.  \nMay wickedness be wiped from the earth\,\nmay enemies of life no longer be found. \nO bless the LORD\, everything within me.\nPraise the LORD!  \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: Romans 8: 14-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n All those who dance to the Spirit’s tune are God’s beloved children. We were not sold into slavery where we would grovel timidly in the dust\, afraid to put a foot wrong. Rather we were adopted into a family full of love and joy. Like eager children crying\, “Daddy! Mummy!” we come running to God\, and with loving arms\, God’s Spirit gathers us up\, demonstrating clearly to whom we belong. And since we are children of God\, we are actually on the same footing as Christ. With him we will inherit all that has been kept in trust for God’s children. But we have to take the good with the bad\, and we know the price he paid. We need to be willing to cop it on the chin with him now if we want to share the glory with him later. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Acts 2: 1-21 (alternative 2nd reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n On the Feast Day of Pentecost all the believers were together in one place. Suddenly\, as if out of nowhere\, there was a sound like a raging cyclone - and nothing could be heard above it anywhere in the house. And then the Holy Spirit burst in among them like a bushfire\, with sparks and fireballs leaping out to engulf every one there. With fire in their guts and the Holy Spirit unleashing their tongues\, they began to speak of God in languages they had never learned. \nNow in Jerusalem at that time\, there were faithful Jewish pilgrims from all over the world. The wild noise among the believers quickly drew a crowd. What they heard bewildered them because everyone\, no matter where they were from\, heard their native language being spoken by the believers. Almost unable to believe their ears\, they asked: \n“Don’t all these people come from Galilee? How come we can all hear them speaking our own native languages? Some of us are Parthians\, some Medes\, others Elamites. There are people visiting here from Mesopotamia\, Judea and Cappadocia\, Pontus and Asia\, Phrygia and Pamphylia\, Egypt and the Cyrenene occupied parts of Libya. There are immigrants from Rome\, both ethnic Jews and converts. Some here are even Cretans and Arabs! But these Galileans are speaking all our languages and telling us about the extraordinary things God has done.”  \nThey were all in a spin\, unable to make head nor tail of what was happening. They kept asking one another what was going on and what it could all mean. Others though\, just sneered and said\, “They’ve been on the turps. They’re just a bunch of drunks.”  \nPeter stood up with the other eleven and addressed the crowd as loudly and clearly as he could: \n“Men and women of Jerusalem\, locals and visitors\, listen up and I’ll let you in on what this is all about. If you think that these people are drunk\, you are wrong. Think about it - the pubs aren’t even open this early in the morning. No\, what is happening here was explained long ago in the words of the prophet Joel:  \n“This is what I will do\nwhen time reaches its climax\, God declares:  \nI will pour out my Spirit on everyone. \nYour sons and your daughters\nshall speak as prophets.\nThe young among you will see visions\,\nand the old will dream dreams.  \n  I even have men and women among those\nwhose rights no one cares about\,\nand in those days\nI will pour out my Spirit upon them too;\nand they shall proclaim my justice.  \n  I will perform miraculous signs in the sky above\nand awesome wonders on the earth below\,\nblood\, and fire\, and clouds of smoke.  \n  The sun will go black and the moon blood-red\nbefore the dawning\nof the awesome and glorious day of the Lord.  \n  And everyone who cries out to the Lord\nshall be saved.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 14: 8-17\, (25-27) \n \n\n \n \n \n Philip said to Jesus\, “Lord\, if you’d just show us the Father\, we’d be more than happy.” \nJesus replied\, “All this time I’ve been with you\, and you still haven’t worked me out\, have you Philip? To see me is to see the Father. So what’s the point of asking me to show you the Father? Haven’t you got it sorted out in your head that I am one with the Father\, and the Father is one with me? When I tell you something\, I’m not speaking off my own bat. The Father who lives in me is at work in everything I say. Take my word for it that I am one with the Father\, and the Father is one with me; or if my saying it is not enough for you\, then surely the things you’ve seen me do prove the point. I kid you not when I tell you that anyone who trusts in me will do the very same things. In fact\, you’ll do even greater things than I’ve done\, because I’m going back to the Father and handing over the reins to you. I’ll back you up and do whatever you ask when you’re doing my work. That’s how the Son will give the glory to the Father. If you’re working on my behalf you can ask me for anything and I’ll do it. \n“If you love me\, it will show in the way you live out what I’ve told you to do. I will have a word with the Father and arrange for another defence counsel to be permanently assigned to you. Your new defence counsel will be the Spirit of Truth. The rest of the world will not accept the Spirit because they never accept what they can’t see or comprehend. You already know the Spirit though\, because the Spirit is with you and will be at work inside you. \n“I’ve told you all this while I’m still here with you. When I’m gone\, your new defence counsel — the Holy Spirit who the Father will send on my behalf — will take over\, teaching you everything and keeping all I’ve said fresh in your minds. The gift I’m leaving with you is peace; my kind of peace\, not the mere easing of hostilities that the rest of the world offers. So don’t go dropping your bundle or getting all fearful.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you pour your Spirit upon us\,\narousing us with visions and dreams\nand intoxicating us with an uncontainable fervour\nto proclaim your truth in the language of praise. \nYou sent forth your Spirit to create the universe\,\nand fill it with your wonders.\nYou breathed into us and we rose from the dust\,\nthe face of the earth came alive. \nIn these last days your child\, Jesus Christ\,\ncame speaking your words and doing your works;\nrevealing the truth of who you are.\nHe was crucified\,\nbut you raised him to glory by your life-giving power.\nHaving secured our adoption as your children\nand commissioned us to continue his works\,\nhe poured out your Holy Spirit on us\,\nsetting our hearts ablaze with a passion for peace\,\nand firing our tongues with everlasting songs of joy. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for pouring out your Spirit upon us\,\narousing us with visions and dreams\nand intoxicating us with an uncontainable fervour\nto proclaim your truth in the language of praise. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nThanks and praise erupt from our lips\, O Lord\,\nfor you pour your Spirit upon us\,\narousing us with visions and dreams\nand intoxicating us with an uncontainable fervour\nto proclaim your truth in the language of praise. \nYou sent forth your Spirit to create the universe\,\nand fill it with your wonders.\nYou breathed into us and we rose from the dust\,\nthe face of the earth came alive. \nIn these last days your child\, Jesus Christ\,\ncame speaking your words and doing your works;\nrevealing the truth of who you are.\nHe was crucified\,\nbut you raised him to glory by your life-giving power.\nHaving secured our adoption as your children\nand commissioned us to continue his works\,\nhe poured out your Holy Spirit on us\,\nsetting our hearts ablaze with a passion for peace\,\nand firing our tongues with everlasting songs of joy. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Do not let your hearts be troubled\,\nfor everyone who calls out to the Lord will be saved.\nYou have been adopted as children of God\nand the Holy Spirit lives with you and in you. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now in the power of the Holy Spirit.\nLove Christ and do the things he has done.\nDream dreams\, pursue visions\nand speak of God’s wonders\nin the words of those who would hear. \nAnd may God give you the Spirit of Truth forever;\nMay Christ Jesus work for you as you work for him;\nand may the Holy Spirit bear witness within you\nto the love and peace that are yours in Christ. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nBreaking through old divisionsA sermon on Acts 2: 1-21\, John 14: 8-17\,25-27 & Genesis 11: 1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nResurrection Break-throughA sermon on John 14:8-17\,25-27; Romans 8:14-17 & Acts 2:1-21 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Invitation of the Pentecost MiraclesA sermon on Acts 2:1-21 by Andrew Woff\n\n\n\nA Gold Logie PentecostA sermon on Acts 2:1-21 & Genesis 11:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLanguages of ReconciliationA sermon on Acts 2:1-21 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nPentecost: Gifted and SentA sermon on Acts 2: 1-21 by Gilbert Joyce\n\n\n\nThe Language of a New HumanityA sermon on Genesis 11:1-9 & Acts 2:1-21 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nUnderstanding the Language of PentecostA Sermon for the Feast of Pentecost by Lina Toth (Andronoviene)\n\n\n\nHoly Spirit ReflectionsA Sermon for the Feast of Pentecost by Amelia Koh-Butler\n\n\n\nMuch Needed Miracles of CommunicationA sermon on Acts 2: 1-21 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c40/2028-06-04/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/40.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR