BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//LaughingBird - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH 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:20300406T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20301005T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20310405T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20311004T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20320403T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20321002T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20330402T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20331001T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20340401T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20340930T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20350331T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20351006T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20360405T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20361004T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20370404T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20371003T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20380403T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20381002T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20390402T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20391001T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20400331T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20401006T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20410406T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20411005T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20420405T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20421004T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20430404T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20431003T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20440402T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20441001T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20450401T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20450930T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20460331T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20461006T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20470406T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20471005T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20480404T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20481003T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20490403T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20491002T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20500402T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20501001T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20510401T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20510930T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20520406T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20521005T160000 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20311221T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20311221T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075651 CREATED:20230115T232108Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260118T100731Z UID:10002994-1955577600-1955663999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:4th Sunday of Advent - Year A 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 7: 10-16 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD sent word to King Ahaz of Judah\, saying: \nI\, the LORD your God\, will give you a sign so that you can be sure that it is really me who is sending you this promise of safety. What sign do you want? Something dramatic\, deep the earth or high in the sky? You name it\, and I’ll do it. \nBut Ahaz refused\, saying\, “I will ask no such thing. Far be it from me to demand guarantees from the LORD.” So Isaiah the prophet spoke on behalf of the LORD\, saying: \nThen get this into your head\, you who rule from David’s throne. Haven’t you made enough people sick and tired of your weak-as-water religious posturing? Do you have to try it on with God as well?! Well\, the Lord is going to go ahead and give you a sign anyway. Check this out: there is a girl who is pregnant. She will give birth to a baby boy and he will be given the name Emmanuel\, which means ‘God is with us.’ Before he is old enough to choose between right and wrong\, he will be eating foods that you can’t even get hold of in the present crisis. Yes\, even before he is old enough to take responsibility for his own behaviour\, the threat of war will have passed. The two countries whose armies are terrorising you will have disappeared without a trace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 80: 1-7\, 17-19 \n \n\n \n \n \n God\, you are the one who watches over your people\nlike a lifeguard supervising a dangerous beach\,\nwatching from a high seat\, like a king enthroned.\nListen to our prayer and clearly flag the boundaries\,\nso that your tribes will no longer get out of their depth. \nUp and at it\, God!\nCome equipped to rescue us.\nCome and smile on us again\, God;\nsave us and revive us with your kiss of life. \nLORD God\, you rule over everything;\nhow much longer will you keep us in the sin bin\,\nturning away in anger when we pray? \nYou reduced our rations to tears alone;\ntears by the plate full\, tears by the cup full.\nYou made us the laughing stock of our enemies\nand even our neighbours turn up their noses. \nCome and smile on us again\, God;\nsave us and revive us with your kiss of life. \nTake our side again\, your wayward favourite child\,\nthe one you raised by hand to be your own.\nWe will never go off the rails again;\nsave us now and your name will be on our lips forever. \nLORD God\, you rule over everything;\nCome and smile on us again;\nsave us and revive us with your kiss of life. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 1: 1-7 \n \n\n \n \n \n This letter comes to you from me\, Paul\, a labourer in the service of Jesus Christ. I was called to be one of his special ambassadors and assigned to the task of broadcasting the wonderful message of God’s love in Christ. This message did not come out of the blue; you only have to read the writings of the prophets in the sacred scriptures to know that God had been promising it for some time. The message centres on God’s Son who was born into a family of King David’s descendants — a weak human like us — and who was declared to be the Son of God by being raised from the dead to new life — a powerful Spirit like the Holy One. I speak of course\, of Jesus\, the Messiah and our Lord. It is through him that we have come to be on the receiving end of God’s extravagant generosity. It is also through him that we have been made ambassadors with the special assignment of bringing the outsiders into a new relationship with God based on trust and obedience. Jesus the Christ gets all the credit for this\, and you\, of course\, were among those who have responded to the call to hand yourselves over to him in this way. \nSo this letter comes to you — God’s much loved people in the city of Rome — who have been called to dedicate yourselves wholly and solely to God. \nI greet you as God’s own children and wish you all the best — God’s love and peace given through the Lord Jesus the Messiah. \n©2004 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 1: 18-25 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story surrounding the birth of Jesus the Messiah. His mother\, Mary\, was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph who was a descendant of King David. But before they had lived together\, Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant. It was the Holy Spirit who had made her pregnant\, but Joseph didn’t know that. Joseph was a staunch ‘respectability and law-and-order’ man\, but he still didn’t want to see Mary publicly disgraced\, so he made plans to break off the engagement on the quiet. But just when he had sorted this out in his head\, a messenger from the Lord spoke to him in a dream saying:\n“Joseph\, hold your nerve and go ahead and get married to Mary\, because the child in her womb was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a baby boy and you are to treat him as your own. Give him the name Jesus\, because he will live up to its meaning by saving his people from their toxic ways.” \nAs these events took place\, they shed new light on the words that the Lord had spoken through the prophet: \n“Check this out:\na virgin will fall pregnant and give birth to a son\,\nand people will speak of him as Emmanuel.” \n‘Emmanuel’ is a Hebrew name meaning ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph woke up after his dream\, he followed the instructions from the Lord’s messenger to the letter. He went ahead and married Mary\, but they remained celibate until after the baby was born. As instructed\, Joseph named the boy Jesus. \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 rest your hand upon us\,\ncalling us to be your holy saints and giving us life again. \nBefore time began\, your Holy Spirit brooded over the chaos\nand brought the earth and its inhabitants to birth.\nThrough your prophets speaking in the holy scriptures\nyou promised us a child\nborn as a sign of your saving presence with us. \nYour promise has taken flesh in your child\, Jesus the Christ\,\nwho was born of the line of David.\nWhen he was killed by your enemies\,\nyour Spirit brought him forth again\nby resurrection from the dead.\nThrough him the light of your presence has been restored\nand we have been called into the obedience of faith\nthat we might belong to Jesus Christ forever\,\nliving by the hope conceived in us by the Holy Spirit. \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 give you thanks that through Christ\nthe light of your presence has been restored\nand we have been called into the obedience of faith\nthat we might live by the hope conceived in us by the Holy Spirit. \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 rest your hand upon us\,\ncalling us to be your holy saints and giving us life again. \nBefore time began\, your Holy Spirit brooded over the chaos\nand brought the earth and its inhabitants to birth.\nThrough your prophets speaking in the holy scriptures\nyou promised us a child\nborn as a sign of your saving presence with us. \nYour promise has taken flesh in your child\, Jesus the Christ\,\nwho was born of the line of David.\nWhen he was killed by your enemies\,\nyour Spirit brought him forth again\nby resurrection from the dead.\nThrough him the light of your presence has been restored\nand we have been called into the obedience of faith\nthat we might belong to Jesus Christ forever\,\nliving by the hope conceived in us by the Holy Spirit. \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 Through Jesus Christ we have received grace:\nthe light of God’s presence is restored to us\nand we are saved. \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 live by the hope conceived within you.\nRefuse evil and choose good.\nCall on the name of the Lord.\nWalk with God in faithful obedience\,\nand do not fear public disgrace. \nAnd may God be with you;\nMay Christ Jesus save you from your sins;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit restore to you the light of God’s presence. \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\nSpeaking of pregnant virgins\, did you hear the one…A drama/sermon on Matthew 1: 18-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat are you really made of?A sermon on Matthew 1: 18-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nExpect the UnexpectedA sermon on Romans 1:1-7 & Matthew 1: 18-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nTarnished GoodsA sermon on Matthew 1: 18-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod’s Suspect Sexual HistoryA sermon on Matthew 1: 18-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat if it was God?A sermon on Matthew 1: 18-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhy the Virgin Birth is not the Biggest ShockA sermon on Matthew 1: 18-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBlood on the sand and God with usA sermon on by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a04/2031-12-21/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Advent4.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20311228T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20311228T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075651 CREATED:20230122T100834Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260125T004515Z UID:10002996-1956182400-1956268799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:1st Sunday of Christmas - Year A 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 63: 7-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n I will set out the evidence of the LORD’s extravagant generosity;\nthe things that the LORD has done\, all deserving applause.\nThe LORD has done so much for us\,\nsmiled upon us and been good to us.\nOverflowing with love and loyalty\,\nour God has treated us far better than we deserve. \nEvery time we were in trouble\,\nthe LORD felt our pain and rescued us.\nThe LORD said of us:\n“These are my people for sure\, my own children\,\nwho would never do me wrong.” \nThe task of helping us out was not given to someone else;\nthe LORD was with us in person to rescue us.\nMotivated solely by love and compassion\,\nGod put our lives back together.\nGathering us up in loving arms\,\nour God carried us down through the years. \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 Hebrews 2: 10-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n Everything exists for God and because of God\, and God set out to gather everyone into one family on the road to glory. It was only right that the one who God chose as the trail blazer to lead people out of danger should first earn a perfect 10 in the same arena of suffering as them. You see\, the one who sets the pattern for holy living and the ones who are patterned by it are all children of the one God\, born through the same labour pains. That explains why Jesus has no hesitation in calling them his sisters and brothers. He says to God: \n“I will tell these\, my sisters and brothers\, all I know of you.\nWhenever they gather\, I’ll be there\, trumpeting your virtues.” \nAgain he puts himself in the same boat as us when he says: \n“I too live by putting my trust in God.” \nAnd yet again: \n“I take my stand here with the children God has given me.” \nSo it makes sense that for Jesus to share so fully in the life experience of the children\, he had to be of the same flesh and blood as them. It was only in the same flesh and blood that he could go through the same death; and it was in going through death that he destroyed the devil who wields death as his ultimate weapon. That is how he broke open an escape route for those whose fear of death robbed them of their freedom to live. Now it is quite clear that he wasn’t doing this for the benefit of the angels. Rather it was for us human beings\, who follow in the footsteps of Abraham\, and so he had to become one of us in every respect. Only by being totally identified with us could he have the necessary compassion and loyalty to be the high priest who offers the costly gift to God to cancel out all we have done wrong. Because he himself has survived the worst that life can dish out without giving up\, he is now ideally placed to help out those whose limits are being being put to the test. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 2: 13-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n The visit of the mystics from the east had tipped off King Herod about the birth of a potential rival. Before it was too late\, a messenger from the Lord made contact with Joseph in a dream and said\, “Get out of bed\, pack up the family\, and get out of town\, because Herod is about to send out a death squad to hunt down the child. Seek asylum in Egypt and stay there until I say otherwise.” \nSo Joseph hurriedly prepared the child and his mother for the journey. They made their getaway under the cover of night and hit the road for Egypt. They lived there until the death of Herod. It was just as the prophet Hosea had written: \n“I\, the Lord\, have called my son out of Egypt.” \nWhen Herod realised that the visiting mystics had pulled a swifty on him\, he went right off his head. Based on what they had said\, he calculated that the child could not yet be two years old\, so he sent out his death squads with orders to kill every child under the age of two in the district of Bethlehem. It was just as the prophet Jeremiah had said: \n“Hear the noise in the land of Ramah;\ngrief-stricken cries and screams;\nRachel weeping inconsolably\,\nwailing for her children\,\nfor they have been wiped out.” \nSome time later\, when Herod died\, a messenger of the Lord once again appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said\, “The coast is clear. Those who were out to get the child are dead. You can pack up and take him and his mother home to Israel.” \nSo Joseph did just that. He packed up the family and set out for Israel. However\, he was unnerved when the news reached him that Archelaus was now king of Judea\, taking over where his father Herod had left off. His fears were confirmed in a dream\, so they pushed on further north to the region of Galilee\, where they made their home in a town called Nazareth. This too was consistent with the words of the prophets: \n“They will call him the man from Nazareth.” \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\,\nbecause of all the good things you have done for us\nin your abundant mercy and steadfast love. \nAll things exist for you and through you\,\nfor you called them forth and fixed them in place.\nYou taught your people through the law and prophets\nand became their saviour in all their distress. \nIn your love and concern for us\,\nyou became present among us in your child\, Jesus.\nThough he was hunted at birth\nand forced to flee as a refugee\,\nhe was made perfect through his sufferings\nso that he might be a merciful high priest\,\nfaithfully reconciling your people to you.\nWhen enemies overtook him\,\nin death he destroyed the power of death\,\nand you raised him to new life\,\nfreeing all those whose lives were held in slavery\nby the fear of death. \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 that in your love and concern for us\,\nyou became present among us in your Son\, Jesus.\nThough he was hunted at birth\nand forced to flee as a refugee\,\nhe was made perfect through his sufferings\nso that he might be a merciful high priest\,\nfaithfully reconciling your people to 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\,\nbecause of all the good things you have done for us\nin your abundant mercy and steadfast love. \nAll things exist for you and through you\,\nfor you called them forth and fixed them in place.\nYou taught your people through the law and prophets\nand became their saviour in all their distress. \nIn your love and concern for us\,\nyou became present among us in your child\, Jesus.\nThough he was hunted at birth\nand forced to flee as a refugee\,\nhe was made perfect through his sufferings\nso that he might be a merciful high priest\,\nfaithfully reconciling your people to you.\nWhen enemies overtook him\,\nin death he destroyed the power of death\,\nand you raised him to new life\,\nfreeing all those whose lives were held in slavery\nby the fear of death. \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 Through his suffering\, Christ has become our high priest\,\noffering sacrifices to God to atone for our sins.\nIt is his presence that saves us\,\nfor in his love and mercy he redeems us\nand lifts us up. \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 give praise for all the Lord has done.\nPut your trust in Christ;\nweep over the world’s grief and suffering\,\nand with Christ\, offer yourselves to God\nfor the healing of the world. \nAnd may God give you strength and glory;\nMay Christ Jesus be proud to call you his brothers and sisters;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lift you up and carry you onward. \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 Refugee LiberatorA sermon on Matthew 2: 13-23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nChristmas and Murdered ChildrenA sermon on Matthew 2: 13-23\, Hebrews 2:10-18 & Isaiah 63:7-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nIs Christmas For Children?A sermon on Matthew 2: 13-23& Hebrews 2:10-18 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Paschal Nativity StoryA sermon on Matthew 2: 13-23 & Hebrews 2: 10-18 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLamentation at ChristmasA sermon on Matthew 2: 16-18 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a06/2031-12-28/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Christmas1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320104T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320104T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20200726T120716Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260201T003939Z UID:10002999-1956787200-1956873599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:2nd Sunday of Christmas 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 Jeremiah 31: 7-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD has to say: \nSing and celebrate with God’s people.\nRaise the shout for the number one nation.\nBroadcast the news and give due credit\,\nfor I\, the LORD\, have come to save my people\,\nthe few who have remained faithful. \nSee\, I am going to bring them home from across the border.\nI will gather them from the ends of the earth.\nI won’t only bring the strong and agile ones\,\nbut the blind and the crippled\,\nthe one’s who are heavily pregnant\nand those with small children clinging to their ankles.\nI will bring them all back here\,\nthe whole mob of them. \nThere will be floods of tears as they return\,\nbut I will reassure them and lead them home.\nI will make sure there are refreshments available along the route\,\nand that the road is clear and easy to follow\,\nfor I have made these people my own children\,\nand I love them as my one and only. \nListen to what I\, the LORD\, have to say\, you nations of the world\,\nand pass it on across the land and over the seas.\nLet everyone know that the one who scattered Israel\nis gathering them back together\nlike a farmer bringing his flocks in to safety. \nYou see; I\, the LORD\, have bailed out my people.\nI freed them when the odds were stacked against them. \nThey will come and gather here at the city heights\nto sing out loud.\nWhen they see what I have prepared for them\,\nthey won’t be able to wipe the smiles off their faces.\nWhat a feast I will spread before them:\nbreads and wines and every delicacy\,\nthe finest meats\, cooked to perfection.\nAnd it will go on forever!\nLike a well watered garden\,\ntheir lives will go on and on flourishing. \nThey will break out into joyous dancing\,\nmen and women\, young and old\, celebrating together.\nI will replace their grief with a thousand reasons to smile.\nI will comfort them\, and turn their tears to laughter. \nAll of them\, priests and people\, will eat their fill\nand be more than satisfied with what I provide.\nI\, the LORD\, have given my word on this. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Sirach 24: 1-12 (alternative 1st reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n Wisdom outlines her own credentials\,\nand tells her people of her glorious deeds. \nIn front of those assembled by the Most High God\, she speaks freely\,\ntelling God’s gathered crowd of her accomplishments. \n“I was breathed into existence by God Most High\,\nand I covered the earth like a rolling mist. \nI lived at large in the skies\,\nand my throne was in the pillar of cloud. \nI covered the entire universe in my travels\,\nfrom the outer reaches of space to the bowels of the earth. \nI held sway over everything on the planet\,\nfrom the waves of the sea to the peoples and nations. \nEverywhere\, I searched for a place where I would be at home.\nWhose land should should I settle down in? \n“Then the One who created everything gave me an order.\nMy Creator told me where to roll out my swag.\nGod said\, ‘Go and settle in the land of Israel.\nThere you will receive what I have prepared for you.’ \nGod created me at the beginning\, before time began\,\nand I will go on forever\, from age to age. \nI served the Creator in the sacred tent of worship\,\nand took my place in the Temple on Mount Zion. \nGod gave me a place to settle in the beloved city.\nYes\, Jerusalem became my home town. \nI put down roots among an honoured people\,\namong the chosen ones who belong to the Lord. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net\n \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 147: 12-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your chosen city gives you all the glory\, LORD;\nthe people sing your praises from your sacred mountain! \nYou a like a wall of safety around the city\,\nand you see that our children grow up healthy and happy. \nYou give us peace in our own land\,\nand good crops to keep us well fed. \nYou give orders to the earth itself\,\nand your word is quickly acted upon. \nWhen you say “Blazing Sun”\, the shadows shrink to nothing;\nwhen you say “Dry”\, the trees wither to brown. \nWhen you say “Heat”\, everything begins to melt;\nwhen you say “Fire”\, it all goes up in smoke. \nWhen you give the word\, everything greens up again;\nyour breath comes like a cool change;\nthe rains return and the creeks flow once more. \nYou broadcast your message to your people\,\nand spell out the standards of justice you want us to live by. \nIt is a privilege to know your ways\,\nfor not everyone has been given such inside information.\nLORD\, we sing your praises! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Wisdom of Solomon 10: 15-21 (alternative canticle) \n \n\n \n \n \n Lord\, your Holy Spirit of Wisdom\nrescued your dedicated and innocent people\nfrom the nation who had oppressed them. \nShe got inside the heart and mind of your servant\, Moses\,\nand enabled him to stand up to a dangerous king\nwith an awesome display of your power. \nShe rewarded the labour of your dedicated people.\nShe guided them along the best route through the wilderness.\nShe sheltered them from the heat of the sun\,\nand lit up the night sky above them. \nShe got them across the Red Sea\,\nleading them safely through the deep waters. \nBut she drowned their enemies\,\nand the sea spewed up their bodies on the shore. \nAnd so\, the people who were in the right\ncarried off the belongings of those in the wrong.\nThey sang songs in your honour\, Lord\,\nsinging your praises as one\,\nnaming you as their defender. \nIndeed\, Wisdom gave voice to the mute\nand the gift of speech to newborn infants\,\nso that all could join in singing your praises. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net\n \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 1: 3-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n Blessed be God! All praise and honour be to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! God has gathered up all the spiritual blessings of heaven and given them to us in our union with Christ. This followed on from decisions that God had made even before laying the foundations of the world. Way back then\, God was anticipating our arrival and laying down plans for us. God was getting ready to immerse us in divine love so that we would emerge ready\, willing and able to dedicate our lives totally to God.\n   God set the wheels in motion for us to be adopted as his own children. This was to be done through Jesus Christ\, because God takes great delight in doing such things through him. God wanted his beloved Son to get all the credit for the boundless love that was being lavished on us. Christ paid the ultimate price\, shedding his own blood in his endeavour to reclaim us for God’s family. Given how often we’d turned our backs on God\, he could easily have given up on us\, but he was so extravagant in his love and reckless in his generosity that he just forgave us for everything and put his life on the line to save us.\n   God\, who can see and understand perfectly what we could never comprehend\, has let us in on the mystery of the divine plan. God took great delight in opening this up and giving us a preview in Christ. This is how it will unfold when the time is right: God will unify all things into one perfect communion in Christ\, reconciling everything\, from the depths of the earth to the farthest reaches of heaven.\n    In Christ we are identified as God’s beneficiaries and our future is secured. God’s plans always find a way\, and right from the word go we have been a part of those plans. This was to ensure that we\, being the first people to throw in our lot with Christ\, would be able to live lives that clearly reflected the wonderful goodness of God. It didn’t stop with us though — you’re in on this too! The message of God’s rescue mission reached you\, and once you realized it was fair dinkum and put your trust in Christ\, you became part of him\, just like us. At that moment your future was signed and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Now you know it will be delivered! Everything planned for God’s people will be yours — a life overflowing with the glory and splendour of God. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 1: (1-9)\, 10-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n At the very start\, there was one who is called the Word.\nThe Word was with God\,\nand the Word was God.\nFrom day one\, God and the Word were inseparable. \nIt was through the Word that everything was created.\nThere is absolutely nothing that doesn’t owe its existence to him. \nIn the Word was life.\nHe is the source of the life\nthat turns on the lights for everyone.\nThe light of his life breaks open the darkness\,\nand the darkness could not snuff it out. \nOnce there was a man on a mission from God;\nhis name was John.\nJohn gave a first-hand report about the light\,\nspelling it out so that everyone could believe.\nHe wasn’t the light\, himself\,\nbut he made it his job to draw everyone’s attention to the light. \nThe real light was on his way into the world;\nthe light that lights up inside of everyone. \nHe was in the world\nbut the world didn’t even notice him\neven though it owed its existence to him. \nHe turned up on his own planet\, among those he created\,\nbut his own people turned their backs on him. \nSome people accepted him\, though\,\nand put their trust in who he said he was\nand what he said he was on about.\nHe gave to those people all they needed\nto become children of God.\nBecoming God’s children had nothing to do\nwith sperm and egg\,\nor three-stage labour;\nthey became God’s children\nwhen they were born of God. \nThe Word\, though\, was born flesh and blood like everyone else.\nHe cast in his lot with us\nand rolled out his swag in our midst.\nWe have seen him in all his glory\,\nlike father\, like son;\nwarm and generous to a fault\,\nsolid and true to the core. \nJohn was blowing his trumpet the minute he turned up:\n“This is the one I was telling you about\,” he said.\n“Second to me only by the clock:\nhe’s way out of my league – always was\, always will be.” \nWe are the beneficiaries of his open-handed love;\nfrom the depths of his being\nthe gifts tumble forth in wild profusion. \nMoses gave us some basic operating instructions\,\nbut it was through Jesus Christ that life broke through\nin all its richness\, passion and integrity. \nNo one has ever found out what God looks like\,\nbut that’s no obstacle to getting to know God.\nThe one who is closest to God’s heart\,\nthe one and only Son\,\nhas put God within reach of us all. \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 freely bestowed your glorious grace on us. \nIn the beginning you brought all things into being\nthrough the Word who was with you\,\nand destined us for adoption as your children\,\nmaking known the mysteries of your will\,\nthrough the law and prophets. \nIn Jesus\, your Word became flesh among us\,\nthat the fullness of your grace and truth\nmight enlighten the world.\nThough he came to what was his own\,\nhis own people did not accept him\,\nbut crucified him.\nYou redeemed him from the strong hands of death\,\nand turned our grieving into joy.\nSo now\, as those you have marked with your Holy Spirit\,\nwe live for the praise of your glory\,\nour lives like a well nourished garden\nand our hearts radiant over your good gifts of bread and wine. \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 glorious grace\, O God\,\nfor through your beloved Son\,\nyou have given us power to become your children\,\nand marked us with the seal of your Holy Spirit\,\nso that we might live for the praise of your glory. \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\, O God\,\nfor you have freely bestowed your glorious grace on us. \nIn the beginning you brought all things into being\nthrough the Word who was with you\,\nand destined us for adoption as your children\,\nmaking known the mysteries of your will\,\nthrough the law and prophets. \nIn Jesus\, your Word became flesh among us\,\nthat the fullness of your grace and truth\nmight enlighten the world.\nThough he came to what was his own\,\nhis own people did not accept him\,\nbut crucified him.\nYou redeemed him from the strong hands of death\,\nand turned our grieving into joy.\nSo now\, as those you have marked with your Holy Spirit\,\nwe live for the praise of your glory\,\nour lives like a well nourished garden\nand our hearts radiant over your good gifts. \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 From the fullness of Christ\nwe have received redemption through his blood.\nOur sins are forgiven\naccording to the riches of his grace lavished upon us. \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 bear witness to the light so others might believe.\nSince you are chosen in Christ\,\n    live before him in love\, holy and blameless.\nLive with hope in Christ\, for the praise of his glory. \nAnd may God fill the earth with peace;\nMay Christ give you grace upon grace from his fullness;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit\, the pledge of your inheritance\,\nlead you on straight paths where you will not stumble. \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\nBecoming FleshA sermon on Ephesians 1:3-14 & John 1:1-18 by  Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhere did he come from?A sermon on John 1: 1-18 by  Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBecoming Flesh\, Becoming GodA sermon on John 1:1-18 & Ephesians 1: 3-14 by  Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Christmas TsunamiA sermon preached in response to the South Asia Tsunami disaster by  Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Baby Who Brings Us HomeA sermon on Jeremiah 31:7-14; Ephesians 1:3-14 & John 1: 1-18 by  Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod gives us a futureA sermon on John 1:1-18 and Jeremiah 31:7-14 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nGod’s economy of salvationA sermon on Jeremiah 31:7-14; Ephesians 1:3-14 & John 1: 1-18 by Jeff Wild URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc09/2032-01-04/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Christmas2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320111T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320111T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20230130T024201Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260208T003640Z UID:10003000-1957392000-1957478399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Baptism of our Lord - Year A 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 42:1-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Lord says: \nLet me introduce to you the one who serves me\,\nthe one I am backing all the way.\nI have chosen him\,\nand I am bursting with pride over him.\nI have given him my spirit in full measure\,\nand he will bring about justice everywhere on earth. \nHe won’t go thrusting himself into the public eye\,\nor grandstanding in the street with pompous speeches.\nHe won’t exploit the vulnerability of damaged people\,\nor squeeze the last drops out of those who are running on empty.\nHe will be completely fair dinkum\nabout making justice a reality. \nHe will not run out of steam or throw in the towel\nuntil his mission is accomplished;\nuntil justice holds sway everywhere on earth\nand the world’s peoples are eager to learn from him. \nI am the one who created the universe\nand stretched out the skies;\nthe one who constructed the earth\nand produced everything that grows from it;\nthe one who breathes life into the world’s people\nand kindles the spark of life within them;\nI am the LORD your God;\nso listen to what I have to say: \nI\, the LORD\, have called you to stand for what is right.\nI have put my arm around you and kept you safe.\nI have made you a shining light for all the earth to see\,\nto draw all people everywhere\ninto a permanent alliance with me.\nI have given you a privileged role\nas the one who enables the blind to see the light;\nthe one who opens the gates of the stifling detention centres\nand welcomes the prisoners into the fresh air of freedom. \nI am the LORD\, that is my name;\nI don’t allow pretenders to cash in on my glory\nor rip off my image to promote their frauds. \nTake note: everything I warned you about has happened on cue.\nNow I am announcing my new projects;\nI’m letting you in on them even before they get started. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 29 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD God\, like your angels in heaven\nwe speak of you in glowing terms\,\nfor your glory and strength deserve rave reviews.\nWe give you a huge rap\, LORD;\nwe put up you name in lights\nand hold a huge ticker tape parade\nbut it still falls short of the worship you deserve. \nYour voice\, LORD\, rings out like thunder;\nresounding over the waters\,\ndrowning out even the waves of the sea.\nYour voice echoes with power;\nit would bring anyone to their knees. \nYour voice\, LORD\, shatters the Ironbark tree\,\nand splinters the Mountain Ash like match sticks.\nYour presence makes Mount Bogong jump like a calf;\nUluru like a rock wallaby. \nYour voice\, LORD\, strikes fire from stone.\nThe sound of your voice convulses the wilderness;\nthe Simpson Desert shudders in labour. \nYour voice\, LORD\, is like a cyclone\,\nhowling through a rainforest\,\nstripping the leaves from the trees. \nWe all gather to worship and cheer with all our might;\nfor you rule forever\, LORD\,\nand neither surging flood\nnor tidal wave can undermine you.\nGive strength to your people\, LORD!\nBless your people with peace! \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 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 Matthew 3: 13-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River. He presented himself to John and asked to be baptised. At first John wouldn’t have a bar of it\, saying\, “You’ve got it all back to front. It is me that needs to be baptised by you.” \nBut Jesus insisted\, saying\, “For now\, it is the right thing to do. Baptise me\, for it is good for us to do everything that God asks of anyone. \nSo John gave in and baptised Jesus. As he came up from the water\, he saw the sky suddenly opening up and the Spirit of God coming down like a diving kookaburra and taking hold of him. And a voice filled the air\, saying\, “You are my Son; the love of my life. You fill me with pride.” \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 in you and through you all righteousness is fulfilled. \nWhen your voice first thundered over the seas\nyou created the heavens and spread out the earth.\nYou breathed the Spirit of life into us\nand called your people to be a light to the nations. \nWhen the time came to declare new things among us\nyou gave us your servant\, Jesus the Christ\,\nyour chosen one in whom you are well pleased.\nYou anointed him with Holy Spirit and with power\nand sent him to open eyes long blind\nand to release those imprisoned in darkness.\nWhen he was put to death\,\nyou raised him on the third day\,\nmaking the earth shudder with the birth pains of new life\,\nand raising with him all those who have died with him\nin the waters of baptism. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2004 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 Jesus Christ\,\nyour chosen in whom you are well pleased\,\nwhom you anointed him with Holy Spirit\nand raised from the dead\,\nmaking the earth shudder with the birth pains of new life\,\nand raising with him all who have died with him\nin the waters of baptism. \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 in you and through you all righteousness is fulfilled. \nWhen your voice first thundered over the seas\nyou created the heavens and spread out the earth.\nYou breathed the Spirit of life into us\nand called your people to be a light to the nations. \nWhen the time came to declare new things among us\nyou gave us your servant\, Jesus the Christ\,\nyour chosen one in whom you are well pleased.\nYou anointed him with Holy Spirit and with power\nand sent him to open eyes long blind\nand to release those imprisoned in darkness.\nWhen he was put to death\,\nyou raised him on the third day\,\nmaking the earth shudder with the birth pains of new life\,\nand raising with him all those who have died with him\nin the waters of baptism. \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©2004 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n All the prophets testify about Jesus Christ\nthat everyone who believes in him\nreceives forgiveness of sins through 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 as a light to the nations.\nHonour the Lord;\npreach what you know of the risen Christ\,\nand fulfil all righteousness. \nAnd may God strengthen you and bless you with peace;\nMay Christ Jesus bring forth justice for you and among you;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit alight on you\nand affirm you as God’s beloved ones. \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\nWhy are we Baptised?A sermon on Matthew 3: 13-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRepenting Like JesusA sermon on Acts 10:34-43 & Matthew 3: 13-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo We Really Want Baptism?A sermon on the Baptism of Jesus by Margie Dahl\n\n\n\nBaptised: for better or for worseA sermon on Matthew 3: 13-17 & Isaiah 42: 1-9 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a11/2032-01-11/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/11.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320118T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320118T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20230206T002508Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260214T233542Z UID:10003001-1957996800-1958083199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:2nd Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A 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 49: 1-7 \n \n\n \n \n \n Everyone\, from coast to coast\, listen up!\nAll you people\, far and near\, don’t miss a word. \nBefore I was born\, the LORD had chosen me.\nWhile I was still in my mother’s womb\nI was given a name and a job. \nI was created to be a surgeon’s knife\,\nrazor sharp in the hand of the LORD;\nready and waiting to slice through any defence\nand cut to the core with a word. \nThe LORD said to me\, “Israel\, you are my servant\,\nthe one who will put my name up in lights.” \nBut I said\, “Then how come every thing I do comes to nothing?\nI’ve worked my guts out but there is nothing to show for it.\nBut I gave it my best shot for you LORD\,\nso you decide whether I’m worth my pay.” \nAnd now the LORD has more to say to me;\nthis God who chose me as a servant before I was born;\nwho gave me the job of bringing home the people of Israel\nfor a great reunion with God.\nIt is a privilege and an honour to do this for the LORD\,\nand God has given me the strength to see it through. \nBut now the LORD says to me\,\n“Getting the people of Israel back on their feet is great\,\nbut it’s a piece of cake for my number one worker.\nNow I’ve got a real challenge for you!\nI want you to help the whole world to see the light!\nI want you to give my saving love a global reach!” \nI\, the LORD\, the one and only\, who puts things right for Israel\,\nhave this to say:\n“You have been treated like dirt.\nkicked around by the nations\,\nand forced to work in chains for their rulers;\nbut let me tell you how it is going to be:\nKings will stand up when you walk in;\nGovernors will snap to attention at your approach.\nYou have my word on this and I can be trusted;\nI am the LORD\, your one and only\, and I have chosen you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 40: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n I hung in there waiting for you\, LORD\,\nand at last you bent down and heard my cry. \nI was in deep trouble\,\nbogged up to my ears and sinking fast\,\nbut you pulled me out.\nYou put me back on solid ground;\ngave me a safe place to stand. \nYou gave me something to sing about\, God;\nI’m singing your praises like I’ve never sung before. \nEveryone will be amazed at the change;\nthey’ll say\, “Only God could have done that!” \nThose who put all their eggs in your basket\nhave got it made\, LORD;\nthose who do not devote themselves to anything less\,\nno matter how popular or persuasive it is. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD God;\nnothing and no one comes within a bull’s roar of you!\nI can’t keep track of all the amazing things you’ve done\nor all the generous plans you’ve made for us.\nI could talk about them till the cows came home\nand still have barely scratched the surface. \nYou are not looking for gifts from us\, LORD;\nnothing we own is any use to you;\nYour generosity and mercy are not for sale;\nbut you have given us ears and asked us to listen. \nSo I am giving you my “Yes!”\nI’ll make your book my own and live by it.\nDoing what pleases you will be my greatest delight\,\nfor you are my God and I’m taking your ways to heart. \nWhen all your people gathered\,\nI spoke up about how you had bailed me out.\nI gave them the full story; I left nothing out;\nyou know this is true\, LORD. \nI have made no secret of the help you gave me;\nI have put it all out in the open.\nI have told everyone how you saved my life\nand how we can trust you completely.\nI have put it all on the public record\nand kept nothing to myself\nabout your rock-solid love or dependability. \nBe my mother forever\, LORD;\nnever running out of tenderness or compassion;\nyour loyalty fierce and your love unshakable;\nprotecting me and keeping me safe. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 1: 1-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, Paul\, was chosen by God and called to be a special ambassador of the Messiah Jesus\, and one of my partners here in this work is Sosthenes. \nWe write to you who gather as God’s church in the city of Corinth — you who are being made whole in union with the Messiah Jesus. You have responded to the call to be God’s own people\, together with everyone everywhere who actively identifies themselves with Jesus the Messiah; our Lord; their Lord; your Lord. \nWe greet you as God’s own children and wish you all the best – God’s love and peace\, given through the Lord Jesus\, the Messiah. \nI am forever thanking my God for you\, especially when I think about what God’s extravagant generosity has brought about in you since you entered into the life of Jesus the Messiah. Since you linked up with him your lives have become so much richer in every way; but most notable is the richness of your knowledge and of the things you have to say. Indeed\, the truth about the Messiah has become more and more strongly a part of who you are\, and of all you have to offer. Now\, it seems\, you are not short of anything. All the spiritual gifts are in action among you as you live in eager expectation of the grand finale when our Lord Jesus the Messiah takes centre stage. God is with you and will make you tough enough to hold the line until the end\, so that you can stand with your heads held high on the great day when our Lord Jesus brings everything to completion. Jesus is the Messiah\, our Lord\, and God’s Son; and it was into his shared life that you were called by God\, who is worthy of all our trust\, and who will never let you down. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 1: 29-42 \n \n\n \n \n \n One day\, while John was preaching and baptising\, he saw Jesus coming towards him. Pointing him out to the people\, he cried out: \n“Here he is; God’s own sacrificial lamb who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I was talking about when I said that after me would come one who is way out of my league because he was ‘number one’ before I was even on the scene. I didn’t know him personally; but I did know that the whole point of my job – baptising people in water – was to get the people of Israel ready for his arrival on centre stage. \n“With my own eyes I saw the Spirit swoop down from the sky like a kookaburra\, settling on him and sticking with him. I would not have known him myself\, but the One who sent me out here to baptise with water told me that when I saw the Spirit swoop down and stick with someone\, that would be the one who baptises with Holy Spirit. That’s what I heard; that’s what I saw; and so that’s what I’ve told you\, under oath: this is the One\, the Son of God.” \nThe next day\, John was back on the job with two of his followers. Seeing Jesus walk past\, he spoke up again\, saying\, “Look! There he is; God’s own sacrificial lamb!” \nHearing this\, his two followers got up and took off after Jesus. When Jesus realised that he was being followed\, he turned around and asked them\, “What are you looking for?” \nThey responded\, “Where do you live\, Rabbi?” (‘Rabbi’ is the Hebrew word for ‘Teacher’). \nJesus replied\, “Come and see for yourselves.” \nSo they went with him and saw where he was staying. Since it was already about four in the afternoon\, they spent the rest of the day with him. One of the two who had followed him after hearing what John said about him\, was a man named Andrew\, the brother of Simon Peter. The first thing he did after spending this time with Jesus was to go and find his brother. He said to Simon\, “We have found the Messiah!” (The Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ means ‘the anointed one’ – the same as the Greek word ‘Christ’). \nHe took Simon to meet Jesus. Jesus took one look at him and said\, “So you are Simon\, the Son of John. Well\, from now on you will become known as Peter\, which means ‘solid rock’.” \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 alone are the Holy One\,\nthe great redeemer of your people. \nFrom the womb of chaos you pulled a newborn earth.\nEven before they were born you called your people by name\nto be a light to the nations\,\nsurrounding them with your maternal love\nand hiding them from danger. \nYou have revealed to us your chosen servant\n— the one in whom you are glorified —\nyour child and our Lord\, Jesus the Messiah.\nWhen he was killed\, you raised him to new life\,\nand through him you have taken away the sin of the world.\nBy your grace\, all who call on his name\nare baptised with your Holy Spirit\nand enriched with every spiritual gift\nas we await the day when his glory\nwill be revealed as the light of salvation to all 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 Son\, Jesus the Messiah\,\nthrough whom you have taken away the sin of the world.\nBy your grace\, all who call on his name\nare baptised with your Holy Spirit\nand enriched with every spiritual gift\nas we await the day when his glory\nwill be revealed as the light of salvation to all nations. \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 the Holy One\,\nthe great redeemer of your people. \nFrom the womb of chaos you pulled a newborn earth.\nEven before they were born you called your people by name\nto be a light to the nations\,\nsurrounding them with your maternal love\nand hiding them from danger. \nYou have revealed to us your chosen servant\n— the one in whom you are glorified —\nyour child and our Lord\, Jesus the Messiah.\nWhen he was killed\, you raised him to new life\,\nand through him you have taken away the sin of the world.\nBy your grace\, all who call on his name\nare baptised with your Holy Spirit\nand enriched with every spiritual gift\nas we await the day when his glory\nwill be revealed as the light of salvation to all 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©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus Christ is the lamb of God\nwho takes away the sin of the world.\nHis grace will strengthen us to the end\nso that we may be blameless\non the day of his glory. \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 celebrate God’s justice.\nTake the Lord’s teachings to heart\nand commit yourselves to pleasing God.\nBoldly declare God’s truth and care\nand let others know that you have found the Messiah. \nAnd may God’s maternal love surround you;\nMay Christ Jesus move you to trust in the Lord;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit enrich you with all spiritual gifts \n    and strengthen you to the end. \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\nI will give you as a light to the nationsA sermon on Isaiah 49. 1-7\, Psalm 40. 1-11 & John 1. 29-42 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nThe promotionA sermon on Isaiah 49. 1-7 by Jude Waldron\n\n\n\nLamb of GodA sermon on John 1. 29-42 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\n“Jesus Christ the Lamb of God”A sermon on John 1. 29-42 by John Fowler\n\n\n\nCome and See Where You BelongA sermon on John 1. 29-42 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCome and See\, Listen and LearnA sermon on Isaiah 49. 1-7\, Psalm 40. 1-11 & John 1. 29-42 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a12/2032-01-18/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/12.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320125T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320125T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20230213T010307Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260222T125622Z UID:10003002-1958601600-1958687999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:3rd Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A 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 9: 1-4 \n \n\n \n \n \n The day is coming when those who were in agony will be free of all suffering. The territories of Zebulun and Naphtali have long been regarded with contempt\, but in the future everyone will want to be there. The land from the Mediterranean to the other side of the Jordan will be the most sought after real estate. That will even be true of Galilee where the foreigners live. \nThe people who lived in a dark cloud of gloom\nhave seen a great light break through;\nthose in the blackest hell-holes\nhave seen their whole world light up. \nLORD\, you have built up the nation\,\nand given them every reason to celebrate.\nThe people revel in it all\,\nlike farmers when a drought breaks;\nlike children opening presents. \nFinally they are out from under the thumb\nof those who oppressed them.\nYou have broken their chains\nand run the slave drivers out of town\,\njust as you did in days long ago. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 27: 1\, 4-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your light leads me to safety\, LORD;\nI’ve got nothing to fear.\nYou shelter me like a fortress\, LORD;\nI’m afraid of no one! \nOnly one thing I ask of you\, LORD\,\nthe one thing that really matters:\nlet me live out the whole of my life\nright here in your presence;\nlet me lose myself in your beauty\,\nand abandon myself to prayer. \nLet me hide here in safety with you\,\nwhen trouble gets too much;\nYou are as secure as a bomb shelter\,\na protected place to rest and recover. \nYou have lifted me beyond the reach\nof those who wanted to tear me down\,\nso I am here to express my thanks\,\nto offer you whatever I can give;\nto sing your praises till I raise the roof\,\nto put on a concert in your honour. \nDon’t ever stop being generous\, LORD;\nhear me and answer me when I call for help! \nMy heart tells me to search for you.\nPlease don’t stay hidden from me.\nMy desire is to know you\, face to face. \nDon’t slam the door on me in anger;\nHelp me again and I’ll go on serving you.\nDon’t give up on me now\,\ndon’t turn your back on me;\nYou alone can save me\, God! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 1: 10-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n Sisters and brothers\, let me give this to you straight\, on the authority of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Get your act together and start working as a united team instead of breaking up into rival factions. Get your heads together and forge a common life around the shared vision and purpose. I’ve been hearing reports on the grapevine that you are all at each other’s throats! Chloe’s people have filled me in on the details about how you have been dividing up over your allegiance to various Christian leaders. Some of you make a big deal about being on side with me. Others jump up and down about belonging to Apollos. Others claim Peter. And still others try to trump you all by claiming they answer to no one but the Messiah himself. What is this?! Has the Messiah been carved up so that you can belong to just one bit or another? Was I\, Paul\, crucified for you? Were you baptised in my name? I didn’t baptise any of you except Crispus and Gaius\, and the way you are carrying on\, I thank God I didn’t. At least none of you can go claiming to have been baptised in my name! Come to think of it\, I did baptise Stephanas and his tribe\, didn’t I? But so far as I can remember I didn’t baptise anybody else. You see\, the Messiah did not send me to rack up the baptism stats\, but to broadcast his message. And he didn’t send me to turn his message into some highfalutin philosophy either. The Messiah’s cross is such a powerful statement; it certainly doesn’t need me or anybody else reducing it to a flaccid flow of fancy words. The message about the cross sounds like a lot of mindless cock-and-bull to those who have thrown their lot in with this present world order and are going down with the ship. But to those of us who are being saved from that\, it is nothing less than the power of God! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 4: 12-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n When Jesus heard that John the baptiser had been locked up\, he shot through\, back to Galilee. Rather than settle back in Nazareth where he had grown up\, he made his home in Capernaum\, a coastal town at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. This shed new light on what the prophet Isaiah had said: \nLand of Zebulun\, land of Naphtali\,\non the other side of the Jordan\,\non the road to the sea;\nGalilee where the foreigners live. \nThe people who lived in a dark cloud of gloom\nhave seen a great light break through.\nThose in the blackest hell-hole\nhave seen their whole world light up. \nFrom then on Jesus got stuck into preaching. This was the guts of his message: \n“Turn your lives around!\nThe culture of heaven is close at hand.” \nOne day\, as he was walking along the beach at Lake Galilee\, he came across two brothers: Simon\, who is known as Peter\, and Andrew his brother. They were setting nets in the water\, because they made their living from fishing. Jesus called to them and said\, “Come with me\, and I’ll have you bringing in people\, not fish.” \nRight then and there\, they gave the fishing away and followed Jesus. \nAs he moved on\, he came across another pair of brothers: James and John\, the sons of Zebedee. They were on board their boat with their father\, repairing their fishing tackle. Jesus called them\, and straight away they left the boat and their old man and set off with Jesus. \nJesus toured all around Galilee\, making speeches in the synagogues and spreading the good news about God’s reign. He also healed people of every kind of sickness and chronic disorder. \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\,\nand to bring to you a joyful sacrifice\,\nan offering of prayer in your temple. \nAt the dawn of creation\nyou were the light that split open the darkness\nand brought all things into being.\nYou called a people to live in your presence\nand walk in the light of your law and prophets. \nIn Jesus the Christ you have proclaimed to us\nthe good news of the nearness of heaven\nand called us to repent\nand to follow him as disciples.\nHe was killed but you raised him to new life\,\nand although his cross is derided as foolishness\,\nto us who are being saved it is your power at work\,\nbreaking the grip of our oppressors\,\nteaching us your truth\,\nhealing our sicknesses\,\nincreasing our joy\nand leading us home to your house of prayer. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2005 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 the cross of your son\, Jesus\,\nfor to us who are being saved it is your power at work\,\nteaching us truth\,\nhealing our sicknesses\,\nincreasing our joy\nand leading us home to your house of prayer. \n©1999 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\,\nand to bring to you a joyful sacrifice\,\nan offering of prayer in your temple. \nAt the dawn of creation\nyou were the light that split open the darkness\nand brought all things into being.\nYou called a people to live in your presence\nand walk in the light of your law and prophets. \nIn Jesus the Christ you have proclaimed to us\nthe good news of the nearness of heaven\nand called us to repent\nand to follow him as disciples.\nHe was killed but you raised him to new life\,\nand although his cross is derided as foolishness\,\nto us who are being saved it is your power at work\,\nbreaking the grip of our oppressors\,\nteaching us your truth\,\nhealing our sicknesses\,\nincreasing our joy\nand leading us home to your house of prayer. \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©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n The message of the cross is the power of God\nto us who are being saved.\nThe Lord is our saving light\,\nthere is nothing we need fear. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©1999 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out in response to the voice of God who calls you.\nGo out to proclaim the message of repentance\,\nfor the Kingdom of heaven is near.\nGo out united in purpose\nand do not be afraid when your purpose is called foolishness. \nAnd may God be a sheltering tent above you\n    and a firm rock below;\nMay the foolishness of Christ Jesus be your wisdom;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit be the light\n    that overcomes your darkness and sets you free. \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\nDon’t get too clever about itA sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Way Less TakenA sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nThis Foolishness is our only HopeA sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 & Matthew 4: 12-23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nAnyone for Fishing?A sermon on Matthew 4:12-23; Isaiah 9:1-4 & 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRepent! Change Everything!A sermon on Matthew 4: 12-23 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a13/2032-01-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/13.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320201T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320201T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20230221T002604Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260301T050409Z UID:10003004-1959206400-1959292799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:4th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A 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 Micah 6: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n Open your ears\, for this is what the LORD has to say: \nIf you have got a complaint\, stand up and let it be heard.\nLet the mountains and hills be your witnesses. \nFor I am calling on the mountains to hear my dispute.\nI am calling on the earth itself\nto take my complaint to heart.\nFor I\, the LORD\, have a dispute to settle with my people\,\nand I will have it out with you\, my chosen ones. \nWhen have I ever done the wrong thing by you\, my people?\nWhat have I done to make you sick of me?\nAnswer me that! \nI was the one who got you out of the land where you were slaves;\nbroke you free and put you back where you belonged.\nI was the one who provided you with good leaders:\nMoses\, Aaron\, and Miriam. \nAnd don’t forget\nhow King Balak of Moab conspired to curse you\,\nand how it backfired on him\nwhen he gave the job to Balaam.\nAnd don’t forget\, my people\,\nhow you got from one side of the great river to the other.\nKeep in mind all that I\, the LORD\, have done;\nall the actions I have taken to get you to safety. \nHaving been reminded of all this\,\nhow can we express our thanks to the LORD?\nIs there anything we could ever give\nthat would be worthy of our God? \nShould we offer our most treasured possessions\nas a sacrifice on God’s altar?\nWould the LORD like us to sacrifice a year’s wages\,\nor even hand over everything we own?\nShould we sacrifice our children to pay the price;\nour own flesh and blood for the sin deep within us? \nCome on people! God has told us what is good.\nWe know what the LORD wants from us: \nTo make sure everybody gets a fair go;\nTo be passionate about caring for others;\nAnd to stay on track with God without getting full of ourselves. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 15 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, who is welcome at your table?\nWho can stay in the place you call your own? \nYou have given us the answer\, LORD.\nIt is those who walk with integrity\nand do the right thing;\nthose who speak the honest truth\nand do not use their words to wound;\nthose who do not exploit their friends\nor put down their neighbours.\nIt is those who hate corruption\nand look up to those who honour you\, LORD;\nthose who give their word\nand stand by it even if it costs them;\nthose who lend freely\, without seeking a profit\,\nand cannot be bribed into shafting the innocent. \nYou honour such people\, LORD\,\nand anchor them on unshakable ground. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31 \n \n\n \n \n \n The message about the cross sounds like a lot of mindless cock-and-bull to those who have thrown their lot in with this present world order and are going down with the ship. But to those of us who are being saved from that\, it is nothing less than the power of God! God spoke about this in the Scriptures: \n“I will expose the brilliant insights of your experts\nand the wise counsel of your gurus;\nI will expose them for what they really are\,\na load of codswallop!” \nSo where are the intellectuals now? Where are the religious experts? Where are those who have an answer for everything? What have they got to show for all their cleverness now that God has turned all the conventional wisdom on its head and made it look foolish? Seeing that no amount of human cleverness had ever woken anybody up to God’s ways\, God made the wise decision to use something that seemed utterly foolish to everyone — our preaching! — to rescue those who would trust the message. Most people want something more than this. Those with a religious world view demand to see miraculous signs to prove that it is from God. Those with a modern rational world view insist that it should have to prove its intellectual credibility. But what we are preaching is a Messiah who was strung up and killed. The religious people find this unthinkable\, and the intellectuals regard it as primitive nonsense; but to those who have heard the call of God\, whatever their background\, it is the ultimate good news of God’s chosen one — as miraculous and profound as one could ever wish for! When it’s all said and done\, the sum total of the human race’s intellectual achievements don’t even begin to stack up against the foolishness of God; and the combined force of all the world’s powers is puny in comparison to the weakness of God. \nSisters and brothers\, you don’t have to look any further than your own experience of God’s call to see the truth of this. Not many of you were academic hot-shots. Not many of you were movers and shakers in the corridors of power. Not many of you were feted as celebrities. But God chose you! God chose those who were dismissed as fools to expose the bankruptcy of the world’s accepted wisdom. God chose those who were weak and vulnerable in the world to show up the corruption of those who wield power. God consistently chooses what is despised as the dregs by the world\, things which are seen as worthless\, to expose the worthlessness of things which are seen as being ‘it and a bit’. Because of this\, no one who is accepted into God’s presence has any grounds for blowing their own trumpet. God and God alone is the source of the life you share in union with the Messiah\, Jesus. It is only in Jesus that we have been able to tap into God’s wisdom. And it is only in Jesus that our lives have been put back on track\, given a clean bill of health\, and set on the path to wholeness. For this reason\, the scriptures make sense to us when they say: \n“If you are going to blow your trumpet about something\,\nblow it about the Lord!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 5: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus found himself increasingly surrounded by crowds of people\, so one day he headed off up the mountain. He sat down up there and his committed followers gathered around to hear what he had to say. This is what he taught them: \n“Those who depend entirely on God for their welfare\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they are already at home in the culture of heaven. \n“Those who are stricken with grief\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will receive the ultimate comfort. \n“Those who allow others to have first claim on everything\nhave got it made\,\nbecause the whole world will be given to them. \n“Those who hunger and thirst to see the world put right\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will be richly satisfied. \n“Those who readily treat others better than they deserve\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will be treated with extravagant mercy. \n“Those whose hearts are unpolluted\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will see God. \n“Those who forge peace and reconciliation in places of hostility\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will be known as God’s own children. \n“Those who are attacked and abused for sticking to what is right\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they are already at home in the culture of heaven. \n“When people turn on you\nand do all they can to make your life a misery;\nwhen they make false allegations about you\nand drag your name through the mud\,\nall because of your association with me\,\nyou have really got it made!\nKick up your heels and party\,\nbecause heaven is coming\nand you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams!\nYou are in great company\,\nbecause they were just as vicious\nto God’s faithful messengers in the past. \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 always shown us\nwhat is good and what you require of us. \nYou laid the foundations of the earth\,\nand the mountains and hills witness to your justice.\nYou redeemed your people from the house of slavery\nand called us to remember your saving acts\,\nthat we might know your ways\nand live our lives in justice\, kindness and humility. \nWhen our own wisdom and discernment\nfailed to bring us near to you\,\nyou chose what was foolish\, weak and despised in our eyes\nto break the grip of human wisdom and strength:\nChrist Jesus our Lord\,\nand him crucified.\nRaised to new life\,\nhe has made known to us what the wise never guessed\,\nthat you honour not what the world seeks\nbut those who walk with you the way of the cross. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2005 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 you thanks that through what was foolish\, weak and despised\n— Christ Jesus our Lord\, and him crucified —\nyou broke the grip of human wisdom and strength\,\nhonouring not what the world seeks\nbut those who walk with you the way of the cross. \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\, O God\,\nfor you have always shown us\nwhat is good and what you require of us. \nYou laid the foundations of the earth\,\nand the mountains and hills witness to your justice.\nYou redeemed your people from the house of slavery\nand called us to remember your saving acts\,\nthat we might know your ways\nand live our lives in justice\, kindness and humility. \nWhen our own wisdom and discernment\nfailed to bring us near to you\,\nyou chose what was foolish\, weak and despised in our eyes\nto break the grip of human wisdom and strength:\nChrist Jesus our Lord\,\nand him crucified.\nRaised to new life\,\nhe has made known to us what the wise never guessed\,\nthat you honour not what the world seeks\nbut those who walk with you the way of the cross. \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©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n God decided\, through a message considered foolish\,\nto save those who believe.\nThrough our life in Christ Jesus\,\nwe have been put right with God\,\nand set free to be God’s holy people. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 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.\nWalk with integrity.\nDo only what is right.\nSpeak the truth with courage. \nAnd may God reward your mercy with divine mercy;\nMay Christ Jesus allow you to see God;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you into righteousness and peace\n    and fill you with all the blessings of God’s children. \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\nTrusting a stupid weak failureA sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGodly Living – Why Bother?A sermon on Micah 6: 1-8; Psalm 15; Matthew 5: 1-12 & 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBlessed are those with lots to learnA sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 & 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Be-Jesus-like AttitudesA sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBloody SacrificesA sermon on Micah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 & Matthew 5:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRe-imagining the Kingdom in the time of Global TraumaA sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 by Francesca Nuzzolese\n\n\n\nBlessed and BlessingA sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a14/2032-02-01/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/14.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320208T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320208T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20210616T090325Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260315T042210Z UID:10003008-1959811200-1959897599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Transfiguration Sunday (Last Sunday before Lent) - Year A DESCRIPTION:Churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday may prefer to use the resources for the 6th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent. \n\n\n\nBelow you will find the Bible readings set for Transfiguration Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \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 24: 12-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Moses\, “Come up onto the mountain and wait for me there; and I will give you the two slabs of stone on which I have written the instructions for how my people are to live.” \nSo Moses and his right-hand-man\, Joshua\, set out for the mountain to meet with God. Before going up the mountain\, Moses called together the tribal leaders and said\, “Stay put here until we get back. I’m leaving Aaron and Hur in charge. You can ask them to sort out any problems that occur while we are away.” \nThen Moses began his climb up Mount Sinai\, and cloud engulfed the mountain. The mountain top lit up with the glorious presence of the LORD. To the Israelite people watching from below\, it looked like a raging bushfire and the whole mountain was engulfed in thick cloud for six days. On the seventh day\, the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. Moses went into the cloud and right up onto the top of the mountain. He stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 2 \n \n\n \n \n \n Why do the nations conspire against you\, LORD?\nWhy do the peoples plot rebellion? \nWhy do the world’s power brokers thump their chests\,\nand the war lords put their heads together\,\nplotting against you and your chosen one? \nThey say:\n“Let us join forces to sever ties with God.\nLet’s throw off these chains and declare our independence.” \nYou must be laughing as you sit high above\, LORD.\nThey must look like a pathetic joke to you. \nYou will vent your terrifying anger on them\,\nand give them a piece of your mind\, saying\,\n“I\, the LORD\, have put my king on the throne\non Zion\, my sacred mountain.” \nWe know well what you promised\, LORD.\nYou said to your chosen one:\n“You are my son;\ntoday I have brought you forth.” \nYou give to your chosen one whatever he asks;\nnations\, land and sea\, the earth itself. \nThey are all his to do with as he sees fit;\nhe can smash them to pieces if he so desires. \nSo the power brokers would be well advised to serve you\, LORD;\nthe rulers would do well to heed the warning\nand kiss your feet with fear and trembling. \nIf they don’t your anger will blaze forth and incinerate them\,\nfor you easily lose your temper with corrupt leaders. \nBut those who trust you for shelter\, LORD\,\nwill always be glad they did. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 99 \n \n\n \n \n \n You\, LORD\, rule over everything!\nEnthroned in glory\, surrounded by awesome creatures\,\nyour presence sends shivers down our spines\nand makes even the earth tremble and quake! \nLORD\, your greatness is celebrated in Zion\,\nand in every nation you are number one.\nAt the mere mention of your name\,\npeople everywhere burst into praise\,\nfor your greatness and holiness are awesome! \nRuling in strength; loving justice with a passion;\nyou have seen to it that everyone gets a fair go.\nYou have laid down the law\nso that your people will do what is right. \nWe fall at your feet and sing your praises\, O LORD our God\,\nfor your greatness and holiness are awesome! \nMoses and Aaron served you as priests\,\nSamuel was another who reached out to you.\nThey cried out to you on the world’s behalf\,\nand from the awesome cloud you answered them. \nThey stuck to what you had told them\, LORD\,\nand did whatever you asked of them.\nWhen they did wrong you set them straight\,\nin no uncertain terms;\nbut you forgave them\, LORD\,\nand never failed to answer them. \nWe sing your praises\, O LORD our God.\nWe climb your holy mountain to worship you\,\nfor your greatness and holiness are awesome! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Peter 1: 16-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we filled you in on the power of our Lord Jesus\, the Messiah\, and his approaching return\, were not simply digging up a masterful old bit of story telling. We know what we were talking about because we had been given a sneak preview of his true grandeur. God\, the conceiver of everything\, decked Jesus out in honour and glory. We witnessed this ourselves while we were with him on the sacred mountain. With our own ears we heard God’s voice\, booming out majestically to him from heaven\, saying\, ““This is my Son who I love greatly and who fills me with pride.” \nSo we have been left in no doubt about the truth of what God’s prophets have said about him. Take my advice and pay attention to what they said\, because their message is a much-needed source of light in the darkness that you must endure until the new day breaks and the morning star rises in your hearts. But what you must first get clear in your heads is that the prophetic messages in the scriptures are not just the private opinions of those who wrote them down. The prophetic messages that have been passed down to us were not born of someone’s wishful thinking. Rather\, the Holy Spirit fired up men and women to speak on God’s behalf. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 17: 1-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus took Peter and the brothers\, James and John\, and led them off up a high mountain. Before their very eyes\, the way Jesus looked was suddenly changed from the inside out. His face shone like the sun and his clothing became so white it was dazzling. And\, lo and behold\, they saw Moses and Elijah there too\, in deep conversation with Jesus. \nPeter said\, “Lord\, this is fantastic! What a moment! If you like\, I will knock up three huts\, so that you\, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” \nEven before he finished getting the words out\, a dazzling cloud engulfed them all. Deep within the cloud\, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son\, the love of my life\, who fills me with pride. Listen to him!” \nWhen Peter\, James and John heard this\, they hit the deck\, dumbfounded. But Jesus came and tapped them on the shoulders and said\, “Up you get! There’s nothing to be afraid of!” \nAnd when they looked up\, everything looked normal again and they saw no one there but Jesus. \nAs they were coming back down the mountain\, Jesus swore them to secrecy\, saying\, “Don’t breathe a word to anyone about what you’ve seen until the New Human has been raised from the dead.” \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 your transfiguring light has overcome us\nand is restoring within us the image of your glory. \nAt the dawn of time your glory overcame the chaos\nand gave birth to the earth and heavens.\nOn the fiery mountain you gave the law to Moses\,\nand through men and women moved by your Holy Spirit\nyou gave us your word to lighten up the dark places. \nIn the timeless presence of Moses and Elijah\nyou transfigured your anointed one\, Jesus\,\nallowing his terrified followers to witness his majesty\nand hear your voice from the awesome cloud.\nPowerful leaders plotted against him\nand killed him\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\,\ndeclaring him again to be your beloved Son.\nCalling us now to listen to him\nyou send us forth to share your transfiguring love with all. \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 thank you for the glory of your anointed one\, Jesus\,\nwhich was witnessed by his terrified followers in the awesome cloud\,\nand is now restoring within us the image of your glory\nand sending us forth to share your transfiguring love with all. \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\, O God\,\nfor your transfiguring light has overcome us\nand is restoring within us the image of your glory. \nAt the dawn of time your glory overcame the chaos\nand gave birth to the earth and heavens.\nOn the fiery mountain you gave the law to Moses\,\nand through men and women moved by your Holy Spirit\nyou gave us your word to lighten up the dark places. \nIn the timeless presence of Moses and Elijah\nyou transfigured your anointed one\, Jesus\,\nallowing his terrified followers to witness his majesty\nand hear your voice from the awesome cloud.\nPowerful leaders plotted against him\nand killed him\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\,\ndeclaring him again to be your beloved Son.\nCalling us now to listen to him\nyou send us forth to share your transfiguring love with all. \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 Though the glory of the Lord is a devouring fire\,\nbefore which we tremble in awe\,\nJesus comes to us\,\ntouching us with mercy\nand saying\, “Get up\, and do not be afraid.” \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and make known the power and coming\nof our Lord Jesus Christ.\nBow at God’s feet\,\nand serve the Lord with joy. \nAnd may God be your shelter;\nMay Christ Jesus take away your fear;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you in truth until the day dawns\nand the morning star rises in your hearts. \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\nAfter the MountainA sermon on 2 Peter 1:16-21 & Matthew 17:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\n Revealing the face of utter human vulnerabilityA sermon on Matthew 17:1-9 by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nFrom Mountain Top to Mountain Top (full version)A sermon on 2 Peter 1:16-21; Exodus 24:12-18 & Matthew 17:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFrom Mountain Top to Mountain Top (abridged version)A sermon on 2 Peter 1:16-21; Exodus 24:12-18 & Matthew 17:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a16/2032-02-08/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/16.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320208T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320208T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20230227T003620Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260309T122459Z UID:10003005-1959811200-1959897599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:5th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A 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 58: 1-9a\, (9b-12) \n \n\n \n \n \n God has told me to shout until you people hear;\nto hammer home the message until it gets through.\nYou are God’s people\, but God feels betrayed by you.\nListen to what God has to say about your sins: \n“Day after day\, you look good:\nyou turn up to worship and pay attention to my teachings.\nYou act like a people who want to do what is right;\nlike a people who want to obey to the letter.\nYou ask me for directions before you do anything\,\nand you seem enthusiastic about getting closer to me. \n“Do you want to know why your religious behaviour turns me off?\nDo you want to know why I ignore your fasting and bowing?\nI’ll tell you why. You put on a great performance of it all\,\nbut then you go straight back to feathering your own nest\nand ripping off your workers in the process. \n“When you fast\, it just makes you irritable and violent;\nand when you behave like that\, I’ll just hang up on you. \n“Do you really think this is what I like to see:\na day of pious misery?\nblack clothes\, long faces and crocodile tears?\ngiving up chocolate and ice-cream?\nDo you think that’s worship?\nDo you think that pleases me?\nGive me a break! \n“Do you want to know what I’d really like to see?\nDismantle the structures of injustice;\ntake your feet off the throats of the poor;\nstop jailing the victims of unfair laws;\nand quit plundering nature’s resources. \n“Do you want to know what else I’d like to see?\nOpen your tables to the hungry;\nopen your hearts and your homes to the refugees;\nopen your wardrobes to those without clothes;\nand don’t go hiding every time you see someone in need. \n“Do that\, and I’ll put your name up in lights!\nDo that and our relationship will be healed in an instant!\nI’ll put you under my personal protection;\nanyone who attacks you will have to deal with me\, the LORD!\nI’ll be on hand to respond whenever you need me;\njust say the word\, and I’ll be there for you. \n“If you abandon all forms of exploitation\,\nand avoid bad-mouthing others to gain an edge;\nif you share what you have with those in need\,\nand respond to the real needs of suffering communities;\nthen you’ll find that the world will light up for you\nand life will be one beautiful day after another. \n“I\, the LORD\, will always be there to guide you;\neven in the grip of drought\,\nI’ll keep you healthy and well fed.\nYou’ll be like an irrigated vineyard with its own deep bore\,\ngreen and lush and full of life! \n“Your ruined houses will be renovated and new;\nyou’ll be able to restore the homes\nthat have been in your families for generations.\nYou’ll get a reputation for making dreams possible\,\nfor enabling everyone to find a good place to live.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 112: 1-9 (10) \n \n\n \n \n \n We are singing your praises\, LORD! \nHow good life is for those who respect you\, LORD\,\nfor those who gladly do what you want them to do. \nTheir children will follow in their footsteps\,\ndoing what’s right and going from strength to strength. \nYou fill their homes with good things\,\nand guarantee their good reputation. \nTheir generosity\, tolerance\, and integrity shine forth in a dark world\,\nlighting up the way for others to follow. \nLORD\, you see that things go well\nfor those who conduct their business fairly\nand lend generously to those in need. \nYou guarantee a firm footing for people of integrity;\ntheir reputation will long outlast them. \nBad news will not break them\,\nfor they have an inner strength grounded in you\, LORD.\nWith their trust in you\, they are calm in a crisis;\nfearless in the fight\,\nand they always end up on top. \nYou will honour their strength\nand make their integrity a lasting legacy\,\nfor they have been open-handed\, especially to the poor. \nAll this throws corrupt people into a snarling rage.\n   Bitterness consumes them\n      as their dreams crumble to nothing. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 2: 1-12\, (13-16) \n \n\n \n \n \n Brothers and sisters in Corinth\, back when I first came your way to announce the mind-boggling truth about God\, I didn’t dress it up in fancy words or philosophical jargon. I wanted to keep it simple and avoid getting sidetracked\, so I emptied my head of everything except the news about Jesus the Messiah and\, in particular\, about him strung up to die. I didn’t cut a very impressive figure among you did I? A sickly little weed\, scared out of my wits and shaking like a leaf. There was nothing in my conversation or my preaching that would have wowed the crowds or had anyone yelling for encores. But that didn’t stop God’s Spirit and power showing themselves. Clearly then\, your trust in Jesus was never based on any human theories\, however profound\, but on your first hand experience of God’s powerful work. \nNow don’t get me wrong: we are happy to talk about deeper stuff with those who are far enough down the track to be ready for it. But even when we do\, it is not the trendy pop-wisdom that is all the rage these days. Nor is it the opinions of those who call the shots on the world stage. They’re on borrowed time anyway. But when it comes to speaking about God’s wisdom\, we are prepared to dig down and explore depths that few ever plumb. There are riches to be discovered there which God laid down for us before the dawn of time. Clearly none of the world’s movers and shakers ever had a clue about this\, because if they had\, they would have known better than to knock off the Lord of glory on that cross. But\, as the prophets noted: \n“Way beyond what anyone has ever seen or heard\,\nor even begun to imagine\,\nlie the things which are being prepared\nfor the people who love God.” \nAnd yet\, God’s Spirit has given us a preview of these very things. There is nothing that the Spirit hasn’t thoroughly explored; not even the deepest depths of God. It is usually true that “it takes one to know one”: only a human being can know what goes on in the human heart\, and only the Spirit of God can truly know what goes on in the heart of God. But that is no longer the whole story for us because instead of just being on the same wavelength as the culture around us\, we have been given the Spirit that comes from God and tunes us in to God\, and so enables us to pick up on what these gifts God is giving us are all about. The books of philosophy and science don’t even give us a language to talk about these things. We can only say anything meaningful about them if we tune into the Spirit\, for the Spirit transmits spiritual truth to those who are spiritually attuned. \nThose who are not spiritually attuned don’t receive any of the gifts that God’s Spirit is offering. They dismiss them as foolish and worthless. They don’t recognise their depth or value because these things can only be picked up on a spiritual wavelength. Those who are spiritually attuned pick up everything\, and yet no one else can get a clear picture of who they are or what they are on about. The prophets asked the question: \n“Does anyone know what God has in mind\,\n   or what God is up to?” \nNow the answer is ‘yes’\, because the Messiah has shared his mind with us. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 5: 13-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus taught his followers\, saying\, “This is how you lot fit into the big picture: you are the salt without which the world would quickly go putrid. But if salt is left sitting around instead of being put to use\, it soon dissolves away or gets contaminated. Then what can you do with it? It is completely useless\, so it just gets chucked out. \n“Or again\, you are the light without which the world would be left in the dark. Your light should be as obvious as a city built on a hill. No one turns on a lamp and then hides it under the bed. They put it out in the open\, front and centre\, so that it can light up the whole room. That is what you should be like. Live your lives openly\, reflecting God brightly\, so that everyone can bask in the light of your integrity and generous love\, and give due credit to God who conceived you in heaven. \n“Don’t go thinking that I’ve given you licence to start ignoring what the Bible says. I’m not getting rid of it. I’m unleashing it to do what it was always intended to do. I kid you not\, until the world as we know it comes to an end and everything is put right\, the Bible will still be necessary\, and not one dot of an “i” or cross of a “t” will be struck out of it. If you start thinking that some of the Bible’s instructions are no big deal\, and start playing fast and loose with them\, and encouraging others to follow suit\, you’ll go straight to the bottom of the class in the culture of heaven. But if you take seriously what they are on about\, and teach others to do likewise\, they’ll have your name up on the honour boards in the culture of heaven. Let me give it to you straight: don’t take your cues from the experts in religious law or the devout Pharisees. Unless your integrity is way out of their league\, you’ll never get within cooee of the culture of heaven. \n©2011 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 your mercy and justice are a light in our darkness\nand your Word outlasts even heaven and earth\nwhich you have created. \nBefore the ages\, your wisdom destined us for glory\nand you have revealed your depths to us through the Spirit.\nWhen we failed in righteousness\nand turned our worship into a mask\nhiding our oppression\, contempt and disregard of others\,\nyou rejected our fasts and prayers\nand sent prophets to denounce our rebellion\nand call us back to your ways. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, and him crucified\,\nwe have seen the light of the world\,\nand found a spring of healing that never fails.\nYou raised him from the dead\,\nand through him\, gave us your Spirit.\nwho has begun the rebuilding of our integrity\non the ancient foundations of justice\, mercy and compassion. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2005 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 that in your Son Jesus\, and him crucified\,\nwe have seen the light of the world and received your Spirit.\nwho has begun the rebuilding of our integrity\non the ancient foundations of justice\, mercy and compassion. \n©2005 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 your mercy and justice are a light in our darkness\nand your Word outlasts even heaven and earth\nwhich you have created. \nBefore the ages\, your wisdom destined us for glory\nand you have revealed your depths to us through the Spirit.\nWhen we failed in righteousness\nand turned our worship into a mask\nhiding our oppression\, contempt and disregard of others\,\nyou rejected our fasts and prayers\nand sent prophets to denounce our rebellion\nand call us back to your ways. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, and him crucified\,\nwe have seen the light of the world\,\nand found a spring of healing that never fails.\nYou raised him from the dead\,\nand through him\, gave us your Spirit.\nwho has begun the rebuilding of our integrity\non the ancient foundations of justice\, mercy and compassion. \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©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Put an end to oppression\, to contempt and to evil talk\,\nand God’s favour will shine on you like the morning sun.\nYour wounds will be quickly healed.\nGod will be with you to save you\,\nand the Spirit’s presence will protect you on every side. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n You are the salt of the earth.\nYou are the light of the world.\nLet your light shine before others\nthat seeing your justice\, mercy and compassion\nthey may give glory to God in heaven. \nAnd may God guide you continually;\nMay Christ Jesus satisfy your needs even in parched places\,\nAnd may the Holy Spirit keep you strong and well\nand make your life as rich as a garden\nwhose springs of living water never fail. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2005 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\nSalt in an open woundA sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat are you good for?A sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 & 1 Corinthians 2: 1-16 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot One Jot or TittleA sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 & Isaiah 58:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Clever EnoughA sermon on 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 & Matthew 5:13-20 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCovenant Salt of the EarthA sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 by Joris Geldhof\n\n\n\nThe Salt of the Earth In Our Open WoundsA sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a15/2032-02-08/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/15.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320211T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320211T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20250301T130714Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260322T012007Z UID:10003010-1960070400-1960156799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Ash Wednesday 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 Joel 2: 1-2\, 12-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n Ring the alarm bells on the holy mountain.\nSound the sirens for the whole city to hear!\nPut the fear of God into everybody\,\nfor the day when the LORD will step in is near –\na dark and menacing day\,\na day of fierce heat and dark choking clouds! \nLike a raging bushfire sweeping down the mountain\,\na terrifying army comes.\nWave upon wave\,\nit leaves nothing but scorched earth in its path.\nIt is more terrifying than anything ever seen before\,\nor anything ever likely to be seen again. \nBut even now\, at the eleventh hour\,\nthe LORD calls to us saying: \n“It is not too late!\nGet back on track with me.\nShow me you mean it with your whole hearts.\nGo off your food and get on your knees.\nWeep and mourn from the depths of your hearts\,\nand don’t try to con me\nwith crocodile tears and cheap black arm bands. \n“Come back to me\, the LORD your God\,\nfor I am compassionate and generous\,\nas eager to forgive as any mother.\nMy love and loyalty always hold back my anger.\nGiven half a reason I’ll withhold sentence\nand give everybody a second chance. \n“What have you got to lose by trying?\nPerhaps you can convince me to change my mind.\nPerhaps I’ll even send good times instead of disaster\nand you’ll be eating and drinking in my honour. \n“Ring the alarm bells on my holy mountain.\nDeclare a day of national repentance.\nRally the people\, every one of them.\nGet them together to pray and fast.\nMake sure everyone has prepared themselves properly\,\nand make sure no one is missing.\nBring the aged and infirm\,\nthe toddlers and the newborn.\nCall back the newlyweds from honeymoons\nand cancel all leave. \n“In the heart of the place of worship\nlet those who lead you in prayer do so with tears.\nLet them cry out to me\, the LORD your God\,\nand beg me to have mercy on you.\nLet them plead with me not to make you a laughingstock\,\na classic example of a failed nation. \n“For why should the rest of the world scoff\nand conclude that your downfall is my failure?” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 58: 1-12 (alternative 1st reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n God has told me to shout until you people hear;\nto hammer home the message until it gets through.\nYou are God’s people\, but God feels betrayed by you.\nListen to what God has to say about your sins: \n“Day after day\, you look good:\nyou turn up to worship and pay attention to my teachings.\nYou act like a people who want to do what is right;\nlike a people who want to obey to the letter.\nYou ask me for directions before you do anything\,\nand you seem enthusiastic about getting closer to me. \n“Do you want to know why your religious behaviour turns me off?\nDo you want to know why I ignore your fasting and bowing?\nI’ll tell you why. You put on a great performance of it all\,\nbut then you go straight back to feathering your own nest\nand ripping off your workers in the process. \n“When you fast\, it just makes you irritable and violent;\nand when you behave like that\, I’ll just hang up on you. \n“Do you really think this is what I like to see:\na day of pious misery?\nblack clothes\, long faces and crocodile tears?\ngiving up chocolate and ice-cream?\nDo you think that’s worship?\nDo you think that pleases me?\nGive me a break! \n“Do you want to know what I’d really like to see?\nDismantle the structures of injustice;\ntake your feet off the throats of the poor;\nstop jailing the victims of unfair laws;\nand quit plundering nature’s resources. \n“Do you want to know what else I’d like to see?\nOpen your tables to the hungry;\nopen your hearts and your homes to the refugees;\nopen your wardrobes to those without clothes;\nand don’t go hiding every time you see someone in need. \n“Do that\, and I’ll put your name up in lights!\nDo that and our relationship will be healed in an instant!\nI’ll put you under my personal protection;\nanyone who attacks you will have to deal with me\, the LORD!\nI’ll be on hand to respond whenever you need me;\njust say the word\, and I’ll be there for you. \n“If you abandon all forms of exploitation\,\nand avoid bad-mouthing others to gain an edge;\nif you share what you have with those in need\,\nand respond to the real needs of suffering communities;\nthen you’ll find that the world will light up for you\nand life will be one beautiful day after another. \n“I\, the LORD\, will always be there to guide you;\neven in the grip of drought\,\nI’ll keep you healthy and well fed.\nYou’ll be like an irrigated vineyard with its own deep bore\,\ngreen and lush and full of life! \n“Your ruined houses will be renovated and new;\nyou’ll be able to restore the homes\nthat have been in your families for generations.\nYou’ll get a reputation for making dreams possible\,\nfor enabling everyone to find a good place to live. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net\n \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 51: 1-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n O God\, your love never gives up.\nHave mercy on me now!  \nI’m relying on your record of generous mercy:\nplease wipe my slate clean! \nScrub away the filth I’ve been living in;\nScour away the stain of my sin. \nI know only too well what I’ve done;\nmy sins stare me in the face. \nIt is you I’ve double-crossed\, you I’ve betrayed;\nI’ve done things which I knew you despised. \nYou have all the facts and you know what I deserve;\nwhat ever you decide is fair enough.\nI’ve been on the wrong side of you forever.\nI turned my back on you before I was born. \nYou want honesty that comes from deep within\,\nso teach me your wisdom\,\nlet it take root in my heart. \nGet the bleach out and give me the treatment!\nSoak me and wash me\nuntil I’m as white as snow.  \nOpen my ears to laughter and music.\nThough you ground me into the dirt\,\nlet me now rise to the sounds of joy. \nTurn a blind eye to my record;\ndisregard my prior convictions. \nRenovate me from the inside\, O God;\nrebuild my heart and rewire my brain;\ninstall in me a new fault-free operating system. \nDon’t cut me off from you now\,\nor withdraw your Holy Spirit from me. \nRekindle in me the joy of being safe in your care\,\nand fill me with an insatiable desire to follow you. \nThen I’ll show others how to get back on track;\nthey’ll quit their corrupt ways and come back to you. \nGet me out of this mess before I get blood on my hands\, God.\nOnly you can get me out alive\,\nand I’ll tell everyone that you did. \nLord\, as soon as you’ve got me out\nand it’s safe to open my mouth\,\nI’ll be singing your praises with all my might. \nI know I can’t fool you with hollow religion\, God.\nI could perform all the rituals perfectly\, by the book\,\nbut it wouldn’t mean a cracker to you. \nWhat you want to see is a genuine heart-felt apology\nand a commitment to a total life-change.\nYou will never turn away anyone who comes to you heartbroken\nand promising to turn over a new leaf. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6:10 \n \n\n \n \n \n On Christ’s behalf we beg you to accept the generous peace deal that God is offering. The way of reconciliation is on the table before you: you’d be mad to turn your backs on it! Even though Christ had never been sucked into sin like us\, God lumped him in with us\, so as to make it possible to lump us in with him. United with him\, we can become examples of all that God considers to be right and true.\nWe are working together\, shoulder to shoulder with God\, and we urge you not to take God’s extravagant generosity for granted.\nIn the scriptures God says\, \n“At exactly the right moment\,\nI heard your call.\nThe day you needed help\,\nI was there to bail you out.” \nWell\, this is it — the exact right moment. This is the day to throw off the shackles and walk free! It won’t be our fault if you don’t take this chance — we’re doing everything in our power not to get in anyone’s way. There’s no point in nit-picking over the details of our work. We have endeavoured to be faithful servants of God and we’re confident that we’ve got the runs on the board. It’s not as though we’ve had it easy either. We have hung in there through hard times\, tough times and horrendous disasters. We’ve been bashed\, lynched and locked up. We’ve worked ourselves into the ground when things needed to be done\, sometimes even going without sleep and food. And through all this we have maintained our integrity — our intentions have been pure and our heads have been clear. We have managed to hold on to our patience\, generosity\, and holiness of spirit. Our love has been genuine\, our speech truthful\, and God has continued to work powerfully through us. We have armed ourselves with nothing but an iron commitment to doing what’s right\, and we’ve grasped the work of justice with both hands. Sometimes we’ve been honoured and sometimes slandered. We have been true to our word and yet denounced as charlatans. We’ve been treated as nobodies even though everyone knows who we are. We’ve been written of as dead\, but here we are\, brimming with life. We’ve been flogged to within an inch of our lives but never quite killed. We’ve almost drowned in tears and yet we are still bubbling with joy. They say we are poor\, and yet many are enriched by us. They say we have nothing to offer\, and yet everything is ours to share. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 6: 1-6\, 16-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n While Jesus was teaching his followers on the mountain\, he said: \n“It is good to put the disciplines of godly living into practice\, but be on your guard against the temptation to start doing it for show. The God who conceived you knows what’s going on\, and if the good things you do are done only to impress people\, you’ll get no credit for them in heaven. \n“Don’t go blowing your own trumpet every time you do something charitable. If you give money for the relief of poverty\, don’t go asking for public acknowledgement. The world is full of sponsorship schemes and naming rights deals\, but it is all hypocrisy. It’s got more to do with image management than with concern for the poor. Of course it works as a business strategy\, but I can assure you that there will be no rewards beyond that. God brought you to birth and understands everything you do\, even what you do in secret. So if you want credit from God for giving money to charity\, give it anonymously. Go out of your way to keep it quiet – don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. It is that sort of unpretentious generosity that God will reward. \n“The same principle holds true when it comes to the inward disciplines such as prayer and fasting. When you pray\, don’t turn it into a exhibition. In the media and even in worship services you’ll see people leading so-called ‘prayers’ that look and sound more like campaign speeches\, carefully crafted for public consumption. It’s nothing more than hot air; sheer hypocrisy! No doubt they’ll succeed in impressing lots of people\, but I can assure you: that’s the only reward they’ll ever get. Take my advice: do your praying behind closed doors so that you won’t be tempted to start grandstanding. Find a place where you can take off your masks and just open yourselves to God in quietness. By getting yourself out of the spotlight\, you’ll have a chance of becoming aware of God’s presence – a reward in itself! \n“When you are fasting\, don’t go drawing attention to the fact. Some hypocrites make a big display of sitting at the table with long faces while everyone else eats. They might gain a reputation for being very religious and self-controlled\, but they won’t get anything else out of it. It’s a waste of time training yourself to control one appetite while simultaneously indulging your appetite for adulation. Instead\, when you are fasting\, maintain your usual outward appearance and demeanour as best you can\, so that no one will twig. God always has a loving eye on you and will see to it that your secret fasting reaps rich benefits. \n“Don’t go piling up investments here on earth\, where they can be wiped out in an instant by fire or flood\, or a market crash. There is only one investment strategy that can never fail or be eroded. Invest everything you are and everything you have in the ways of heaven. It is a simple fact that whatever you invest yourself in will monopolise your concerns and therefore shape the person you will become.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Great Prayer 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. \nAll glory and honour are yours\neverywhere and always\, O God\,\nfor in your kindness and mercy\,\nyour patience and faithfulness\,\nyou are always ready to forgive and not punish. \nWe give you thanks and praise for your Son\,\nour saviour and brother\, Jesus Christ\,\nby whose example and strength\nwe resist all evil\,\nand turn our backs on its lures\nof comfort and honour\, of power and success\,\nseeking instead to store up treasure in heaven\,\nknowing that though we may seem to have nothing\,\nin purity\, knowledge\, patience and kindness\,\nwe really possess everything. \nTherefore with ..... \n©1999 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for the example our saviour and brother\, Jesus Christ\,\nby whose strength we resist all evil\,\nseeking instead to store up treasure in heaven\,\nknowing that though we may seem to have nothing\,\nin purity\, knowledge\, patience and kindness\,\nwe really possess everything. \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)\n\nWe give you thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor in your kindness and mercy\,\nyour patience and faithfulness\,\nyou are always ready to forgive and not punish. \nWe thank you for your Son\,\nour saviour and brother\, Jesus Christ\,\nby whose example and strength\nwe resist all evil\,\nand turn our backs on its lures\nof comfort and honour\, of power and success\,\nseeking instead to store up treasure in heaven\,\nknowing that though we may seem to have nothing\,\nin purity\, knowledge\, patience and kindness\,\nwe really possess everything. \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 your God is kind and full of mercy\,\nalways ready to forgive and not punish.\nChrist\, by uniting with us and sharing in our sin\,\nhas enabled us to share in the righteousness of God. \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\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nDoing the right thing: a modest entry to the kingdomA sermon on Matthew 6:1-6 by Paul Sheppy\n\n\n\nRiches in Heaven and Light in the BodyA sermon on Matthew 6: 19-23 by Peter Mugabi URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc17/2032-02-11/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/17.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320215T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320215T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20230319T115209Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260322T012301Z UID:10003011-1960416000-1960502399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:1st Sunday in Lent - Year A 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 Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD God put the humans in the garden of Eden so that they could tend the garden and look after it. The LORD God gave them these instructions: “You are free to eat the fruit from every tree in the garden except one. There is one tree whose fruit you must not eat\, for just one bite of it and your minds will start dividing everything up into good and evil. The day that happens\, you lose your life.” \nNow\, among the wild animals which the LORD God had made\, the most devious of all was the snake. The snake approached the woman one day and said\, “Did God tell you you couldn’t eat fruit from the trees in the garden?” \nThe woman replied\, “We are free to eat fruit from any tree in the garden except for one tree in the middle. God told us not to eat its fruit or even touch it because if we do we will die.” \nBut the snake said to the woman\, “You would not die. God knows very well that if you eat that fruit you will be able to see what you cannot yet see. You will be like God\, because you be able to judge good and evil.” \nThen the woman stared at the fruit on the tree. It was beautiful\, and not only looked delicious\, but now it looked to her like a desirable shortcut to great wisdom\, so she took a piece of the fruit and ate it. The man was with her\, so she gave some to him and he ate it too. Suddenly they saw everything through different eyes. Feeling exposed\, and needing to cover up\, they sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 32 \n \n\n \n \n \n What a blessing it is to be among those you have forgiven\, LORD\,\nthose whose record of wrongdoing you have wiped clean. \nPeople who are honest about their lives\nhave everything going for them;\nthey never have to cover their tracks\nor worry that they’ll be in your bad books. \nI used to keep my sins to myself\, LORD\,\nbut they poisoned me from within;\nwasting my body\,\ntormenting my mind. \nDay and night I felt your eyes following me;\nI lived in fear that you’d see right through me.\nThe joy of living evaporated\nin the burning heat of my guilt. \nThen I decided to come clean with you\, LORD\,\nto own up to all I’d done and stop living a lie.\nI made a full confession to you\, LORD\,\nand you gave me a full pardon\, forgiving all my sin. \nNow\, like all your faithful people\, LORD\,\nI am always ready to open myself to you in prayer.\nWhen trouble breaks its banks\,\nyour faithful ones are on safe ground. \nYou are like a bomb shelter for us\, LORD;\nyou protect us from danger.\nThanks to you\, LORD\, we can still laugh;\nwe can dance around singing songs of freedom. \nYou have given us clear directions;\nyou have pointed out the path we should follow.\nYou have kept a watchful eye on us\nand made sure we understood. \nYou have encouraged us to follow willingly\,\nto understand and embrace your ways;\nnot to buck and snort like wild horses\,\nfighting the reins until our strength is broken. \nThose who refuse the straight and narrow\nwill suffer for it\, over and over;\nbut those who put their trust in you\, LORD\,\nwill find love and loyalty wherever they go. \nYou are celebrated by all right-minded people\, LORD;\nwith open hearts we shout for joy;\nwith clear minds we sing your praises. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 5: 12-19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Sin infected the world through one person; and it proved to be fatal. It spread rapidly and no one was immune. In no time at all everybody was facing death because sin had shown up in the actions of every person on the planet. Indeed\, the epidemic of sin had well and truly taken hold before God gave us the Law through Moses\, but until then\, there was no way to accurately diagnose it or keep a record of it. Records or no records\, death was still the order of the day before the time of Moses\, and had been ever since Adam. While most people had not developed symptoms as serious as Adam’s — flat out disobedience of a clear instruction from God — even the mildest cases of sin proved to be fatal. Despite his role in all this\, when we look back at Adam we can see in him some clear indicators of the nature of the one who would later come to clear up the mess. \nOf course the free gift that the Messiah gives is nothing like the infection that Adam left us\, but there are striking similarities in the way that their respective actions had such enormous consequences for everybody else. One person’s stuff-up was responsible for the death of many; while the other person\, Jesus the Messiah\, through his own generous love\, was responsible for the extravagant generosity of God becoming freely available to everyone. The comparison ends there\, though\, because the consequences are clearly a world apart. The sentence that was brought down on that first act of corruption put us all on death row\, but despite the sorry history of corruption since\, the Messiah’s free gift enables anybody and everybody to stand before God with a perfectly clean record. All it took for death to seize absolute power was for one person to do the wrong thing. So you can imagine what can be achieved through the actions of one person when that person is Jesus the Messiah! It is a sure thing that those who open themselves to his extravagant generosity\, and accept his free gift of being put in the good books with God\, will topple death and regain the power to live life to the full. \nSo it all boils down to this: just as a corrupt act by one person resulted in us all being condemned to death\, so an act of unshakeable integrity by one person resulted in us all being able to make a fresh start with a clean slate and an open ticket on life. One person did the wrong thing by God and we were all tarred with the same brush; but now one person has done the right thing by God\, and we’re all going to get the credit! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 4: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Spirit led Jesus up into a remote wilderness area so that he could be challenged and prove himself. He went without food for forty days and nights out there\, and after that he was weak from hunger. Sensing his weakness\, the devil tried every trick in the book to lure him off-track. Playing on his hunger\, the devil said\, “If you are really the Son of God\, prove it! Say the word and turn these rocks into loaves of bread.” \nJesus answered him\, “As the scriptures say\,  \n‘It takes a lot more than bread to make life worth living.\nIt is the words that God speaks\, every one of them\,\nthat really feed us.’” \nThe devil decided to try quoting scripture too. Taking Jesus to the holy city and standing him on top of the Temple’s highest tower\, the devil said\, “If you are really the Son of God\, prove it to everyone. Throw yourself down from the top of this tower so that God can fulfil the scriptures that say: \n‘God will give instructions to the angels about you\,’\n‘They will catch you as you fall\nand you won’t so much as stub your toe on the rocks below.’” \nBut Jesus couldn’t be budged and replied\, “The scriptures also say\, ‘Don’t go trying to test out the Lord your God.’” \nMaking another try\, the devil took Jesus up onto a very high mountain with panoramic views of all the world’s nations in all their splendour\, and said to him\, “I can make the world your oyster. I will give you all this if you just get down on your knees and worship me. Just acknowledge me as number one – and it’s all yours.” \nBut Jesus was not taken in\, and he said\, “Get out of here\, you satan! The scriptures leave no doubt about who we are to call number one:  \n‘Worship the Lord your God and no other.\nGive your whole-hearted service\nto the Lord your God and no other.’”  \nWith that\, the devil cleared off\, and suddenly God’s angels showed up and took care of everything Jesus needed. \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 given us the free gift of righteousness and life. \nYou created the world\, abundant and fertile\,\nand entrusted it to us.\nWith every word that comes from your mouth\,\nyou feed us with the fruit of life\nand show us how to avoid the fruit of death. \nWhen sin entered the world through one man’s deceit\,\nwe were all left\, poisoned by shame\,\nour strength withering as in a summer drought.\nBut now\, through one man\, Jesus Christ\,\nrighteousness has come.\nHe was tested in the wilderness\nbut refused to compromise with evil\,\neven when it came disguised\nas compassion\, knowledge and reason.\nThough he was killed\, you raised him to life\,\nand in him we have received the abundance of grace\nthat we might stand before you cleansed of all evil and deceit. \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 thank you for feeding us with every word that comes from your mouth\,\nand for not leaving us poisoned by the fruit of death\,\nbut\, through one man\, Jesus Christ\,\nreaching out to us with the free gift of grace\nthat we might stand before you cleansed of all evil and deceit. \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\, O God\,\nfor you have given us the free gift of righteousness and life. \nYou created the world\, abundant and fertile\,\nand entrusted it to us.\nWith every word that comes from your mouth\,\nyou feed us with the fruit of life\nand show us how to avoid the fruit of death. \nWhen sin entered the world through one man’s deceit\,\nwe were all left\, poisoned by shame\,\nour strength withering as in a summer drought.\nBut now\, through one man\, Jesus Christ\,\nrighteousness has come.\nHe was tested in the wilderness\nbut refused to compromise with evil\,\neven when it came disguised\nas compassion\, knowledge and reason.\nThough he was killed\, you raised him to life\,\nand in him we have received the abundance of grace\nthat we might stand before you cleansed of all evil and deceit. \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 When we hide our sin\, we grow weak\,\nbut when we confess our wrong\,\nGod pardons us.\nA free gift of righteousness is ours through Jesus Christ\nwho brings justification and life for all. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 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 in the righteousness of Christ.\nDo not hide your sin\,\nbut trust in God who gives mercy and love.\nDo not be afraid to face the wilderness\,\nbut do not compromise with evil. \nAnd may God be your shelter to save you from ruin.\nMay Christ be your teacher and show you the path to walk.\nAnd may the Spirit encircle you with songs of freedom. \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\nWhat Does Discipleship Cost?A sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDoes the Devil make us do it?A sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShortcuts and Hard YardsA sermon on Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 & Matthew 4:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nTemptation – the glory of being humanA sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 by Jude Waldron\n\n\n\nHooked InA sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 by Samara Pitt\n\n\n\nRethinking EveA sermon on Genesis 2:15-17\, 3:1-7 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nWhen Scarcity Is the IllusionA sermon on Romans 5:12-19; Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 & Matthew 4:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a18/2032-02-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/18.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320222T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20320222T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20230326T094121Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260329T105908Z UID:10003012-1961020800-1961107199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:2nd Sunday in Lent - Year A 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 Genesis 12: 1-4a \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD spoke to Abram\, and said: \n“Get up and leave your country\, your relatives and the family of your parents\, and move to the land that I will show you. I will make things go well for you and see that your descendants become a great nation. I will see to it that you are remembered as one of the greats; as one whose life was a blessing to others. I will do good to those who do good to you\, and I will pull the rug out from under anyone who pulls the rug out from under you. Life will be better for everyone on earth because of you.” \nSo Abram got up and left Haran\, just as the LORD had told him to. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 121 \n \n\n \n \n \n If we look to the mountains\,\nwill we find security there? \nNo\, our security comes from you alone\,\nthe LORD\, the maker of earth and sky. \nYou are on the alert\, twenty four hours a day\,\nmaking sure that we don’t lose our footing. \nYou never slack off or take a nap\,\nbut constantly guard your people. \nYou keep us safe\, LORD\,\nyou are always at our side to shield us. \nWhile the sun shines\, nothing can harm us;\nthe moon comes up\, but still we are safe. \nYou stand between us and all evil\, LORD;\nyou keep our lives clear of danger. \nWhether we are coming or going\,\nyou look after us\, LORD;\nyou always have and always will. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 4: 1-5\, 13-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n How does our new perspective on faith affect the way we understand the example set by our ancestor Abraham? If Abraham had earned God’s acceptance through his own hard work\, then he could quite fairly claim to be a cut above the rest of us\, though not above God of course. But that is not the way it happened. As the scriptures clearly say: “Abraham put his trust in God\, and God counted that as the equivalent of a perfect life.” \nWhen people put in an honest day’s work\, their wages are not thought of as a gift\, but as something they have earned. But no one can earn God’s acceptance. Instead of claiming it as an entitlement\, we can only put our trust in God\, who generously treats such trust as the equivalent of a perfect life\, and puts right those who could never make the grade on their own. \nWhen God promised Abraham that he and his descendants would inherit the earth\, it was not because Abraham had earned it by following God’s instructions to the letter. Instead it was a gift given when God put things right for Abraham in response to the trust he had shown. If it were possible to earn the rights to the earth by rigid compliance with the law\, then basic values like trust and promise would be irrelevant. It would all become just another legal contract to be negotiated. Tie it all up in fine print and it will only end up serving as evidence against you; but where the relationship is conducted on the basis of trust\, no one goes on the lookout for very possible breach. \nSo instead of being a legal matter\, the fulfilment of the promise is conditional only on people’s willingness to put their trust in God. It is simply an expression of God’s generosity\, and that’s why it is guaranteed to always be available to everyone. Whether you were raised in a culture where observing the religious law was the norm\, or whether you have simply stepped out and put your trust in God like Abraham did\, the promise is open to you. After all\, both groups can rightly trace their line back to Abraham\, and the scriptures say that God promised to make him the father of many nations. When it looked like Abraham wouldn’t ever become the father of anyone\, he trusted his future into the hands of God\, believing that the God who can bring life out of death could create something out of nothing. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 3: 1-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n There was a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Pharisee party and a leader in the Jewish nation. Late one night he came to speak with Jesus. He said\, “Rabbi\, we recognise that God has sent you as a teacher and that God is with you. How else could you do these things which are so clearly the work of God?” \nJesus answered him\, “Right you are. And let me tell you this: no one will see the full life of God without being born into it from above.” \nNicodemus was taken aback. “How can this be?” he asked\, “A person can only be born once. None of us can go back to the womb and be born again.” \nJesus replied saying: \n“Listen again\, for it is important that you get this. There is only one way into the full life of God\, and it is through a birth of water and Spirit. A baby that emerges from a womb got its body from the bodies of its parents. But a growing person is not just a body\, and the life-force within them emerges from the womb of the Spirit. So don’t be surprised that I said you have to be born from above. You can’t control or predict these things. They are like the wind. You can hear it coming and see what it does\, but what’s driving it or where it is going next is anyone’s guess. God’s Spirit is like the wind\, and so are all those who are born of the Spirit.” \nBut Nicodemus said\, “I’m not with you. How can these things be?” \nJesus replied: \n“How can you set yourself up as one of the teachers of Israel when you are struggling to get your head around the basics? \n“Listen carefully because I’m speaking the truth. We know these things from our own experience\, we’ve seen them with our own eyes\, and yet you fob us off as though we were reporting a rumour we’d heard in the street. If I told you the sky was blue\, you’d blink and take another look\, so what chance is there of you believing anything I have to say about the ways of God? How are you going to check out what I say? None of you have ever gone up and stood face to face with God. The only one who has done that is the New Human\, the one who came from God in the first place. You know the old story from the desert: the one about Moses lifting up the hand-made snake so that the people could look at something that would help them to focus their trust in God. Well\, the New Human is going to be lifted up for much the same reason. Everyone who looks up to him in trust and hope will receive life without limit. \n“God’s love for the world is so overwhelming that even giving up his own son was not too great a cost to ensure that no one need succumb to death. All those who put their trust in him can have boundless life instead. \n“God didn’t put his son’s life on the line merely to bring down the hammer and pass sentence on us. Rather\, God saw the world in desperate trouble and sent the Son on a cosmic rescue mission.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Matthew 17: 1-9 (if the last Sunday before Lent was not observed as Transfiguration Sunday) \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus took Peter and the brothers\, James and John\, and led them off up a high mountain. Before their very eyes\, the way Jesus looked was suddenly changed from the inside out. His face shone like the sun and his clothing became so white it was dazzling. And\, lo and behold\, they saw Moses and Elijah there too\, in deep conversation with Jesus. \nPeter said\, “Lord\, this is fantastic! What a moment! If you like\, I will knock up three huts\, so that you\, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” \nEven before he finished getting the words out\, a dazzling cloud engulfed them all. Deep within the cloud\, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son\, the love of my life\, who fills me with pride. Listen to him!” \nWhen Peter\, James and John heard this\, they hit the deck\, dumbfounded. But Jesus came and tapped them on the shoulders and said\, “Up you get! There’s nothing to be afraid of!” \nAnd when they looked up\, everything looked normal again and they saw no one there but Jesus. \nAs they were coming back down the mountain\, Jesus swore them to secrecy\, saying\, “Don’t breathe a word to anyone about what you’ve seen until the New Human has been raised from the dead.” \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 are our help\, our protector\, our saviour. \nYou made the heavens and earth\,\ncalling into existence things which were not.\nYou founded a people for yourself\non the faithful obedience of Abraham\,\nand led them through your law and prophets. \nFrom the depths of your love\nyou sent your Son into the world\,\nnot to condemn it\, but to save it.\nWhen he was lifted up on the cross and killed\,\nyou raised him to life again\,\nand opened the life of your Kingdom\nto all who believe and are born of water and Spirit.\nCalling us to entrust our destinies\nto the unpredictable currents of your Spirit\,\nand in faith follow your call into unknown places\,\nyou have invited us to share in your gracious promise\,\na promise of blessing for all the earth. \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 you thanks for sending your Son into the world\,\nnot to condemn it\, but to save it\,\nand to open the life of your Kingdom\nto all who believe and are born of water and Spirit. \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\, O God\,\nfor you are our help\, our protector\, our saviour. \nYou made the heavens and earth\,\ncalling into existence things which were not.\nYou founded a people for yourself\non the faithful obedience of Abraham\,\nand led them through your law and prophets. \nFrom the depths of your love\nyou sent your Son into the world\,\nnot to condemn it\, but to save it.\nWhen he was lifted up on the cross and killed\,\nyou raised him to life again\,\nand opened the life of your Kingdom\nto all who believe and are born of water and Spirit.\nCalling us to entrust our destinies\nto the unpredictable currents of your Spirit\,\nand in faith follow your call into unknown places\,\nyou have invited us to share in your gracious promise\,\na promise of blessing for all the earth. \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 If we put our trust in the one who justifies the ungodly\,\nGod counts our faith as righteousness\,\nfor God did not send the Son into the world\nto condemn us\nbut in order that the world might be saved through him. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 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 at the call of God.\nFind your help in the Lord\,\nand allow the Spirit to carry you wherever she blows. \nAnd may God shelter you from evil and keep you from stumbling;\nMay Christ Jesus secure your life in faith;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit carry you on the winds of God’s love. \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\nRisk Evaluation and Reckless TrustA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBirth\, New Birth and the Kingdom of GodA sermon on John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBirth\, New Birth and the Culture of God This sermon on John 3: 1-17& Genesis 12:1-4 by Nathan Nettleton consists mostly of a merger of the previous two above.\n\n\n\nA New Start in the Great UnknownA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Lord is your KeeperA sermon on Psalm 121 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHobbits\, Abram\, and other JourneysA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3: 1-17 by Margie Dahl\n\n\n\nA Name on the WayA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 121 & John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a19/2032-02-22/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/19.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20320530 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20320531 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20210610T044326Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210610T044741Z UID:10001828-1969488000-1969574399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 4 - Year A 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 Genesis 6:9-22; 7:24; 8:14-19 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story of Noah. Noah was a man who always did the right thing by everybody: the only person of real integrity on the earth in that generation. Noah and his wife had three sons named Shem\, Ham and Japheth. \nThe rest of the human race had become totally corrupt and violent\, and God was sick of the sight of it. Seeing how depraved everyone had become\, God spoke to Noah and said: \n“I have made up my mind to wipe the human race off the face of the earth\, because they have made the earth a violent and heartless place. So now I am going to destroy them and wipe the planet clean\, ready for a fresh start. Build yourself an enormous lifeboat according to these specifications. Use marine-quality timbers for the construction and apply a waterproof lining of tar\, inside and out. Build it with three deck levels and many cabins. The overall dimensions are to be as follows: a length of 150 metres; a width of 25 metres; and a height of 15 metres. Build a roof over the top with a half metre clearance between it and the top of the side walls. Build the lifeboat with a single entrance on the side. \n“What I am going to do is completely flood the earth with water to wipe out everything that lives and breathes on it. Every creature on earth will die. But I am going to form a new alliance with life on earth\, setting it up with you. You are to move into the lifeboat along with your wife\, your sons\, and their wives. You are also to take on board a male and a female of every kind of living creature to keep them alive with you. Every kind of bird\, every kind of animal\, and every kind of creepy-crawly on earth: take with you a breeding pair of each to keep them alive. You are also to store a full range of food on board the life-boat; enough to feed your family and all the animals.” \nSo Noah went ahead and followed God’s instructions to the letter. Sure enough\, the swollen waters flooded the earth for one hundred and fifty days. Even after that\, everyone had to stay on board for nearly three months more while the earth dried out. Eventually 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. And out of the lifeboat with them came all the animals\, all the creepy-crawlies\, and all the birds – breeding pairs of every kind of creature that lives on the earth. \n©2002 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 Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28\, (29-31) \n \n\n \n \n \n Being identified with God’s message does not make me cringe at all. I am honoured to be associated with something that God is working through so powerfully in order to bring everyone who believes home to the safety and wholeness for which they were created. It began among the Jewish people\, but now everyone is in on it. It reveals God’s unshakable commitment to doing the right thing by all who put their trust in God’s trustworthiness. The scriptures put it this way: “Anyone who gets things right with God through a relationship of trust\, will live.” \nThis is not applied differently to different groups of people. Everyone is in the same boat because we have all done wrong and fallen well short of the shining integrity God created us for. But God treats everybody with a generosity that is out of all proportion to anything we could deserve and\, as a gift\, puts us back in the good books. This happens as part of the work done by Jesus the Messiah in putting everything back the way it should be. He was sent by God to clean up the mess we had gotten ourselves into and bring us back into a relationship based on trust\, and he made the ultimate sacrifice and paid the price in his own blood to get the job done. This demonstrated God’s unshakable commitment to doing the right thing by everyone\, both in the past and in the present. In the past God’s commitment was expressed by putting up with people’s wrongdoing and not dishing out the punishments they deserved. In the present\, God is again proving that commitment by putting those who put their trust in Jesus into the good books. \nSo what is left of our boast that we Jews are the only ones in the good books with God? Clearly it is not backed up by the facts. Why? Did others do something to earn an equal place before God? Not at all\, but God put the relationship on a trust basis\, and that put everyone on an equal footing. What we are saying is that people get into the good books by trusting God\, regardless of whether or not they observe the customs prescribed by the traditional Jewish law. God is not only the God of the Jews\, but of everyone else as well. After all\, there is only one God! Those who have been brought up to be religious are put in to God’s good books on the basis of a relationship of trust\, and everyone else is put in through exactly the same relationship of trust. However\, if you think we are saying that this relationship of trust means that there is no value in the traditional law\, you have missed the point. What we are saying is quite the opposite. It is only within this relationship of trust that the customs set out in the law can prove their worth. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 7: 21-29 \n \n\n \n \n \n Drawing to the end of his sermon on the mountain\, Jesus said\, “You can’t bluff your way into the culture of heaven by dropping my name and prattling on about what a high view of my authority you hold. It is those who walk the walk who will get in – those who actually live the way God wants them to live. When the day comes\, many people will appeal to me saying\, ‘Lord\, Lord\, look at all the great things we did in your name. We preached. We took on the forces of evil and won. We were real movers and shakers. We did all sorts of impressive things and we gave you the credit for it all. Doesn’t that count for anything?’ But I will tell them straight\, ‘I’ll have nothing to do with you. You are a bunch of frauds\, rotten to the core. Get out of my sight!’ \n“The people who take notice of what I teach and put it into practice are like experienced builders who always put down solid foundations before building a house. When violent storms come\, or even if cyclones and floods hit\, that house stands firm\, rock-solid on its foundations. But those who hear my teachings and don’t bother doing anything about them are like brainless do-it-yourselfers who knock up a house with nothing but sand for foundations. The first time it is hit by a decent storm\, the wind and rain rip into it and in no time at all there is a spectacular crash and down it comes!” \nWhen Jesus had finished speaking\, the crowd was stunned. His teaching was like nothing they had ever heard before. His words carried great weight and it was clear that he stood behind everything he said\, which was quite a contrast to the religious teachers they were used to! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection \n \n\n \n \n \n Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Deuteronomy 11: 18-21\, 26-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n Moses said to the people: \n“Take to heart these teachings I have passed on to you from the LORD your God. Do whatever you need to do to keep them fixed in your minds: write them on the back of your hands; wear them as a badge stuck on your forehead. Teach them to your children and talk about them morning\, noon and night\, at home or wherever you go. Hang them over your front doors\, put them up on a billboard at the entrance to your town so that you will be reminded of them as you come and go. That way you will be assured of a long and happy life in the land that the LORD promised to your ancestors. Your children will enjoy the same\, and their children too\, as long as the earth keeps turning. \n“Take note. Today I have taught you how the LORD your God wants you to live\, and now it is in your hands. Your life can be blessed or cursed; the choice is yours. Everything will work out well for you if you live the way the LORD your God has told you to live. But everything will fall apart for you if you turn your back on the way that the LORD your God has told you to live and take off after other ways and other objects of devotion.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 31: 1-5\, 19-24 \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;\nI put my life in your hands.\nYou are a faithful God\,\nand you have saved me. \nYour goodness is rich and free;\navailable to all who respect you and trust you.\nOut in the open\, for all to see\,\nyou stockpile blessings for those in your care. \nYou shelter them yourself\, LORD\,\nkeeping them safe from vindictive plots.\nYou give them a safe hiding place\,\nsheltered from malicious talk. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD;\nand you proved yourself when I needed you.\nWhen I was surrounded by a violent mob\,\nyour love protected me like a solid wall. \nAt first I panicked;\nI thought you had given up on me.\nBut you were there in a flash\nwhen I cried out for help. \nI call on all your people to give you their love\, LORD.\nYou keep the faithful safe\nand repay the arrogant as they deserve. \nI say to myself\, “Be strong\, tough it out\,”\nas I wait with my trust in you\, LORD. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nPrayers\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 by grace you have justified and redeemed us\nand become our refuge and strength. \nIn the first of your works you created the universe\nand everything that moves on the earth.\nWhen you sent a flood to purge the earth of corruption\,\nyou made a covenant with your servant Noah\nand saved every family of living creatures. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus Christ\, among us\,\nto teach us with authority how to live by your words\nand be welcomed into your kingdom.\nWhen he was killed by those who were filled with violence\,\nyou raised him with power from the dead\nand called everyone to put their faith in him.\nTo all who hear your invitation and act on it\nyou give the gift of righteousness in your presence\nand redemption in and through Christ Jesus. \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 grace\nin which you have justified and redeemed us\nand become our refuge and strength\,\neven though we had becoe corrupt and fallen short of your glory. \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\, O God\,\nfor by grace you have justified and redeemed us\nand become our refuge and strength. \nIn the first of your works you created the universe\nand everything that moves on the earth.\nWhen you sent a flood to purge the earth of corruption\,\nyou made a covenant with your servant Noah\nand saved every family of living creatures. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus Christ\, among us\,\nto teach us with authority how to live by your words\nand be welcomed into your kingdom.\nWhen he was killed by those who were filled with violence\,\nyou raised him with power from the dead\nand called everyone to put their faith in him.\nTo all who hear your invitation and act on it\nyou give the gift of righteousness in your presence\nand redemption in and through Christ Jesus. \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 We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God\,\nbut through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus\,\nwe are forgiven and justified\nas a gift of his grace. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and build your lives on the solid rock\nof Christ’s words\, heard and put into action.\nDo not be ashamed of the gospel\,\nbut live by faith\nand find your refuge and strength in God. \nAnd may God be known to you in the stillness;\nMay Christ Jesus be the solid foundation of your lives;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit give you courage\,\neven when the earth is shaken around you. \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 \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nGod’s change of heart\nA sermon on Genesis 6:5 – 9:17 by Nathan Nettleton\nThe Blessing of Homeland\nA sermon on Deuteronomy 11:8-12\, 18-21\, 27-28 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap04b/2032-05-30/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P04b.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20330213T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20330213T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20200803T041845Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240312T021038Z UID:10002104-1991865600-1991951999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:6th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year B 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 2 Kings 5: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The commander of the Syrian army was a man named Naaman. Naaman was very popular with his king\, because under his command\, the LORD had given Syria a string of military victories. Although he was a great soldier and a highly decorated commander\, Naaman suffered from leprosy. Naaman’s wife had a young Israelite girl among her servants who had come to Syria as a prisoner of war after a military raid. One day the girl said to her mistress\, “If only your husband could meet the prophet who lives in Samaria. I’m sure he would cure him of his leprosy.” \nNaaman spoke to the king about what the girl had said\, and the king gladly gave him leave to go. He also provided him with a letter of referral\, addressed to the king of Israel. \nNaaman headed off\, loaded up with money and expensive gifts of jewellery and fine clothing. Arriving in Israel\, he delivered the letter to the king. It read\, “The bearer of this letter is my trusted servant\, Naaman. I have sent him to you to have his leprosy cured.” \nWhen the king of Israel read the letter\, he was beside himself with fear; tearing his hair out over what to do. “What does the king of Syria think he’s doing?” he shouted. “Does he think I’m God or something\, that I can cure lepers at his request? It looks like he’s trying to pick a fight with me.” \nNews of this got to Elisha\, the prophet of God in Samaria. He sent a message to the king saying\, “Why are you tearing your hair out? Get a grip on yourself and send the man to me so that he can find out for himself that there is a real prophet in Israel.” \nSo Naaman and his whole entourage pulled up in the street outside Elisha’s house. Elisha sent an errand boy out to Naaman with a message\, saying\, “Go down to the Jordan River and wash yourself in it seven times. That will cure you and your skin will be as clean and clear as a child’s.” \nNaaman felt deeply insulted and drove off in a huff\, saying\, “You’d think that for a man of my standing he could have come out and talked to me himself. I thought that he would at least stand and call on the LORD his God\, and wave his hand over my skin to bring about the cure! What’s so special about their scummy Israelite river? Aren’t the two great rivers of Damascus much bigger and better? Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” \nSo he stormed off\, seething with rage. But his servants spoke up and said\, “Sir\, if the prophet had told you to do something really difficult\, you would have done it\, wouldn’t you? So surely you have got nothing to lose but your disease if you do what he said and wash yourself in the river.” \nSo Naaman relented and\, wading out into the Jordan River\, he immersed himself seven times in the water\, just as the prophet of God had instructed him. Sure enough\, he was cured instantly\, and his skin became as clear and healthy as a child’s. \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 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 \n \n\n \n \n \n You do understand\, don’t you\, that no matter how many runners there are in a race\, there will only be one winner at the end. So if you are aiming to become the best\, you are going to have to train long and hard. Elite athletes discipline themselves strictly in every area of their lives\, and they do so in pursuit of nothing more than a medal hung around their necks or a record that could fall the next week. The prize we are working towards will be in place forever\, so such single-minded discipline is even more essential for us. I can’t afford to be like a runner who doesn’t know where the finish line is\, or a footballer who doesn’t know where the goals are. Instead I subject my body to a punishing regime of training and work it like a slave\, so that I don’t end up\, after coaching everyone else in the right way\, being disqualified myself. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 1: 40-45 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus was approached by a man who was suffering from a hideous skin disease that made him a social outcast. The man got down on his knees and pleaded for help\, saying\, “You could make me clean if you wanted to.” \nJesus was deeply moved by the man’s sorry state. He reached out his hand and touched the man\, saying\, “I do want to. Be made clean!” \nAt that moment\, the symptoms vanished and he was made healthy and clean. Then Jesus gave him his marching orders and a tough talking-to\, saying\, “Keep your mouth shut about this. Go straight to the priest and have yourself examined so that you can be certified fit to return to normal social contact. As a sign that you are well\, give the offering that Moses said was to be given in thanks for your cleansing.” \nBut despite his instructions\, the man went straight out and began to tell everyone what Jesus had done for him. The word spread like wildfire\, and before long Jesus couldn’t even show his face in the towns without being mobbed. He had to stick to the outback tracks\, and people from everywhere came out to find him. \n©2003 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 your anger passes quickly\,\nbut your mercy lasts a lifetime. \nFrom the depths of chaos you raised up the newborn earth\,\nand sent your prophets among your people.\nYour servant Elisha spoke your word to Naaman\,\nand he emerged from the healing waters singing your glory. \nTo us you have sent your Son\, Jesus the Christ\,\nand in compassion he has reached out and touched us\,\ncleansing us from all that defiled us.\nThough he was killed by gloating enemies\,\nyou changed our anguish into a joyful dance\,\nraising him up\nand crowning him with a glory that will never fade.\nNow he washes us in your everlasting mercy\nand pulls us from the depths\, cleansed and healed\,\nthat we might run the race\nand receive the victor’s wreath;\nour lives forever singing your praise. \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 the compassion of your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho reaches out to us\nand pulls us from the depths\, cleansed and healed\,\nthat we might run the race\nand receive the victor’s wreath;\nour lives forever singing your praise. \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 your anger passes quickly\,\nbut your mercy lasts a lifetime. \nFrom the depths of chaos you raised up the newborn earth\,\nand sent your prophets among your people.\nYour servant Elisha spoke your word to Naaman\,\nand he emerged from the healing waters singing your glory. \nTo us you have sent your Son\, Jesus the Christ\,\nand in compassion he has reached out and touched us\,\ncleansing us from all that defiled us.\nThough he was killed by gloating enemies\,\nyou changed our anguish into a joyful dance\,\nraising him up\nand crowning him with a glory that will never fade.\nNow he washes us in your everlasting mercy\nand pulls us from the depths\, cleansed and healed\,\nthat we might run the race\nand receive the victor’s wreath;\nour lives forever singing your praise. \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 God\, whose anger passes quickly\,\nbut whose mercy lasts a lifetime\,\nhas compassion on all who cry for forgiveness and healing.\nThrough Jesus Christ\, God reaches out to us\,\nraises us up and says\, “Be Clean!” \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\, and live out our song of praise to God.\nDiscipline yourself in all things\, however small\,\nso that you may attain the prize of salvation\nthat is yours in Christ Jesus. \nAnd may God’s powerful blessing uphold you like a mountain.\nMay Christ Jesus touch you and make you whole.\nAnd may the Holy Spirit dance with you in the joy of life. \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\nToo Simple to BotherA sermon on 2 Kings 5:1-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nKeep it simple\, StupidA sermon on 2 Kings 5:1-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nTouched by the hand of GodA sermon on Mark 1: 40 -45 by Ron Ham\n\n\n\nBack from SheolA sermon on Psalm 30 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nAthletic SpiritualityA sermon on 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHealing CultureA sermon on Mark 1:40-45 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/bp01/2033-02-13/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P01.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20340611 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20340612 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20201111T013729Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201111T013729Z UID:10001743-2033596800-2033683199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 5 - 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24) \n \n\n \n \n \n During the terrible drought\, Elijah got word from the LORD saying\, “Go and live in the Sidonian town of Zarephath. There is a destitute widow there who I have told to feed you.” \nSo Elijah hit the road and headed for Zarephath. When he arrived on the outskirts of the town\, he saw a destitute widow gathering firewood. He called out to her\, saying\, “Could you please bring me a cup of water; I need a drink.” As she went to get the water\, he called out again\, saying\, “And grab me a chunk of bread too\, please.” \nBut she stopped and said\, “I swear by God\, the LORD your God\, that I haven’t got any bread to give you. I am down to the last handful of flour in my jar and the last dribble of oil in my jug. With them and the firewood I am collecting here\, I will prepare one last meal for myself and my son\, and when we’ve eaten that\, we will starve to death. \nElijah said to her\, “Don’t worry; it will be okay. Go and make the bread as you planned\, but make two loaves. Bring one to me\, and then share the second one with your son. For this is what the LORD\, the God of Israel\, is promising you: “The flour jar will never be empty and the oil jug will never run dry until the day that the LORD sends down rain on the land.” \nShe went and made the bread as Elijah had said\, and they all had enough to eat for many days. The flour in the jar never ran out and the oil in the jug never ran dry. It was just as Elijah had said: the LORD had given his word. \nSome time later\, while Elijah was still staying in the woman’s house\, the woman’s son fell sick. He got sicker and sicker and eventually he breathed his last. The woman turned on Elijah\, saying\, “What did I do to deserve this\, you man of God? Have you come to drag up my sin from the past and make my son die for it?” \nBut he said to her\, “Here\, give me your son.” \nHe took the child from her arms\, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying and laid his body on the bed. He cried out to the LORD\, saying\, “O LORD\, my God\, what are you doing? Are you even bringing disaster on the widow who is putting a roof over my head by striking down her son?” \nThen he pressed himself against the child three times\, crying out to the LORD\, “O LORD\, my God\, give this child back his life again.” \nThe LORD listened to Elijah’s prayer: the child came back to life and began breathing again. Elijah took the child back downstairs to the main room of the house and gave him back to his mother\, saying\, “Look\, your son is alive.” \nAt that\, the woman said to Elijah\, “Now I know that you really are a man of God\, and that when you say you are speaking the word of the LORD\, it is for real.” \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 146 \n \n\n \n \n \n You are the best\, LORD!\nWith all my heart I sing your praises.\nI will never stop talking you up;\nI won’t stop spruiking your goodness till the day I die. \nThere is no one but you that we can depend on\, LORD;\nnot experts\, not leaders\, no one.\nNo human being can give what we most need;\nno matter what their plans and schemes promise\,\nthe minute they’re gone\, their promises die with them. \nBut we hit the jackpot when we look to you for help\, LORD;\nwhen we put all our hopes in you – the God of our ancestors.\nYou are the one who made earth and sky\,\nwho poured out the seas and filled them with life.\nYou are true to your word no matter what;\nwhen people are ground into the dirt\, you bring about justice;\nwhen people are left to starve\, you come with food. \nYou\, LORD\, set the prisoners free.\nYou\, LORD\, open the eyes of those who can’t see.\nYou\, LORD\, put the downtrodden back on their feet. \nYou\, LORD\, love those who do the right thing.\nYou\, LORD\, keep a caring eye on the asylum seekers.\nYou stick up for those who have no one else to stick up for them\,\nbut you make the schemes of the corrupt backfire on them. \nTake charge forever\, LORD\,\nrule from your sacred Mountain for all time.\nYou’re the best\, LORD. We’re with you all the way! \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Galatians 1:11-24 \n \n\n \n \n \n Let me set you straight on this\, brothers and sisters. The message that you heard me announcing is not something that somebody just cooked up one day. I can assure you that I didn’t get it second hand from any human source\, and nor did anybody word me up about it. Instead\, the message was the result of Jesus the Messiah revealing himself directly. \nNo doubt you have heard about my past in militant Judaism. I was out to destroy God’s church\, and my attacks were violent and targeted. When it came to proving my passion for the Jewish values and ways passed down by our ancestors\, I was way out in front of most people my age. But God had had other plans for me even before I was born. In an act of over-the-top generosity\, God called me — like the prophets of old — and made his Son known in me so that I might talk him up among those who aren’t even Jews. And when God called me\, that was it. I didn’t get any flesh-and-blood input on it\, and I didn’t run off to Jerusalem to be worded up by those who had been God’s ambassadors for longer than me. Instead I disappeared off into Arabia\, and later returned to Damascus. \nI have since been to Jerusalem and met Peter\, but that was three years later and I stayed with him for only fifteen days. I didn’t even meet any of the other church leaders there except for James\, the Lord’s brother. I swear to you before God\, that what I am writing to you is without a word of a lie! After that I headed way off into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. The churches of Judea — those who are in Christ there — had still never laid eyes on me. All they knew was what people were saying: “The bloke who was victimising us before is now broadcasting the faith he was previously trying to destroy.” And they rightly gave God all the credit for what they heard about me. \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 7:11-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus went to a town called Nain. His closest followers and a large crowd tagged along. When he arrived on the outskirts of the town\, he ran into a funeral procession. The only son of a widow had died and was being carried out to the graveyard\, followed by his mother and a large crowd of the townsfolk. When the Lord saw the widow\, he felt very sorry for her\, and said to her\, “Dry your eyes.” \nThen he stepped forward and touched the coffin\, and the bearers came to a halt. Jesus said\, “Young man\, listen to me. Rise up!” \nThe dead man sat up and began to speak\, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Everybody was quaking in their boots and they were quick to give God the credit for what was going on. They were saying things like\, “A great prophet has risen up among us!” and “God must be pleased with his people!” \nThe news about Jesus spread like wildfire throughout the Jewish territory and all the surrounding areas. \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection \n \n\n \n \n \n Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Kings 17:17-24 \n \n\n \n \n \n While Elijah was still staying in the widow’s house at Zarephath\, the woman’s son fell sick. He got sicker and sicker and eventually he breathed his last. The woman turned on Elijah\, saying\, “What did I do to deserve this\, you man of God? Have you come to drag up my sin from the past and make my son die for it?” \nBut he said to her\, “Here\, give me your son.” \nHe took the child from her arms\, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying and laid his body on the bed. He cried out to the LORD\, saying\, “O LORD\, my God\, what are you doing? Are you even bringing disaster on the widow who is putting a roof over my head by striking down her son?” \nThen he pressed himself against the child three times\, crying out to the LORD\, “O LORD\, my God\, give this child back his life again.” \nThe LORD listened to Elijah’s prayer: the child came back to life and began breathing again. Elijah took the child back downstairs to the main room of the house and gave him back to his mother\, saying\, “Look\, your son is alive.” \nAt that\, the woman said to Elijah\, “Now I know that you really are a man of God\, and that when you say you are speaking the word of the LORD\, it is for real.” \n©2007 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 \nPrayers\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 watch over the strangers and the needy\nand raise us from death to new life. \nYou made heaven and earth\,\nthe sea and all that is in them.\nYou raised up prophets among your people\nand through them spoke your word of life and truth. \nWhen we went the way of wickedness and ruin\nand our resources came to an end\,\nyou had compassion\nand sent your only Son\, Jesus\, among us.\nHe opened the eyes of the blind\,\nlifted up those who were bowed down\,\ngave food to the hungry\,\nand set free the prisoners of death.\nWhen the powers of death rose against him\nand destroyed him\,\nyou spoke your word of life again\,\nraising him to new life\,\nas the revelation of your grace\nwho will reign forever in justice and truth. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2007 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 only Son\, Jesus\,\nwho was killed but raised to life by your word\nand now reveals you grace to us\,\nopening the eyes of the blind\,\nlifting up those who are bowed down\,\ngiving food to the hungry\,\nand setting free the prisoners of death. \n©2007 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 watch over the strangers and the needy\nand raise us from death to new life. \nYou made heaven and earth\,\nthe sea and all that is in them.\nYou raised up prophets among your people\nand through them spoke your word of life and truth. \nWhen we went the way of wickedness and ruin\nand our resources came to an end\,\nyou had compassion\nand sent your only Son\, Jesus\, among us.\nHe opened the eyes of the blind\,\nlifted up those who were bowed down\,\ngave food to the hungry\,\nand set free the prisoners of death.\nWhen the powers of death rose against him\nand destroyed him\,\nyou spoke your word of life again\,\nraising him to new life\,\nas the revelation of your grace\nwho will reign forever in justice and truth. \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©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Christ Jesus has not come to punish sin with death\,\nbut to call us through God’s grace\nand\, in compassion\, to raise us from death to life\nthrough the word of truth\, the gospel. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, and do not be afraid.\nPut your hope in the Lord your God\nwho called you before you were born\nthat you might sing praises to God all your life long\nand proclaim the gospel of grace through faith. \nAnd may God watch over you with favour;\nMay Christ Jesus have compassion for you and give you life;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit put a song of praise in your heart\nand sustain your faith forever. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nThe Dark Side of “Zeal for the Lord”\nA sermon on Galatians 1:11-24 by Nathan Nettleton\nOne Who Gives Life\nA sermon on 1 Kings 17:8-24; & Luke 7:11-17 by Nathan Nettleton\nIn the Face of Death\nA sermon on 1 Kings 17:8-24; & Luke 7:11-17 by Nathan Nettleton\nWhen God Destroys Our Faith\nA sermon on Galatians 1:11-24; 1 Kings 17:8-24; & Luke 7:11-17 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/cp05/2034-06-11/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P05.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20350527 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20350528 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20200831T083003Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220919T002603Z UID:10001625-2063836800-2063923199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 3 - Year B 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 Hosea 2: 14-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Beloved Israel\, I\, the LORD\, will win you back.\nI will take you out to that wilderness place\nwhere our love was first awakened\,\nand whisper tender words in your ear. \nI will give you back your wedding presents\,\nand transform the Valley of Heartbreak\ninto the Pathway of Hope. \nThere you will again respond to me\nwith the delight you had as a young bride\nwhen you first came to me from the land of Egypt. \nFrom that day on\, you will call me\, “My loving husband.”\nNever again will you call me\, “Owner” and “Master.”\nI will wash you clean of the memories of those would-be gods.\nYou will never again have cause to utter their names. \nI will make a deal with the wild animals\,\nwith the birds of prey and dangerous creepy-crawlies\,\nto ensure that they never threaten you again.\nI will eliminate war and get rid of all the weapons\,\nso that you can sleep soundly\, with nothing to fear. \nThen you will be mine and I will be yours;\npartners in marriage forever.\nOur marriage will be good and right\,\nrock-solid in love and rich in mercy.\nWe will give ourselves to one another\nand be faithful to one another.\nYou will know me\, the LORD\, intimately and fully. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 103: 1-13\, 22 \n \n\n \n \n \n With all our hearts\, we praise you\, LORD\,\nfrom the depths of our being\nwe name you as our one and only. \nWith all that we are we sings your praises\, LORD;\nhow could we ever forget all you have done for us? \nWhen we do wrong\, you forgive us;\nwhen we are sick\, you make us well;\nwhen our lives fall apart\, you put us back together. \nWith love and mercy\, you treat us like royalty;\nyou shower us with good things all our lives;\nyou makes us feel as young and free as an eagle. \nYou are there for those who are victimised\, LORD;\nyou clear their names and bring them justice.  \nThrough Moses\, you let us know what you are on about;\nthrough Israel\, you let us see what you can do. \nYour mercy and generosity are extravagant\, LORD;\nyour patience and love are as solid as rock. \nWhen we do things that anger you\,\nyou don’t keep dredging them up forever. \nYou never deal with us as harshly as we deserve;\ndespite the wrong we have done\, you let us off lightly. \nWe could no more climb to the moon on a step ladder\nthan measure the limits of the love and loyalty\nyou show to those who respect you.\nWe could no more swim the ocean from pole to pole\nthan cover the distance you put between us and our sins. \nYour care and concern for those who honour you\nis as tender as that of parents for their children. \nWe honour you\, LORD\,\njoining our voices with all you have made\nand all you rule over. \nWith all our hearts\, we praise you\, LORD. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Corinthians 3: 1-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n So you think we are starting to blow our own trumpet and write our own references\, do you? Of course\, some people need official references before anyone will trust them\, but not us. We don’t need to present references to you\, or to ask you for references to show anyone else. Why not? Because your life is all the recommendation we need. We carry your story in our hearts where anybody can read it and know the truth. It is clear at a glance that you are the real thing\, a genuine letter from the Messiah\, prepared by us and signed by him. No need for pen and ink or legal parchment! Your life has been written straight onto our beating hearts by the Spirit of the living God. \nSo we have every reason for our confidence. Because of the Messiah\, we can hold our heads high before God. We are not claiming that we had the qualifications or abilities to do anything on our own. Everything we have managed is God’s doing. The only reason we have what it takes to begin putting in place God’s new alliance with humanity is that God has given it to us. Neither the alliance itself\, nor our qualifications to introduce it\, are written legal documents. They are much more real than that – things of spirit! The letter of the law crushes people to death\, but the Spirit fills them with life. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 2: 13-22 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus went down to the beach. A huge crowd of people gathered around him\, and he taught them there. As he was walking along\, he saw a man named Levi\, the son of Alphaeus\, sitting in his office where he worked collecting taxes for the Roman occupation forces. Jesus said to him\, “Come and join me\,” and Levi got up and began following him. \nThat evening at Levi’s house\, Jesus and his followers had dinner with a group that included many disreputable characters whose lifestyles were considered offensive by the more respectable members of society. There were many such people among his followers. Some religious experts from the Pharisee party saw that he was eating in such bad company and confronted his closest followers over it\, saying\, “What does he think he’s doing\, sharing meals with people whose behaviour is beyond the pale?” \nWhen Jesus heard this\, he replied\, “Who needs the help of a doctor: the fit and healthy\, or the sick? I didn’t come to spend my time preaching to the converted\, but to call back those who are off the track.” \nDuring a time when John’s followers and the members of the Pharisee party were going without food for religious reasons\, some people came and asked Jesus\, “How come the followers of John and the followers of the Pharisees give up food at this time\, but your followers are still eating?” \nJesus replied\, “If you are the guests at a wedding feast\, you don’t refuse to eat and drink while the bridal couple are still with you\, do you? As long as the reason for the celebration is still in your midst\, you celebrate! All good things come to an end\, and when the reason to celebrate is taken away\, then they will go without.” \n“The thing is\, sometimes the old ways don’t fit the new situation. If you patch an old coat with a brand new piece of fabric\, the patch will shrink and tear an even bigger hole. If you try to recycle some brittle old bottles for a fresh batch of sparkling wine\, you’ll end up with nothing but smashed glass and an expensive puddle. Fresh content gets fresh packaging.” \n©2013 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 spoken\, not in carved letters on cold stone\,\nbut in songs of love\, warm with desire\,\nsung into our hearts. \nWhen time began you created the world\nand filled it with a rich abundance of birds and animals.\nYou gave yourself to your people in a holy covenant of love\,\nand through Moses and the prophets you led them\nin ways of justice and tenderness\, of faithfulness and mercy. \nYou sent your Son to us as the divine bridegroom.\nHis love was betrayed\, and yet remained undiminished\,\nand when he was killed you raised him to life.\nAlive forever\, he is among us again\,\nmercifully seeking out all who have strayed\,\nand calling us to follow him to the wedding feast\,\nthere to celebrate a new covenant\nwith the new wine of your passion. \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 the divine bridegroom\, Jesus\,\nwho comes among us\nmercifully seeking out all who have strayed\,\nand calling us to follow him to the wedding feast\,\nthere to celebrate a new covenant\nwith the new wine of your passion. \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 spoken\, not in carved letters on cold stone\,\nbut in songs of love\, warm with desire\,\nsung into our hearts. \nWhen time began you created the world\nand filled it with a rich abundance of birds and animals.\nYou gave yourself to your people in a holy covenant of love\,\nand through Moses and the prophets you led them\nin ways of justice and tenderness\, of faithfulness and mercy. \nYou sent your Son to us as the divine bridegroom.\nHis love was betrayed\, and yet remained undiminished\,\nand when he was killed you raised him to life.\nAlive forever\, he is among us again\,\nmercifully seeking out all who have strayed\,\nand calling us to follow him to the wedding feast\,\nthere to celebrate a new covenant\nwith the new wine of your passion. \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 Blessed be God who is tender and caring\,\nslow to anger and rich in love.\nThe Lord does not treat us as our sins deserve\,\nbut forgives us\, and as far as east is from west\,\nso God removes our sins. \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\, and follow the Christ wherever he calls.\nBless the Lord and hold dear all God’s gifts.\nFind your competence in God\nthat you might be ministers of a new covenant. \nAnd may God embrace you in tenderness and lay you down in safety.\nMay Christ write his words of love on your heart.\nAnd may the Spirit fill your life with richness\n    and give you the strength of an eagle. \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\nReligion v’s LifeA sermon on Mark 2:1- 3:6 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/bp03b/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P03b.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20350527 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20350528 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20210610T043757Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210610T044727Z UID:10001825-2063836800-2063923199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 3 - Year A 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 Isaiah 49: 8-16a \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD is saying: \nWhat a day! I have answered your call.\nIt’s the day of rescue\, and here I am.\nI have kept you safe\,\nand I have given you to the people\nas the sign that I will always be with them. \nI have given you the job of putting the land in order\,\nof resettling the people\non the properties that were left abandoned. \nTell the prisoners they can now go free.\nTell those cowering in the darkness\nthat it is now safe to come out of hiding. \nThey will find all the food they want along the way.\nEven the rocky mountain tops will produce food for them.\nThey will never go hungry or thirsty;\nnever again be burnt by the sun or cut by the wind. \nI care deeply for them and I will lead them.\nI will guide them along the perfect track\nfrom one fresh waterhole to the next. \nI will level out the track\nso that there are no tough climbs\nand no treacherous descents. \nTake a look and see!\nHere come my people from far away\,\nfrom all points of the compass\,\nfrom this land and that. \nSing your lungs out\, sky above!\nExplode with joy\, O planet earth!\nBurst into song\, O mighty mountains!\nFor the LORD’S people were suffering\,\nbut the LORD has felt their pain and given them comfort. \nBut Zion said\, “The LORD’S back is turned to me.\nMy Lord has given up on me\, written me off.” \nGet a grip! Does a woman give up on the child at her breast?\nCan she turn her back when her own child is hurting?\nAnd yet a woman forgetting her child\nis a lot more likely than me forgetting you.\nLook here and see\,\nI have written your name on the palm of my hand. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 131 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, I am not too full of myself.\nI don’t set my sights too high.\nI don’t try to get involved in things\nthat are out of my league\nor beyond my capabilities. \nWhat I have done\, LORD\, is look after my soul. \nLike a mother tenderly calming a young child\,\nI have calmed my soul to a quiet peace. \nMay all your people put their hope in you\, LORD\,\nfrom now on\, and forevermore. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 \n \n\n \n \n \n How should you think of us? Think of us only as servants of the Messiah\, and as those whose job it is to handle the mysteries of God’s business. Now the basic expectation of anyone who is given such a job is that they can be trusted with it. For myself\, I couldn’t care less whether you or any other mob think I measure up. I don’t even try to judge myself. I am not aware of any black marks against my name\, but that doesn’t prove anything. It is only what the Lord thinks of me that matters. Therefore\, don’t go jumping the gun and trying to tally the score before time’s up\, before the Lord arrives. He will shine a spotlight on things that are now hidden under the cover of darkness\, and what really makes us tick will be out in the open for all to see. Then\, and only then\, will each person receive the thumbs-up from God for the things they’ve done well. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 6:24-34 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus said: \n“No one can play on two teams.\nYou’ll either give your best to one\nand under-perform for the other\,\nor short-change one\nand give your heart and soul for the other.\nYou can’t dedicate yourself to both God and financial success. \n“So I’m telling you\, don’t go worrying about your life\, about where your next meal is coming from or what you will find to drink. Don’t stress about what you look like or whether you’ve got the right clothes to wear. Life is more than food\, isn’t it? And the body is not just a clothes rack\, is it? Look at the birds flying around. They don’t do any farming. They don’t stock up the pantry with extra supplies. And yet the one who conceived you in heaven feeds them. You are worth more than they are\, aren’t you? So what good does worrying do you? It won’t make you live any longer - not even an hour - will it? \n“And why do you worry about what to wear? Think about the wild flowers. They grow without ever shopping or sewing a stitch. But you can take it from me that they are clothed more perfectly than even a princess at a royal wedding. If God takes such care over dressing the wildflowers\, which bloom today and are mown down and composted tomorrow\, how much more care will God take to make sure that you have the clothes you need? Yet you find it hard to trust! \n“So don’t get all anxious and go asking\, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘Where will we find a drink?’ or ‘What on earth will we wear?’ It is the people who don’t put their trust in God who put all their energy into these things. You can rest assured that the one who conceived you in heaven knows perfectly well that you need these things. So you can make your first priority the new culture of God and doing the right thing\, God’s way\, and all these other things will be taken care of for you. \n“So don’t stress out about tomorrow. Just deal with the troubles of today\, and leave tomorrow’s worries until they come.” \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nPrayers\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 show compassion to your suffering ones\nand have written our names on the palm of your hands. \nYou created the earth and all its creatures\,\nclothing even the grass of the fields in splendour\nand bringing forth abundant food\,\neven for the birds of the air.\nYou found your people imprisoned in darkness\nand through Moses and the prophets\,\nyou called them to freedom\nand led them by springs of water. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you have come to us again\,\nteaching us to entrust our souls to you\nand to seek first your kingdom\nand its righteousness and justice for all.\nWhen he was killed by those\nwho serve wealth and power\,\nyou raised him to life again\nso that his light might shine in the darkness\nand bring all the earth to freedom. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2008 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 child\, Jesus\,\nin whom you have taught us to entrust our souls to you\nand to seek first your kingdom\nand its righteousness and justice for all.\nYou raised him to life\nso that his light might shine in the darkness\nand bring all the earth to freedom. \n©2008 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 show compassion to your suffering ones\nand have written our names on the palm of your hands. \nYou created the earth and all its creatures\,\nclothing even the grass of the fields in splendour\nand bringing forth abundant food\,\neven for the birds of the air.\nYou found your people imprisoned in darkness\nand through Moses and the prophets\,\nyou called them to freedom\nand led them by springs of water. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you have come to us again\,\nteaching us to entrust our souls to you\nand to seek first your kingdom\nand its righteousness and justice for all.\nWhen he was killed by those\nwho serve wealth and power\,\nyou raised him to life again\nso that his light might shine in the darkness\nand bring all the earth to freedom. \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©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n It is the Lord’s judgement alone that matters\,\nand God will no more write us off\nthan will a mother write off her nursing child.\nGod has sent comfort and a word of compassion\,\n”Come out of darkness and be free.” \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, as servants of Christ\nand stewards of God’s mysteries.\nStrive firstly for the kingdom of God\nand its righteousness and justice.\nDo not be anxious\, but calm your soul within you\nand do not condemn\, even yourselves. \nAnd may God generously provide all you need;\nMay Christ Jesus guide you in the ways of light;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit fill you with comfort and hope. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nFeasting and Fasting\nA sermon on Matthew 6: 24-34 by Alison Sampson\nWhen Buildings Fall: Do Not Worry?\nA sermon on Matthew 6: 24-34 by Nathan Nettleton\nThe Church Facing Judgement\nA sermon on 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 & Matthew 6: 24-34 by Nathan Nettleton\nGod and Possessions\nA sermon on Matthew 6: 24-34 by Jennifer Smith URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap03b/2035-05-27/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P03b.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20360615T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20360615T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20200831T133737Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240714T114326Z UID:10002137-2097100800-2097187199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 6 - Year B 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 1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13 \n \n\n \n \n \n After King Saul had broken the command of the LORD\, he went home to Gibeah\, and Samuel the prophet went to Ramah\, and they never again set eyes on each other. Samuel was filled with grief over what Saul had become\, and the LORD regretted having ever made Saul king over Israel. \nOne day the LORD said to Samuel\, “It is time for you to get over your misery about Saul. I have had a gutful of him and I am going to end his reign. Fill up your flask with olive oil ready to anoint a new king. Go to Bethlehem and find a man named Jesse there\, for I have chosen one of his sons to be my king.” \nSamuel protested\, “How can I do that? If Saul gets wind of it he will kill me.” \nBut the LORD replied\, “Take a calf with you and tell everyone that you have come to a hold a feast offered in honour of me\, the LORD. Invite Jesse and his family to join you for the feast\, and then I will let you know what to do next. I will pick out one of Jesse’s sons\, and you are to pour the oil on his head to mark him out as the next king.” \nSamuel followed the LORD’s instructions and went to Bethlehem. The town officials were unnerved by his arrival\, and went out to meet him asking\, “What brings you to town? Have we done something wrong\, or are you just passing through in peace?” \nSamuel replied\, “Nothing’s wrong. I am here to offer a feast to the LORD. Go and prepare yourselves properly and then come and join me for the occasion.” \nSamuel also invited Jesse and his family to the feast and instructed them to prepare themselves properly. When they arrived\, Samuel took one look at Jesse’s oldest son\, Eliab\, and thought to himself\, “He has got to be the one the LORD has chosen.” \nBut the LORD said to Samuel\, “Don’t be fooled by how big and impressive he looks. He is not the man for me\, because I\, the LORD\, am not impressed by the same things that impress you people. People judge others by their outward appearance\, but I look beneath that and see what makes them tick.” \nThen Jesse introduced Samuel to his next son\, Abinadab\, but Samuel said\, “No\, this is not the one the LORD sent me to find.” \nJesse introduced his next son\, Shammah\, but Samuel said\, “This is not the one the LORD sent me to find either.” \nJesse introduced seven sons to Samuel\, but Samuel was convinced that none of them was the one the LORD had chosen. So he asked Jesse\, “Are all your sons here?” \nJesse replied\, “My youngest boy is not here. He is out on the farm taking care of some sheep.” \nSamuel said\, “Send someone to get him as quickly as possible\, for we will not sit down to this meal until he arrives.” \nSo Jesse sent someone to get his youngest son\, David\, and bring him to the feast. David was a good-looking\, fresh-faced kid\, and his eyes were full of life. As soon as he walked in\, the LORD said\, “Samuel\, get up and anoint him\, because this is the one I have chosen.” \nSo Samuel took out his flask of oil and poured it on David’s head in full view of his brothers. The Spirit of the LORD took hold of David and was powerfully at work in him from that moment on. With his mission accomplished\, Samuel got up and headed back home to Ramah. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Be there for your chosen ones when trouble hits\, LORD.\nUse the influence of your name to protect them!\nSend help from your sacred home\,\nand give them support from Mount Zion. \nRemember all they have given you in the past\,\nand treasure the gifts they have offered up to you. \nGive them their heart’s desire\, LORD\,\nand make all their plans come out right.\nProve yourself a winner and set them cheering;\ninspire them to fly your flag and chant your name.\nGive them all they ask for\, LORD. \nWe know you will help your chosen ones\, LORD;\nyou will reach out your hand from heaven\nand answer their prayers with a great victory. \nSome people get arrogant about their military might\,\nor the resources at their disposal\,\nbut the only thing we put our pride in\, O LORD our God\,\nis belonging to you and bearing your name.\nThat mob are heading for disaster\,\nbut we will come out on top and stand proud. \nGive victory to your chosen ones\, LORD;\nbe there for us when we call. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Corinthians 5: 6-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n As long as we remain living out our daily lives here in our bodies\, we are not able to go and be with the Lord. All the same\, we remain full of confidence\, because it is what we put our trust in that keeps us on track\, not what our eyes tell us. So we are confident all right — you bet we are — and if we could have our way we would rather pull up stumps\, leave our bodies behind us\, and go home to be with the Lord. But in truth\, nothing really hangs on whether we are here or there. The only thing that really matters is that we set our sights on pleasing the Lord. At the end of the day\, every one of us will have to front up before Christ when he sits down at the pay desk to judge our work. We will be paid what we deserve for the way we have lived our daily lives here in our bodies\, whether we have done right\, or done wrong. \nTherefore\, knowing our place before the Lord\, we do our best to get the message through to others. But of course\, God already knows us inside out\, and I hope that in your heart of hearts you have got the full picture on us too. We are not trying to blow our own trumpet here. Instead we want to give you the chance to boast about us so that you can set the record straight with those who are always gloating about how good they are\, when all they are doing is putting on a good face and hiding what is really going on inside. When we seem to be off our heads\, we are just letting it all hang out for God. When we seem to have our heads on straight\, we are taking care for your sakes. Indeed\, it is the love of Christ that drives us on; because we are inspired by his example of one laying down his life for everybody else. When he died\, we all died. He died for everybody\, so that those who live might be set free from living as slaves to their own selfish desires\, and might instead live for him who died for them and was raised to life for them. \nBecause of all this\, nowadays we are careful not to assume that people are nothing more than what our eyes and ears tell us about them. In the past we made that mistake with Christ\, but we now know a lot more of him than our eyes or ears alone could detect. Whenever anyone unites themselves to Christ\, something new is created. What that person was becomes a thing of the past; they get a whole new start in life! \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 4: 26-34 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus used some stories to teach his followers\, saying\, “Here is a good illustration of the culture of God. A bloke empties a few packets of veggie seeds all over his back yard\, and then just goes about his business\, night and day\, without giving them a second thought. The seeds sprout and grow\, but the bloke has got no idea how it happens. Nature does the job\, all by itself. First the shoots pop up\, then before long the plants take shape\, and then one day there is a bumper crop of veggies in the back yard. And once they are ripe\, it doesn’t matter that the bloke doesn’t know how it happened. It’s not going to stop him going out into the yard with his knife and picking himself a feast at harvest time.” \nJesus also said\, “What else can we compare the culture of God with? How can we picture it? It is a bit like a mustard seed. When it gets planted in the garden\, it is so small\, you wouldn’t even know it was there. But once planted\, it grows into a huge weed. It goes berserk and starts throwing out branches big enough that a flock of galahs could build nests in its shade!” \nJesus used lots of these sort of illustrations to get the message through to the people. Everything he had to say to them was said in stories\, but when he was alone with his closest followers\, he explained things in more detail. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection \n \n\n \n \n \n Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ezekiel 17:22-24 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the Lord GOD says: \nI will personally choose a sprig\nfrom the crown of a towering tree\nand cut it loose.\nI will get one with tender leaves\nfrom among the new growth at the very top. \nI will plant it myself\non top of the highest mountain.\nI will plant it\non the great mountain of Israel\nso that it may grow to be a mighty tree\nwith massive branches and loads of fruit. \nBirds of every kind will find shelter in it\,\nbuilding nests in its shady branches.\nEverything that flies will be up there! \nThen every tree in every field will know for sure\nthat I am the LORD. \nI cut down the big trees\nand raise up the little ones.\nI wither the lush green trees\,\nand make the dry ones flourish again. \nI the LORD give you my word on this\,\nand I do what I say. \n©2009 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 92: 1-4\, 12-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n It is a privilege to be able to publicly thank you\, LORD\,\nto sing your praises and put your name up in lights.\nIt is great to start the day singing about your rock-solid love\,\nwith a full band ringing out the tune\,\nand to end it thanking you for being so loyal and trustworthy\,\naccompanying our praise with guitars. \nFor you\, O LORD\, have given us so much to be happy about;\nwhat you have done with your own hands\nsets us singing and dancing for joy. \nPeople who always do the right thing by others\nwill thrive like a tropical rainforest\nand grow strong like a river redgum.\nThey have put down their roots in your soil\, LORD\,\nand they will brighten up your temple like flowers.\nEven when they grow old they will still be fruitful\,\nhealthy and vibrant and pulsing with life.\nThey are a credit to you\, LORD\,\nproving for all to see that you are straight and true.\nYou are our rock\,\nand there is nothing rotten or crooked in you. \n©2009 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 your kingdom grows from the smallest beginnings\,\nand you have given us all a home in the shelter of your love. \nYou created the heavens and the earth\,\nand from the tiniest seeds\, you filled the earth with life.\nYou called your people to walk by faith\, not by sight\,\nand you anointed faithful rulers to lead them in your ways. \nYour child\, Jesus\, came among us\nsharing stories of your love and grace\nand teaching us the mysteries of your kingdom.\nHe died at the hands of those who take pride in brute force\,\nand in his death\, all have died.\nBut you raised him to life for us\,\nand in him everything has become new.\nNow we are confident that you will grant\nour heart’s true desire:\nto be at home with you forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2006 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 child\, Jesus\,\nwho shared stories of your kingdom\nand who died so that we might no longer live for ourselves\,\nbut live as new creations in him\nwho you raised to life for us\nand made all things new. \n©2006 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 your kingdom grows from the smallest beginnings\,\nand you have given us all a home in the shelter of your love. \nYou created the heavens and the earth\,\nand from the tiniest seeds\, you filled the earth with life.\nYou called your people to walk by faith\, not by sight\,\nand you anointed faithful rulers to lead them in your ways. \nYour child\, Jesus\, came among us\nsharing stories of your love and grace\nand teaching us the mysteries of your kingdom.\nHe died at the hands of those who take pride in brute force\,\nand in his death\, all have died.\nBut you raised him to life for us\,\nand in him everything has become new.\nNow we are confident that you will grant\nour heart’s true desire:\nto be at home with 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©2006 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 does not see as we see\, but looks on the heart.\nIf anyone is in Christ\,\nthere is a new creation:\neverything old has passed away;\neverything has become new. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out\, and live no longer for yourselves\,\nbut for him who died and was raised for you.\nWalk by faith\, not by sight\,\nand judge others only by the integrity of their hearts.\nMake it your aim to please the Lord\,\nand to persuade others of the love of Christ. \nAnd may God answer you in times of trouble and protect you;\nMay Christ Jesus grant you your heart’s desire;\nand may the Holy Spirit take hold of you mightily from this day forward. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2006 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\nFeeling like a Weed?A sermon on Mark 4:26-34 & Ezekiel 17: 22-24 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFaithfully UnderwhelmingA sermon on Mark 4: 26-34\, 1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13 & 2 Corinthians 5: 6-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWeeds Overgrowing a Crumbling EmpireA sermon on Mark 4:26-34 & Ezekiel 17: 22-24 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/bp06/2036-06-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P06.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20360615T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20360615T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20200831T133737Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003403Z UID:10002804-2097100800-2097187199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 6 - Year B 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 1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13 \n \n\n \n \n \n After King Saul had broken the command of the LORD\, he went home to Gibeah\, and Samuel the prophet went to Ramah\, and they never again set eyes on each other. Samuel was filled with grief over what Saul had become\, and the LORD regretted having ever made Saul king over Israel. \nOne day the LORD said to Samuel\, “It is time for you to get over your misery about Saul. I have had a gutful of him and I am going to end his reign. Fill up your flask with olive oil ready to anoint a new king. Go to Bethlehem and find a man named Jesse there\, for I have chosen one of his sons to be my king.” \nSamuel protested\, “How can I do that? If Saul gets wind of it he will kill me.” \nBut the LORD replied\, “Take a calf with you and tell everyone that you have come to a hold a feast offered in honour of me\, the LORD. Invite Jesse and his family to join you for the feast\, and then I will let you know what to do next. I will pick out one of Jesse’s sons\, and you are to pour the oil on his head to mark him out as the next king.” \nSamuel followed the LORD’s instructions and went to Bethlehem. The town officials were unnerved by his arrival\, and went out to meet him asking\, “What brings you to town? Have we done something wrong\, or are you just passing through in peace?” \nSamuel replied\, “Nothing’s wrong. I am here to offer a feast to the LORD. Go and prepare yourselves properly and then come and join me for the occasion.” \nSamuel also invited Jesse and his family to the feast and instructed them to prepare themselves properly. When they arrived\, Samuel took one look at Jesse’s oldest son\, Eliab\, and thought to himself\, “He has got to be the one the LORD has chosen.” \nBut the LORD said to Samuel\, “Don’t be fooled by how big and impressive he looks. He is not the man for me\, because I\, the LORD\, am not impressed by the same things that impress you people. People judge others by their outward appearance\, but I look beneath that and see what makes them tick.” \nThen Jesse introduced Samuel to his next son\, Abinadab\, but Samuel said\, “No\, this is not the one the LORD sent me to find.” \nJesse introduced his next son\, Shammah\, but Samuel said\, “This is not the one the LORD sent me to find either.” \nJesse introduced seven sons to Samuel\, but Samuel was convinced that none of them was the one the LORD had chosen. So he asked Jesse\, “Are all your sons here?” \nJesse replied\, “My youngest boy is not here. He is out on the farm taking care of some sheep.” \nSamuel said\, “Send someone to get him as quickly as possible\, for we will not sit down to this meal until he arrives.” \nSo Jesse sent someone to get his youngest son\, David\, and bring him to the feast. David was a good-looking\, fresh-faced kid\, and his eyes were full of life. As soon as he walked in\, the LORD said\, “Samuel\, get up and anoint him\, because this is the one I have chosen.” \nSo Samuel took out his flask of oil and poured it on David’s head in full view of his brothers. The Spirit of the LORD took hold of David and was powerfully at work in him from that moment on. With his mission accomplished\, Samuel got up and headed back home to Ramah. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Be there for your chosen ones when trouble hits\, LORD.\nUse the influence of your name to protect them!\nSend help from your sacred home\,\nand give them support from Mount Zion. \nRemember all they have given you in the past\,\nand treasure the gifts they have offered up to you. \nGive them their heart’s desire\, LORD\,\nand make all their plans come out right.\nProve yourself a winner and set them cheering;\ninspire them to fly your flag and chant your name.\nGive them all they ask for\, LORD. \nWe know you will help your chosen ones\, LORD;\nyou will reach out your hand from heaven\nand answer their prayers with a great victory. \nSome people get arrogant about their military might\,\nor the resources at their disposal\,\nbut the only thing we put our pride in\, O LORD our God\,\nis belonging to you and bearing your name.\nThat mob are heading for disaster\,\nbut we will come out on top and stand proud. \nGive victory to your chosen ones\, LORD;\nbe there for us when we call. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Corinthians 5: 6-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n As long as we remain living out our daily lives here in our bodies\, we are not able to go and be with the Lord. All the same\, we remain full of confidence\, because it is what we put our trust in that keeps us on track\, not what our eyes tell us. So we are confident all right — you bet we are — and if we could have our way we would rather pull up stumps\, leave our bodies behind us\, and go home to be with the Lord. But in truth\, nothing really hangs on whether we are here or there. The only thing that really matters is that we set our sights on pleasing the Lord. At the end of the day\, every one of us will have to front up before Christ when he sits down at the pay desk to judge our work. We will be paid what we deserve for the way we have lived our daily lives here in our bodies\, whether we have done right\, or done wrong. \nTherefore\, knowing our place before the Lord\, we do our best to get the message through to others. But of course\, God already knows us inside out\, and I hope that in your heart of hearts you have got the full picture on us too. We are not trying to blow our own trumpet here. Instead we want to give you the chance to boast about us so that you can set the record straight with those who are always gloating about how good they are\, when all they are doing is putting on a good face and hiding what is really going on inside. When we seem to be off our heads\, we are just letting it all hang out for God. When we seem to have our heads on straight\, we are taking care for your sakes. Indeed\, it is the love of Christ that drives us on; because we are inspired by his example of one laying down his life for everybody else. When he died\, we all died. He died for everybody\, so that those who live might be set free from living as slaves to their own selfish desires\, and might instead live for him who died for them and was raised to life for them. \nBecause of all this\, nowadays we are careful not to assume that people are nothing more than what our eyes and ears tell us about them. In the past we made that mistake with Christ\, but we now know a lot more of him than our eyes or ears alone could detect. Whenever anyone unites themselves to Christ\, something new is created. What that person was becomes a thing of the past; they get a whole new start in life! \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 4: 26-34 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus used some stories to teach his followers\, saying\, “Here is a good illustration of the culture of God. A bloke empties a few packets of veggie seeds all over his back yard\, and then just goes about his business\, night and day\, without giving them a second thought. The seeds sprout and grow\, but the bloke has got no idea how it happens. Nature does the job\, all by itself. First the shoots pop up\, then before long the plants take shape\, and then one day there is a bumper crop of veggies in the back yard. And once they are ripe\, it doesn’t matter that the bloke doesn’t know how it happened. It’s not going to stop him going out into the yard with his knife and picking himself a feast at harvest time.” \nJesus also said\, “What else can we compare the culture of God with? How can we picture it? It is a bit like a mustard seed. When it gets planted in the garden\, it is so small\, you wouldn’t even know it was there. But once planted\, it grows into a huge weed. It goes berserk and starts throwing out branches big enough that a flock of galahs could build nests in its shade!” \nJesus used lots of these sort of illustrations to get the message through to the people. Everything he had to say to them was said in stories\, but when he was alone with his closest followers\, he explained things in more detail. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection \n \n\n \n \n \n Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ezekiel 17:22-24 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the Lord GOD says: \nI will personally choose a sprig\nfrom the crown of a towering tree\nand cut it loose.\nI will get one with tender leaves\nfrom among the new growth at the very top. \nI will plant it myself\non top of the highest mountain.\nI will plant it\non the great mountain of Israel\nso that it may grow to be a mighty tree\nwith massive branches and loads of fruit. \nBirds of every kind will find shelter in it\,\nbuilding nests in its shady branches.\nEverything that flies will be up there! \nThen every tree in every field will know for sure\nthat I am the LORD. \nI cut down the big trees\nand raise up the little ones.\nI wither the lush green trees\,\nand make the dry ones flourish again. \nI the LORD give you my word on this\,\nand I do what I say. \n©2009 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 92: 1-4\, 12-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n It is a privilege to be able to publicly thank you\, LORD\,\nto sing your praises and put your name up in lights.\nIt is great to start the day singing about your rock-solid love\,\nwith a full band ringing out the tune\,\nand to end it thanking you for being so loyal and trustworthy\,\naccompanying our praise with guitars. \nFor you\, O LORD\, have given us so much to be happy about;\nwhat you have done with your own hands\nsets us singing and dancing for joy. \nPeople who always do the right thing by others\nwill thrive like a tropical rainforest\nand grow strong like a river redgum.\nThey have put down their roots in your soil\, LORD\,\nand they will brighten up your temple like flowers.\nEven when they grow old they will still be fruitful\,\nhealthy and vibrant and pulsing with life.\nThey are a credit to you\, LORD\,\nproving for all to see that you are straight and true.\nYou are our rock\,\nand there is nothing rotten or crooked in you. \n©2009 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 your kingdom grows from the smallest beginnings\,\nand you have given us all a home in the shelter of your love. \nYou created the heavens and the earth\,\nand from the tiniest seeds\, you filled the earth with life.\nYou called your people to walk by faith\, not by sight\,\nand you anointed faithful rulers to lead them in your ways. \nYour child\, Jesus\, came among us\nsharing stories of your love and grace\nand teaching us the mysteries of your kingdom.\nHe died at the hands of those who take pride in brute force\,\nand in his death\, all have died.\nBut you raised him to life for us\,\nand in him everything has become new.\nNow we are confident that you will grant\nour heart’s true desire:\nto be at home with you forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2006 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 child\, Jesus\,\nwho shared stories of your kingdom\nand who died so that we might no longer live for ourselves\,\nbut live as new creations in him\nwho you raised to life for us\nand made all things new. \n©2006 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 your kingdom grows from the smallest beginnings\,\nand you have given us all a home in the shelter of your love. \nYou created the heavens and the earth\,\nand from the tiniest seeds\, you filled the earth with life.\nYou called your people to walk by faith\, not by sight\,\nand you anointed faithful rulers to lead them in your ways. \nYour child\, Jesus\, came among us\nsharing stories of your love and grace\nand teaching us the mysteries of your kingdom.\nHe died at the hands of those who take pride in brute force\,\nand in his death\, all have died.\nBut you raised him to life for us\,\nand in him everything has become new.\nNow we are confident that you will grant\nour heart’s true desire:\nto be at home with 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©2006 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 does not see as we see\, but looks on the heart.\nIf anyone is in Christ\,\nthere is a new creation:\neverything old has passed away;\neverything has become new. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out\, and live no longer for yourselves\,\nbut for him who died and was raised for you.\nWalk by faith\, not by sight\,\nand judge others only by the integrity of their hearts.\nMake it your aim to please the Lord\,\nand to persuade others of the love of Christ. \nAnd may God answer you in times of trouble and protect you;\nMay Christ Jesus grant you your heart’s desire;\nand may the Holy Spirit take hold of you mightily from this day forward. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2006 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\nFeeling like a Weed?A sermon on Mark 4:26-34 & Ezekiel 17: 22-24 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFaithfully UnderwhelmingA sermon on Mark 4: 26-34\, 1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13 & 2 Corinthians 5: 6-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWeeds Overgrowing a Crumbling EmpireA sermon on Mark 4:26-34 & Ezekiel 17: 22-24 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/bp06/2036-06-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P06.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20370607 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20370608 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20201111T013729Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201111T013729Z UID:10001744-2127945600-2128031999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 5 - 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24) \n \n\n \n \n \n During the terrible drought\, Elijah got word from the LORD saying\, “Go and live in the Sidonian town of Zarephath. There is a destitute widow there who I have told to feed you.” \nSo Elijah hit the road and headed for Zarephath. When he arrived on the outskirts of the town\, he saw a destitute widow gathering firewood. He called out to her\, saying\, “Could you please bring me a cup of water; I need a drink.” As she went to get the water\, he called out again\, saying\, “And grab me a chunk of bread too\, please.” \nBut she stopped and said\, “I swear by God\, the LORD your God\, that I haven’t got any bread to give you. I am down to the last handful of flour in my jar and the last dribble of oil in my jug. With them and the firewood I am collecting here\, I will prepare one last meal for myself and my son\, and when we’ve eaten that\, we will starve to death. \nElijah said to her\, “Don’t worry; it will be okay. Go and make the bread as you planned\, but make two loaves. Bring one to me\, and then share the second one with your son. For this is what the LORD\, the God of Israel\, is promising you: “The flour jar will never be empty and the oil jug will never run dry until the day that the LORD sends down rain on the land.” \nShe went and made the bread as Elijah had said\, and they all had enough to eat for many days. The flour in the jar never ran out and the oil in the jug never ran dry. It was just as Elijah had said: the LORD had given his word. \nSome time later\, while Elijah was still staying in the woman’s house\, the woman’s son fell sick. He got sicker and sicker and eventually he breathed his last. The woman turned on Elijah\, saying\, “What did I do to deserve this\, you man of God? Have you come to drag up my sin from the past and make my son die for it?” \nBut he said to her\, “Here\, give me your son.” \nHe took the child from her arms\, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying and laid his body on the bed. He cried out to the LORD\, saying\, “O LORD\, my God\, what are you doing? Are you even bringing disaster on the widow who is putting a roof over my head by striking down her son?” \nThen he pressed himself against the child three times\, crying out to the LORD\, “O LORD\, my God\, give this child back his life again.” \nThe LORD listened to Elijah’s prayer: the child came back to life and began breathing again. Elijah took the child back downstairs to the main room of the house and gave him back to his mother\, saying\, “Look\, your son is alive.” \nAt that\, the woman said to Elijah\, “Now I know that you really are a man of God\, and that when you say you are speaking the word of the LORD\, it is for real.” \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 146 \n \n\n \n \n \n You are the best\, LORD!\nWith all my heart I sing your praises.\nI will never stop talking you up;\nI won’t stop spruiking your goodness till the day I die. \nThere is no one but you that we can depend on\, LORD;\nnot experts\, not leaders\, no one.\nNo human being can give what we most need;\nno matter what their plans and schemes promise\,\nthe minute they’re gone\, their promises die with them. \nBut we hit the jackpot when we look to you for help\, LORD;\nwhen we put all our hopes in you – the God of our ancestors.\nYou are the one who made earth and sky\,\nwho poured out the seas and filled them with life.\nYou are true to your word no matter what;\nwhen people are ground into the dirt\, you bring about justice;\nwhen people are left to starve\, you come with food. \nYou\, LORD\, set the prisoners free.\nYou\, LORD\, open the eyes of those who can’t see.\nYou\, LORD\, put the downtrodden back on their feet. \nYou\, LORD\, love those who do the right thing.\nYou\, LORD\, keep a caring eye on the asylum seekers.\nYou stick up for those who have no one else to stick up for them\,\nbut you make the schemes of the corrupt backfire on them. \nTake charge forever\, LORD\,\nrule from your sacred Mountain for all time.\nYou’re the best\, LORD. We’re with you all the way! \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Galatians 1:11-24 \n \n\n \n \n \n Let me set you straight on this\, brothers and sisters. The message that you heard me announcing is not something that somebody just cooked up one day. I can assure you that I didn’t get it second hand from any human source\, and nor did anybody word me up about it. Instead\, the message was the result of Jesus the Messiah revealing himself directly. \nNo doubt you have heard about my past in militant Judaism. I was out to destroy God’s church\, and my attacks were violent and targeted. When it came to proving my passion for the Jewish values and ways passed down by our ancestors\, I was way out in front of most people my age. But God had had other plans for me even before I was born. In an act of over-the-top generosity\, God called me — like the prophets of old — and made his Son known in me so that I might talk him up among those who aren’t even Jews. And when God called me\, that was it. I didn’t get any flesh-and-blood input on it\, and I didn’t run off to Jerusalem to be worded up by those who had been God’s ambassadors for longer than me. Instead I disappeared off into Arabia\, and later returned to Damascus. \nI have since been to Jerusalem and met Peter\, but that was three years later and I stayed with him for only fifteen days. I didn’t even meet any of the other church leaders there except for James\, the Lord’s brother. I swear to you before God\, that what I am writing to you is without a word of a lie! After that I headed way off into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. The churches of Judea — those who are in Christ there — had still never laid eyes on me. All they knew was what people were saying: “The bloke who was victimising us before is now broadcasting the faith he was previously trying to destroy.” And they rightly gave God all the credit for what they heard about me. \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 7:11-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus went to a town called Nain. His closest followers and a large crowd tagged along. When he arrived on the outskirts of the town\, he ran into a funeral procession. The only son of a widow had died and was being carried out to the graveyard\, followed by his mother and a large crowd of the townsfolk. When the Lord saw the widow\, he felt very sorry for her\, and said to her\, “Dry your eyes.” \nThen he stepped forward and touched the coffin\, and the bearers came to a halt. Jesus said\, “Young man\, listen to me. Rise up!” \nThe dead man sat up and began to speak\, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Everybody was quaking in their boots and they were quick to give God the credit for what was going on. They were saying things like\, “A great prophet has risen up among us!” and “God must be pleased with his people!” \nThe news about Jesus spread like wildfire throughout the Jewish territory and all the surrounding areas. \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection \n \n\n \n \n \n Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Kings 17:17-24 \n \n\n \n \n \n While Elijah was still staying in the widow’s house at Zarephath\, the woman’s son fell sick. He got sicker and sicker and eventually he breathed his last. The woman turned on Elijah\, saying\, “What did I do to deserve this\, you man of God? Have you come to drag up my sin from the past and make my son die for it?” \nBut he said to her\, “Here\, give me your son.” \nHe took the child from her arms\, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying and laid his body on the bed. He cried out to the LORD\, saying\, “O LORD\, my God\, what are you doing? Are you even bringing disaster on the widow who is putting a roof over my head by striking down her son?” \nThen he pressed himself against the child three times\, crying out to the LORD\, “O LORD\, my God\, give this child back his life again.” \nThe LORD listened to Elijah’s prayer: the child came back to life and began breathing again. Elijah took the child back downstairs to the main room of the house and gave him back to his mother\, saying\, “Look\, your son is alive.” \nAt that\, the woman said to Elijah\, “Now I know that you really are a man of God\, and that when you say you are speaking the word of the LORD\, it is for real.” \n©2007 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 \nPrayers\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 watch over the strangers and the needy\nand raise us from death to new life. \nYou made heaven and earth\,\nthe sea and all that is in them.\nYou raised up prophets among your people\nand through them spoke your word of life and truth. \nWhen we went the way of wickedness and ruin\nand our resources came to an end\,\nyou had compassion\nand sent your only Son\, Jesus\, among us.\nHe opened the eyes of the blind\,\nlifted up those who were bowed down\,\ngave food to the hungry\,\nand set free the prisoners of death.\nWhen the powers of death rose against him\nand destroyed him\,\nyou spoke your word of life again\,\nraising him to new life\,\nas the revelation of your grace\nwho will reign forever in justice and truth. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2007 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 only Son\, Jesus\,\nwho was killed but raised to life by your word\nand now reveals you grace to us\,\nopening the eyes of the blind\,\nlifting up those who are bowed down\,\ngiving food to the hungry\,\nand setting free the prisoners of death. \n©2007 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 watch over the strangers and the needy\nand raise us from death to new life. \nYou made heaven and earth\,\nthe sea and all that is in them.\nYou raised up prophets among your people\nand through them spoke your word of life and truth. \nWhen we went the way of wickedness and ruin\nand our resources came to an end\,\nyou had compassion\nand sent your only Son\, Jesus\, among us.\nHe opened the eyes of the blind\,\nlifted up those who were bowed down\,\ngave food to the hungry\,\nand set free the prisoners of death.\nWhen the powers of death rose against him\nand destroyed him\,\nyou spoke your word of life again\,\nraising him to new life\,\nas the revelation of your grace\nwho will reign forever in justice and truth. \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©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Christ Jesus has not come to punish sin with death\,\nbut to call us through God’s grace\nand\, in compassion\, to raise us from death to life\nthrough the word of truth\, the gospel. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, and do not be afraid.\nPut your hope in the Lord your God\nwho called you before you were born\nthat you might sing praises to God all your life long\nand proclaim the gospel of grace through faith. \nAnd may God watch over you with favour;\nMay Christ Jesus have compassion for you and give you life;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit put a song of praise in your heart\nand sustain your faith forever. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2007 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nThe Dark Side of “Zeal for the Lord”\nA sermon on Galatians 1:11-24 by Nathan Nettleton\nOne Who Gives Life\nA sermon on 1 Kings 17:8-24; & Luke 7:11-17 by Nathan Nettleton\nIn the Face of Death\nA sermon on 1 Kings 17:8-24; & Luke 7:11-17 by Nathan Nettleton\nWhen God Destroys Our Faith\nA sermon on Galatians 1:11-24; 1 Kings 17:8-24; & Luke 7:11-17 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/cp05/2037-06-07/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P05.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20380221T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20380221T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20230314T235951Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230314T235953Z UID:10002011-2150323200-2150409599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:7th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A 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 Leviticus 19: 1-2\, 9-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \nGather the whole congregation of my people and tell them this: You are to be utterly dedicated to doing what is right\, because I am the LORD your God\, and I am utterly dedicated to doing what is right. \nWhen you harvest the crops on your land\, you are not to be too thorough. Whether it is your grain fields\, your vineyards\, or your orchards\, just go over them once and don’t go back for anything you dropped or missed. You are to leave it so that the poor and the refugees can come and gather what they need. Why? Because I am the LORD your God. \nYou are not to steal; you are not to swindle anybody; and you are not to deceive one another. And you are not to drag my name through the mud by quoting it to convince someone that you are being honest when you are not. Why? Because I am the LORD. \nYou are not to commit fraud or theft to get your hands on what rightly belongs to someone else. You are not to hold back the wages of your workers beyond their regular pay day. You are not to take advantage of the disabilities of others\, or to make them the butt of cruel jokes. Why? Because if you do\, you’ll have me to answer to\, and I am the LORD. \nYou are not to pervert the course of justice in the courts. Your decisions must be fair and transparent\, not showing bias either to the poor or to the powerful. You are to be absolutely fair in your judgments\, without fear or favour. You are not to go spreading malicious stories about anybody; and you are not to seek to profit from the misfortune of another. Why? Because I am the LORD. \nYou are not to harbour hatred in your heart towards anyone in your community. If someone you know does the wrong thing\, speak up and sort it out\, or you will end up being held responsible yourself. If anyone among your people has wronged you\, you are neither to bear a grudge\, nor try to get even. Instead you are to love your neighbour as attentively as you love yourself. Why? Because I am the LORD. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 119: 33-40 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, teach me the way of life you have set for us\nand I will stick to it for keeps. \nHelp me to get my head around what you want\nand I will throw myself wholeheartedly into doing it. \nGuide me down the track you’ve mapped out for us\,\nfor nothing pleases me more than being where you want me. \nKeep me focussed on the values you’ve spelt out;\ndon’t let me get sucked into grabbing everything for myself. \nPut the blinkers on me so I see only your life-giving ways\nand am not distracted by fashionable froth and bubble. \nReassure me that I am in on what you promised to all\nwho respect you and work for you. \nProtect me with your good teachings\nso that I won’t disgrace myself as I fear I could. \nSee how much I long to do things your way;\nplease do the right thing by me and give me real life. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 3: 10-11\, 16-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n You lot are God’s building\, and God equipped me and entrusted me with the task of laying the foundations like an expert master builder. The next job – building on the foundations – was given to someone else. But each builder has to work off the same plan. They can’t just build any old which way. They can’t start again because the foundation is already down and the building must fit the foundation. And in this case\, the foundation is none other than Jesus the Messiah. \nDon’t you realise what kind of building you lot are? You are God’s sacred temple. God’s Spirit lives in you. Anyone who ruins God’s temple can expect to be ruined by God. For God’s temple is to be kept sacred and undefiled\, and you lot are that temple. \nSo don’t kid yourselves. If you pride yourselves on a reputation for wisdom and knowledge\, you would be better off losing it and being written off as fools. That would be the first step to becoming truly wise\, because the kind of wisdom that is all the rage these days is dismissed by God as complete rot. As the scriptures say: \n“The Lord watches the clever get tangled up\nin their own cleverness\,” \nand in another place: \n“The Lord knows what the think tanks are thinking\,\nand it is all a lot of hot air!” \nSo don’t waste your time trying to big-note yourselves by dropping the names of your favourite leaders. You have already been given everything you could possibly want or need\, whether it be me or Apollos or Simon Peter\, or even the world\, life\, death\, the present\, or the future. Everything already belongs to you\, and you belong to the Messiah\, and the Messiah belongs to God. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 5: 38-48 \n \n\n \n \n \n Continuing his teaching on new standards of integrity for his followers\, Jesus said\, “You know that the law put a limit on retaliation: ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ Well\, I am telling you to expect a bit more of yourselves than just that. When others are doing the wrong thing\, don’t come down to their level. Don’t take the law into your own hands at all. If someone gives you a smack around the ear to humiliate you\, stand tall and stick your chin out\, and invite them to have another crack. Absorb the hostility – don’t escalate it. Or if someone takes you to court and demands the shirt off your back\, drop your pants and hand over those as well. And if someone pulls rank and orders you to carry his pack for the next mile\, show him up by going the second mile as well.  \n“If people are begging for your help\, give it generously\, and don’t be stingy with anyone who asks you for a loan. \n“You know that the law said ‘Charity begins at home; love your neighbour’\, and it has always been accepted that ‘hate our enemies’ follows from that. Well\, it doesn’t\, so I am telling you to lift your standards. I want you to love our enemies. I want you to pray for the welfare of those who try to make your life a misery. That way you will clearly be the offspring of the God who conceived you in heaven; the God who lets the sun shine on the scum of the earth and the salt of the earth alike\, and the rain fall equally on those who always do the right thing and on those who are always crooked and corrupt. Loving the people who love you and treat you well is no big deal\, is it? Why would you expect a medal for that? Even the low-life pimps and pushers can do that much. Being friendly to your friends and neighbours does not show that you are any better than anyone else. The most godless foreigner can do that much just as well.  \n“Keep aiming to do better. Model yourselves on your Father in heaven who loves without limits or boundaries. Aim to love like that and settle for nothing less.” \n©2011 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 your love and wisdom are perfect\,\nbut the wisdom of this world is foolishness to you. \nYou laid the foundations of the earth\nand built a people to be your holy temple.\nThrough the law you taught us to walk in your ways\,\nto love one another and provide for all equally\,\njust as you graciously make the sun to shine\nand rain to fall on good and bad a like. \nWhen we became caught in the futility\nof selfishness and vengefulness\,\nyou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nas the new foundation\non which to rebuild a holy temple\nof perfect love that goes beyond the demands of the law.\nWhen he was put to death\,\nyou raised hm to new life\nand placed all things in his hands\nto share with all who belong to him. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2011 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 child\, Jesus\,\nwho came as the new foundation\non which you are rebuilding a holy temple\nof perfect love that goes far beyond\nthe wisdom of this world which is foolishness to you. \n©2011 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 your love and wisdom are perfect\,\nbut the wisdom of this world is foolishness to you. \nYou laid the foundations of the earth\nand built a people to be your holy temple.\nThrough the law you taught us to walk in your ways\,\nto love one another and provide for all equally\,\njust as you graciously make the sun to shine\nand rain to fall on good and bad a like. \nWhen we became caught in the futility\nof selfishness and vengefulness\,\nyou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nas the new foundation\non which to rebuild a holy temple\nof perfect love that goes beyond the demands of the law.\nWhen he was put to death\,\nyou raised hm to new life\nand placed all things in his hands\nto share with all who belong to him. \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©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n The God who makes the sun shine and the rain fall\non the righteous and the unrighteous alike\,\ndoes not withold mercy from any who ask.\nComplete forgiveness is yours\nfor you belong to Christ\, and Christ belongs to God. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, knowing that your are God’s holy temple\nand that God’s Spirit dwells in you.\nTherefore\, love your enemies\,\npray for those who persecute you\ngive generously to all who need your help\,\nand be perfect\, as your heavenly Father is perfect\, \nAnd may God give you all things in Christ;\nMay Christ Jesus be the foundation of all you are and do;\nAnd may the Spirit fill you with delight in all God’s ways. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2011 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\nSalvation and RetaliationA sermon on Matthew 5: 38-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nUtopian Nonsense (or the way of Jesus)?A sermon on Matthew 5: 38-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Letting the Bastards Define YouA sermon on Matthew 5: 38-48 by James Alison URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap02/2038-02-21/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P02.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20380228 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20380301 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20210610T040053Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210610T044722Z UID:10001821-2150928000-2151014399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:8th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 Isaiah 49: 8-16a \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD is saying: \nWhat a day! I have answered your call.\nIt’s the day of rescue\, and here I am.\nI have kept you safe\,\nand I have given you to the people\nas the sign that I will always be with them. \nI have given you the job of putting the land in order\,\nof resettling the people\non the properties that were left abandoned. \nTell the prisoners they can now go free.\nTell those cowering in the darkness\nthat it is now safe to come out of hiding. \nThey will find all the food they want along the way.\nEven the rocky mountain tops will produce food for them.\nThey will never go hungry or thirsty;\nnever again be burnt by the sun or cut by the wind. \nI care deeply for them and I will lead them.\nI will guide them along the perfect track\nfrom one fresh waterhole to the next. \nI will level out the track\nso that there are no tough climbs\nand no treacherous descents. \nTake a look and see!\nHere come my people from far away\,\nfrom all points of the compass\,\nfrom this land and that. \nSing your lungs out\, sky above!\nExplode with joy\, O planet earth!\nBurst into song\, O mighty mountains!\nFor the LORD’S people were suffering\,\nbut the LORD has felt their pain and given them comfort. \nBut Zion said\, “The LORD’S back is turned to me.\nMy Lord has given up on me\, written me off.” \nGet a grip! Does a woman give up on the child at her breast?\nCan she turn her back when her own child is hurting?\nAnd yet a woman forgetting her child\nis a lot more likely than me forgetting you.\nLook here and see\,\nI have written your name on the palm of my hand. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 131 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, I am not too full of myself.\nI don’t set my sights too high.\nI don’t try to get involved in things\nthat are out of my league\nor beyond my capabilities. \nWhat I have done\, LORD\, is look after my soul. \nLike a mother tenderly calming a young child\,\nI have calmed my soul to a quiet peace. \nMay all your people put their hope in you\, LORD\,\nfrom now on\, and forevermore. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 \n \n\n \n \n \n How should you think of us? Think of us only as servants of the Messiah\, and as those whose job it is to handle the mysteries of God’s business. Now the basic expectation of anyone who is given such a job is that they can be trusted with it. For myself\, I couldn’t care less whether you or any other mob think I measure up. I don’t even try to judge myself. I am not aware of any black marks against my name\, but that doesn’t prove anything. It is only what the Lord thinks of me that matters. Therefore\, don’t go jumping the gun and trying to tally the score before time’s up\, before the Lord arrives. He will shine a spotlight on things that are now hidden under the cover of darkness\, and what really makes us tick will be out in the open for all to see. Then\, and only then\, will each person receive the thumbs-up from God for the things they’ve done well. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 6:24-34 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus said: \n“No one can play on two teams.\nYou’ll either give your best to one\nand under-perform for the other\,\nor short-change one\nand give your heart and soul for the other.\nYou can’t dedicate yourself to both God and financial success. \n“So I’m telling you\, don’t go worrying about your life\, about where your next meal is coming from or what you will find to drink. Don’t stress about what you look like or whether you’ve got the right clothes to wear. Life is more than food\, isn’t it? And the body is not just a clothes rack\, is it? Look at the birds flying around. They don’t do any farming. They don’t stock up the pantry with extra supplies. And yet the one who conceived you in heaven feeds them. You are worth more than they are\, aren’t you? So what good does worrying do you? It won’t make you live any longer - not even an hour - will it? \n“And why do you worry about what to wear? Think about the wild flowers. They grow without ever shopping or sewing a stitch. But you can take it from me that they are clothed more perfectly than even a princess at a royal wedding. If God takes such care over dressing the wildflowers\, which bloom today and are mown down and composted tomorrow\, how much more care will God take to make sure that you have the clothes you need? Yet you find it hard to trust! \n“So don’t get all anxious and go asking\, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘Where will we find a drink?’ or ‘What on earth will we wear?’ It is the people who don’t put their trust in God who put all their energy into these things. You can rest assured that the one who conceived you in heaven knows perfectly well that you need these things. So you can make your first priority the new culture of God and doing the right thing\, God’s way\, and all these other things will be taken care of for you. \n“So don’t stress out about tomorrow. Just deal with the troubles of today\, and leave tomorrow’s worries until they come.” \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nPrayers\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 show compassion to your suffering ones\nand have written our names on the palm of your hands. \nYou created the earth and all its creatures\,\nclothing even the grass of the fields in splendour\nand bringing forth abundant food\,\neven for the birds of the air.\nYou found your people imprisoned in darkness\nand through Moses and the prophets\,\nyou called them to freedom\nand led them by springs of water. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you have come to us again\,\nteaching us to entrust our souls to you\nand to seek first your kingdom\nand its righteousness and justice for all.\nWhen he was killed by those\nwho serve wealth and power\,\nyou raised him to life again\nso that his light might shine in the darkness\nand bring all the earth to freedom. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2008 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 child\, Jesus\,\nin whom you have taught us to entrust our souls to you\nand to seek first your kingdom\nand its righteousness and justice for all.\nYou raised him to life\nso that his light might shine in the darkness\nand bring all the earth to freedom. \n©2008 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 show compassion to your suffering ones\nand have written our names on the palm of your hands. \nYou created the earth and all its creatures\,\nclothing even the grass of the fields in splendour\nand bringing forth abundant food\,\neven for the birds of the air.\nYou found your people imprisoned in darkness\nand through Moses and the prophets\,\nyou called them to freedom\nand led them by springs of water. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you have come to us again\,\nteaching us to entrust our souls to you\nand to seek first your kingdom\nand its righteousness and justice for all.\nWhen he was killed by those\nwho serve wealth and power\,\nyou raised him to life again\nso that his light might shine in the darkness\nand bring all the earth to freedom. \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©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n It is the Lord’s judgement alone that matters\,\nand God will no more write us off\nthan will a mother write off her nursing child.\nGod has sent comfort and a word of compassion\,\n”Come out of darkness and be free.” \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, as servants of Christ\nand stewards of God’s mysteries.\nStrive firstly for the kingdom of God\nand its righteousness and justice.\nDo not be anxious\, but calm your soul within you\nand do not condemn\, even yourselves. \nAnd may God generously provide all you need;\nMay Christ Jesus guide you in the ways of light;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit fill you with comfort and hope. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nFeasting and Fasting\nA sermon on Matthew 6: 24-34 by Alison Sampson\nWhen Buildings Fall: Do Not Worry?\nA sermon on Matthew 6: 24-34 by Nathan Nettleton\nThe Church Facing Judgement\nA sermon on 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 & Matthew 6: 24-34 by Nathan Nettleton\nGod and Possessions\nA sermon on Matthew 6: 24-34 by Jennifer Smith URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap03a/2038-02-28/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P03.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20380307 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20380308 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20210610T041514Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210610T044732Z UID:10001823-2151532800-2151619199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:9th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A DESCRIPTION:This occasion only occurs in 2038 for churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday. \nBelow 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 Deuteronomy 11: 18-21\, 26-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n Moses said to the people: \n“Take to heart these teachings I have passed on to you from the LORD your God. Do whatever you need to do to keep them fixed in your minds: write them on the back of your hands; wear them as a badge stuck on your forehead. Teach them to your children and talk about them morning\, noon and night\, at home or wherever you go. Hang them over your front doors\, put them up on a billboard at the entrance to your town so that you will be reminded of them as you come and go. That way you will be assured of a long and happy life in the land that the LORD promised to your ancestors. Your children will enjoy the same\, and their children too\, as long as the earth keeps turning. \n“Take note. Today I have taught you how the LORD your God wants you to live\, and now it is in your hands. Your life can be blessed or cursed; the choice is yours. Everything will work out well for you if you live the way the LORD your God has told you to live. But everything will fall apart for you if you turn your back on the way that the LORD your God has told you to live and take off after other ways and other objects of devotion.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 31: 1-5\, 19-24 \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;\nI put my life in your hands.\nYou are a faithful God\,\nand you have saved me. \nYour goodness is rich and free;\navailable to all who respect you and trust you.\nOut in the open\, for all to see\,\nyou stockpile blessings for those in your care. \nYou shelter them yourself\, LORD\,\nkeeping them safe from vindictive plots.\nYou give them a safe hiding place\,\nsheltered from malicious talk. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD;\nand you proved yourself when I needed you.\nWhen I was surrounded by a violent mob\,\nyour love protected me like a solid wall. \nAt first I panicked;\nI thought you had given up on me.\nBut you were there in a flash\nwhen I cried out for help. \nI call on all your people to give you their love\, LORD.\nYou keep the faithful safe\nand repay the arrogant as they deserve. \nI say to myself\, “Be strong\, tough it out\,”\nas I wait with my trust in you\, LORD. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28\, (29-31) \n \n\n \n \n \n Being identified with God’s message does not make me cringe at all. I am honoured to be associated with something that God is working through so powerfully in order to bring everyone who believes home to the safety and wholeness for which they were created. It began among the Jewish people\, but now everyone is in on it. It reveals God’s unshakable commitment to doing the right thing by all who put their trust in God’s trustworthiness. The scriptures put it this way: “Anyone who gets things right with God through a relationship of trust\, will live.” \nThis is not applied differently to different groups of people. Everyone is in the same boat because we have all done wrong and fallen well short of the shining integrity God created us for. But God treats everybody with a generosity that is out of all proportion to anything we could deserve and\, as a gift\, puts us back in the good books. This happens as part of the work done by Jesus the Messiah in putting everything back the way it should be. He was sent by God to clean up the mess we had gotten ourselves into and bring us back into a relationship based on trust\, and he made the ultimate sacrifice and paid the price in his own blood to get the job done. This demonstrated God’s unshakable commitment to doing the right thing by everyone\, both in the past and in the present. In the past God’s commitment was expressed by putting up with people’s wrongdoing and not dishing out the punishments they deserved. In the present\, God is again proving that commitment by putting those who put their trust in Jesus into the good books. \nSo what is left of our boast that we Jews are the only ones in the good books with God? Clearly it is not backed up by the facts. Why? Did others do something to earn an equal place before God? Not at all\, but God put the relationship on a trust basis\, and that put everyone on an equal footing. What we are saying is that people get into the good books by trusting God\, regardless of whether or not they observe the customs prescribed by the traditional Jewish law. God is not only the God of the Jews\, but of everyone else as well. After all\, there is only one God! Those who have been brought up to be religious are put in to God’s good books on the basis of a relationship of trust\, and everyone else is put in through exactly the same relationship of trust. However\, if you think we are saying that this relationship of trust means that there is no value in the traditional law\, you have missed the point. What we are saying is quite the opposite. It is only within this relationship of trust that the customs set out in the law can prove their worth. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 7: 21-29 \n \n\n \n \n \n Drawing to the end of his sermon on the mountain\, Jesus said\, “You can’t bluff your way into the culture of heaven by dropping my name and prattling on about what a high view of my authority you hold. It is those who walk the walk who will get in – those who actually live the way God wants them to live. When the day comes\, many people will appeal to me saying\, ‘Lord\, Lord\, look at all the great things we did in your name. We preached. We took on the forces of evil and won. We were real movers and shakers. We did all sorts of impressive things and we gave you the credit for it all. Doesn’t that count for anything?’ But I will tell them straight\, ‘I’ll have nothing to do with you. You are a bunch of frauds\, rotten to the core. Get out of my sight!’ \n“The people who take notice of what I teach and put it into practice are like experienced builders who always put down solid foundations before building a house. When violent storms come\, or even if cyclones and floods hit\, that house stands firm\, rock-solid on its foundations. But those who hear my teachings and don’t bother doing anything about them are like brainless do-it-yourselfers who knock up a house with nothing but sand for foundations. The first time it is hit by a decent storm\, the wind and rain rip into it and in no time at all there is a spectacular crash and down it comes!” \nWhen Jesus had finished speaking\, the crowd was stunned. His teaching was like nothing they had ever heard before. His words carried great weight and it was clear that he stood behind everything he said\, which was quite a contrast to the religious teachers they were used to! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nPrayers\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 by grace you have justified and redeemed us\nand become our refuge and strength. \nIn the first of your works you created the universe\nand everything that moves on the earth.\nWhen you sent a flood to purge the earth of corruption\,\nyou made a covenant with your servant Noah\nand saved every family of living creatures. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus Christ\, among us\,\nto teach us with authority how to live by your words\nand be welcomed into your kingdom.\nWhen he was killed by those who were filled with violence\,\nyou raised him with power from the dead\nand called everyone to put their faith in him.\nTo all who hear your invitation and act on it\nyou give the gift of righteousness in your presence\nand redemption in and through Christ Jesus. \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 grace\nin which you have justified and redeemed us\nand become our refuge and strength\,\neven though we had becoe corrupt and fallen short of your glory. \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\, O God\,\nfor by grace you have justified and redeemed us\nand become our refuge and strength. \nIn the first of your works you created the universe\nand everything that moves on the earth.\nWhen you sent a flood to purge the earth of corruption\,\nyou made a covenant with your servant Noah\nand saved every family of living creatures. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus Christ\, among us\,\nto teach us with authority how to live by your words\nand be welcomed into your kingdom.\nWhen he was killed by those who were filled with violence\,\nyou raised him with power from the dead\nand called everyone to put their faith in him.\nTo all who hear your invitation and act on it\nyou give the gift of righteousness in your presence\nand redemption in and through Christ Jesus. \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 We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God\,\nbut through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus\,\nwe are forgiven and justified\nas a gift of his grace. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and build your lives on the solid rock\nof Christ’s words\, heard and put into action.\nDo not be ashamed of the gospel\,\nbut live by faith\nand find your refuge and strength in God. \nAnd may God be known to you in the stillness;\nMay Christ Jesus be the solid foundation of your lives;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit give you courage\,\neven when the earth is shaken around you. \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 \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nThe Blessing of Homeland\nA sermon on Deuteronomy 11:8-12\, 18-21\, 27-28 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap04a/2038-03-07/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P04.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20400603 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20400604 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20201103T042452Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201103T042832Z UID:10001708-2222294400-2222380799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 4 - 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 1 Kings 18: 20-21 (22-29) 30-39 \n \n\n \n \n \n At Elijah’s suggestion\, King Ahab called all the prophets of the god Baal to an assembly on Mount Carmel\, and advertised it throughout Israel. When the crowd had gathered\, Elijah stepped forward and addressed them saying\, “How long are you going to keep trying to play for both sides? Make up your minds and follow the real God. Is it going to be the LORD or Baal?” \nBut there was silence. No one moved one way or the other. \nSo Elijah threw down the gauntlet\, saying\, “I’m here as the last remaining prophet on the LORD’s side\, but there are four hundred and fifty prophets here on Baal’s side. Bring us two bulls for a sacrifice. Baal’s mob can choose the bull they want. They are to butcher it and lay it out on the firewood on their altar\, but they are not allowed to light the fire. I will prepare the other bull the same way\, laying it out on the wood but not lighting the fire. Then they can call out to their god and I will call out to the LORD\, and we’ll see which god can prove himself by sending down fire.” \nThe gathered crowd thought this was a great idea. \nElijah turned to the prophets of Baal and said\, “There are lots of you\, so you can go first. Choose your bull\, prepare it for the sacrifice\, and start praying to your god. But you are not allowed to light the fire yourselves.” \nSo they took one of the bulls and butchered it for the sacrifice. From morning till midday they prayed to Baal\, crying out\, “O Baal\, god of fire\, answer us.” But nothing happened. There was no answer\, not so much as a whisper. They prayed harder and harder as they marched around the altar which they had made. \nCome midday\, Elijah started making fun of them. “Come on\,” he said. “Shout louder! What kind of god is he? Maybe he’s dreaming. Perhaps he’s nicked out to the dunny. Could he have wandered off somewhere? Maybe he’s fallen asleep\, and needs to be woken up.” \nSo they prayed louder and louder and more and more desperately. They slashed themselves with swords to offer up their own blood\, as was their custom\, and soon there was blood all over the place. They continued this well into the afternoon\, trying everything they could to get an answer out of their god\, but still there was nothing. Not a whisper\, not a spark\, no answer of any kind. \nThen Elijah called the people to gather around him\, and they crowded in close. The altar of the LORD that had once stood on the mountain was in ruins\, so Elijah rebuilt it in honour of the LORD using twelve large stones. Each stone represented one of the twelve tribes descended from the sons of Jacob to whom the LORD had given the name Israel. When Elijah finished building the altar\, he dug a trench around it\, deep enough to hold several buckets of water. He arranged the firewood on the altar\, cut the bull into pieces\, and laid it on the wood. Then he said\, “Fill four buckets of water and pour it all over the offering and the wood. When they had done it\, he said\, “Do it again”\, so another four buckets were poured over it. Then he said\, “Do it a third time\,” so four more buckets full were poured over it so that everything was completely soaked. The whole altar was dripping wet and the trench was flooded. \nAt the usual time of the evening sacrifice\, the prophet Elijah stood with the people and prayed\, “O LORD\, God of Abraham\, Isaac\, and Israel\, prove to everyone now that you are the real God in Israel\, and that I am serving you and acting on your authority. Answer me\, LORD. Show these people what you are made of\, so that they will know that you are the real God and that you are winning their hearts back to you.” \nWith a flash\, the LORD’s fire fell and incinerated the lot: the meat\, the wood\, the stones\, and even the water in the trench. There was nothing left but scorched dirt. When the people saw it happen\, they fell on their faces in awe\, saying “The LORD is the true God! The LORD is the true God!” \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 96 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD;\nsinging to you with all the earth.\nEvery mention of your name sets us singing your praises. \nWe never tire of telling the story of how you bailed us out;\nall over the world\, we speak of your incredible accomplishments;\neveryone we meet hears us giving the credit to you. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD; we can’t praise you enough!\nWhen it comes to gods\, you are in a league of your own;\nall other objects of devotion are powerless. \nBut you\, LORD\, created the whole cosmos;\nyou are surrounded by majesty and celebration;\nstrength and beauty are signs of your presence. \nPeople of every race and creed recognise you\, LORD;\nthey recognise you behind all that is strong and true;\nthey name you as the one who deserves all the glory. \nWe offer ourselves to you\, LORD;\nwe fall to our knees in this beautiful place of worship;\nwith all the earth\, we celebrate you alone. \nYou are our king\, LORD; we’ll tell everyone everywhere!\nYou have set the world on firm foundations\,\nand with you in charge\, everyone will get a fair go. \nLet the heavens and the earth celebrate;\nlet the roar of the sea join in;\nlet everything that walks\, flies or swims join the party! \nYou are on your way\, LORD\,\nand even the roadside trees cheer as you approach\,\nfor you are coming to set things right on the earth. \nYou will sort things out and put things right\,\nand reveal the truth about everything and everyone. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Galatians 1:1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, Paul\, am one of God’s special ambassadors. I wasn’t given this job by a popular vote\, or by some ordinary human boss. I was entrusted with the job by none other than Jesus the Messiah and God the Father\, who raised Jesus from the dead. This letter comes to you\, the churches in Galatia\, from me\, and from the rest of God’s crew who are with me. \nI wish you a full helping of generous love and peace from the God who conceived us and from our number one man\, Jesus the Messiah. Faced with the record of our corruption\, he gave himself completely to breaking us free from the grip of the evil culture that is so entrenched in the present day. God made our freedom a priority\, and all the credit should go to God\, now and always. And so say all of us! \nI can hardly believe what I’m hearing about you. I’m disgusted. The Messiah was extravagantly generous in calling you\, but already you are turning your backs on him and getting sucked into some other message that claims to be good news. There is no other message that’s worth a pinch of spit\, but I hear that there are some snake oil merchants there who are twisting the Messiah’s message and leading you all astray. This is not about me. If anybody\, including me\, or for that matter even an angel from heaven\, starts pushing a message that goes against what we taught you\, they can go to hell! I’ve said it once\, and I’ll say it again: if anybody comes pushing a message that goes against the one you have already received\, they can go to hell! \nDoes it sound like I’m pandering to the crowd and telling people what they want to hear? Does it like like I care what people think of me\, or rather what God thinks of me? If I was still trying to impress the crowd\, I wouldn’t be serving the Messiah at all. \nLet me set you straight on this\, brothers and sisters. The message that you heard me announcing is not something that somebody just cooked up one day. I can assure you that I didn’t get it second hand from any human source\, and nor did anybody word me up about it. Instead\, the message was the result of Jesus the Messiah revealing himself directly. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 7: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n After spending some time teaching the people\, Jesus went into the town of Capernaum. There was a Roman military commander there who had a slave who was very special to him\, but the slave had fallen ill and was dying. The commander was desperate to save the life of his slave\, so when he heard that Jesus was in town\, he sent some of the local Jewish officials to ask for his help. The officials spoke to Jesus with great enthusiasm on behalf of the commander. “This man is certainly worthy of your help\,” they said. “He is a great friend of our people. He even bankrolled the building of our local synagogue.” \nJesus headed off with them\, but before he reached the house\, the commander sent another delegation of friends out to him with a message saying\, “Lord\, don’t put yourself out for me. There is no need for you to come all the way to my house. I’m not worthy to have you under my roof\, and I wouldn’t presume to approach you in person. Please\, just give the word\, and my servant will be healed. I know how it works because I too am a man who obeys orders and who gives orders\, knowing that they will be obeyed. I tell one soldier ‘Go\,’ and he goes. I tell another ‘Jump\,’ and he says ‘How high?’ I tell my servant to do something\, and he does it.” \nWhen Jesus heard the commander’s message\, he was gob-smacked. Turning to address the crowd that was following him\, he exclaimed\, “Did you hear that? You might think you could find an Israelite with faith like that\, but no\, I have never before\, anywhere\, come across such deep trust.” \nAnd sure enough\, when the commander’s messengers got back to the house\, they found the slave back on his feet\, a picture of health. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection \n \n\n \n \n \n Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Kings 8: 22-23\, 41-43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Solomon stood in front of the altar of the LORD and\, with his hands raised high\, he led the gathered people in prayer. He prayed: \n“O LORD\, God of Israel\, you are one of a kind! No other god in the universe is like you. Your love is rock-solid and you never forget the alliance you have made with those who follow you whole-heartedly. \nAnd don’t stop with just us – foreigners will no doubt hear about you too. Attracted by your reputation and by news of the awesome things you do\, they will come from all sorts of far flung places to live among your people and offer their prayers within sight of this Temple. When they do\, listen to them from your heavenly home and answer their prayers. That way everyone on earth will hear of you and give you the same respect that your people Israel do. They will know that this Temple which I have built carries your authority. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 96: 1-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD;\nsinging to you with all the earth.\nEvery mention of your name sets us singing your praises. \nWe never tire of telling the story of how you bailed us out;\nall over the world\, we speak of your incredible accomplishments;\neveryone we meet hears us giving the credit to you. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD; we can’t praise you enough!\nWhen it comes to gods\, you are in a league of your own;\nall other objects of devotion are powerless. \nBut you\, LORD\, created the whole cosmos;\nyou are surrounded by majesty and celebration;\nstrength and beauty are signs of your presence. \nPeople of every race and creed recognise you\, LORD;\nthey recognise you behind all that is strong and true;\nthey name you as the one who deserves all the glory. \nWe offer ourselves to you\, LORD;\nwe fall to our knees in this beautiful place of worship;\nwith all the earth\, we celebrate you alone. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nPrayers\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\,\nand to tell of your salvation from day to day\nand declare your glory and your marvelous works to all. \nYou made the heavens and established the earth\,\nand revealed yourself through your law and prophets\nto be a God of glory and strength\nwho answers the cries of your people. \nThough we were not worthy to receive you\,\nfor we turned our backs on your grace\nand limped off after worthless other gods\,\nyou came to us in your child\, Jesus\,\nspeaking the word of healing and forgiveness.\nWhen we turned against him\,\nhe gave himself into our hands\nas a revelation of your self-sacrificing love\,\nand when we crucified him\,\nyou raised him from the dead\,\nand sent down your Spirit in fire\nto heal us and set us free from this evil age. \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 give thanks for your child\, Jesus\,\nwho came to us as a revelation of your self-sacrificing love\,\nspeaking the word of healing and forgiveness\nand sending down your Spirit in fire\nto heal us and set us free from this evil age. \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\,\nand to tell of your salvation from day to day\nand declare your glory and your marvelous works to all. \nYou made the heavens and established the earth\,\nand revealed yourself through your law and prophets\nto be a God of glory and strength\nwho answers the cries of your people. \nThough we were not worthy to receive you\,\nfor we turned our backs on your grace\nand limped off after worthless other gods\,\nyou came to us in your child\, Jesus\,\nspeaking the word of healing and forgiveness.\nWhen we turned against him\,\nhe gave himself into our hands\nas a revelation of your self-sacrificing love\,\nand when we crucified him\,\nyou raised him from the dead\,\nand sent down your Spirit in fire\nto heal us and set us free from this evil age. \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 Jesus gave himself freely for our sins\nto set us free from the present evil age\,\naccording to the will of our God and Father\,\nand to turn our hearts back to righteousness and truth. \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 If the Lord is God\, go now\, and follow him\,\nand do not be tempted to share your loyalty with other gods.\nStay true to the gospel that has been revealed to you in Jesus.\nCall on the name of the Lord\,\ntell of God’s salvation from day to day\,\nand live in righteousness and truth. \nAnd may God bring you grace and peace;\nMay Christ Jesus heal you and raise you up\,\nand may the Holy Spirit’s fiery glory strengthen your hearts. \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 \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nFollowers or Fans?\nA sermon on Luke 6:39 – 7:10 by Nathan Nettleton\nA Different Gospel?\nA sermon on Galatians 1:1-12; 1 Kings 18:20-39 & Luke 7:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/cp04b/2040-06-03/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P04b.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20410224T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20410224T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20230314T235951Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230314T235953Z UID:10002012-2245276800-2245363199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:7th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A 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 Leviticus 19: 1-2\, 9-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \nGather the whole congregation of my people and tell them this: You are to be utterly dedicated to doing what is right\, because I am the LORD your God\, and I am utterly dedicated to doing what is right. \nWhen you harvest the crops on your land\, you are not to be too thorough. Whether it is your grain fields\, your vineyards\, or your orchards\, just go over them once and don’t go back for anything you dropped or missed. You are to leave it so that the poor and the refugees can come and gather what they need. Why? Because I am the LORD your God. \nYou are not to steal; you are not to swindle anybody; and you are not to deceive one another. And you are not to drag my name through the mud by quoting it to convince someone that you are being honest when you are not. Why? Because I am the LORD. \nYou are not to commit fraud or theft to get your hands on what rightly belongs to someone else. You are not to hold back the wages of your workers beyond their regular pay day. You are not to take advantage of the disabilities of others\, or to make them the butt of cruel jokes. Why? Because if you do\, you’ll have me to answer to\, and I am the LORD. \nYou are not to pervert the course of justice in the courts. Your decisions must be fair and transparent\, not showing bias either to the poor or to the powerful. You are to be absolutely fair in your judgments\, without fear or favour. You are not to go spreading malicious stories about anybody; and you are not to seek to profit from the misfortune of another. Why? Because I am the LORD. \nYou are not to harbour hatred in your heart towards anyone in your community. If someone you know does the wrong thing\, speak up and sort it out\, or you will end up being held responsible yourself. If anyone among your people has wronged you\, you are neither to bear a grudge\, nor try to get even. Instead you are to love your neighbour as attentively as you love yourself. Why? Because I am the LORD. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 119: 33-40 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, teach me the way of life you have set for us\nand I will stick to it for keeps. \nHelp me to get my head around what you want\nand I will throw myself wholeheartedly into doing it. \nGuide me down the track you’ve mapped out for us\,\nfor nothing pleases me more than being where you want me. \nKeep me focussed on the values you’ve spelt out;\ndon’t let me get sucked into grabbing everything for myself. \nPut the blinkers on me so I see only your life-giving ways\nand am not distracted by fashionable froth and bubble. \nReassure me that I am in on what you promised to all\nwho respect you and work for you. \nProtect me with your good teachings\nso that I won’t disgrace myself as I fear I could. \nSee how much I long to do things your way;\nplease do the right thing by me and give me real life. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 3: 10-11\, 16-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n You lot are God’s building\, and God equipped me and entrusted me with the task of laying the foundations like an expert master builder. The next job – building on the foundations – was given to someone else. But each builder has to work off the same plan. They can’t just build any old which way. They can’t start again because the foundation is already down and the building must fit the foundation. And in this case\, the foundation is none other than Jesus the Messiah. \nDon’t you realise what kind of building you lot are? You are God’s sacred temple. God’s Spirit lives in you. Anyone who ruins God’s temple can expect to be ruined by God. For God’s temple is to be kept sacred and undefiled\, and you lot are that temple. \nSo don’t kid yourselves. If you pride yourselves on a reputation for wisdom and knowledge\, you would be better off losing it and being written off as fools. That would be the first step to becoming truly wise\, because the kind of wisdom that is all the rage these days is dismissed by God as complete rot. As the scriptures say: \n“The Lord watches the clever get tangled up\nin their own cleverness\,” \nand in another place: \n“The Lord knows what the think tanks are thinking\,\nand it is all a lot of hot air!” \nSo don’t waste your time trying to big-note yourselves by dropping the names of your favourite leaders. You have already been given everything you could possibly want or need\, whether it be me or Apollos or Simon Peter\, or even the world\, life\, death\, the present\, or the future. Everything already belongs to you\, and you belong to the Messiah\, and the Messiah belongs to God. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 5: 38-48 \n \n\n \n \n \n Continuing his teaching on new standards of integrity for his followers\, Jesus said\, “You know that the law put a limit on retaliation: ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ Well\, I am telling you to expect a bit more of yourselves than just that. When others are doing the wrong thing\, don’t come down to their level. Don’t take the law into your own hands at all. If someone gives you a smack around the ear to humiliate you\, stand tall and stick your chin out\, and invite them to have another crack. Absorb the hostility – don’t escalate it. Or if someone takes you to court and demands the shirt off your back\, drop your pants and hand over those as well. And if someone pulls rank and orders you to carry his pack for the next mile\, show him up by going the second mile as well.  \n“If people are begging for your help\, give it generously\, and don’t be stingy with anyone who asks you for a loan. \n“You know that the law said ‘Charity begins at home; love your neighbour’\, and it has always been accepted that ‘hate our enemies’ follows from that. Well\, it doesn’t\, so I am telling you to lift your standards. I want you to love our enemies. I want you to pray for the welfare of those who try to make your life a misery. That way you will clearly be the offspring of the God who conceived you in heaven; the God who lets the sun shine on the scum of the earth and the salt of the earth alike\, and the rain fall equally on those who always do the right thing and on those who are always crooked and corrupt. Loving the people who love you and treat you well is no big deal\, is it? Why would you expect a medal for that? Even the low-life pimps and pushers can do that much. Being friendly to your friends and neighbours does not show that you are any better than anyone else. The most godless foreigner can do that much just as well.  \n“Keep aiming to do better. Model yourselves on your Father in heaven who loves without limits or boundaries. Aim to love like that and settle for nothing less.” \n©2011 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 your love and wisdom are perfect\,\nbut the wisdom of this world is foolishness to you. \nYou laid the foundations of the earth\nand built a people to be your holy temple.\nThrough the law you taught us to walk in your ways\,\nto love one another and provide for all equally\,\njust as you graciously make the sun to shine\nand rain to fall on good and bad a like. \nWhen we became caught in the futility\nof selfishness and vengefulness\,\nyou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nas the new foundation\non which to rebuild a holy temple\nof perfect love that goes beyond the demands of the law.\nWhen he was put to death\,\nyou raised hm to new life\nand placed all things in his hands\nto share with all who belong to him. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2011 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 child\, Jesus\,\nwho came as the new foundation\non which you are rebuilding a holy temple\nof perfect love that goes far beyond\nthe wisdom of this world which is foolishness to you. \n©2011 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 your love and wisdom are perfect\,\nbut the wisdom of this world is foolishness to you. \nYou laid the foundations of the earth\nand built a people to be your holy temple.\nThrough the law you taught us to walk in your ways\,\nto love one another and provide for all equally\,\njust as you graciously make the sun to shine\nand rain to fall on good and bad a like. \nWhen we became caught in the futility\nof selfishness and vengefulness\,\nyou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nas the new foundation\non which to rebuild a holy temple\nof perfect love that goes beyond the demands of the law.\nWhen he was put to death\,\nyou raised hm to new life\nand placed all things in his hands\nto share with all who belong to him. \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©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n The God who makes the sun shine and the rain fall\non the righteous and the unrighteous alike\,\ndoes not withold mercy from any who ask.\nComplete forgiveness is yours\nfor you belong to Christ\, and Christ belongs to God. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, knowing that your are God’s holy temple\nand that God’s Spirit dwells in you.\nTherefore\, love your enemies\,\npray for those who persecute you\ngive generously to all who need your help\,\nand be perfect\, as your heavenly Father is perfect\, \nAnd may God give you all things in Christ;\nMay Christ Jesus be the foundation of all you are and do;\nAnd may the Spirit fill you with delight in all God’s ways. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2011 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\nSalvation and RetaliationA sermon on Matthew 5: 38-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nUtopian Nonsense (or the way of Jesus)?A sermon on Matthew 5: 38-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Letting the Bastards Define YouA sermon on Matthew 5: 38-48 by James Alison URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap02/2041-02-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P02.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20410303 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20410304 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20210610T040053Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210610T044722Z UID:10001822-2245881600-2245967999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:8th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 Isaiah 49: 8-16a \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD is saying: \nWhat a day! I have answered your call.\nIt’s the day of rescue\, and here I am.\nI have kept you safe\,\nand I have given you to the people\nas the sign that I will always be with them. \nI have given you the job of putting the land in order\,\nof resettling the people\non the properties that were left abandoned. \nTell the prisoners they can now go free.\nTell those cowering in the darkness\nthat it is now safe to come out of hiding. \nThey will find all the food they want along the way.\nEven the rocky mountain tops will produce food for them.\nThey will never go hungry or thirsty;\nnever again be burnt by the sun or cut by the wind. \nI care deeply for them and I will lead them.\nI will guide them along the perfect track\nfrom one fresh waterhole to the next. \nI will level out the track\nso that there are no tough climbs\nand no treacherous descents. \nTake a look and see!\nHere come my people from far away\,\nfrom all points of the compass\,\nfrom this land and that. \nSing your lungs out\, sky above!\nExplode with joy\, O planet earth!\nBurst into song\, O mighty mountains!\nFor the LORD’S people were suffering\,\nbut the LORD has felt their pain and given them comfort. \nBut Zion said\, “The LORD’S back is turned to me.\nMy Lord has given up on me\, written me off.” \nGet a grip! Does a woman give up on the child at her breast?\nCan she turn her back when her own child is hurting?\nAnd yet a woman forgetting her child\nis a lot more likely than me forgetting you.\nLook here and see\,\nI have written your name on the palm of my hand. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 131 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, I am not too full of myself.\nI don’t set my sights too high.\nI don’t try to get involved in things\nthat are out of my league\nor beyond my capabilities. \nWhat I have done\, LORD\, is look after my soul. \nLike a mother tenderly calming a young child\,\nI have calmed my soul to a quiet peace. \nMay all your people put their hope in you\, LORD\,\nfrom now on\, and forevermore. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 \n \n\n \n \n \n How should you think of us? Think of us only as servants of the Messiah\, and as those whose job it is to handle the mysteries of God’s business. Now the basic expectation of anyone who is given such a job is that they can be trusted with it. For myself\, I couldn’t care less whether you or any other mob think I measure up. I don’t even try to judge myself. I am not aware of any black marks against my name\, but that doesn’t prove anything. It is only what the Lord thinks of me that matters. Therefore\, don’t go jumping the gun and trying to tally the score before time’s up\, before the Lord arrives. He will shine a spotlight on things that are now hidden under the cover of darkness\, and what really makes us tick will be out in the open for all to see. Then\, and only then\, will each person receive the thumbs-up from God for the things they’ve done well. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 6:24-34 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus said: \n“No one can play on two teams.\nYou’ll either give your best to one\nand under-perform for the other\,\nor short-change one\nand give your heart and soul for the other.\nYou can’t dedicate yourself to both God and financial success. \n“So I’m telling you\, don’t go worrying about your life\, about where your next meal is coming from or what you will find to drink. Don’t stress about what you look like or whether you’ve got the right clothes to wear. Life is more than food\, isn’t it? And the body is not just a clothes rack\, is it? Look at the birds flying around. They don’t do any farming. They don’t stock up the pantry with extra supplies. And yet the one who conceived you in heaven feeds them. You are worth more than they are\, aren’t you? So what good does worrying do you? It won’t make you live any longer - not even an hour - will it? \n“And why do you worry about what to wear? Think about the wild flowers. They grow without ever shopping or sewing a stitch. But you can take it from me that they are clothed more perfectly than even a princess at a royal wedding. If God takes such care over dressing the wildflowers\, which bloom today and are mown down and composted tomorrow\, how much more care will God take to make sure that you have the clothes you need? Yet you find it hard to trust! \n“So don’t get all anxious and go asking\, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘Where will we find a drink?’ or ‘What on earth will we wear?’ It is the people who don’t put their trust in God who put all their energy into these things. You can rest assured that the one who conceived you in heaven knows perfectly well that you need these things. So you can make your first priority the new culture of God and doing the right thing\, God’s way\, and all these other things will be taken care of for you. \n“So don’t stress out about tomorrow. Just deal with the troubles of today\, and leave tomorrow’s worries until they come.” \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nPrayers\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 show compassion to your suffering ones\nand have written our names on the palm of your hands. \nYou created the earth and all its creatures\,\nclothing even the grass of the fields in splendour\nand bringing forth abundant food\,\neven for the birds of the air.\nYou found your people imprisoned in darkness\nand through Moses and the prophets\,\nyou called them to freedom\nand led them by springs of water. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you have come to us again\,\nteaching us to entrust our souls to you\nand to seek first your kingdom\nand its righteousness and justice for all.\nWhen he was killed by those\nwho serve wealth and power\,\nyou raised him to life again\nso that his light might shine in the darkness\nand bring all the earth to freedom. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2008 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 child\, Jesus\,\nin whom you have taught us to entrust our souls to you\nand to seek first your kingdom\nand its righteousness and justice for all.\nYou raised him to life\nso that his light might shine in the darkness\nand bring all the earth to freedom. \n©2008 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 show compassion to your suffering ones\nand have written our names on the palm of your hands. \nYou created the earth and all its creatures\,\nclothing even the grass of the fields in splendour\nand bringing forth abundant food\,\neven for the birds of the air.\nYou found your people imprisoned in darkness\nand through Moses and the prophets\,\nyou called them to freedom\nand led them by springs of water. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you have come to us again\,\nteaching us to entrust our souls to you\nand to seek first your kingdom\nand its righteousness and justice for all.\nWhen he was killed by those\nwho serve wealth and power\,\nyou raised him to life again\nso that his light might shine in the darkness\nand bring all the earth to freedom. \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©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n It is the Lord’s judgement alone that matters\,\nand God will no more write us off\nthan will a mother write off her nursing child.\nGod has sent comfort and a word of compassion\,\n”Come out of darkness and be free.” \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, as servants of Christ\nand stewards of God’s mysteries.\nStrive firstly for the kingdom of God\nand its righteousness and justice.\nDo not be anxious\, but calm your soul within you\nand do not condemn\, even yourselves. \nAnd may God generously provide all you need;\nMay Christ Jesus guide you in the ways of light;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit fill you with comfort and hope. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2008 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nFeasting and Fasting\nA sermon on Matthew 6: 24-34 by Alison Sampson\nWhen Buildings Fall: Do Not Worry?\nA sermon on Matthew 6: 24-34 by Nathan Nettleton\nThe Church Facing Judgement\nA sermon on 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 & Matthew 6: 24-34 by Nathan Nettleton\nGod and Possessions\nA sermon on Matthew 6: 24-34 by Jennifer Smith URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap03a/2041-03-03/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P03.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20420608T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20420608T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20200831T130249Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240707T122708Z UID:10002136-2285798400-2285884799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 5 - Year B 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 1 Samuel 8:4-11\, (12-15)\, 16-20\, (11:14-15) \n \n\n \n \n \n A gathering of the most influential people of Israel made arrangements to meet with the prophet Samuel at Ramah and present their demands. They said to him\, “You are getting too old to lead the nation\, and the way your sons are going\, they’ll never be up to it. It is time for a change of system. We want you to appoint a king to deal out justice for us. Every other nation has a king\, and we want one too.” \nSamuel was horrified by their demand for a king and he went straight to the LORD in prayer about it. But the LORD answered him saying\, “Go ahead and give them what they want. It is not only you they are turning their backs on; it’s me. They don’t want me as their ruler. This has been going on ever since I rescued them from their slave-drivers in Egypt. Over and over again they have turned their backs on me and run off after other gods. Now they are doing the same thing to you. So go ahead and give them what they want\, but before you do\, spell out to them in no uncertain terms what kings are really like once they are in power.” \nSo Samuel went back to the people who were demanding a king and passed on the LORD’s message. He said\, “Let me warn you what sort of ‘justice’ your king will deal out once he takes power. He will conscript your sons into his army\, some as foot soldiers\, some as drivers\, some on horseback. He will appoint officers of various ranks to give them orders and lead them off to war. Of those who do not go off to war\, he will press some into service on his farms to produce food for the troops\, and others he will put to work manufacturing weapons and equipment. He will take your daughters too and set them to work cooking and baking and powdering the noses of the noblewomen. \n“He will seize the best of your land\, your best fields\, vineyards and olive orchards\, and hand them over to his cronies. He will tax you heavily\, taking a big cut of everything you produce and giving it to the freeloaders who serve him as officers and officials. He will help himself to the best of everything you have\, your workers\, your livestock\, your equipment\, everything. He will be constantly looking to squeeze a bit more out of you. It will be like being slaves all over again. Then you’ll be sorry and you’ll be begging to be rescued from your king\, but it was your idea to have a king\, so there will be no point expecting the LORD to do anything about it.” \nBut everything Samuel said fell on deaf ears and the people continued to say\, “No! Our mind is made up. We want a king and we will have a king. We want to be just like the other nations with a king to rule over us and rally the troops and lead us into war.” \nSo Samuel said to the people\, “Come on then. Let’s go to Gilgal and set a king on a throne for you.” \nSo all the people gathered at Gilgal and there at the sacred site they crowned Saul as their first king. They offered up sacrifices to the LORD\, asking for success and prosperity. When it was done\, King Saul and all the Israelite people celebrated long and hard. \n©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 138 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you\, from the bottom of my heart!\nI will stand and sing your praises\nin the face of every would-be god! \nWherever I am\, I turn towards your holy Temple\nand fall to my knees in gratitude\,\nthanking you for your rock-solid love and loyalty;\nWith everything you say and everything you do\nyour reputation continues to go through the roof.\nThe minute I called\, you were there for me\,\nyou put steel in my spine\,\ngave me the guts to go on. \nWhen the things you have been saying sink in\, LORD\,\nall the earth’s powerful rulers will give credit to you.\nThey’ll join the party\, singing and dancing in your honour\,\ncelebrating the wonderful things you do. \nAs great as you are\,\nyou never think of ordinary people as beneath you\,\nbut you don’t waste your time\non those who are pretentious and stuck-up. \nAlthough I must often walk into dangerous situations\,\nyou protect me from hatred and hostility;\nyour invisible hand is always there\, keeping me safe. \nYou\, LORD\, have made plans for me\nand you will see them through to completion.\nYour love is as timeless and dependable as the rock;\nyou have made us what we are\nand you never give up on us. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 \n \n\n \n \n \n Why do we speak as we do? We have the same kind of faith as the psalm-writer who said\, “What I say is what I believe.” We are no different. We say these things because that’s what we believe. We are quite sure that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead is not going to stop there. God is also going to raise us and you and reunite us all\, together with Jesus. So\, yes\, everything that God is doing is ultimately for your benefit. God’s extravagant generosity just keeps reaching out further and further to more and more people\, and so the flood-tide of gratitude just keeps swelling and all the glory goes to God. And rightly so. \nThat’s why we never feel like chucking in the towel. We might look like we are going downhill fast\, and it’s true that our bodies are falling apart on us\, but on the inside we’ve never been better and God seems to be making us stronger and stronger every day. This run of trouble that we’re copping at the moment is really no big deal in the scheme of things\, and it will make the final\, infinitely jackpotted prize of glory all the sweeter. \nWe don’t worry about how things look on the surface because the things that really matter aren’t visible. The things you can see won’t last long anyway\, but these things you can’t see are rock solid forever. We know that the bodies we live in now are like flimsy tents and soon enough\, they’ll be blown away. But no problem. Then we will get to move into the houses that God is giving us. They haven’t been knocked up by amateurs; they’ve been built by God to last forever in paradise. \n©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 3: 20-35 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus was at home with his followers when once again such a big crowd gathered around the house that they couldn’t even get out to buy food. There was a rumour going round that Jesus was losing the plot\, and when his family heard what was going on\, they set out to take him in hand. The religious experts from Jerusalem had arrived too\, and they were ready to give their opinion: “He has gone over to Beelzebul\,” they said. “It’s all black magic. His power over the demons comes straight from the supreme commander of the demons.” \nBut Jesus gathered the people around him and responded with a riddle. “If there is an attempt to expel the satan from our midst\, could his own evil finger-pointing be driving the purge? Think about it. When an empire breaks into factions that undermine one another\, it collapses. When a team is split and at war with itself\, it all comes crashing down. So if the satan’s mob are divided because they have turned on their own\, then he has shot himself in the foot and his game is over. \n“The fact is\, no one can raid the house of a violent thug and carry off his belongings without first dealing with the thug himself. But if you can disarm him and tie him up\, then you can help yourself to everything in his house. \n“I kid you not\, people will be forgiven for all their toxic ways\, even the most despicable things they have said or done. But those who spit in the face of the Holy Spirit when they see the good things that God is doing have gone too far. There is no turning around once you go down that slippery slope.” Jesus said this in response to allegations that he had teamed up with the forces of evil. \nWhen his mother and his brothers arrived\, they sent a message in to let him know they had come for him. The crowd sitting around him inside passed on the message\, saying\, “Your mother and your brothers are outside and they want to see you.” \nBut Jesus replied\, saying\, “Who are they?” And looking around at those who were with him\, he said\, “Here are my true family! My brothers and sisters and mothers are those who are doing what God wants.” \n©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection \n \n\n \n \n \n Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Genesis 3: 8-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n In the cool of the evening breeze\, Adam and Eve heard the LORD God walking towards them in the garden. They panicked and hid behind the some trees\, trying to avoid coming face to face with the LORD God. But the LORD God was looking for them\, and called out to them\, saying\, “Where are you?” \nThe man said\, “I heard you coming through the garden and I panicked because I was stark naked\, so I dived for cover.” \nThe LORD God asked\, “Who pointed out that you were naked? It never bothered you before. Have you eaten fruit from the tree that I clearly told you not to eat from?” \nThe man said\, “It wasn’t my fault. You put this woman here with me. She gave me the fruit and I ate it.” \nSo the LORD God turned to the woman and said\, “What’s the story? What have you done?” \nThe woman replied\, “I was tricked into eating it by the snake.” \nSo the LORD God passed sentence on each of them\, beginning with the snake\, saying\, \n“A curse upon you for what you have done.\nYou of all the animals\, cursed!\nYou of all the wild creatures\, cursed! \nDown on your belly you go!\nFace down: you can eat dust\nfor the rest of your life! \nYou and the woman will be sworn enemies.\nThere will always be war\nbetween your offspring and hers. \nHer offspring will go for your head\nand you will go for his heel. \n©2014 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 130 \n \n\n \n \n \n From the depths of despair\, from rock bottom\,\nI cry to you\, O LORD.\nI beg you to listen!\nPlease tune in and hear what I’m asking! \nIf you put black marks against our names\nfor every failing\,\nLord\, wouldn’t you have to write off everyone? \nBut forgiveness is much more your style\,\nand for this we adore you. \nI wait in eager anticipation for your presence\, LORD.\nEverything inside me yearns for you\nand your promises fill me with hope. \nDeep in my guts there is a hunger for you\, LORD\,\nmore pressing than a woman\nwaiting for the birth of her baby\,\nmore impatient than a child\nwaiting for a birthday;\ncrossing off the days\, one by one. \nO People of Israel\, put your trust in the LORD!\nThe LORD’s love never lets us down\,\nand is always ready to rescue us from danger. \nIt is the Lord who will bail us out\nwhen we are caught in the consequences\nof our own sin. \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 your steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever\nand your Word is exalted above everything. \nThe Earth is the work of your hands\,\nand you redeemed for yourself a people out of slavery.\nThough you sent prophets to warn them\,\nthey rejected you and clamoured for a king\, \nWhen kings had done their worst\nand we were mired in unspeakable blasphemies\,\nyou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nto walk with us in the midst of trouble\nand extend your grace to all.\nWhen Jesus was condemned as unclean\, and crucified\nit seemed that the ruler of demons had won\,\nbut you raised Jesus from the dead\,\nbinding death’s strong man\nand plundering his divided house.\nSo now we do not lose heart\nfor you are preparing us for glory beyond measure\nas the family of our Lord forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2012 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 child\, Jesus\,\nfor you raised him from the dead\,\nbinding death’s strong man\nand plundering his divided house.\nSo now we do not lose heart\nfor you are preparing us for glory beyond measure\nas the family of our Lord forever. \n©2012 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 your steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever\nand your Word is exalted above everything. \nThe Earth is the work of your hands\,\nand you redeemed for yourself a people out of slavery.\nThough you sent prophets to warn them\,\nthey rejected you and clamoured for a king\, \nWhen kings had done their worst\nand we were mired in unspeakable blasphemies\,\nyou sent your child\, Jesus\,\nto walk with us in the midst of trouble\nand extend your grace to all.\nWhen Jesus was condemned as unclean\, and crucified\nit seemed that the ruler of demons had won\,\nbut you raised Jesus from the dead\,\nbinding death’s strong man\nand plundering his divided house.\nSo now we do not lose heart\nfor you are preparing us for glory beyond measure\nas the family of our Lord 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©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Truly I tell you\, your sins will be forgiven\nfor God’s steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever\,\nand the work of God’s hands will not be forsaken.\nChrist Jesus has bound the ruler of demons\nand broken us free from the house of sin. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2012 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, praising God’s name with your whole heart.\nRejoice in the work of the Holy Spirit\,\neven when others call it evil and denounce you as mad.\nBe the true brothers and sisters of Jesus\nby doing the will of God always. \nAnd may God extend grace to you and through you;\nMay Christ Jesus walk with you in the midst of trouble;\nand may the Holy Spirit prepare you for glory beyond all measure. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2012 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\nTies that BindA sermon on Mark 3: 20-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Satan Casts Out SatanA sermon on Mark 3: 20-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nTo Reign Over Us?A sermon on 1 Samuel 8:4-20; 11:14-15 & Mark 3:20-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFamily: Painfully Difficult Good NewsA sermon on Mark 3: 20-35 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/bp05/2042-06-08/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P05.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20430531 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20430601 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20201103T042452Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201103T042832Z UID:10001709-2316643200-2316729599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 4 - 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 1 Kings 18: 20-21 (22-29) 30-39 \n \n\n \n \n \n At Elijah’s suggestion\, King Ahab called all the prophets of the god Baal to an assembly on Mount Carmel\, and advertised it throughout Israel. When the crowd had gathered\, Elijah stepped forward and addressed them saying\, “How long are you going to keep trying to play for both sides? Make up your minds and follow the real God. Is it going to be the LORD or Baal?” \nBut there was silence. No one moved one way or the other. \nSo Elijah threw down the gauntlet\, saying\, “I’m here as the last remaining prophet on the LORD’s side\, but there are four hundred and fifty prophets here on Baal’s side. Bring us two bulls for a sacrifice. Baal’s mob can choose the bull they want. They are to butcher it and lay it out on the firewood on their altar\, but they are not allowed to light the fire. I will prepare the other bull the same way\, laying it out on the wood but not lighting the fire. Then they can call out to their god and I will call out to the LORD\, and we’ll see which god can prove himself by sending down fire.” \nThe gathered crowd thought this was a great idea. \nElijah turned to the prophets of Baal and said\, “There are lots of you\, so you can go first. Choose your bull\, prepare it for the sacrifice\, and start praying to your god. But you are not allowed to light the fire yourselves.” \nSo they took one of the bulls and butchered it for the sacrifice. From morning till midday they prayed to Baal\, crying out\, “O Baal\, god of fire\, answer us.” But nothing happened. There was no answer\, not so much as a whisper. They prayed harder and harder as they marched around the altar which they had made. \nCome midday\, Elijah started making fun of them. “Come on\,” he said. “Shout louder! What kind of god is he? Maybe he’s dreaming. Perhaps he’s nicked out to the dunny. Could he have wandered off somewhere? Maybe he’s fallen asleep\, and needs to be woken up.” \nSo they prayed louder and louder and more and more desperately. They slashed themselves with swords to offer up their own blood\, as was their custom\, and soon there was blood all over the place. They continued this well into the afternoon\, trying everything they could to get an answer out of their god\, but still there was nothing. Not a whisper\, not a spark\, no answer of any kind. \nThen Elijah called the people to gather around him\, and they crowded in close. The altar of the LORD that had once stood on the mountain was in ruins\, so Elijah rebuilt it in honour of the LORD using twelve large stones. Each stone represented one of the twelve tribes descended from the sons of Jacob to whom the LORD had given the name Israel. When Elijah finished building the altar\, he dug a trench around it\, deep enough to hold several buckets of water. He arranged the firewood on the altar\, cut the bull into pieces\, and laid it on the wood. Then he said\, “Fill four buckets of water and pour it all over the offering and the wood. When they had done it\, he said\, “Do it again”\, so another four buckets were poured over it. Then he said\, “Do it a third time\,” so four more buckets full were poured over it so that everything was completely soaked. The whole altar was dripping wet and the trench was flooded. \nAt the usual time of the evening sacrifice\, the prophet Elijah stood with the people and prayed\, “O LORD\, God of Abraham\, Isaac\, and Israel\, prove to everyone now that you are the real God in Israel\, and that I am serving you and acting on your authority. Answer me\, LORD. Show these people what you are made of\, so that they will know that you are the real God and that you are winning their hearts back to you.” \nWith a flash\, the LORD’s fire fell and incinerated the lot: the meat\, the wood\, the stones\, and even the water in the trench. There was nothing left but scorched dirt. When the people saw it happen\, they fell on their faces in awe\, saying “The LORD is the true God! The LORD is the true God!” \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 96 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD;\nsinging to you with all the earth.\nEvery mention of your name sets us singing your praises. \nWe never tire of telling the story of how you bailed us out;\nall over the world\, we speak of your incredible accomplishments;\neveryone we meet hears us giving the credit to you. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD; we can’t praise you enough!\nWhen it comes to gods\, you are in a league of your own;\nall other objects of devotion are powerless. \nBut you\, LORD\, created the whole cosmos;\nyou are surrounded by majesty and celebration;\nstrength and beauty are signs of your presence. \nPeople of every race and creed recognise you\, LORD;\nthey recognise you behind all that is strong and true;\nthey name you as the one who deserves all the glory. \nWe offer ourselves to you\, LORD;\nwe fall to our knees in this beautiful place of worship;\nwith all the earth\, we celebrate you alone. \nYou are our king\, LORD; we’ll tell everyone everywhere!\nYou have set the world on firm foundations\,\nand with you in charge\, everyone will get a fair go. \nLet the heavens and the earth celebrate;\nlet the roar of the sea join in;\nlet everything that walks\, flies or swims join the party! \nYou are on your way\, LORD\,\nand even the roadside trees cheer as you approach\,\nfor you are coming to set things right on the earth. \nYou will sort things out and put things right\,\nand reveal the truth about everything and everyone. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Galatians 1:1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, Paul\, am one of God’s special ambassadors. I wasn’t given this job by a popular vote\, or by some ordinary human boss. I was entrusted with the job by none other than Jesus the Messiah and God the Father\, who raised Jesus from the dead. This letter comes to you\, the churches in Galatia\, from me\, and from the rest of God’s crew who are with me. \nI wish you a full helping of generous love and peace from the God who conceived us and from our number one man\, Jesus the Messiah. Faced with the record of our corruption\, he gave himself completely to breaking us free from the grip of the evil culture that is so entrenched in the present day. God made our freedom a priority\, and all the credit should go to God\, now and always. And so say all of us! \nI can hardly believe what I’m hearing about you. I’m disgusted. The Messiah was extravagantly generous in calling you\, but already you are turning your backs on him and getting sucked into some other message that claims to be good news. There is no other message that’s worth a pinch of spit\, but I hear that there are some snake oil merchants there who are twisting the Messiah’s message and leading you all astray. This is not about me. If anybody\, including me\, or for that matter even an angel from heaven\, starts pushing a message that goes against what we taught you\, they can go to hell! I’ve said it once\, and I’ll say it again: if anybody comes pushing a message that goes against the one you have already received\, they can go to hell! \nDoes it sound like I’m pandering to the crowd and telling people what they want to hear? Does it like like I care what people think of me\, or rather what God thinks of me? If I was still trying to impress the crowd\, I wouldn’t be serving the Messiah at all. \nLet me set you straight on this\, brothers and sisters. The message that you heard me announcing is not something that somebody just cooked up one day. I can assure you that I didn’t get it second hand from any human source\, and nor did anybody word me up about it. Instead\, the message was the result of Jesus the Messiah revealing himself directly. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 7: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n After spending some time teaching the people\, Jesus went into the town of Capernaum. There was a Roman military commander there who had a slave who was very special to him\, but the slave had fallen ill and was dying. The commander was desperate to save the life of his slave\, so when he heard that Jesus was in town\, he sent some of the local Jewish officials to ask for his help. The officials spoke to Jesus with great enthusiasm on behalf of the commander. “This man is certainly worthy of your help\,” they said. “He is a great friend of our people. He even bankrolled the building of our local synagogue.” \nJesus headed off with them\, but before he reached the house\, the commander sent another delegation of friends out to him with a message saying\, “Lord\, don’t put yourself out for me. There is no need for you to come all the way to my house. I’m not worthy to have you under my roof\, and I wouldn’t presume to approach you in person. Please\, just give the word\, and my servant will be healed. I know how it works because I too am a man who obeys orders and who gives orders\, knowing that they will be obeyed. I tell one soldier ‘Go\,’ and he goes. I tell another ‘Jump\,’ and he says ‘How high?’ I tell my servant to do something\, and he does it.” \nWhen Jesus heard the commander’s message\, he was gob-smacked. Turning to address the crowd that was following him\, he exclaimed\, “Did you hear that? You might think you could find an Israelite with faith like that\, but no\, I have never before\, anywhere\, come across such deep trust.” \nAnd sure enough\, when the commander’s messengers got back to the house\, they found the slave back on his feet\, a picture of health. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection \n \n\n \n \n \n Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Kings 8: 22-23\, 41-43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Solomon stood in front of the altar of the LORD and\, with his hands raised high\, he led the gathered people in prayer. He prayed: \n“O LORD\, God of Israel\, you are one of a kind! No other god in the universe is like you. Your love is rock-solid and you never forget the alliance you have made with those who follow you whole-heartedly. \nAnd don’t stop with just us – foreigners will no doubt hear about you too. Attracted by your reputation and by news of the awesome things you do\, they will come from all sorts of far flung places to live among your people and offer their prayers within sight of this Temple. When they do\, listen to them from your heavenly home and answer their prayers. That way everyone on earth will hear of you and give you the same respect that your people Israel do. They will know that this Temple which I have built carries your authority. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 96: 1-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD;\nsinging to you with all the earth.\nEvery mention of your name sets us singing your praises. \nWe never tire of telling the story of how you bailed us out;\nall over the world\, we speak of your incredible accomplishments;\neveryone we meet hears us giving the credit to you. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD; we can’t praise you enough!\nWhen it comes to gods\, you are in a league of your own;\nall other objects of devotion are powerless. \nBut you\, LORD\, created the whole cosmos;\nyou are surrounded by majesty and celebration;\nstrength and beauty are signs of your presence. \nPeople of every race and creed recognise you\, LORD;\nthey recognise you behind all that is strong and true;\nthey name you as the one who deserves all the glory. \nWe offer ourselves to you\, LORD;\nwe fall to our knees in this beautiful place of worship;\nwith all the earth\, we celebrate you alone. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nPrayers\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\,\nand to tell of your salvation from day to day\nand declare your glory and your marvelous works to all. \nYou made the heavens and established the earth\,\nand revealed yourself through your law and prophets\nto be a God of glory and strength\nwho answers the cries of your people. \nThough we were not worthy to receive you\,\nfor we turned our backs on your grace\nand limped off after worthless other gods\,\nyou came to us in your child\, Jesus\,\nspeaking the word of healing and forgiveness.\nWhen we turned against him\,\nhe gave himself into our hands\nas a revelation of your self-sacrificing love\,\nand when we crucified him\,\nyou raised him from the dead\,\nand sent down your Spirit in fire\nto heal us and set us free from this evil age. \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 give thanks for your child\, Jesus\,\nwho came to us as a revelation of your self-sacrificing love\,\nspeaking the word of healing and forgiveness\nand sending down your Spirit in fire\nto heal us and set us free from this evil age. \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\,\nand to tell of your salvation from day to day\nand declare your glory and your marvelous works to all. \nYou made the heavens and established the earth\,\nand revealed yourself through your law and prophets\nto be a God of glory and strength\nwho answers the cries of your people. \nThough we were not worthy to receive you\,\nfor we turned our backs on your grace\nand limped off after worthless other gods\,\nyou came to us in your child\, Jesus\,\nspeaking the word of healing and forgiveness.\nWhen we turned against him\,\nhe gave himself into our hands\nas a revelation of your self-sacrificing love\,\nand when we crucified him\,\nyou raised him from the dead\,\nand sent down your Spirit in fire\nto heal us and set us free from this evil age. \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 Jesus gave himself freely for our sins\nto set us free from the present evil age\,\naccording to the will of our God and Father\,\nand to turn our hearts back to righteousness and truth. \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 If the Lord is God\, go now\, and follow him\,\nand do not be tempted to share your loyalty with other gods.\nStay true to the gospel that has been revealed to you in Jesus.\nCall on the name of the Lord\,\ntell of God’s salvation from day to day\,\nand live in righteousness and truth. \nAnd may God bring you grace and peace;\nMay Christ Jesus heal you and raise you up\,\nand may the Holy Spirit’s fiery glory strengthen your hearts. \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 \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nFollowers or Fans?\nA sermon on Luke 6:39 – 7:10 by Nathan Nettleton\nA Different Gospel?\nA sermon on Galatians 1:1-12; 1 Kings 18:20-39 & Luke 7:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/cp04b/2043-05-31/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P04b.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20460527 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20460528 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20201103T012614Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201103T012904Z UID:10001707-2410992000-2411078399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 3 - 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. \nBible Readings (paraphrased)\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 Sirach 27: 4-7 \n \n\n \n \n \n When grain is put through a sieve\,\nyou find out how much rubbish was in it.\nIt’s the same when a person starts talking.\nWhatever rubbish they are full of is soon out in the open. \nThe heat of the kiln tests a potter’s work for hidden faults.\nWhat a person is made of is tested in the heat of conversation. \nThe quality of the fruit tells you if a tree has been looked after.\nThe things people have to say\nreveal how they have taken care of their minds. \nDon’t pump anyone up before you hear how they talk.\nThat’s the way the truth about people comes out. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Isaiah 55: 10-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD says: \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. \nMy Word will bring peace\nand you will come home with great celebration.\nThe trees will line the road\, clapping and singing;\nthe mountains will rain down ticker tape as you pass. \nWhere the saltbush struggled\,\na redgum will take root and grow;\nwhere noxious weeds ruled\,\nnative orchids and daisies will bloom again.\nThe wilderness in all its glory will stand like a monument\,\nlike a permanent sign of the LORD’s rich goodness. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 92: 1-4\, 12-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n It is a privilege to be able to publicly thank you\, LORD\,\nto sing your praises and put your name up in lights.\nIt is great to start the day singing about your rock-solid love\,\nwith a full band ringing out the tune\,\nand to end it thanking you for being so loyal and trustworthy\,\naccompanying our praise with guitars. \nFor you\, O LORD\, have given us so much to be happy about;\nwhat you have done with your own hands\nsets us singing and dancing for joy. \nPeople who always do the right thing by others\nwill thrive like a tropical rainforest\nand grow strong like a river redgum.\nThey have put down their roots in your soil\, LORD\,\nand they will brighten up your temple like flowers.\nEven when they grow old they will still be fruitful\,\nhealthy and vibrant and pulsing with life.\nThey are a credit to you\, LORD\,\nproving for all to see that you are straight and true.\nYou are our rock\,\nand there is nothing rotten or crooked in you. \n©2009 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 15: 51-58 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen up! I will let you in on a mystery! We are not all going to die after all. But we will all be radically changed. When the final siren blows\, it will happen in the blink of an eye. Just like that. The siren will sound\, and those who were dead and buried will be raised up new\, never to decay again\, and any of us who hadn’t yet died will be changed just like them. The biggest make-over of all time! Our bodies will be stripped of their old steady decline\, and clothed instead in never-ending health. These short-term bodies will lose their use-by dates\, and be refitted\, completely immortal. When that happens – when our old falling-apart bodies put on never-ending health and immortality – then the old saying from the prophets will have come true: \n“Life wins! Death has been eaten alive!”\n“You were so sure of yourself\, Death\,\nbut you turned out to be toothless.\nYour bark was worse than your bite.” \nDeath depended on sin for its bite\, and sin was powered by the law. But they have been blown away by our Lord Jesus\, the Messiah. When he enters the fray\, we win! Thanks be to God! \nThat being the case\, my beloved friends\, hang in there\, rock solid\, come what may. Whatever role the Lord has asked you to play\, give it your absolute best\, because you can be sure that when you are on his side\, your work will never be in vain. \n©2015 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 6: 39-49 \n \n\n \n \n \n While teaching the people\, Jesus quoted the proverb: “If the blind are leading the blind\, both fall into the same hole\,” and then he went on to say\, “Trainees can’t hold a candle to their teacher\, but if they continue their training\, they will eventually catch up with the teacher and be able to show others the way. \n“Why is it that you are always the first to point out a loose thread or a speck of dust on someone else’s clothing\, but you are the last to notice the dirty big vomit stain down your own front. There you are\, making a big display of offering to help the other person get their appearance in order\, without realising what a disgusting mess you are yourself. You pretentious fraud! Clean up your own act first\, and then you might gain enough perspective to be able to help others. \n“A healthy tree doesn’t produce sick fruit\, and neither does a sick tree produce healthy fruit. The health of each tree is judged by the quality of the fruit it produces. You don’t find mangoes growing on a lemon tree. You can’t pick grapes from a blackberry vine. Good people have hearts and minds full of good things\, and it shows in the generous and healthy ways they respond to others. Toxic people spew forth poison from the toxic filth churning inside them. Whatever your heart and mind are full of will colour what comes out when you open your mouth. \n“What’s the use of dropping my name all the time and prattling on about what a high view of my authority you hold\, when you ignore everything I ask you to do? The people who come to me and listen to what I say and put it into practice are like a builder who puts down solid foundations before building a house. When the flood waters rise and the river breaks its banks\, it can’t budge that house because it has been built to last. But those who hear what I say and don’t bother doing anything about it are more like someone who knocks up a house without laying any foundation at all. The first time the river bursts\, it is all over in a minute. The whole house comes crashing down and is swept away in little pieces!” \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \nPrayers\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 give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor your victory has swallowed up the power of death\nand given our living an unshakable foundation. \nYour Word went forth to create the earth\,\nand to give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.\nYour Word went forth through the law and prophets\nto form a people who hear and act on all you say. \nYour Word went forth in your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nand brought forth the full fruits\nthat grow from the goodness of your heart.\nHis words unmasked hypocrisy\,\ndisarmed the powers of death\,\nand laid the foundation for your Church.\nThough he was killed by those\nwho lead others to destruction\,\nyou raised him to life\nand clothed him in immortality.\nIn his victory\, death has lost its sting\,\nand we can offer you our labour\nknowing that all your purposes will be accomplished. \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 give thanks for your Word which went forth to create the earth\,\nand to form us as a people who hear and act on all you say.\nIn your Son\, Jesus Christ\, your Word unmasked hypocrisy\,\ndisarmed the sting of death\,\nand laid an unshakeable foundation for your Church. \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 thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor your victory has swallowed up the power of death\nand given our living an unshakable foundation. \nYour Word went forth to create the earth\,\nand to give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.\nYour Word went forth through the law and prophets\nto form a people who hear and act on all you say. \nYour Word went forth in your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nand brought forth the full fruits\nthat grow from the goodness of your heart.\nHis words unmasked hypocrisy\,\ndisarmed the powers of death\,\nand laid the foundation for your Church.\nThough he was killed by those\nwho lead others to destruction\,\nyou raised him to life\nand clothed him in immortality.\nIn his victory\, death has lost its sting\,\nand we can offer you our labour\nknowing that all your purposes will be accomplished. \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 Thought the words of our mouths betray the sin in our hearts\,\nthe words of God’s mouth will accomplish their purpose\,\novercoming the sting of death\nand giving us victory over sin\nthrough our Lord Jesus Christ. \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 act on the words of Christ which you have heard.\nProclaim that the Lord is just.\nBe steadfast and unshakeable.\nGive your best to the work of the Lord\,\nfor in Christ\, your labour is not in vain. \nAnd may God lead you out in joy and back in peace;\nMay Christ Jesus give you victory over the powers of death;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit cultivate your heart and mind\nto produce in you abundant fruits all your life. \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 \nSermons\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\nWhy you probably don’t need to learn more\nA sermon on Luke 6:39-49 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/cp03b/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P03b.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20510604T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20510604T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T075652 CREATED:20200831T102338Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240701T020017Z UID:10002135-2569449600-2569535999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 4 - Year B 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 1 Samuel 3: 1-10\, (11-20) \n \n\n \n \n \n Samuel grew up in the Temple at Shiloh\, working as an apprentice to Eli the priest\, in the service of the LORD. In those days\, the people had completely lost touch with God\, and messages or visions from the LORD were rare. The light of God had not gone out\, but Eli’s failing eyesight had left him unable to see.\nOne night\, Eli had gone to bed in his room\, and Samuel was lying down in the Temple of the LORD near the sacred Ark of God. The LORD called out\, “Samuel! Samuel!”\n“At your service\,” said Samuel\, jumping up and running into Eli’s room. “You called me and here I am\, at your service.”\nBut Eli said\, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”\nSo Samuel went and lay down again\, and the LORD called out again\, “Samuel!”\nSamuel got up and went to Eli\, saying “You called me and here I am\, at your service.”\nBut Eli said\, “I didn’t call you\, my son. Go back to bed.”\nNow it was no surprise that Samuel didn’t understand what was going on\, because he did not yet know the LORD\, and his mind had not yet been opened to what the LORD had to say. The LORD called Samuel a third time\, and again he got up and went to Eli\, saying “You called me and here I am\, at your service.”\nFinally the lights went on for Eli and he realised that it was the LORD who was calling the boy\, so he said to Samuel\, “Go and lie down\, and if you hear the call again\, say\, ‘Speak to me\, LORD. I’m at your service\, and I’m all ears.’ ”\nSo Samuel went and lay down again in the same place. The LORD came and stood alongside him\, calling out as before\, “Samuel! Samuel!”\nAnd Samuel replied\, “Speak to me. I’m at your service\, and I’m all ears.”\n    The LORD said to Samuel\, “Look\, I am about to do something that  will make the hair stand up on the back of everyone’s necks when they hear about it. On that day I will follow through on everything I have ever said I would do to Eli and his offspring. I have told him that I am about to bring down a permanent punishment on his family\, because his sons have been dragging my name through the mud and even though he knew about their corruption\, he didn’t crack down on them. So now I swear to Eli’s family that the charge of corruption will stand against them forever\, no matter how many apologies\, sacrifices or gifts they offer.”\nSamuel had a restless night after that! When he got up in the morning to open the doors of the house of the LORD\, he was afraid to say anything about the vision to Eli. But Eli wanted to know\, and called him\, saying\, “Samuel\, my son.”\n“At your service\,” Samuel answered.\n“What did the LORD have to say to you?” Eli asked. “Don’t keep me in the dark. May God punish you big time\, if you don’t tell me every detail of what was said to you.”\nSo Samuel told him the whole lot\, every last detail\, and when he had finished\, Eli said\, “The LORD has spoken. I will have to cop whatever the LORD sees fit to do.”\nAs Samuel grew to be a man\, the LORD kept a guiding hand on his shoulder\, and saw to it that when he spoke\, not a word was wasted. Before long\, the whole land\, from one end to the other\, knew that Samuel was the real deal – a messenger of the LORD who could be trusted. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 139: 1-6\, 13-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n You have taken a good hard look at me\, LORD\,\nand you know exactly what makes me tick. \nYou know when I’ve got my feet up and when I’m on the job;\nyou can read my mind like an open book. \nYou see where I am going and where I stop\,\nand you know all about what I do and why. \nYou know exactly what I am going to say\, LORD\,\neven before I open my mouth. \nYou are in front of me\, behind me\, beside me;\nyour hand on my shoulder at every turn. \nAll this is more than I can get my head around;\nI pinch myself\, and struggle to take it in. \nIt was you who put me together\, every part of me;\nyou knit me together in my mother’s womb. \nI sing your praises\, LORD\,\nfor the the way you have made me fills me with awe.\nYour creative works blow my mind;\ntoo wonderful for words. \nYou could see me clearly before I was born;\nyou watched me taking shape in the secret depths\nand laid out the intricacies of nerve and muscle. \nYou kept your eye on me\nfrom conception to birth.\nMy life lay before you like an open book\nbefore I had even lived a day. \nYour thoughts are way beyond my grasp\, God\,\nand they add up to more than I can count.\nDeeper than the oceans\,\noutnumbering the grains of sand;\nI give up trying\nbut you are with me just the same. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Corinthians 4: 5-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n We are not preaching about ourselves. The message we preach is that Jesus the messiah is Lord of all. We ourselves are slaves\, at your service\, for Jesus’s sake. The very God who kicked off creation by calling for light to shine from darkness has now filled our hearts with the light that comes from seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus the messiah and knowing it for what it is. \nYou might not notice how beautiful that light is if you just look at us though. It is in us\, for sure\, but like a diamond necklace in a plain paper bag. That way nobody can make the mistake of thinking too highly of us. It is clear that the power is all God’s. \nWe cop the worst of everything\, but it hasn’t finished us off. It drives us nuts at times\, but it hasn’t driven us over the edge. We are picked on unfairly\, but we know we are not alone. We keep getting knocked down\, but we get right back up again. When you look for Jesus in us\, what you are most likely to see is his battered corpse\, but that now means that it is also possible to see his risen life taking shape in our bodies. Our lives are on the line all the time. We are always being thrown into the jaws of death because of Jesus\, but again that just means that the risen life of Jesus can be seen taking shape in our fragile flesh. No doubt death will finish us off soon\, but in you\, life is getting a good strong hold! \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 2: 23 - 3:6 \n \n\n \n \n \n It was a Sabbath\, the day of rest\, and Jesus was leading the way through some wheat fields. As they walked\, his followers were casually plucking off a few heads of grain. The next thing you know\, some members of the devoutly religious Pharisee party popped up and challenged Jesus\, saying\, “Look at that! What do they think they are doing? Haven’t you taught them that it is against the law to harvest grain on the Sabbath?” \nBut Jesus replied\, “Haven’t you read in your Bibles what our national hero David did when he and his followers were hungry and had nothing to eat? He went into the house of God and took the sacred bread off the altar and ate that\, right under the nose of Abiathar the high priest. The law clearly says that only the priests are allowed to eat that\, but not only did he eat it himself\, he gave it to his followers to eat too. Don’t you lot get that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of the people\, not the other way around. The New Human is in charge now\, and even the Sabbath falls into line.” \nArriving back at the synagogue\, Jesus went on in. There was a man there who had one hand that was wasted away and useless. Some people there were keeping a close eye on Jesus to see if they could catch him doing a work of healing on the Sabbath and then dob him in to the authorities. Jesus saw the man with the crippled hand\, and said to him\, “Come out here\, up the front.” \nThen he looked around at the people and asked\, “What do you all think the law would want from us on the Sabbath\, to do good or to let things go bad\, to save a life or to destroy one?” \nBut they bit their tongues and said nothing. Jesus was outraged; gutted by their lack of compassion. Turning back to the man\, he said\, “Stretch out your hand.” \nThe man stretched out his hand\, and that was all it took: it was back to full strength. That was too much for the Pharisees. They went straight out and began conspiring with Herod’s mob to destroy Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection \n \n\n \n \n \n Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Deuteronomy 5: 12-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n Keep up the practice of making Saturday a dedicated rest day\, as the LORD your God has told you to do. You are to work on your business\, your projects\, and your chores on the other six days\, and keep the seventh day as a rest day\, dedicated to the LORD your God. You are not to do any work that day\, and you are not to ask anyone else to work either — not your family\, not your employees\, not the migrant workers who live down the street\, and not even your bullocks\, horses\, dogs\, or any other animal you own. All who work for you need rest\, just as you do. Always keep in mind that you were forced to work as slaves in a foreign land\, and the LORD your God bared his arm and reached out and rescued you from there. That is why the LORD your God told you to keep the dedicated rest day. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 81: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing our lungs out to you\, God\,\nfor you make us strong;\nwe shout for joy\, celebrating you\,\nthe God of our ancestors. \nOur songs ring out in your honour\,\nand on our instruments we make the sweetest music we can. \nA trumpet blast opens the festival;\nevery month we celebrate your new creation. \nWe are your people\, God\, and this is our tradition;\na sacred law for every generation to follow.\nYou gave it to us through Joseph\nwhen our ancestors took refuge in Egypt. \nYou have spoken to us in an unfamiliar voice\,\nreminding us that it was you who freed us from slavery\nand you who lifted the burden from our backs. \nWhen we cried out in panic\, you rescued us;\nfrom the thunder clouds you answered our plea\,\nand at a desert spring you called us to account. \nYou begged us to pay attention\,\nto let you set us straight;\nyou longed for your people to listen to you. \nYou warned us to steer clear of alternative gods;\nto avoid offering our devotion to every new fad. \nYou are the LORD our God;\nthe God who rescued us from the land of slavery.\nWhen we come to you with our hungers\,\nyou fill us with all that we need. \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 it was you who knit together the newborn earth\nand said\, “Let light shine out of darkness.”\nWonderful are all your works. \nIn ancient times\,\nyou spoke through trustworthy prophets like Samuel\,\nrevealing to us your Word and your thoughts.\nHow weighty they are\, O God!\nHow vast is the sum of them. \nNow you have revealed yourself in your child\, Jesus.\nHe made known your grief at our brokenness\nand your desire to feed us\nwith the bread of compassion and mercy.\nWhen the powerful and hard-hearted conspired against him\,\npersecuting him and striking him down\,\nyou raised him to new life.\nNow\, even when we are afflicted in every way\,\nyou shine in our hearts\nto give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God\nin the face of Jesus Christ. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2016 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 child\, Jesus\,\nwho made known your desire to feed us\nwith the bread of compassion and mercy.\nNow\, even when we are afflicted\,\nyou shine in our hearts\nto give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God\nin the face of Jesus Christ. \n©2016 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 it was you who knit together the newborn earth\nand said\, “Let light shine out of darkness.”\nWonderful are all your works. \nIn ancient times\,\nyou spoke through trustworthy prophets like Samuel\,\nrevealing to us your Word and your thoughts.\nHow weighty they are\, O God!\nHow vast is the sum of them. \nNow you have revealed yourself in your child\, Jesus.\nHe made known your grief at our brokenness\nand your desire to feed us\nwith the bread of compassion and mercy.\nWhen the powerful and hard-hearted conspired against him\,\npersecuting him and striking him down\,\nyou raised him to new life.\nNow\, even when we are afflicted in every way\,\nyou shine in our hearts\nto give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God\nin the face of Jesus Christ. \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©2016 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 has searched us and known us\nand grieved over our hardness of heart.\nBut the Lord’s mercies are as uncountable as the sand\nand we are forgiven\, not through sacrifices or offerings\,\nbut through the love and grace made known in Jesus. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2016 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, and listen always for the Word of the Lord.\nAt all times\, do good and not harm\,\nsave life and do not destroy it.\nCarry always in your bodies\nthe life and death of Jesus. \nAnd may God be with you to the end.\nMay Christ Jesus make his life visible in you.\nand may the Holy Spirit give you the light of the knowledge\nof the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2016 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\nReligion v’s LifeA sermon on Mark 2:23 – 3:6 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\n #Sabbath OutrageA sermon on Mark 2:23 – 3:6 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\n Crackpots or Cracked Pots?A sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/bp04b/2051-06-04/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P04b.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR