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:20290331T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20291006T160000 END:DAYLIGHT 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 END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300203T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300203T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200731T080327Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240225T121735Z UID:10002102-1896307200-1896393599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:4th 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 Deuteronomy 18: 15-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Moses said to the people\, “The LORD your God will raise up someone from among you to be a prophet for you. This prophet will be from the same mould as me\, and you are to carefully follow what such a prophet says. You yourselves asked the LORD your God to do this for you. Back on the day when we gathered at Mount Sinai\, you all said that you would die if you were ever again directly exposed to the sound of the LORD’s voice or the glare of the LORD’s fiery presence. The LORD told me you were right\, and said this to me: \nI\, the LORD\, will raise up someone from among their own people to be a prophet for them. This prophet will be from the same mould as you\, Moses. I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet\, and the prophet will tell the people everything I say they are to be told. Anyone who does not take any notice of what the prophet says on my behalf\, will have to answer to me. But by the same token\, if any prophet claims to represent some other source of truth\, or makes out that they are speaking on my behalf when I have not told them to say anything\, such a prophet must die.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 111 \n \n\n \n \n \n Wow! More power to you\, LORD!\nWe can’t thank you enough.\nWith all who stand for justice\nour hearts burst with gratitude.  \nThe things you do are fantastic\, LORD\,\nand those who see and understand\nnever tire of exploring them. \nYour works are magnificent\, majestic\,\nand their integrity will never be eroded.  \nYou have a reputation for doing amazing things\,\nand all of them generous and merciful.  \nYou nourish those who honour you\nand you are always true to your word. \nYou have left your people in no doubt\nabout your power;\nyou have given them the whole world on a plate.  \nEverything you put your hands to\nis faithful\, fair and trustworthy\,\nas is everything you say. \nWhat you say goes\, now and forever\,\nand no one can afford to ignore it.  \nYou rescue your people and bring them home safe\,\nfor you have committed yourself to them\nfor all time. \nThe mere mention of your holy name\nmakes us go weak all over!  \nWisdom is born when your awesome presence\nknocks us to our knees\nand those who never lose sight of that\nhave got their heads on straight. \nAwestruck\, we give you honour and respect for ever. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us now look at your question about food that has been sacrificed to idols in the pagan temples. You ask whether it is okay for Christians to eat at meals where such food is served. What you have said is true: \n“superior knowledge dispels superstition.” \nBut it is also true that superior knowledge can swell your head; while love will clear your head and underpin sound moral judgment. Anyone who claims that their superior knowledge enables them to make their own moral decisions without worrying about anyone else is just proving how little they really know. By contrast\, those who love God and seek to express that love in all they do\, are truly in-the-know with God. \nSo\, what does knowledge have to say about whether or not it is okay to eat food that has been offered to idols? Plenty! We enlightened people know that “idols are actually nothing\,” and we know that “there is only one true God.” No matter how many so-called gods and lords there may be in the world — and there are certainly any number of things to which people devote themselves — we know better. We know that the one and only God is the Father\, who brought all things into being and for whom we exist. And we know that the one and only Lord is Jesus the Messiah\, through whom all things were brought into being\, and through whom we exist. \nHowever\, not everyone is up to speed on all this. Some people who\, until recently\, have been involved in the worship of idols\, are not so easily able to make the separation in their heads between the food and the worship of the idols. Their moral warning lights go off more easily\, and so if they go ahead and eat the food\, they feel defiled by it and wracked with guilt. You can depend on this saying: \n“We won’t get into God’s good books for what we eat.” \nNo one loses anything by abstaining from such food\, and no one gains any special benefits from eating it. But — and this is a big but for those of you who feel free to eat it — unless you are very careful\, this precious freedom of yours could turn into a minefield for those who are more morally timid. Because of your superior knowledge\, you feel free to accept invitations to banquets held at pagan temples\, and that’s all very well. But what if some less certain and secure Christians see you go? Perhaps\, because they look up to you\, they might feel that they should disregard their moral warning lights and join you in eating food that has been offered to idols. And once they start distrusting their own warning lights\, they are in trouble because they no longer know which way to turn. Your superior knowledge would then be responsible for crashing the moral integrity of a timid believer for whom Christ laid down his life. You’ve wounded them\, causing their fragile conscience to short-circuit. And if you dish out a kick in the guts to one who\, under God\, is a member of your own family\, then you are kicking Christ in the guts. So\, for myself\, if such food could risk derailing someone\, then I’d happily give up eating meat altogether in order to make sure that no one ever goes crashing off the rails because of something I did. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 1: 21-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus and his new followers travelled to the city of Capernaum. On the Sabbath day\, he taught in the synagogue there and the locals were stunned by his teaching. It was like nothing they had ever heard before. His words carried great weight and it was clear that he stood behind everything he said\, which was quite a contrast to the religious teachers they were used to! \nWhile he was in their synagogue\, a man who was defiled by a corrupt spirit came in and began screaming\, “What business have you got with us\, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to wipe us out? I’ve got you figured out: you are God’s Special Agent.” \nBut Jesus cut him down to size\, saying\, “Shut up\, and get out of him\, now!” \nAnd the corrupt spirit screamed loudly\, threw the man into a fit\, and then cleared off. Everyone was gob-smacked\, and couldn’t stop talking about it. “What’s going on?” they kept asking one another. “Is this some kind of new teaching? It’s certainly got some weight behind it. He even pulls rank on the corrupt spirits and sends them packing.” \nHis reputation began to spread like wildfire all over the Galilean countryside. \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 justice stands in splendour and majesty\,\nand you nourish the faithful\nwith mercy and kindness. \nYou are the one God who created all things\nand for whom we exist.\nFrom the beginning you have revealed your mighty deeds\nand upheld a covenant with your chosen ones. \nYou raised up among your people\na prophet greater even than Moses\,\nyour Son and our teacher\, Jesus of Nazareth.\nWith words and deeds of authority he has taught us\,\nnot the knowledge that puffs up\,\nbut the love that builds up.\nYou put your holy words in his mouth\,\nand at his word even the demons fall silent.\nWhen he was killed\, you raised him to life\,\nand now it is through him that we exist\,\nand in him\, that the crippling grip of death is broken forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son and our teacher\, Jesus of Nazareth\,\nwho you raised up and gave words of authority\,\nto teach us the love that builds up\,\nto silence the demons\nand to break the crippling grip of death forever. \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 justice stands in splendour and majesty\,\nand you nourish the faithful\nwith mercy and kindness. \nYou are the one God who created all things\nand for whom we exist.\nFrom the beginning you have revealed your mighty deeds\nand upheld a covenant with your chosen ones. \nYou raised up among your people\na prophet greater even than Moses\,\nyour Son and our teacher\, Jesus of Nazareth.\nWith words and deeds of authority he has taught us\,\nnot the knowledge that puffs up\,\nbut the love that builds up.\nYou put your holy words in his mouth\,\nand at his word even the demons fall silent.\nWhen he was killed\, you raised him to life\,\nand now it is through him that we exist\,\nand in him\, that the crippling grip of death is broken 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©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\, who is merciful and kind\,\nhas come to us in Jesus Christ\,\nto establish a lasting covenant with us\,\nforgiving our sins\nand releasing us from the grip of evil. \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 heed God’s message.\nNever forget God’s wonderful mercy and kindness.\nWelcome the freedom that is won in truth\,\nbut never use your freedom to undermine others.\nSee that your words and actions are worthy of praise. \nAnd may God uphold you in a lasting covenant.\nMay Christ Jesus free you from all that would harm you.\nAnd may the Holy Spirit nourish you in wisdom and faithfulness. \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\nTruth can destroy and truth can liberateA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRaising ProphetsA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & Deuteronomy 18: 15-20 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Calling of NamesA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWith AuthorityA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & Deuteronomy 18: 15-20 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nConfronting Religious DemonsA sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Back-To-School Exorcism!A sermon on Mark 1: 21-28 & 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBiblical Ethics in the Age of COVIDA sermon on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b14/2030-02-03/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/14.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300210T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300210T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200802T133646Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240312T020752Z UID:10002103-1896912000-1896998399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:5th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year B DESCRIPTION:This occasion only occurs in 2027 for churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday. \n\n\n\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. \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 40: 21-31 \n \n\n \n \n \n Don’t you understand?\nHave you somehow missed hearing about this?\nWasn’t this explained to you from day one?\nIsn’t it obvious to you who was responsible\nfor the creation of the earth? \nIt is God who is in charge:\nGod who sees the planet like a ball;\nits population like tiny insects.\nIt is God who spread out the sky like a tarp\,\nwho set up the galaxy like a tent to live in. \nIt is God who makes governments look powerless;\nwho reduces kings and presidents to nothing.\nThey rise up on the earth as confident as mighty trees\,\nbut to God they are like newly sprouted weeds.\nNo sooner have they popped their heads up\nthan God turns on them with a puff of breath\nand they wither and blow away like dry leaves. \nThe Holy One puts the challenge to you\, saying\,\n“Who are you going to replace me with?\nWho can you find who can hold a candle to me?” \nLook up and see the night sky.\nWho do you think created all that?\nIt is God who spreads out the milky way\,\nnumbering the stars and calling them each by name.\nSo great are God’s strength and power\nthat not one star goes missing. \nSo what are you talking about\, people of God\,\nwhen you raise your voices and say\,\n“The LORD’s got no idea what is happening to us;\nGod is paying no attention to our basic rights.” \nDon’t you understand?\nHave you somehow missed hearing about this?\nThe LORD is the God who outlasts everyone and everything\,\nthe Creator of the whole earth\, from one end to the other.\nThe LORD never runs out of puff\,\nand never feels like giving up.\nThe LORD knows the fine detail\nof things we can only guess at. \nWhen your energies are drained\,\nand you are too weak to stand\,\nthe LORD gives new strength and energy. \nEven the youngest and fittest have their limits;\nthey too eventually drop in their tracks. \nBut nothing can stop those who hang in there for the LORD.\nTheir strength will be constantly renewed;\nthey will soar with the effortless grace of an eagle.\nThey will run and never grow weary;\nthey will walk ever onward\nand never grow faint. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 147: 1-11\, 20c \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, we sing your praises! \nWe love to sing your praises\,\nfor you are incredibly generous\nand you deserve all the credit we can give. \nYou\, LORD\, are the one who rebuilds the ruined city\nand brings home those who have been kicked out. \nYou bandage the wounds of the brokenhearted\,\nand nurse them back to health. \nIt was you who counted out the stars\,\nand called them all by name. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD\,\nyour strength is off the scale\,\nand your grasp of what’s going on is mind boggling. \nYou put those who have been ground into the dirt back on their feet\,\nand you knock those who are callous and corrupt off their perches. \nOur songs are full of thanks to you\, LORD\,\nas we strike up the band in your honour. \nIt is you who spread the clouds across the sky\,\nready to rain on the earth\,\nready to bring the grass springing up green. \nIt is you who feeds the animals;\nyou who responds to the hungry cry of a currawong chick. \nYou are not impressed by massive horsepower;\nyou don’t get your kicks watching tests of speed. \nYou would much rather that people were awestruck by your love\, LORD\,\nand that they built their future on the solid rock of your faithfulness.\nLORD\, we sing your praises! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n Preaching God’s message is not some great accomplishment for which I can expect to be applauded and rewarded. I am just doing what I was created to do\, so I’d be up the creek without a paddle if I failed to preach God’s message! If it was just a job I had applied for\, then I could expect to be paid an award wage. But since I am not doing this because I want to\, but because it is what I was made for\, I am simply being true to the call that God has wired into my brain. So is there anything in it for me? Sure! The privilege of being the mouth-piece that brings people into contact with the good news of God’s love is worth more than wages to me. And even better if it doesn’t cost them a cent\, so I refrain from calling in the favours I could\, by right\, claim for my role in bringing that message to you. \nCertainly I am free. No one has the right to tell me what I can and can’t do. But despite that\, I have voluntarily made myself a slave to everyone else’s customs in order to win over more people. Among Jewish people\, I stuck religiously to the Jewish customs in order to avoid offending them\, and to maximise the odds of winning them over. Among those who carefully observe the religious law\, I too lived as one governed by the law. I did this even though I am free from the law\, in order to maximise the odds of winning over those who are bound by the law. Among those who have never lived under the religious law\, I didn’t make a display of law-keeping\, but lived according to the local customs. I did this in order to maximise the odds of winning them over\, even though I am by no means lawless\, because Christ calls the shots in my life. Among those who are timid and uncertain\, I played it safe\, just as they do\, in order to win over as many timid and uncertain people as possible. I have become anything and everything to others — whatever it takes to find common ground with people and win their trust — so that by whatever means I can employ I might help people take hold of the lifeline God is throwing them. I do everything I can to promote the message of God’s love\, and I look for nothing more in return than to share in the benefits that it brings. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 1: 29-39 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus finished teaching in the Capernaum Synagogue and left with his followers. Taking James and John with him\, he went to the family home of Simon and Andrew. On arrival he was told that Simon’s mother-in-law was crook in bed\, burning up with fever. He went to her bedside\, took her by the hand and lifted her to her feet. The fever cleared\, then and there\, and she set about making them welcome in her home. \nBy sunset that day\, the word was out and a crowd was gathering at the door. It seemed that the whole city was there\, bringing everyone who was sick or tormented by demons. Jesus cured many people from various kinds of disease\, and freed many from the grip of demons. He would not allow the demons to say a word\, because they had him figured out. \nBefore sunrise the next morning\, Jesus got up and left the house on the quiet. He went bush in a remote area and spent the time alone in prayer. When he was missed\, Simon and his mates began the search. They tracked him down\, and said to him\, “Come on\, you’ve got everyone looking for you.” \nJesus answered\, “Let’s hit the road\, so that I can broadcast the message in the other towns in this neck of the woods. That’s what I came to do.” \nAnd so he hiked the length and breadth of Galilee. In every town he preached the message in the places where the people gathered\, and drove out the demonic powers. \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 you strengthen the powerless\nand renew those who wait for you in trust. \nYou are the Creator of the earth\nwho stretched out the sky like a curtain\nand sent down rain\, clothing the mountains in green.\nYou gathered your people from exile\,\nhealing the broken hearted and binding their wounds. \nYou came among us\, as one of us\,\nin your child Jesus the Christ\,\nsharing our weakness in order to save us.\nHealing the sick and casting out demonic powers\,\nhe proclaimed your mercy and peace.\nTurning his back on the acclaim of the crowds\,\nhe faithfully followed your call\nall the way to death on a cross.\nYou raised him up\nand promised that all who trust in him\nwill rise up with wings like eagles\nand run the race without ever growing weary. \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 you thanks for gathering us from exile\,\nhealing our broken hearts and binding our wounds\,\nand raising us up on wings like eagles\nthat we might go where you send us\nand be what you need us to be\nwithout ever growing weary or faint. \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 strengthen the powerless\nand renew those who wait for you in trust. \nYou are the Creator of the earth\nwho stretched out the sky like a curtain\nand sent down rain\, clothing the mountains in green.\nYou gathered your people from exile\,\nhealing the broken hearted and binding their wounds. \nYou came among us\, as one of us\,\nin your child Jesus the Christ\,\nsharing our weakness in order to save us.\nHealing the sick and casting out demonic powers\,\nhe proclaimed your mercy and peace.\nTurning his back on the acclaim of the crowds\,\nhe faithfully followed your call\nall the way to death on a cross.\nYou raised him up\nand promised that all who trust in him\nwill rise up with wings like eagles\nand run the race without ever growing weary. \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 hears the cries of the brokenhearted\nand renews the strength of those who trust in his mercy.\nIn Jesus Christ\, God has taken us by the hand\,\nforgiving our sins and lifting us up to new life. \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 trust in God’s mercy for your strength.\nProclaim the good news wherever God calls you\,\nand do not set yourselves apart from others\,\nbut be all things to all people for the sake of the gospel. \nAnd may God give you the strength and freedom of an eagle.\nMay Christ be the bread that nourishes and renews you.\nAnd may the Holy Spirit be the rising wind beneath your wings. \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\nJesus the ExorcistA sermon on Mark 1:29-39 by Garry Worete Deverell\n\n\n\nWhen is a Call not a Call?A sermon on Mark 1:29-39\, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 & Isaiah 40:21-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Word from the FireA sermon on Isaiah 40:21-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat is Freedom?A sermon on Mark 1:29-39 & 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe healing that leads to ministryA sermon on Mark 1: 29-39 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nThe Strength to Walk Away from SuccessA sermon on Mark 1:29-39\, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 & Isaiah 40:21-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLooking for good news during a pandemicA sermon on Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 & Mark 1:29-39 by Francesca Nuzzolese URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b15/2030-02-10/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/15.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300210T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300210T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200802T133646Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003409Z UID:10002943-1896912000-1896998399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:5th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year B DESCRIPTION:This occasion only occurs in 2027 for churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday. \n\n\n\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. \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 40: 21-31 \n \n\n \n \n \n Don’t you understand?\nHave you somehow missed hearing about this?\nWasn’t this explained to you from day one?\nIsn’t it obvious to you who was responsible\nfor the creation of the earth? \nIt is God who is in charge:\nGod who sees the planet like a ball;\nits population like tiny insects.\nIt is God who spread out the sky like a tarp\,\nwho set up the galaxy like a tent to live in. \nIt is God who makes governments look powerless;\nwho reduces kings and presidents to nothing.\nThey rise up on the earth as confident as mighty trees\,\nbut to God they are like newly sprouted weeds.\nNo sooner have they popped their heads up\nthan God turns on them with a puff of breath\nand they wither and blow away like dry leaves. \nThe Holy One puts the challenge to you\, saying\,\n“Who are you going to replace me with?\nWho can you find who can hold a candle to me?” \nLook up and see the night sky.\nWho do you think created all that?\nIt is God who spreads out the milky way\,\nnumbering the stars and calling them each by name.\nSo great are God’s strength and power\nthat not one star goes missing. \nSo what are you talking about\, people of God\,\nwhen you raise your voices and say\,\n“The LORD’s got no idea what is happening to us;\nGod is paying no attention to our basic rights.” \nDon’t you understand?\nHave you somehow missed hearing about this?\nThe LORD is the God who outlasts everyone and everything\,\nthe Creator of the whole earth\, from one end to the other.\nThe LORD never runs out of puff\,\nand never feels like giving up.\nThe LORD knows the fine detail\nof things we can only guess at. \nWhen your energies are drained\,\nand you are too weak to stand\,\nthe LORD gives new strength and energy. \nEven the youngest and fittest have their limits;\nthey too eventually drop in their tracks. \nBut nothing can stop those who hang in there for the LORD.\nTheir strength will be constantly renewed;\nthey will soar with the effortless grace of an eagle.\nThey will run and never grow weary;\nthey will walk ever onward\nand never grow faint. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 147: 1-11\, 20c \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, we sing your praises! \nWe love to sing your praises\,\nfor you are incredibly generous\nand you deserve all the credit we can give. \nYou\, LORD\, are the one who rebuilds the ruined city\nand brings home those who have been kicked out. \nYou bandage the wounds of the brokenhearted\,\nand nurse them back to health. \nIt was you who counted out the stars\,\nand called them all by name. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD\,\nyour strength is off the scale\,\nand your grasp of what’s going on is mind boggling. \nYou put those who have been ground into the dirt back on their feet\,\nand you knock those who are callous and corrupt off their perches. \nOur songs are full of thanks to you\, LORD\,\nas we strike up the band in your honour. \nIt is you who spread the clouds across the sky\,\nready to rain on the earth\,\nready to bring the grass springing up green. \nIt is you who feeds the animals;\nyou who responds to the hungry cry of a currawong chick. \nYou are not impressed by massive horsepower;\nyou don’t get your kicks watching tests of speed. \nYou would much rather that people were awestruck by your love\, LORD\,\nand that they built their future on the solid rock of your faithfulness.\nLORD\, we sing your praises! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n Preaching God’s message is not some great accomplishment for which I can expect to be applauded and rewarded. I am just doing what I was created to do\, so I’d be up the creek without a paddle if I failed to preach God’s message! If it was just a job I had applied for\, then I could expect to be paid an award wage. But since I am not doing this because I want to\, but because it is what I was made for\, I am simply being true to the call that God has wired into my brain. So is there anything in it for me? Sure! The privilege of being the mouth-piece that brings people into contact with the good news of God’s love is worth more than wages to me. And even better if it doesn’t cost them a cent\, so I refrain from calling in the favours I could\, by right\, claim for my role in bringing that message to you. \nCertainly I am free. No one has the right to tell me what I can and can’t do. But despite that\, I have voluntarily made myself a slave to everyone else’s customs in order to win over more people. Among Jewish people\, I stuck religiously to the Jewish customs in order to avoid offending them\, and to maximise the odds of winning them over. Among those who carefully observe the religious law\, I too lived as one governed by the law. I did this even though I am free from the law\, in order to maximise the odds of winning over those who are bound by the law. Among those who have never lived under the religious law\, I didn’t make a display of law-keeping\, but lived according to the local customs. I did this in order to maximise the odds of winning them over\, even though I am by no means lawless\, because Christ calls the shots in my life. Among those who are timid and uncertain\, I played it safe\, just as they do\, in order to win over as many timid and uncertain people as possible. I have become anything and everything to others — whatever it takes to find common ground with people and win their trust — so that by whatever means I can employ I might help people take hold of the lifeline God is throwing them. I do everything I can to promote the message of God’s love\, and I look for nothing more in return than to share in the benefits that it brings. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 1: 29-39 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus finished teaching in the Capernaum Synagogue and left with his followers. Taking James and John with him\, he went to the family home of Simon and Andrew. On arrival he was told that Simon’s mother-in-law was crook in bed\, burning up with fever. He went to her bedside\, took her by the hand and lifted her to her feet. The fever cleared\, then and there\, and she set about making them welcome in her home. \nBy sunset that day\, the word was out and a crowd was gathering at the door. It seemed that the whole city was there\, bringing everyone who was sick or tormented by demons. Jesus cured many people from various kinds of disease\, and freed many from the grip of demons. He would not allow the demons to say a word\, because they had him figured out. \nBefore sunrise the next morning\, Jesus got up and left the house on the quiet. He went bush in a remote area and spent the time alone in prayer. When he was missed\, Simon and his mates began the search. They tracked him down\, and said to him\, “Come on\, you’ve got everyone looking for you.” \nJesus answered\, “Let’s hit the road\, so that I can broadcast the message in the other towns in this neck of the woods. That’s what I came to do.” \nAnd so he hiked the length and breadth of Galilee. In every town he preached the message in the places where the people gathered\, and drove out the demonic powers. \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 you strengthen the powerless\nand renew those who wait for you in trust. \nYou are the Creator of the earth\nwho stretched out the sky like a curtain\nand sent down rain\, clothing the mountains in green.\nYou gathered your people from exile\,\nhealing the broken hearted and binding their wounds. \nYou came among us\, as one of us\,\nin your child Jesus the Christ\,\nsharing our weakness in order to save us.\nHealing the sick and casting out demonic powers\,\nhe proclaimed your mercy and peace.\nTurning his back on the acclaim of the crowds\,\nhe faithfully followed your call\nall the way to death on a cross.\nYou raised him up\nand promised that all who trust in him\nwill rise up with wings like eagles\nand run the race without ever growing weary. \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 you thanks for gathering us from exile\,\nhealing our broken hearts and binding our wounds\,\nand raising us up on wings like eagles\nthat we might go where you send us\nand be what you need us to be\nwithout ever growing weary or faint. \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 strengthen the powerless\nand renew those who wait for you in trust. \nYou are the Creator of the earth\nwho stretched out the sky like a curtain\nand sent down rain\, clothing the mountains in green.\nYou gathered your people from exile\,\nhealing the broken hearted and binding their wounds. \nYou came among us\, as one of us\,\nin your child Jesus the Christ\,\nsharing our weakness in order to save us.\nHealing the sick and casting out demonic powers\,\nhe proclaimed your mercy and peace.\nTurning his back on the acclaim of the crowds\,\nhe faithfully followed your call\nall the way to death on a cross.\nYou raised him up\nand promised that all who trust in him\nwill rise up with wings like eagles\nand run the race without ever growing weary. \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 hears the cries of the brokenhearted\nand renews the strength of those who trust in his mercy.\nIn Jesus Christ\, God has taken us by the hand\,\nforgiving our sins and lifting us up to new life. \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 trust in God’s mercy for your strength.\nProclaim the good news wherever God calls you\,\nand do not set yourselves apart from others\,\nbut be all things to all people for the sake of the gospel. \nAnd may God give you the strength and freedom of an eagle.\nMay Christ be the bread that nourishes and renews you.\nAnd may the Holy Spirit be the rising wind beneath your wings. \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\nJesus the ExorcistA sermon on Mark 1:29-39 by Garry Worete Deverell\n\n\n\nWhen is a Call not a Call?A sermon on Mark 1:29-39\, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 & Isaiah 40:21-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Word from the FireA sermon on Isaiah 40:21-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat is Freedom?A sermon on Mark 1:29-39 & 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe healing that leads to ministryA sermon on Mark 1: 29-39 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nThe Strength to Walk Away from SuccessA sermon on Mark 1:29-39\, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 & Isaiah 40:21-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLooking for good news during a pandemicA sermon on Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 & Mark 1:29-39 by Francesca Nuzzolese URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b15/2030-02-10/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/15.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300217T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300217T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200803T041845Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240312T021038Z UID:10001497-1897516800-1897603199@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/bp01/2030-02-17/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P01.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20300224 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20300225 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200804T010843Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220909T034537Z UID:10001498-1898121600-1898207999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:7th 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 Isaiah 43: 18-25 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD has to say: \nDon’t dwell on the things of the past;\ndon’t get bogged down in nostalgia.\nI am about to do something completely new;\ncan’t you see it taking shape before your eyes? \nI will make a safe path through the hostile wilderness.\nI will make the desert rivers flow again.\nUntamed animals will applaud what I do\n– dingoes\, emus\, goannas –\nbecause the desert bursts into life\nas I send rains\, filling the inland lakes. \nNow the people I have chosen can drink their fill;\nI created them to be my people\,\nto enjoy and celebrate the things I do. \nDespite all this\, my people\,\nyou have not spent any time with me in worship\,\nand yet you claim to be sick and tired of me! \nYou have not given me anything of value;\nyou have not honoured me at any cost to yourselves.\nI have not made any demands of you\,\nor hassled you for gifts or fragrant incense. \nYou have not spent a cent on sweet spices for me\,\nnor offered me the prime cuts\nfrom the animals roasted on my own altar.\nAll you have ever brought me is grief;\nyou have made me sick with your offences. \nBut I am the One who wipes your record clean;\nbecause of who I am\,\nI will keep no record of what you’ve done wrong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 41 \n \n\n \n \n \n Those who are ready to help the poor have got it made;\nin hard times\, you step in to get them through\, LORD. \nYou stand guard over them\nand keep them in one piece.\nYou don’t let their enemies get their claws into them\, LORD\,\nand they are the happiest people in the country. \nWhen they are sick\, you get them safely through\,\nand when they are injured\, you put them back on their feet. \nIn dire straits\, I’m praying to you\, LORD;\nI know I have done the wrong thing by you\,\nbut please show mercy and heal me. \nMy enemies are gloating over how crook I am;\nkeen to see me dead and forgotten. \nThey visit\, pretending to wish me well\,\nbut are soon out on the streets\,\ncrowing to one another about how near to death I am. \nIn their hatred of me\, they whisper and sneer about me\,\nand wish on me the worst death they can imagine. \nThey reckon some deadly virus has got me by the throat\,\nand that I’ll never make it out of the hospital alive. \nEven my best mate\, who I trusted through thick and thin\,\nwho shared many a meal and many a drink with me\,\nhas turned against me now. \nGive me a break\, LORD\, in your generous mercy.\nPut me back on my feet so I can wipe the smirk off their faces. \nWhen my enemy’s campaign against me falls apart\nI will know that you have sided with me\, LORD. \nRecognising my integrity\, you have gone in to bat for me\nand given me a permanent place at your side. \nMay everything work out right for you\, LORD\, our God\,\nnow and ever\, to the end of time and beyond!\nAnd so say all of us! Too right! \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Corinthians 1: 18-22 \n \n\n \n \n \n What God says\, God follows through on; and by the same token\, we have not been having a bet each way in anything we have said to you. The Son of God — Jesus the Christ — was made known among you by Silas\, Timothy and me. He was certainly not an each way bet on God’s part. On the contrary\, God backed him all the way\, and for good reason. Every promise God had ever made has ridden home a winner on the back of Jesus. That is why\, when we link up with him we are saying “Count us in!” and betting our lives on the glory all belonging to God. But we — that’s you and us — have only got in on what Christ is doing because God has made us partners in him. God signed the transfer papers\, marking us out and setting us apart as those whose fortunes were now bound up in Christ. God’s Spirit was put in our hearts\, given to us as the first instalment of the winnings that we are to share in Christ. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 2: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n When Jesus arrived home in Capernaum after a few days away\, the word quickly got around that he was back. A large crowd flocked to the house to hear what he had to say. As he spelt out his message\, so many people crammed in that it was standing room only\, right through the house and out the front door into the street. While he was still speaking\, some people arrived carrying a paralysed man on a stretcher. They wanted to bring him to Jesus\, but they soon saw that there was no way of getting through the crowd. Not willing to give up\, they climbed up on top of the house and ripped open a section of the roof above Jesus’s head. Then they used ropes to lower their friend on his stretcher right down in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw how firmly they believed that all this effort would pay off\, he spoke to the paralysed man and said\, “Mate\, all you have done wrong is forgiven. You’re in the clear!” \nNow some of the local religious experts were there in the crowd\, and they immediately began thinking\, “Who does this bloke think he is? This is a gross insult to God\, because no one but God can put people in the clear.” \nBeing tuned in to what was going on around him\, Jesus could tell that these questions were bubbling up among them\, so he turned to them and said\, “Why does this set your heads spinning? Which do you think would be the bigger challenge for me\, to tell him he was forgiven\, or to tell him to get up\, fold up his stretcher and walk out of here? So\, if you want to know whether the New Human has the authority here on earth to put people in the clear\, watch this!” And he turned to the paralysed man and said\, “I’m telling you\, get up on your feet\, fold up your stretcher and get off home.” \nAnd sure enough\, the man got to his feet in front of everybody\, and promptly folded up his stretcher and headed out the door. The people could hardly believe their eyes. They all began giving God the credit for it\, saying\, “This is like nothing we have ever seen before!” \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 you blot out the memory of our failures\,\nand bring new and life-giving things springing forth. \nYou created the earth and its inhabitants\nand formed a people for yourself to declare your praise.\nWhen they piled up sins instead of offerings\,\nyou sent your prophets to call them to repentance\nand offer forgiveness and restoration. \nTo us you sent your Son\, Jesus the Christ\,\nwith the authority to forgive sins\nand to set free those paralysed by illness or fear.\nWhen he was betrayed by a friend\nand killed by those who would not recognise\nthe new things you were doing\,\nyou raised him to life again\,\nand in him\, you establish us\nand anoint us as your own\,\npouring your Spirit into our hearts\nas a guarantee of all you have in store for us. \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 new and life-giving things\nyou are doing through your Son\, Jesus the Christ\,\nwho forgives our sins\,\nsets us free from the paralysis of illness and fear\,\nand pours your Spirit into our hearts. \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 blot out the memory of our failures\,\nand bring new and life-giving things springing forth. \nYou created the earth and its inhabitants\nand formed a people for yourself to declare your praise.\nWhen they piled up sins instead of offerings\,\nyou sent your prophets to call them to repentance\nand offer forgiveness and restoration. \nTo us you sent your Son\, Jesus the Christ\,\nwith the authority to forgive sins\nand to set free those paralysed by illness or fear.\nWhen he was betrayed by a friend\nand killed by those who would not recognise\nthe new things you were doing\,\nyou raised him to life again\,\nand in him\, you establish us\nand anoint us as your own\,\npouring your Spirit into our hearts\nas a guarantee of all you have in store for us. \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’s own glory is confirmed\nin saying “Yes!” to our cry for mercy and healing.\nIn Jesus Christ\, God forgives our sins\nand chooses not to remember our wrong doing. \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 in confidence\, as forgiven people.\nStand with the Lord forever\,\nlook for the new things God is doing\nand always be ready to help the poor. \nAnd may God watch and protect you;\nMay Christ Jesus who forgives you\, raise you to wholeness;\nAnd may the Spirit pour rivers into your deserts\nand lead you into all God’s promises. \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 NettletonForgiveness & Pulling TeethA sermon on Isaiah 43:18-25\, Psalm 41 & Mark 2:1-12 by Nathan NettletonRiding them Home as OneA sermon on 2 Corinthians 1: 18-22 by Nathan NettletonHaving Faith for One AnotherA sermon on Isaiah 43:18-25\, Psalm 41 & Mark 2:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/bp02/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P02.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20300303 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20300304 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200804T012729Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220909T034545Z UID:10001499-1898726400-1898812799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:8th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year B DESCRIPTION:This occasion only occurs in 2030 for churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday. \n\n\n\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. \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/bp03/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P03.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300303T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300303T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200804T022117Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240312T021946Z UID:10002110-1898726400-1898812799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Transfiguration Sunday (Last Sunday before Lent) - Year B DESCRIPTION:Churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday may prefer to use the resources for the 5th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent. \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 Kings 2: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Shortly before the LORD sent a whirlwind to take Elijah into heaven\, Elijah and Elisha headed off on a journey from Gilgal. Elijah had tried to talk Elisha out of coming\, saying\, “The LORD wants me to go to Bethel\, but there is no need for you to come. You can stay here.” \nBut Elisha said\, “I’m sticking with you\, come hell or high water!” \nSo they travelled together down to Bethel. There was a community of prophets in Bethel\, and they came out and asked Elisha\, “Do you realise that today the LORD is going to take your boss away from you?” \n“I know\,” Elisha replied\, “but shut up! I don’t want to talk about it.” \nElijah said\, “Elisha\, you stay put. The LORD wants me to go on to Jericho\, but there is no need for you to come.” \nBut Elisha said\, “I’m sticking with you\, come hell or high water!” \nSo they were still together when they arrived in Jericho. There was a community of prophets in Jericho\, and they came out and asked Elisha\, “Do you realise that today the LORD is going to take your boss away from you?” \n“I know\,” Elisha replied\, “but shut up! I don’t want to talk about it.”\nElijah said\, “Elisha\, you stay put. The LORD wants me to go across the Jordan River\, but there is no need for you to come.” \nBut Elisha said\, “I’m sticking with you\, come hell or high water!” \nSo the two of them continued on together. A group of fifty prophets followed them\, keeping their distance but not letting them out of their sight. When they arrived at the Jordan River\, Elijah took off his coat\, rolled it up\, and slapped the water with it. The water immediately parted to form a dry path through the middle of the river and the two of them crossed over. When they reached the other side\, Elijah said\, “Elisha\, our time together is almost up. What would you most like me to do for you before I am taken away?” \nElisha replied\, “Please make me your successor by leaving to me the largest share of the spirit that empowers you.” \nElijah responded\, “That’s a tough ask! But if you actually see me being taken away from you\, then you’ll get your wish. If you don’t\, you’ll miss out.” \nThe two of them continued to walk along\, deep in conversation\, when suddenly a chariot of fire drawn by two blazing horses charged between them and Elijah was sucked up in a whirlwind and taken into heaven. Elisha saw the whole thing and kept crying out\, “Father! Father! You are gone with the defenders of Israel\, God’s mounted warriors!” \nWhen Elijah disappeared from sight\, Elisha was torn apart with grief. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 50: 1-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n You\, LORD\, are the mighty God.\nWherever the sun shines\, from horizon to horizon\,\nyou call the earth to attention. \nFrom the spectacular beauty of your holy mountain\,\nyou approach us in a blaze of glory. \nYou come with the full fanfare;\nflashes of fire in front of you;\nthunder storming all around you. \nYou call the earth and sky to sit as a jury\,\nand set out the charges against your people. \nYou call the accused:\nthose who swore their faithfulness to you\,\nand signed themselves to a binding alliance. \nThe whole universe honours you as the judge\,\nand affirms the honesty of your court. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Corinthians 4: 3-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n Are people saying that the message we preach is hidden behind some kind of mask? Well\, I can assure you that the only people who can’t see it clearly are those who will never escape the grip of death. Unable to believe and trust\, they were easy prey for the ruling spirit of this present age who messed with their heads and left them blind to the truth. As a result they can’t see the glorious light of the message of Christ\, and it is when we see Christ in all his glory\, that we see the spitting image of God. We are not preaching about ourselves. The message we preach is that Jesus the Christ is Lord of all. We ourselves are slaves at your service\, for Jesus’ sake. The very God who kicked off creation by calling for light to shine from darkness has now filled our hearts with the light that comes from seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus the Christ and knowing it for what it is. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 9: 2-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus took Peter\, James and John and led them up a high mountain away from everyone else. Before their very eyes\, the way Jesus looked was suddenly changed from the inside out. His clothing became so white that it was dazzling – an effect beyond anything soap powder could ever achieve. Suddenly they saw Moses and Elijah there too\, in deep conversation with Jesus. \nPeter said\, “Boss\, this is fantastic! What a moment! How about we knock up three huts\, so that you\, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” He was just shooting his mouth off without thinking because they were quaking in their boots. \nAn awesome cloud engulfed them\, and from deep within the cloud\, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son\, the love of my life. Listen to him!” \nPeter\, James and John looked around and suddenly everything looked normal again and they saw no one there but Jesus. \nAs they were coming back down the mountain\, Jesus gave them strict instructions not to breathe a word to anyone about about what they had seen\, until after the New Human had risen from the dead. \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. \nWhen you created the universe you said\,\n“Let light shine out of darkness\,”\nand the heavens lit up in testimony to your justice.\nThrough the law and prophets your light has shone forth\,\nand your Word has never fallen silent. \nOn a high mountain you pulled back the veil of heaven\nand\, as Moses and Elijah passed on their mantles\nto the one in whom your saving Word is fulfilled\,\nyou allowed the incomparable glory of your Son\nto be seen by his terrified disciples.\nHe was killed by those who would not listen to you\,\nbut after you raised him from the dead\,\nyou sent the winds of heaven upon us\nwith an extravagant outpouring of your Holy Spirit. \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 incomparable glory of your Son\nwhich shines upon us as transfiguring light\,\nrestoring within us the image of your glory\nand gathering us up in the wild wind of your Holy Spirit. \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 transfiguring light has overcome us\nand is restoring within us the image of your glory. \nWhen you created the universe you said\,\n“Let light shine out of darkness\,”\nand the heavens lit up in testimony to your justice.\nThrough the law and prophets your light has shone forth\,\nand your Word has never fallen silent. \nOn a high mountain you pulled back the veil of heaven\nand\, as Moses and Elijah passed on their mantles\nto the one in whom your saving Word is fulfilled\,\nyou allowed the incomparable glory of your Son\nto be seen by his terrified disciples.\nHe was killed by those who would not listen to you\,\nbut after you raised him from the dead\,\nyou sent the winds of heaven upon us\nwith an extravagant outpouring of your 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©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Though we were blinded by sin\,\nGod’s saving light has been beamed into our hearts\nthat we might see the radiant mercy of God\nin the face of Jesus Christ. \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 speak of what you have seen of God’s glory.\nDo not cling to the holy moments\nwhen heaven overshadows you\,\nbut as the Lord lives\, listen to Christ and follow him\nfrom the places of revelation\nto the places of mission. \nAnd may God shine the light of glory into your hearts.\nMay Christ be with you and never leave you.\nAnd may the Spirit renew the image of God within you. \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\nTransfiguration PeopleA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nMore Than Meets the EyeA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe View from the MountaintopA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThis is my Son\, Listen to himA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Surprising Light Behind the VeilA sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 & Mark 9:2-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nUp and Down the MountainA sermon on Mark 9:2-9 by Karen Quah URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b16/2030-03-03/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/16.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300306T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300306T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20250301T130714Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260322T012007Z UID:10002192-1898985600-1899071999@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/abc17/2030-03-06/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/17.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300310T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300310T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200805T034657Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003409Z UID:10002941-1899331200-1899417599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:1st Sunday in 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 Genesis 9: 8-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n God said to Noah and his family: \n“I\, myself\, am forging an alliance with you\, and with all your descendants to come\, and with every living creature; all the birds\, domestic animals\, and wild animals of the earth who came out of the lifeboat with you. In the terms of this alliance which I am forging with you\, I am giving you my word that never again will all life be wiped out by a flood. There will never be another flood that will totally destroy the earth. I am making this alliance between me and you and all the living creatures that are with you\, and I am signing it in the clouds. The rainbow that I have put in the clouds for you all to see is my signature on the alliance between me and the earth. Whenever I make the clouds gather and my rainbow signature becomes visible there\, I will remember the alliance that governs my relationship with you and with every living creature on earth. I will remember\, and the waters will never again become a flood that wipes out all life on earth. I will see the rainbow which I have signed in the clouds and remember that I am party to a permanent binding alliance with every living creature of every kind on the earth. I assure you\, Noah\, that with this signature that you see in the clouds\, I have sealed the alliance between me\, God\, and the entire community of living creatures on the earth.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 25: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n I gladly offer you everything I am\, LORD . \nI have put my trust in you\, God;\nplease don’t let me down;\ndon’t give my enemies grounds to gloat. \nBe there for those who hang in there for you\, no matter what:\ndon’t leave them with egg on their faces.\nSave that for the two-faced scabs who deserve it.  \nLet me in on your way of doing things\, LORD;\nteach me how to follow your tracks. \nSteer me along your ways of truth\, and teach me all about them.\nOnly you can save me from disaster\, God\,\nso I’ll wait for you before setting out. \nYour love and mercy have been as timeless and dependable as the rock;\nplease don’t change your mind about them now! \nDon’t keep a record of everything I’ve done wrong in the past.\nLet your unshakable love colour your view of me\,\nand keep your reputation for generosity intact! \nYou always do what is good and right\, LORD\,\nand so you patiently retrain those who do wrong. \nYou pilot a safe course for those who are not too full of themselves;\nyou give lessons on your ways to the humble folk. \nEvery path you tread\, LORD\, is marked by solid love and loyalty\nfor the benefit of all who keep our end of the bargain with you. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Peter 3: 18-22 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Messiah copped the consequences of human corruption\nand suffered them all in one hit.\nHe who had done only what is right\nsuffered for those who had done wrong\nin order to bring you home to God.\nHe was killed by human hands\nbut made alive by the Spirit. \nIn the spirit\, he went and preached freedom to those who refused God’s way in past generations and whose spirits have remained in prison ever since. In their own day\, God had given them every chance. While Noah was building his boat\, for example\, there was plenty of time for people to realise why and change their ways\, but in the end a mere eight people were saved from the waters by getting into that lifeboat. Their experience was a bit of a preview of the way baptism saves you. It is not just a bath to clean up your appearance. Rather\, you are pulled from the water to a new life so that you can stand before God with a clear conscience. You are raised from death to life with Jesus the Messiah\, who has since taken his place in heaven as God’s right hand man\, and he has the last word on everything and everyone. There is no authority or power\, human or angel\, that can overrule him. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 1: 9-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n During those days\, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. The moment he came up from the water\, he saw the sky open up and the Spirit coming down like a diving kookaburra and taking hold of him. And a voice filled the air\, saying\, “You are my Son; the love of my life. You fill me with pride.” \nStraight after that\, the Spirit drove him out into a remote wilderness area. He had to prove himself for forty days in the bush\, while the devil tried every trick in the book to lure him off-track. Jesus was in tough country\, surrounded by wild animals\, and God’s angels took care of everything he needed. \nAfter John the baptiser was arrested\, Jesus headed up to Galilee and began spreading the good news of God. This was the guts of his message: \n“The time has come!\nThe culture of God is close at hand.\nTurn your lives around and accept the good news.” \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 in tenderness and faithful love\nyou forgive our sins and guide us when we stray. \nWhen the ancient flood destroyed the world you had created\,\nyou saved Noah and his family from the waters\,\nand established a covenant with them\nand with every living creature for all time. \nIn later times your Son\, Jesus\,\ncame forth from the waters of baptism\,\nand after proving himself in the wilderness\nwhere waves of temptation threatened to engulf him\,\nhe began proclaiming the good news of your kingdom\,\ncalling people to repent and believe in the gospel.\nHe was cast down to the land of the dead\nwhere he preached even to those lost in the flood\,\nbut you raised him to new life\nand seated him at your side\nto reign over every authority and power for ever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho proved himself stronger than the devil’s temptations\,\nand who in death preached even to those lost in the flood\,\nand in resurrection reigns over every authority and power for ever. \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 in tenderness and faithful love\nyou forgive our sins and guide us when we stray. \nWhen the ancient flood destroyed the world you had created\,\nyou saved Noah and his family from the waters\,\nand established a covenant with them\nand with every living creature for all time. \nIn later times your Son\, Jesus\,\ncame forth from the waters of baptism\,\nand after proving himself in the wilderness\nwhere waves of temptation threatened to engulf him\,\nhe began proclaiming the good news of your kingdom\,\ncalling people to repent and believe in the gospel.\nHe was cast down to the land of the dead\nwhere he preached even to those lost in the flood\,\nbut you raised him to new life\nand seated him at your side\nto reign over every authority and power for ever. \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 Christ suffered for sins\, once for all\,\nthe righteous for the unrighteous\,\nin order to bring you to God.\nThrough the mercy of Christ\, God remembers you\nbut not your faults or your sins. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2000 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 in the spirit of your baptism\,\neven when you are led into wild and hard places.\nWith repentance and trust\, give yourselves to God\,\nand with fasting and prayer\,\nstrengthen yourselves against the ways of the tempter. \nAnd may God enfold you in tender and lasting love.\nMay Christ be beside you in times of struggle.\nAnd may the Spirit guide you back to the path\nwhenever you stray\, that you may keep the covenant. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2000 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\nMinistering AngelsA sermon on Mark 1:9-15 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nWhat God has given up for LentA sermon on Genesis 9:8-17\, 1 Peter 3:1-18 & Mark 1:9-15 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nInto the wildernessA sermon on Mark 1:9-15 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nPut to the TestA sermon on Mark 1:9-15 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA God of WeaknessA sermon on Genesis 9:8-17\, 1 Peter 3:1-18 & Mark 1:9-15 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nReading the RainbowA sermon on Genesis 9:8-17 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b18/2030-03-10/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/18.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300310T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300310T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200805T034657Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240318T114716Z UID:10002111-1899331200-1899417599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:1st Sunday in 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 Genesis 9: 8-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n God said to Noah and his family: \n“I\, myself\, am forging an alliance with you\, and with all your descendants to come\, and with every living creature; all the birds\, domestic animals\, and wild animals of the earth who came out of the lifeboat with you. In the terms of this alliance which I am forging with you\, I am giving you my word that never again will all life be wiped out by a flood. There will never be another flood that will totally destroy the earth. I am making this alliance between me and you and all the living creatures that are with you\, and I am signing it in the clouds. The rainbow that I have put in the clouds for you all to see is my signature on the alliance between me and the earth. Whenever I make the clouds gather and my rainbow signature becomes visible there\, I will remember the alliance that governs my relationship with you and with every living creature on earth. I will remember\, and the waters will never again become a flood that wipes out all life on earth. I will see the rainbow which I have signed in the clouds and remember that I am party to a permanent binding alliance with every living creature of every kind on the earth. I assure you\, Noah\, that with this signature that you see in the clouds\, I have sealed the alliance between me\, God\, and the entire community of living creatures on the earth.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 25: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n I gladly offer you everything I am\, LORD . \nI have put my trust in you\, God;\nplease don’t let me down;\ndon’t give my enemies grounds to gloat. \nBe there for those who hang in there for you\, no matter what:\ndon’t leave them with egg on their faces.\nSave that for the two-faced scabs who deserve it.  \nLet me in on your way of doing things\, LORD;\nteach me how to follow your tracks. \nSteer me along your ways of truth\, and teach me all about them.\nOnly you can save me from disaster\, God\,\nso I’ll wait for you before setting out. \nYour love and mercy have been as timeless and dependable as the rock;\nplease don’t change your mind about them now! \nDon’t keep a record of everything I’ve done wrong in the past.\nLet your unshakable love colour your view of me\,\nand keep your reputation for generosity intact! \nYou always do what is good and right\, LORD\,\nand so you patiently retrain those who do wrong. \nYou pilot a safe course for those who are not too full of themselves;\nyou give lessons on your ways to the humble folk. \nEvery path you tread\, LORD\, is marked by solid love and loyalty\nfor the benefit of all who keep our end of the bargain with you. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Peter 3: 18-22 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Messiah copped the consequences of human corruption\nand suffered them all in one hit.\nHe who had done only what is right\nsuffered for those who had done wrong\nin order to bring you home to God.\nHe was killed by human hands\nbut made alive by the Spirit. \nIn the spirit\, he went and preached freedom to those who refused God’s way in past generations and whose spirits have remained in prison ever since. In their own day\, God had given them every chance. While Noah was building his boat\, for example\, there was plenty of time for people to realise why and change their ways\, but in the end a mere eight people were saved from the waters by getting into that lifeboat. Their experience was a bit of a preview of the way baptism saves you. It is not just a bath to clean up your appearance. Rather\, you are pulled from the water to a new life so that you can stand before God with a clear conscience. You are raised from death to life with Jesus the Messiah\, who has since taken his place in heaven as God’s right hand man\, and he has the last word on everything and everyone. There is no authority or power\, human or angel\, that can overrule him. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 1: 9-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n During those days\, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. The moment he came up from the water\, he saw the sky open up and the Spirit coming down like a diving kookaburra and taking hold of him. And a voice filled the air\, saying\, “You are my Son; the love of my life. You fill me with pride.” \nStraight after that\, the Spirit drove him out into a remote wilderness area. He had to prove himself for forty days in the bush\, while the devil tried every trick in the book to lure him off-track. Jesus was in tough country\, surrounded by wild animals\, and God’s angels took care of everything he needed. \nAfter John the baptiser was arrested\, Jesus headed up to Galilee and began spreading the good news of God. This was the guts of his message: \n“The time has come!\nThe culture of God is close at hand.\nTurn your lives around and accept the good news.” \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 in tenderness and faithful love\nyou forgive our sins and guide us when we stray. \nWhen the ancient flood destroyed the world you had created\,\nyou saved Noah and his family from the waters\,\nand established a covenant with them\nand with every living creature for all time. \nIn later times your Son\, Jesus\,\ncame forth from the waters of baptism\,\nand after proving himself in the wilderness\nwhere waves of temptation threatened to engulf him\,\nhe began proclaiming the good news of your kingdom\,\ncalling people to repent and believe in the gospel.\nHe was cast down to the land of the dead\nwhere he preached even to those lost in the flood\,\nbut you raised him to new life\nand seated him at your side\nto reign over every authority and power for ever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho proved himself stronger than the devil’s temptations\,\nand who in death preached even to those lost in the flood\,\nand in resurrection reigns over every authority and power for ever. \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 in tenderness and faithful love\nyou forgive our sins and guide us when we stray. \nWhen the ancient flood destroyed the world you had created\,\nyou saved Noah and his family from the waters\,\nand established a covenant with them\nand with every living creature for all time. \nIn later times your Son\, Jesus\,\ncame forth from the waters of baptism\,\nand after proving himself in the wilderness\nwhere waves of temptation threatened to engulf him\,\nhe began proclaiming the good news of your kingdom\,\ncalling people to repent and believe in the gospel.\nHe was cast down to the land of the dead\nwhere he preached even to those lost in the flood\,\nbut you raised him to new life\nand seated him at your side\nto reign over every authority and power for ever. \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 Christ suffered for sins\, once for all\,\nthe righteous for the unrighteous\,\nin order to bring you to God.\nThrough the mercy of Christ\, God remembers you\nbut not your faults or your sins. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2000 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 in the spirit of your baptism\,\neven when you are led into wild and hard places.\nWith repentance and trust\, give yourselves to God\,\nand with fasting and prayer\,\nstrengthen yourselves against the ways of the tempter. \nAnd may God enfold you in tender and lasting love.\nMay Christ be beside you in times of struggle.\nAnd may the Spirit guide you back to the path\nwhenever you stray\, that you may keep the covenant. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2000 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\nMinistering AngelsA sermon on Mark 1:9-15 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nWhat God has given up for LentA sermon on Genesis 9:8-17\, 1 Peter 3:1-18 & Mark 1:9-15 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nInto the wildernessA sermon on Mark 1:9-15 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nPut to the TestA sermon on Mark 1:9-15 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA God of WeaknessA sermon on Genesis 9:8-17\, 1 Peter 3:1-18 & Mark 1:9-15 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nReading the RainbowA sermon on Genesis 9:8-17 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b18/2030-03-10/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/18.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300317T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300317T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200805T041954Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240324T102953Z UID:10002112-1899936000-1900022399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:2nd Sunday in 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 Genesis 17: 1-7\, 15-16 \n \n\n \n \n \n One day\, when Abram was ninety-nine years old\, the LORD turned up and spoke to him\, saying\, “I am God Almighty. You are to live your life openly before me\, with absolute integrity. I will put in place an alliance between me and you\, and under its terms\, I will make sure you have a huge number of descendants.” \nAbram dropped in his tracks with his face to the ground as God continued to speak to him\, saying: \n“I\, myself\, am forging this alliance with you: I am promising that you will be the ancestor of a whole bunch of nations. You are not to be known by the name Abram anymore. From now on\, your name will be Abraham\, because it means ‘the father of many’\, and that is what you will be. I will make everything go well for you\, and your family will multiply rapidly. From among your offspring\, whole nations and kings will emerge. I will put this alliance in place between me and you and all who are to come in your family line through all generations. This alliance will last forever\, committing me to being God to you and to your descendants after you for all time. \nYour wife Sarai is in on this alliance too. However her name is to change too. From now on her name will be Sarah. I will see to it that things go well for her\, and what’s more\, she and you will conceive a child together and she will give birth to a son. I will make things go well for Sarah\, and in time\, nations and great rulers will trace their family line back to her.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 22: 23-31 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, I’ll call on all who honour you to stand up and say so!\nAll who trace their roots to Jacob will give you the glory!\nAll who share the heritage of Israel will stand in awe of you! \nLORD\, you did not rubbish anyone\nor blame the victims for their suffering.\nYou did not turn away or slip off quietly;\nwhen I cried for help\, you responded. \nWhenever people gather to worship\,\nmy heart overflows and I sing your praises.\nOut in the open for all to see\nI’ll do all that I promised. \nAt your table\, God\, the needy will feast;\nthose who hunger for you will be fed till they burst with praise!\nThey will be able to live it up\, now and forever! \nIn every corner of the earth people will wake up to themselves\nand turn back to you\, LORD.\nEvery race\, nation\, tribe and family\nwill offer themselves to you in worship\,\nfor you have the last word on everything;\nwhat you say goes. \nEven the dead will bow down to you\, LORD;\nthose who are trampled in the dust will look to you in hope\,\nand I will live for you and you alone. \nOur kids and their kids will serve you\, LORD;\nas we pass the message down from one generation to the next.\nPeople not even born yet will hear the story;\nthey will be told of what you have done to set us free. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 4: 13-25 \n \n\n \n \n \n When 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. \nWhen 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. He hung onto his hope even when it seemed utterly hopeless. He kept on believing that he would have many descendants because he was sure that God had promised him that. Even the cold hard biological facts didn’t cause him to throw in the towel. He knew that his hundred year old body was past it\, and that Sarah was an old woman who hadn’t even been fertile when she was young. Yet he didn’t allow even such obvious obstacles to break down his trust and make him cynical about God’s promise. Instead his faith actually grew stronger as he went right on crowing about the greatness of God. He remained dead-set certain that God was more than capable of making good on the promise. That is why God counted his trust as the equivalent of a perfect life. Now when the scriptures say “it was counted as the equivalent of a perfect life”\, it is not speaking of a special arrangement for Abraham alone. No\, it refers to all of us. We will all be accepted on that same basis if we too put our trust in the One who raised Jesus our Lord to new life from the dead. Jesus was put to death even though it was us who had done the wrong thing; but he was raised to new life so that we could be put right with God. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 8: 31-38 \n \n\n \n \n \n Once his followers had identified him as the Messiah\, Jesus began to fill them in on what was going to happen to him. “The New Human is going to be put through the wringer. He’ll be done over by the politicians\, the priests and the religious lawyers. They’ll have him executed\, but after three days he’ll rise to life.” \nHe didn’t beat about the bush on this – he spelt it out as clear as you like. But Peter would have none of it. He pulled Jesus aside and gave him a piece of his mind. Recognising that his followers were losing the plot\, Jesus made an example of Peter\, saying\, “Get out of my face\, you satan! You’ve got no idea what God is on about. You’re just pursuing the same things as everyone else.” \nThen he called everyone to gather round – his followers and the whole crowd – and he said to them\, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to hand over the keys\, sign their own death warrant\, and then do as I do. If you try to hold on to control of your life you’ll end up losing the lot. But if you let go\, even if you pay the ultimate price for your commitment to me and to our message\, you’ll gain real life. What’s the point of getting control of the whole world if getting it kills you. There’s no trade-in on a burned out soul. There are some who find it embarrassing to be associated with me and with what I’m on about\, when they’re hanging around with their deceitful and easily distracted peers. If they don’t sort themselves out\, they’ll find that when the New Human arrives\, full of the glory of God and surrounded by the angels\, he’ll be too embarrassed to associate with them.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 9: 2-9 (alternative gospel if the last Sunday before Lent was not observed as Transfiguration) \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus took Peter\, James and John and led them up a high mountain away from everyone else. Before their very eyes\, the way Jesus looked was suddenly changed from the inside out. His clothing became so white that it was dazzling – an effect beyond anything soap powder could ever achieve. Suddenly they saw Moses and Elijah there too\, in deep conversation with Jesus. \nPeter said\, “Boss\, this is fantastic! What a moment! How about we knock up three huts\, so that you\, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” He was just shooting his mouth off without thinking because they were quaking in their boots. \nAn awesome cloud engulfed them\, and from deep within the cloud\, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son\, the love of my life. Listen to him!” \nPeter\, James and John looked around and suddenly everything looked normal again and they saw no one there but Jesus. \nAs they were coming back down the mountain\, Jesus gave them strict instructions not to breathe a word to anyone about about what they had seen\, until after the New Human had risen from the dead. \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\, in an everlasting covenant\, you have promised\nto be our God through all generations. \nYou called into existence things that did not exist:\nthe universe and all that inhabits it.\nFrom Abraham and Sarah you brought forth nations\,\ncalling them to walk before you in the righteousness\nthat comes from faith. \nIn your Son\, Jesus\,\nyou showed your compassion for the afflicted\nand taught us that real life is found by those\nwho lose their life for your sake and for your gospel.\nHe was rejected by the religious leaders\, and killed\,\nbut three days later\,\nyou raised him from the dead as Lord.\nNow you justify all\nwho put their faith in you\, through him\,\ncounting it to us as righteousness\,\nand promising us the full riches of your grace\nwhen Christ comes in glory. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your everlasting covenant\,\nthrough which you justify us when we put our faith in you\,\ncounting it to us as righteousness\,\nand calling us to take up our cross and follow Christ\nin the way that leads to life. \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\, in an everlasting covenant\, you have promised\nto be our God through all generations. \nYou called into existence things that did not exist:\nthe universe and all that inhabits it.\nFrom Abraham and Sarah you brought forth nations\,\ncalling them to walk before you in the righteousness\nthat comes from faith. \nIn your Son\, Jesus\,\nyou showed your compassion for the afflicted\nand taught us that real life is found by those\nwho lose their life for your sake and for your gospel.\nHe was rejected by the religious leaders\, and killed\,\nbut three days later\,\nyou raised him from the dead as Lord.\nNow you justify all\nwho put their faith in you\, through him\,\ncounting it to us as righteousness\,\nand promising us the full riches of your grace\nwhen Christ comes in glory. \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 Jesus Christ was handed over to death for us\nand raised to life for our justification.\nTherefore\, in an everlasting covenant\,\nGod has promised that all who put their trust in Christ\nwill\, by grace\, be considered righteous. \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 before God in openness and integrity.\nSet your minds on the ways of God\,\nnot clinging to your own life\,\nbut taking up your cross and following Jesus. \nAnd may God give you a share in the eternal covenant;\nMay Christ Jesus be proud of you when he comes in glory;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit make you grow strong in faith\nand lead you in the ways of righteousness. \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\nTrusting God\, and other impossibilitiesA sermon on Genesis 17:1-7\, 15-16 & Romans 4:13-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nAbraham hung onto his hopeA sermon on Genesis 17:1-7\, 15-16 & Romans 4:13-25 by Sylvia Sandeman\n\n\n\nOffspring of the CovenantA sermon on Genesis 17:7 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Game-ChangerA sermon on Romans 4:13-25 & Mark 8:31-38 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Promised Holy Land?A sermon on Genesis 17:1-7\, 15-16 & Romans 4:13-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Hiding Your Face From InjusticeA sermon on Psalm 22 & Mark 8:31-38 by Brooke Prentis\n\n\n\nNot Feeling Rejected Enough?A sermon on Mark 8:31-38 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b19/2030-03-17/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/19.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300325T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300325T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200807T012716Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260315T041951Z UID:10003007-1900627200-1900713599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Annunciation DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 7: 10-14 \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.’ \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 45 (alternative) \n \n\n \n \n \n My heart overflows with words of delight;\na song of love bursts forth for the king;\nmy voice as charmed as the poet’s pen. \nYou\, my king\, are a man of unsurpassed beauty.\nEvery word that passes your lips is generous and inspiring.\nGod’s richest blessings are yours forever. \nWarrior\, present yourself armed and in uniform\,\nin all your splendour and majesty.\nRide forth in glory\, the pride of your people\,\nto defend the cause of truth and justice. \nMay your arm be strong and your skills razor sharp;\nmay every blow land with telling effect\,\npiercing the opposition to your righteous reign\,\nbringing to their knees the enemies of life. \nYour throne is God-given\, and will never be shaken.\nYour royal power is wielded for justice.\nYou have a passion for integrity\nand a loathing for corruption.\nTherefore God has chosen you above all others\,\ncrowned you with joy like no other has known. \nRich and exotic fragrances cascade from your royal robes\,\nand your palace is alive with music and dancing.\nThe daughters of kings wait on you\, hand and foot;\nand on your arm is your chosen bride in a gown of liquid gold. \nO chosen daughter\, bride of the king\, listen to my advice:\nleave your father’s home and don’t look back\nfor the king is wild with desire for you.\nWhat more could you want? Abandon yourself to him!\nWedding gifts will arrive from every nation\,\nthe wealthy outdo each other with their presents. \nThe inner beauty of your bride\, O king\,\noutshines even her wedding gown\,\nwoven with gold and sparkling with jewels.\nIn dazzling beauty she is brought to you\nwith her chosen bridesmaids at hand.\nJoy and laughter process in with her\,\nand the whole palace erupts with elation. \nSoon you will have children\, continuing your family line\,\nand the thrones of the earth will be theirs.\nNo one will ever forget you\,\nyour fame will inspire generation after generation\,\nand songs will be sung in praise of you forever and ever. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 40: 5-10 (alternative) \n \n\n \n \n \n You 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. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 10: 4-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n The old system of dealing with sin just wasn’t up to the job. There is no way that the blood of sacrificed animals could fix the problem. Because of this\, Christ came into the world saying\, \n“God\, you don’t want more sacrifices and offerings.\nI know you get no pleasure from all that stuff\,\neven when it’s done sincerely and by the book.\nBut you have prepared a body for me\, God\,\nand I come now to do what you really want\,\nfor it is what I do that is really ‘by the book’. \nDo you see what he’s saying there? He’s saying that God gets neither satisfaction nor pleasure from all the different kinds of offerings that the law prescribed for sin and for various other things. And he’s going further than that because he’s saying that he’s here to do what God really wants. This is a total change over. He is abolishing the previous system and putting a new one in place. So now\, according to what God really wanted\, Jesus has dealt with sin once and for all\, at the cost of his own body\, and brought us all up to scratch for God. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 1: 26-38 \n \n\n \n \n \n God sent the angel Gabriel to a town called Nazareth in the region of Galilee\, to speak to a young woman named Mary. Mary was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph\, whose family line went back to King David. The angel approached Mary and said\, “Hello there! You’ve got it made! The Lord is with you and has chosen you.” \nBut Mary was freaking out over this and didn’t know what to make of the angel’s words\, so he spoke to her again\, saying\, “There is no need to be frightened\, Mary. God is smiling on you. Look what God is about to do: a child will be conceived in your womb. You will give birth to a baby boy\, and you will name him Jesus. He will have a great future\, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will put him on the throne established by his ancestor David. He will lead God’s people forever\, establishing a culture that will never die out.” \nMary replied\, “How can this possibly happen? I am still a virgin.” \nThe angel said to her\, “The Holy Spirit will take hold of you\, and the life-force of the Most High will enfold you. Therefore the child that is born will belong to God\, and will be called God’s Son. Check it out: your wrinkly old relative Elizabeth is also carrying a baby boy in her womb. Even when she was young she was infertile\, but now she is six months pregnant. It just goes to show that when God gets involved\, nothing will ever be impossible.” \nSo Mary said\, “Okay. Count me in. I’m at the service of the Lord. Let these things happen to me just as you have said.” \nAnd with that\, the angel was gone. \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\nAnnunciationA sermon on Luke 1: 26-55\, 2 Samuel 7: 1-16 & Romans 16:25-27 by Marita Munro\n\n\n\nThe Conception of GodA sermon on Luke 1:26-38 & 2 Samuel 7: 1-11\, 16 by  Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nVirginA sermon on Luke 1:26-35\, 38 by Alison Sampson URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc44/2030-03-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/44.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300331T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300331T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200806T030204Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240407T051400Z UID:10002113-1901145600-1901231999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:4th Sunday in 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 Numbers 21: 4-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n The people of Israel wanted to skirt around the land of Edom\, so when they set out from Mount Hor they took the Red Sea track. As they travelled\, the people began losing the plot and mouthing off against God and Moses. They were whinging\, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt if we are just going to die out here in the desert? There is no food. There is no water. And we can’t stand this lousy stuff we’ve got to eat.” \nAt that\, the LORD let loose some dangerous snakes among the people. The snakes had a fiery venom and many people were bitten and died. The people came to Moses and pleaded with him\, saying\, “We were wrong to mouth off against the LORD and against you. Please ask the LORD to get rid of the poisonous snakes that are plaguing us.” \nSo Moses prayed for the the people\, and the LORD spoke to him\, saying\, “Make a statue of a poisonous snake\, and set it up on a pole where the people can see it. Whenever anyone is bitten\, they are to look at the statue of the snake\, and they will survive.” \nSo Moses made a snake out of bronze\, and set it up on a pole. Whenever anyone was bitten by one of the snakes with the fiery venom\, they would fix their gaze on the bronze snake\, and they would live. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 107: 1-3\, 17-22 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD! Thank you for being so good.\nYour rock-solid love will never end. \nLORD\, we freely and openly acknowledge\nthat it was you who got us out of trouble;\nyou who put us back on the right track.\nYou gathered us from the four corners of the globe\,\nfrom wherever we had been lost or exiled. \nSome of us had wrecked our health in destructive living;\ninvolvement in evil left us sick and injured.\nWe were off our food\, weak and broken;\na painful death was knocking at the door. \nIn sheer despair\, we cried out to you\, LORD\,\nand in a flash\, you came to our rescue.\nYour words healed us; got us back on our feet;\npulled us free of the jaws of death. \nSo let us tell you how grateful we are\, LORD.\nThank you for your rock-solid love\nand for the great things you do for everyone;\nLet us bring gifts to say thank you\,\nand sing and dance to celebrate what you’ve done. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 2: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n You were as good as dead as a result of the corrupt and loveless ways you were living. You were following the script written for these dark days we live in\, and taking your cues from the spirit who rules over the murky and polluted atmosphere that surrounds us; the one who is busy pulling the strings of those who have refused to do things God’s way. There was a time when all of us were numbered among that lot\, and we were living as slaves to our basic bodily appetites. The desire for selfish pleasures and sensual stimulation dictated everything we did\, and we were like screwed up kids who seem destined for trouble; just as bad as everyone else. But because God is so rich in mercy\, that was not the end of the story. God’s love for us was undiminished even when our twisted behaviour had completely destroyed our lives\, and so God gave us another shot at life\, a new life\, united to Christ. This was motivated by God’s overwhelming love for us\, and it was clearly an act of sheer generosity that saw us rescued into the life of God. Indeed\, God did not merely snatch us from the grave\, but raised us up with Jesus the Messiah and united us to him so fully that\, in him\, we are now seated with God in the heavenly places. This act of kindness\, shown to us in and through Jesus the Messiah\, will stand forever as proof that God’s extravagant love and generosity are far richer than we could ever fathom. In fact it is only because God’s generous mercy is so over-the-top that God responded to your trust and saved you. You did nothing to deserve it or bring it about. It is a gift\, given by God. It is not something you earned by doing the right thing\, so there is absolutely nothing for anyone to go patting themselves on the back for. You see\, we are simply what God has made us. We have been created in union with Jesus the Messiah to work for good — a task that provides the focus for the way of life which God prepared for us from the word ‘go’. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 3: 14-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus said: \n“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. Those who put their trust in him are no longer facing sentence; but those who turn their backs on him are already condemned\, because they have rejected the only Son of God and all he stands for. This is\, in fact\, the way the judgment is happening: the light has come into the world\, and the truth about everyone is being found out by the way they react to it. Many people beat a fast retreat back into the shadows\, because the things they are doing are so corrupt that they need the cover of darkness. People can’t stand the light if they are doing the wrong thing. They avoid it like the plague because they don’t want the things they do exposed. But those who live by the truth and act with integrity have nothing to hide. They are more than happy to step into the light where it will be plain for all to see that they have been acting in close cooperation with God.” \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 in lasting love you gave your only Son\,\nso that all who trust in him may have eternal life. \nIn the beginning you spoke the word of life\nand brought the world into being.\nYou rescued a people from oppression\,\nand even when they rebelled against you\nyou heard their cries and snatched them from danger. \nIn great love and mercy\,\nyou sent your Son\, Jesus\, into the world\,\nand though he was lifted up on the cross to die\,\nyou gave the gift of life to all who turned to him in faith.\nRaising him from the dead\,\nyou have given us life in him\,\nnot because of any works of our own\,\nbut as a gift from the immeasurable riches of your grace\ngiven us in Christ\,\nnow and for the ages to come. \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 immeasurable riches of your grace\nthrough which you sent your Son\, Jesus\, into the world\,\nand allowed him to be lifted up on the cross\,\nso that all who turn to him in faith may have eternal life. \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 in lasting love you gave your only Son\,\nso that all who trust in him may have eternal life. \nIn the beginning you spoke the word of life\nand brought the world into being.\nYou rescued a people from oppression\,\nand even when they rebelled against you\nyou heard their cries and snatched them from danger. \nIn great love and mercy\,\nyou sent your Son\, Jesus\, into the world\,\nand though he was lifted up on the cross to die\,\nyou gave the gift of life to all who turned to him in faith.\nRaising him from the dead\,\nyou have given us life in him\,\nnot because of any works of our own\,\nbut as a gift from the immeasurable riches of your grace\ngiven us in Christ\,\nnow and for the ages to come. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©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 did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world\,\nbut in order that through him the world might be saved.\nThough we were dead through our sins\,\nin great mercy\, God has spoken a word of healing\nand made us alive together with Christ. \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 as people made by God for good works.\nLive your life in God openly in the light so all may see.\nCelebrate God’s love with a sacrifice of praise\,\nand tell your story of salvation with joy. \nAnd may God show you the immeasurable riches of his grace.\nMay Christ lead you into the life prepared for you.\nAnd may the Spirit gift you with faith for salvation. \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\nThe Day of Judgment is TodayA sermon on John 3: 14-21 & Ephesians 2: 1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLooking to the Suffering OneA sermon on John 3: 14-21 & Ephesians 2: 1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nEnemies of God?A sermon on John 3: 14-21 & Ephesians 2: 1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod So LovesA sermon on John 3: 14-21 & Ephesians 2: 1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFor God So Loved The WorldA sermon on John 3: 14-21 by Simon Holt URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b21/2030-03-31/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/21.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300407T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300407T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200807T020838Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240414T104558Z UID:10002114-1901750400-1901836799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:5th Sunday in 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 Jeremiah 31: 31-34 \n \n\n \n \n \n You can count on this\, says the LORD. The time is coming when I will once again take Israel and Judah as my marriage partner. Our marriage will not be like the marriage I entered with their ancestors. Back then I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of slavery and carried them across the threshold into a home of their own. But even though I was loving and faithful\, says the LORD\, they broke our marriage vows. \nBut listen to the new marriage vows I will soon make with the people of Israel\, says the LORD: \n“I will write my values into your hearts and minds.\nI will be your God\, and you will be my people.” \nNo longer will they need lessons to learn how I want them to live. They won’t need to spur each other on\, saying\, “Get to know the LORD\,” because all of them\, from all walks of life\, will know me well\, says the LORD. I will erase all record of their past wrongs and let them start over with a clean slate. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 51: 1-12 (alternative) \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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 119: 9-16 (alternative) \n \n\n \n \n \n If anyone wants to avoid polluting their life\, LORD\,\nthey should use your word as protection. \nI am giving my all to getting close to you;\ndon’t let me stumble off the track you have set for us. \nEverything you have said\, I treasure in my heart\,\nto keep myself from doing the wrong thing by you. \nYou are the best\, LORD\,\nteach me all you require of your people. \nMy mouth is ready\, willing and able\nto repeat whatever you have to say. \nThe path you have set for us is my greatest delight;\nit is worth more to me than all the money in the world. \nI will keep my mind fixed on your teachings\,\nand my eyes fixed on the track you have set for us. \nI will cherish the rules you have given us\,\nand never forget the things you have to say. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 5: 5-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n Christ did not push himself forward and campaign for the position of high priest. It was God who tapped him on the shoulder and said\, in the words of scripture: \n“You’re it — my Son;\ntoday I have named you.” \nIn the same way\, in another place\, God says: \n“You are a priest forever;\nyour task is the priestly work begun by Melchizedek.” \nWhen Jesus was among us and the threat of death was closing in on him\, it was with agonized cries and tears that he did his priestly work of offering up prayers and appeals to the God who has the power to save us from death. His pleas were heard because of his prayerful acceptance of God’s will. He was given no special privileges as a Son — he got his lessons in obedience in the same school of suffering as the rest of us. Once he had made the grade\, perfecting all that he had to learn\, God marked him out as a high priest — the last of the line that began with Melchizedek. Thus\, Jesus became the one who sets free all who trust and follow him. For them he is the source of life without limit. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 12: 20-33 \n \n\n \n \n \n Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. \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 you have taken us by the hand\,\nand offered yourself to us in a sacred covenant. \nYou are the creator of all things;\nyou knew the earth and its inhabitants before their birth.\nYou led a suffering people from slavery to freedom\,\nand offered to be their God\nif they would be your people. \nThough we broke our vows to you and pursued evil\,\nin gracious love you offered us a new covenant\nembodied in your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho was made perfect on the path of obedience\,\neven in the face of suffering.\nLifted up on a cross to die\,\nhe has drawn all people to himself;\nand raised from the dead\,\nhe has become the source of eternal salvation\nfor all who live in obedience\nto the new law you have written on our hearts. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho was made perfect on the path of obedience\nand\, as he was lifted up on a cross to die\,\ndrew all people to himself\nand became the source of eternal salvation\nfor all who follow the new law you have written on our hearts. \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 taken us by the hand\,\nand offered yourself to us in a sacred covenant. \nYou are the creator of all things;\nyou knew the earth and its inhabitants before their birth.\nYou led a suffering people from slavery to freedom\,\nand offered to be their God\nif they would be your people. \nThough we broke our vows to you and pursued evil\,\nin gracious love you offered us a new covenant\nembodied in your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho was made perfect on the path of obedience\,\neven in the face of suffering.\nLifted up on a cross to die\,\nhe has drawn all people to himself;\nand raised from the dead\,\nhe has become the source of eternal salvation\nfor all who live in obedience\nto the new law you have written on our hearts. \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 sees us for what we are\,\nbut in mercy does not cast us aside.\nThrough Jesus Christ\, the source of eternal salvation\,\nGod washes away our guilt\nand remembers our sin no more. \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\, to serve Christ and follow him.\nLet your old life fall like a grain of wheat into the earth\nso that you may bear much fruit\nas you allow God to reshape your heart\nand live in obedience to the law written within you. \nAnd may God centre you in truth and steady your spirit.\nMay Christ renew your joy and strengthen your will.\nAnd may the Spirit teach you God’s hidden wisdom\nand fill you with songs of rejoicing. \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\nGive up and GrowA sermon on John 12:20-33 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Dark Light of CrucifixionA sermon on John 12:20-33 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nJesus our PriestA sermon on Hebrews 5:5-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDeath\, Life\, and Jimmy StynesA sermon on John 12:20-33 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFacing the Firing SquadA sermon on John 12:20-33 & Jeremiah 31:31-34 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Bitter Cup and Other BlessingsA sermon on John 12:20-33; Hebrews 5:5-10; & Jeremiah 31:31-34 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHopeA sermon on John 12:20-33; Hebrews 5:5-10; Psalm 51 & Jeremiah 31:31-34 by Andrea Klimt\n\n\n\nWhen God tries againA sermon on Jeremiah 31:31-34 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b22/2030-04-07/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/22.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300414T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300414T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T075806Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240422T025429Z UID:10002115-1902355200-1902441599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:6th Sunday in Lent (Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday) - 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 Mark 11: 1-11 (Gospel for the Liturgy of the Palms) \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus and his followers were getting close Jerusalem\, and their last stop was just outside the twin townships of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his followers into the township\, saying\, “As soon as you get into the main street you will see a young donkey tied up to a fence. It is an awkward looking thing and has not yet even been ridden. Collect it and bring it to me\, and if anyone asks you what you are doing\, just tell them the boss needs it and will return it in no time.” \nSo they headed into the township\, and found the donkey tied up outside a gate in the main street. As they untied it\, some of the locals challenged them\, saying\, “What do you think you’re doing untying that donkey?” \nThey told them what Jesus had said and the locals let them go. \nThey brought it to Jesus and made an improvised saddle from items of spare clothing. When Jesus got on and began riding slowly up the road to Jerusalem\, people began giving him the red-carpet treatment. Some were spreading their coats on the road before him while others were cutting down branches of leaves and flowers and spreading them along the road. Both in front of him and behind him\, the cheering crowd began to chant: \nHooray!\nGod’s blessing is on the one\nwho comes in the name of the Lord!\nGod’s blessing is on the coming kingdom\nof our ancestor\, King David!\nHooray for God\, the greatest of all! \nOnce he was inside Jerusalem\, Jesus went on into the temple and had a good look around. However\, it was already late in the day\, so he and the twelve went back out to Bethany and stayed overnight there. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 12: 12-16 (Alternative Gospel for the Liturgy of the Palms) \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus set out to complete his journey to Jerusalem on the Sunday before the religious festival known as Passover. Huge crowds had gathered in the city for the festival and\, when they got word that Jesus was due to arrive\, they lined the streets\, waving palm branches\, to give him a hero’s welcome. As he approached\, a loud chant went up: \nHooray!\nGod’s blessing is on the one\nwho comes in the name of the Lord\,\nthe King of Israel! \nJesus found a young donkey\, and rode in on it. It was just as the scriptures had said: \n“Do not be afraid\, people of Jerusalem.\nLook\, here comes your king\nriding a simple little donkey!” \nAt the time\, his followers couldn’t get their heads around the meaning of all this. Only later\, when Jesus was known in all his glory\, did it dawn on them that the things which had been written about him had\, in fact\, happened to him. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 118: 1-2\, 19-29 (Psalm for the Liturgy of the Palms) \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless!\nMay all your people recognise\nthat your love and loyalty last forever. \nThe minute they open the city gates\n— the gates of justice —\nwe’ll be the first through\, LORD;\neager to tell you how thankful we are. \nThese gates belong to you\, LORD\,\nthose you have put right can come on through. \nThank you for answering our prayers\, LORD;\nfor coming to our rescue and putting us right. \nFrom a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile\nyou cut and polished a priceless jewel.\nThis is obviously your work\, LORD\,\nand we can hardly believe our eyes! \nToday is your day\, LORD\, a day to honour you;\nwe will celebrate with joy and laughter. \nGet us through safely\, LORD!\nIn the tasks ahead\, give us success! \nThe one who comes in your name\, LORD\,\nis the one who is truly blessed.\nGathered here in your house\,\nwe praise you for sending him. \nYou\, LORD\, are our only God\,\nand you light up our lives.\nIn a great procession\,\nwe march to the sacred place\,\nwaving branches and banners;\ntossing flowers in the air. \nYou are our God\nand we give you thanks.\nYou are our God\nand we give you our highest acclaim. \nThank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 50: 4-9a \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD God has given me the gift of the gab\nso that my words can teach others\nand put a spring in the step of the weary. \nAs I wake up each new day\,\nGod makes me hungry for learning.\nThe LORD cleaned out my ears\nso that I could hear every word.\nI learned eagerly;\nI never rebelled or quit. \nI was opposed by others\,\nbut I gritted my teeth and stood my ground.\nI looked them in the eye\nwhen they insulted me and spat in my face.\nI took it on the chin and did not fight back\,\nwhen they gave me a belting and tore out my hair. \nThe Lord GOD is always there for me\,\nso no disgrace ever gets to me.\nI have steeled my jaw and dug in my heels\,\nand I’m sure I’ll never be ashamed of my stand\nbecause I can trust God to back me up. \nSo\, who thinks they can take me on?\nLet them stand up and face me!\nWho are my opponents?\nLet’s see what they’re made of! \nThe Lord GOD is backing me;\nso who is going to accuse me of doing wrong? \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 31: 9-16 \n \n\n \n \n \n Be kind to me\, LORD\,\nI’m a mess.\nMy eyes are bloodshot from crying;\nMy heart is breaking\nand my whole body aches. \nGrief gnaws away at my life\,\nsorrows piles up\, year after year.\nMisery is draining my strength\nand destroying my health. \nI get no respect from my opponents;\nnothing but ridicule.\nThose who know me can’t bear to look at me;\neven strangers cross the street to avoid me. \nEveryone wants to purge me from their thoughts;\nthey’ve given me up for dead;\nabandoned me like a burned out car. \nEveryone is out to get me;\nthey’re whispering behind my back.\nThey’ve portrayed me as a monster\nand put a price on my head. \nBut I still put my trust in you\, LORD;\nyou are my God and you’re all I’ve got left.\nMy future is in your hands;\nsnatch me from the grasp\nof those who are hunting me down. \nI’m working for you; look on me with love.\nStand by me and save me. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Philippians 2: 5-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Model your attitude on the attitude of the Messiah\, Jesus. \nAlthough Jesus was the same as God in every way\,\nhe did not think of his God-like privileges\nas something to be milked for all they were worth. \nInstead\, he laid it all aside\nand\, with no more privileges than a slave\,\nwas born as a human being. \nHaving become a human being\,\nhe was the model of humility.\nHe didn’t demand his own way\nbut let God set the agenda;\neven when it included his own death\,\nand a gruesome public death at that. \nBecause of all this\,\nGod has raised him to the status of number one\nand honoured him more highly\nthan anyone else in the universe. \nSo now\, just the mention of the name ‘Jesus’\nshould bring everyone to their knees;\neveryone who has ever lived or ever will. \nEveryone\, everywhere will honour God\nby openly acknowledging\nthat Jesus the Messiah is Lord of all! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 14:1 - 15:47 \n \n\n \n \n \n There were only two days to go until the religious festival known as Passover\, and the chief priests and the religious lawyers were getting anxious to find a way to get Jesus arrested and killed on the quiet. They wanted it done without delay\, because they were afraid that if it was done during the festival it might provoke a riot among the people. \nAt this time\, Jesus was a dinner guest in the home of Simon the Leper\, in the town of Bethany\, just outside Jerusalem. During the dinner\, a woman approached him with a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She broke open the bottle and tenderly poured out the oils on his head. But some of the other guests got their noses out of joint over this and began growling\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nThey were giving her a hard time over it\, but Jesus came to her defence\, saying\, “Give it a break. Why are you picking on her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. You will always have the poor with you\, so you can go and do something worthwhile for them any time you like\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me. She has done what she could\, using these oils to prepare my body for a decent burial. I can tell you now\, without a word of a lie\, that wherever the great news is broadcast\, anywhere in the world\, she will be remembered for what she has done today.” \nThat was the last straw for Judas Iscariot\, who was one of the twelve – the inner circle of Jesus’s closest followers. He arranged a secret meeting with the chief priests\, and offered to rat on Jesus and give them the information they needed to arrest him. They were over the moon about his offer and promised to pay him for his trouble. So Judas began looking for the right moment to double-cross Jesus. \nOn the first day of the Festival – the day during which the Passover lamb is sacrificed – the disciples asked Jesus where they should go to book a room for their celebration of the Passover Meal. He sent two of them off to take care of it\, saying\, “Go into the city and you will be met by a man carrying a bucket of water. Follow him\, and when you see him arrive at a house\, speak to the owner of the house and say\, ‘The Teacher wants to book your guest room to celebrate the Passover with his followers.’ He will show you a large room upstairs which is already set up for such an occasion. You two go and prepare the meal for us there.” \nSo the two disciples set off for the city. They found everything just as Jesus had described it\, and they made all the necessary preparations for the Passover Meal. \nWhen the evening came\, Jesus arrived with the rest of the twelve to share the meal. When they were all seated and eating\, Jesus said\, “I kid you not; one of you will double-cross me; one of you who is sharing the meal with me.” \nThey were all quite shaken by this\, and began asking him in turn\, “Surely it is not me\, is it?” \nHe answered\, “I will be betrayed by one of the twelve\, one of the very ones who pass me the sauce and top up my glass as we share the meal. And while the fate of the New Human is well known to scripture\, the writing is on the wall for the one who stabs him in the back. That one is going to wish he had never been born.” \nDuring the meal\, Jesus took a loaf of bread in his hands and praised God. He broke the loaf\, and gave it to them\, saying: “Take some. This is my body.” \nThen he picked up a glass of wine\, gave thanks to God\, and gave it to them\, and they all took a drink from it. He said to them\, “This is my blood\, which is spilled for countless people in sealing God’s new alliance. I tell you without a word of a lie\, that not another drop will pass my lips until the day when we drink in celebration of the culture of God.” \nThen\, after singing the hymn that concludes the meal\, they went out to the Mount Of Olives. As they went\, Jesus said to them\, “You lot will all chuck in the towel. It will be just like the old saying in Scripture\, \n‘Knock off the shepherd\,\nand the sheep will run in all directions.’ \nBut when I have been raised\, I will go on up to Galilee ahead of you.” \nPeter protested\, saying\, “Everyone else might lose their nerve and shoot through\, but not me. I will hang in there no matter what.” \nJesus said to him\, “Don’t bet on it. This very day\, this very night\, before the rooster crows a second time\, you will have sworn three times that you don’t even know me.” \n“Over my dead body!” thundered Peter. “I’d die before I would deny you.” \nAnd all the others swore the same. \nSoon they arrived at the Gethsemene Gardens. He asked most of them to wait for him while he went to pray\, and took only Peter\, James and John with him. As they went\, he became increasingly disturbed and distraught. He said to the three\, “I feel totally gutted. It feels like it’s killing me. Wait here and hang in there while I pray.” \nHe went ahead a little and threw himself down on the ground and prayed for the possibility of a way out of what was about to happen to him. He said\, “Abba\, Father\, you can do anything. Get me out of this without having to drink this bitter cup! But still\, the bottom line is whatever you want.” \nWhen he got up\, he found that his followers had fallen asleep. He woke Peter\, saying\, “Simon\, have you nodded off? Couldn’t you hang in there with me for even one hour? Stay on the watch\, and pray that you will not have to face anything that’s too tough for you to handle. Your spirit is raring to go\, but your body can’t hack the pace.” \nThen he moved off again and prayed in the same words as before. When he came back\, he found them all asleep again\, simply unable to keep their eyes open\, and they didn’t know how to explain themselves. When he came back the third time\, he said\, “Are you lot planning to sleep right through? Enough! The time is up. A traitor has dealt the New Human into the hands of the corrupt. On your feet\, and get moving! Look\, here comes the one who has done the dirty on me!” \nImmediately\, even before he finished getting the words out\, Judas\, who was one of the twelve\, arrived on the scene with a heavily armed mob. They had been dispatched by the coalition of chief priests\, religious lawyers\, and political authorities. The traitor had given them their cue: “The one I greet with a kiss is the target. Bust him and drag him off under guard.” \nSo when he arrived\, he walked straight up to Jesus saying\, “Rabbi!” and gave him a kiss. \nImmediately the mob surrounded Jesus\, grabbed him roughly and began to drag him off. In the confusion\, someone pulled a knife and began lashing out\, slashing a personal attendant of the High Priest and cutting off his ear. Jesus said to the mob\, “Do you think I am some kind of dangerous thug\, that you need your weapons drawn and your batons ready when you come out here to take me in? I have been sitting in the temple with you nearly every day\, teaching the people\, and you could have easily busted me if you had wanted to. But you are proving the scriptures right by doing it this way!” \nBy this time\, everyone had run for their lives and abandoned him to his fate. There was one particular young bloke who had been following him\, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. The mob tried to grab him too\, but he broke free\, losing the towel in the process\, and ran off into the night\, stark naked. \nThey dragged Jesus off to the High Priest\, where all the chief priests and the political heavy-weights and the religious lawyers were waiting for him. Peter followed at a safe distance\, and made it all the way into the High Priest’s central courtyard. He sat down there with the security guards and kept himself warm by their fire. \nThe chief priests and the ruling council were doing their best to put together a case against Jesus that would lead to a summary execution\, but they couldn’t get the evidence to stick. A procession of witnesses brought false allegations against him\, but they kept contradicting each other. Eventually though\, some shonky witnesses testified that they had heard Jesus claim to be able to demolish the Temple\, which the people had built in Jerusalem\, and to build a replacement in just three days without any human help. They still couldn’t get their stories to line up properly\, but the High Priest got to his feet\, put Jesus back on the stand\, and said\, “You have heard the allegations that you claimed to have powers which only God could possess. What do you have to say in your own defence?” \nBut Jesus remained silent and offered no reply. So the High Priest put a different question to him\, “Are you the Messiah\, the Son of the Blessed One?” \nJesus replied\, “I am. And you will see the New Human seated as God’s right hand man and riding in with the clouds of heaven.” \nAt that\, the High Priest feigned utter dismay and turned to the council saying\, “Why should we bother with further witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemous claim to be on a par with God. What is your verdict?” \nTheir unanimous verdict was that he deserved to be condemned to death. \nThere was a near riot as they all began to stick the boots in\, spitting in his face and roughing him up. They blindfolded him and bashed him repeatedly\, saying\, “Come on\, prophesy for us!” \nHe was handed over to the security guards and they assaulted him further. \nPeter was still keeping a low profile downstairs in the courtyard\, but a girl from the High Priest’s domestic staff saw him there keeping warm by the fire. She recognised him and said\, “You were with that Nazarene bloke\, Jesus\, weren’t you?” \nBut he denied it\, saying\, “I don’t know what you mean. I’ve got no idea what you are talking about.” \nHe walked out into the entrance courtyard\, but the girl saw him again and began saying to everyone there\, “Look\, this bloke is one of them.” \nBut again Peter denied it. A little while later\, some of the bystanders became more insistent\, saying to Peter\, “You’ve got to be one of them. You are a Galilean – it’s a dead give away.” \nPeter began foul-mouthing them and yelling\, “I’ve never even set eyes on the bloke you are talking about. I swear it on a stack of bibles!” \nBut the moment the denial was out of his mouth\, a rooster began to crow for the second time. The words of Jesus came flooding back – “Before the rooster crows twice\, you will have sworn three times that you don’t even know me” – and Peter fell apart\, bawling his eyes out; a broken man. \nAt the crack of dawn the next morning\, the chief priests\, the politicians\, the religious lawyers\, and the whole ruling council held a meeting to plan their next move. They handcuffed Jesus\, marched him off\, and transferred him into the custody of Pilate\, the Roman governor. \nPilate began his interrogation by asking Jesus\, “Are you the King of the Jews?” \n“They are your words\,” answered Jesus. \nThe chief priests raised a string of allegations against him\, and Pilate turned to him and said\, “Aren’t you going to defend yourself? These are serious crimes they are accusing you of.” \nBut\, much to the governor’s amazement\, Jesus offered no further reply to any of it. \nNow it had been Pilate’s practice to release a political prisoner – any prisoner nominated by the people – during the annual celebration of the Passover festival. At the time\, there was a group of prisoners being held on murder charges after a terrorist attack\, and among them was a man named Barabbas. A crowd had gathered and were beginning to call on Pilate to make his customary release for them. He answered\, “Would you like me to release the king of the Jews for you this year?” \nPilate said this because he realised that Jesus had only been charged to get him out of the way of his religious rivals\, and so he saw the annual custom as an opportunity to solve two problems at once. But the chief priests were busy stirring up the crowd to call for the release of Barabbas instead. Pilate asked the crowd\, “Then what am I supposed to do with the man you call the king of the Jews?” \nThe shout came back\, “Execute him!” \n“Why? What evil has he done to deserve death?” Pilate asked them. \nBut the crowd just kept chanting\, “String him up! String him up!” \nSo Pilate\, wishing to keep the crowd happy\, gave orders for the release of Barabbas. After having Jesus flogged for good measure\, he handed him over to the executioners. \nThe governor’s security guards kept Jesus detained for a while in the Roman headquarters while the whole battalion gathered round and entertained themselves at his expense. They clothed him in a purple dress-coat\, and twisted some barbed wire into a crown and jammed it on his head. They began saluting him and saying\, “Heil\, King of the Jews!” and then bashing him over the head with their batons. They spat on him and knelt down in mock worship of him. When they’d finished their brutal sport\, they stripped the purple dress-coat off him\, put him back in his own clothes\, and marched him off to be executed. They pulled a man out of the crowd\, and forced him to carry the large wooden cross on which Jesus was to be strung up. The man was Simon of Cyrene\, the father of Alexander and Rufus\, and he had come down to the city from the bush. \nThe place where the executions were carried out was called Skull Hill\, or in Hebrew\, Golgotha. When they got there\, they offered Jesus a strong drink – wine spiked with a common drug – but he turned it down. At nine o’clock in the morning\, they strung Jesus up on the cross by driving nails through his flesh. Then they divided up his clothes among themselves\, tossing a coin to see who should get what. The sign informing onlookers of the offence for which he was being executed\, read\, “The King of the Jews.” \nA couple of convicted thugs were executed at the same time. The three crosses were erected in a row with Jesus on the middle one. People passing by hurled insults and ridicule at him. They shook their heads and said\, “What happened to the big man who reckoned he could demolish the Temple and rebuild it in three days? Show us what you’re made of! Get yourself off the cross and save yourself now!” \nThe chief priests and the religious lawyers were there too\, making jokes about it to one another with the best of them. “He reckoned he could save everyone else\, but he can’t even save himself!” they said. “Let’s see the Messiah\, the King of Israel\, get himself down off the cross. If we see him do that\, we’ll be ready to believe in him!” \nEven those being executed alongside him hurled abuse at him. \nWhen midday came\, the sky went black for three hours and it was dark everywhere. At about three o’clock Jesus screamed out in agony\, “Eli\, Eli\, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God\, my God\, why have you turned your back on me?” \nWhen the people standing around heard this\, some of them thought he was calling for help from Elijah. Someone soaked a sponge in wine that had turned to vinegar and held it up on a stick for him to drink\, saying\, “Let’s hang around and see whether Elijah will turn up to rescue him.” \nThen Jesus let out a loud cry\, and breathed his last. At that very moment\, the curtain that closed off the most holy place in the Temple tore open\, all the way from the top to the bottom. The commanding officer was standing at his post facing Jesus\, and when he saw how Jesus died\, he said\, “Fair dinkum\, this bloke must have been the Son of God!” \nThere were a number of women there too\, watching it all from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene\, Salome\, and another Mary who was the mother of Joses and James junior. They had been among Jesus’s followers since the days in Galilee and had provided most of the resources needed by his group. There were also numerous other women who had come to Jerusalem with him. \nIt was the day of Preparation which comes immediately before the sacred Sabbath day\, and so Joseph of Arimethea plucked up the courage to go to Pilate and ask permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. Joseph was a respected member of the ruling council\, and was himself someone who was genuinely looking forward to the culture of God. Pilate was doubtful whether they could already be certain that Jesus was dead\, so he sent for the commanding officer and asked him how long Jesus had been dead. Having heard from the commanding officer that Jesus was well and truly dead\, Pilate gave orders for the body to be released to Joseph. Joseph took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a linen shroud which he had purchased. He buried Jesus in a tomb which had been cut into a rock wall\, and rolled a boulder over the entrance to seal it. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses witnessed the burial. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Mark 15: 1-39\, (40-47) (Alternative shorter gospel reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n At the crack of dawn\, the chief priests\, the politicians\, the religious lawyers\, and the whole ruling council held a meeting to plan their next move. They handcuffed Jesus\, marched him off\, and transferred him into the custody of Pilate\, the Roman governor. \nPilate began his interrogation by asking Jesus\, “Are you the King of the Jews?” \n“They are your words\,” answered Jesus. \nThe chief priests raised a string of allegations against him\, and Pilate turned to him and said\, “Aren’t you going to defend yourself? These are serious crimes they are accusing you of.” \nBut\, much to the governor’s amazement\, Jesus offered no further reply to any of it. \nNow it had been Pilate’s practice to release a political prisoner – any prisoner nominated by the people – during the annual celebration of the Passover festival. At the time\, there was a group of prisoners being held on murder charges after a violent uprising\, and among them was a man named Barabbas. A crowd had gathered and were beginning to call on Pilate to make his customary release for them. He answered\, “Would you like me to release the king of the Jews for you this year?” \nPilate said this because he realised that Jesus had only been charged to get him out of the way of his religious rivals\, and so he saw the annual custom as an opportunity to solve two problems at once. But the chief priests were busy stirring up the crowd to call for the release of Barabbas instead. Pilate asked the crowd\, “Then what am I supposed to do with the man you call the king of the Jews?” \nThe shout came back\, “Execute him!” \n“Why? What evil has he done to deserve death?” Pilate asked them. \nBut the crowd just kept chanting\, “String him up! String him up!” \nSo Pilate\, wishing to keep the crowd happy\, gave orders for the release of Barabbas. After having Jesus flogged for good measure\, he handed him over to the executioners. \nThe governor’s security guards kept Jesus detained for a while in the Roman headquarters while the whole battalion gathered round and entertained themselves at his expense. They clothed him in a purple dress-coat\, and twisted some barbed wire into a crown and jammed it on his head. They began saluting him and saying\, “Heil\, King of the Jews!” and then bashing him over the head with their batons. They spat on him and knelt down in mock worship of him. When they’d finished their brutal sport\, they stripped the purple dress-coat off him\, put him back in his own clothes\, and marched him off to be executed. They pulled a man out of the crowd\, and forced him to carry the large wooden cross on which Jesus was to be strung up. The man was Simon of Cyrene\, the father of Alexander and Rufus\, and he had come down to the city from the bush. \nThe place where the executions were carried out was called Skull Hill\, or in Hebrew\, Golgotha. When they got there\, they offered Jesus a strong drink – wine spiked with a common drug – but he turned it down. At nine o’clock in the morning\, they strung Jesus up on the cross by driving nails through his flesh. Then they divided up his clothes among themselves\, tossing a coin to see who should get what. The sign informing onlookers of the offence for which he was being executed\, read\, “The King of the Jews.” \nA couple of convicted thugs were executed at the same time. The three crosses were erected in a row with Jesus on the middle one. People passing by hurled insults and ridicule at him. They shook their heads and said\, “What happened to the big man who reckoned he could demolish the Temple and rebuild it in three days? Show us what you’re made of! Get yourself off the cross and save yourself now!” \nThe chief priests and the religious lawyers were there too\, making jokes about it to one another with the best of them. “He reckoned he could save everyone else\, but he can’t even save himself!” they said. “Let’s see the Messiah\, the King of Israel\, get himself down off the cross. If we see him do that\, we’ll be ready to believe in him!” \nEven those being executed alongside him hurled abuse at him. \nWhen midday came\, the sky went black for three hours and it was dark everywhere. At about three o’clock Jesus screamed out in agony\, “Eli\, Eli\, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God\, my God\, why have you turned your back on me?” \nWhen the people standing around heard this\, some of them thought he was calling for help from Elijah. Someone soaked a sponge in wine that had turned to vinegar and held it up on a stick for him to drink\, saying\, “Let’s hang around and see whether Elijah will turn up to rescue him.” \nThen Jesus let out a loud cry\, and breathed his last. At that very moment\, the curtain that closed off the most holy place in the Temple tore open\, all the way from the top to the bottom. The commanding officer was standing at his post facing Jesus\, and when he saw how Jesus died\, he said\, “Fair dinkum\, this bloke must have been the Son of God!” \nThere were a number of women there too\, watching it all from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene\, Salome\, and another Mary who was the mother of Joses and James junior. They had been among Jesus’s followers since the days in Galilee and had provided most of the resources needed by his group. There were also numerous other women who had come to Jerusalem with him. \nIt was the day of Preparation which comes immediately before the sacred Sabbath day\, and so Joseph of Arimethea plucked up the courage to go to Pilate and ask permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. Joseph was a respected member of the ruling council\, and was himself someone who was genuinely looking forward to the culture of God. Pilate was doubtful whether they could already be certain that Jesus was dead\, so he sent for the commanding officer and asked him how long Jesus had been dead. Having heard from the commanding officer that Jesus was well and truly dead\, Pilate gave orders for the body to be released to Joseph. Joseph took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a linen shroud which he had purchased. He buried Jesus in a tomb which had been cut into a rock wall\, and rolled a boulder over the entrance to seal it. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses witnessed the burial. \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 you alone are good and your steadfast love is forever. \nThe creation of the world was your doing\nand is a marvel to our eyes.\nYour prophets told of the coming one\nwho would teach your ways\nand sustain us with your word. \nYour son\, Jesus\, though one with you\ngave up all he had\,\ntaking on human flesh\,\nand walking the path of obedience\nall the way to insult\, betrayal and death\,\ntrusting only in your vindication.\nThough he was rejected by those who had cheered him\,\nyou made him the cornerstone of new life\nand raised him to the highest place of honour.\nHe has opened the gates of justice\nand become our salvation\,\nso with shouts of joy we greet his appearing\,\nand proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord\nto your glory forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho\, giving up all he had\nand walking the path of obedience\nall the way to insult\, betrayal and death\,\nopened the gates of justice\nand become our salvation. \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 alone are good and your steadfast love is forever. \nThe creation of the world was your doing\nand is a marvel to our eyes.\nYour prophets told of the coming one\nwho would teach your ways\nand sustain us with your word. \nYour son\, Jesus\, though one with you\ngave up all he had\,\ntaking on human flesh\,\nand walking the path of obedience\nall the way to insult\, betrayal and death\,\ntrusting only in your vindication.\nThough he was rejected by those who had cheered him\,\nyou made him the cornerstone of new life\nand raised him to the highest place of honour.\nHe has opened the gates of justice\nand become our salvation\,\nso with shouts of joy we greet his appearing\,\nand proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord\nto your glory 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©2003 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 vindicates us is near.\nWe shall not be put to shame.\nWith the Lord God as our help\nno one can declare us guilty. \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 Christ in obedience.\nHave the same mind as was in Christ Jesus;\nKeep your ears open to God’s teaching;\nBe humble\, even in the face of hostility\nand do not turn back. \nAnd may God help you and keep you from disgrace;\nMay Christ Jesus lead you through the gates of justice;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit keep you in God’s steadfast love\n    and fill your mouths with praise to the glory of God. \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.There are not many sermons available because our church no longer includes a sermon in the worship for this occasion. \n\n\n\n\nBenefit of HindsightA sermon on John 12:12-16 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nJesus and the Opinion PollsA sermon for Palm Sunday by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b23/2030-04-14/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/23.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002922-1902441600-1902527999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Monday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 36: 5-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n You unwavering love fills the universe\, LORD;\nyour loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.  \nYour passion for doing right\nis as solid as the mountain ranges;\nyour understanding of us\nis as deep as the oceans. \nYou set out to save the lives of every creature\, LORD\,\nand no one – not man nor woman\,\nnot bird nor beast – is left out of your care. \nYour love\, O God\, is our greatest treasure!\nYou keep a place for everyone\nunder the shelter of your wings. \nYou invite all who come to feast at your table;\nthe wine of your love flows like a river\nand no one’s glass is allowed to run dry. \nLife bursts forth from you like a fountain;\nlight shines from you and lights up our world. \nDon’t ever give up on us\, LORD;\nkeep loving all who trust you\,\nkeep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place. \nProtect us from those who would trample us underfoot.\nStand in the way of those who would drive us from the land. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 9: 11-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n The priests of old served in a great tent which people had made as the place to approach God here on earth\, but when Christ came he bypassed the old tent. He came as the new high priest\, bringing a new improved way of approaching God. Once and for all he went in to the real Holy Place of God’s presence\, in the middle of the ultimate tent — heaven itself. He also bypassed the old sacrifices of goat and calf blood. Instead\, he shed his own blood in the process of winning permanent freedom for everyone. \nUnder the old arrangements\, people were not permitted to come and worship God if they had done something that made them officially unclean. They had to be purified first in a ritual that required them to be sprinkled with blood from goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. Now if such a ritual was enough to clear up these problems\, imagine how much more thoroughly our lives can be cleaned up — inside and out — by the blood of Christ! Christ’s self-sacrifice — which because of his spotless record was the greatest possible sacrifice — was made in the power of God’s Spirit to wipe the slate clean for us. No longer are we weighed down by the emotional debris left over from previous futile efforts to sort things out with God. Now we are free to join the joyous dance of life that honours God! \nThis is why we say that Jesus is the mediator. He brought the two sides together — us and God — to establish a new alliance. It took his own death to bring the job to completion\, but he succeeded in having written off the debts we had accumulated by breaking the rules of the old agreement\, and having us written back into the list of those who God has called — those who will inherit for all time all that God has promised to give. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 12: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Six days before the celebration of Passover\, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He stayed overnight in the home of Mary\, Martha and Lazarus; the man he had previously raised from the dead. Martha prepared a dinner party in honour of Jesus\, and everyone was there\, including Lazarus. During the evening\, Mary broke open a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She poured out the oil and used it to massage Jesus’ feet. She then wiped them dry with her own hair. The intoxicating fragrance of the oils filled the whole house. \nJudas Iscariot\, however\, took exception to her behaviour. Although he was one of Jesus’ closest followers\, the seeds of betrayal were taking root in his mind. When he saw what Mary was doing\, he growled\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nHe wasn’t really the least bit concerned about the plight of the poor\, but he was their treasurer and liked to keep their shared account topped up so he could help himself to it without anyone noticing. \nJesus said\, “Get off her case\, Judas! She brought that oil and kept it to use in preparing me for a decent burial. There will never be any shortage of opportunities to do something worthwhile for the poor\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me.” \nThe news that Jesus was back in Bethany spread quickly and the crowds gathered to see him. Many were also keen to see Lazarus\, because they had heard about Jesus raising him from the dead. When news of this reached the senior religious authorities\, they began plotting to have Lazarus killed as well. They wanted to get rid of him because he had inspired so many of their followers to give up on them and switch their allegiance to Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc24/2030-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002933-1902441600-1902527999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Monday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 36: 5-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n You unwavering love fills the universe\, LORD;\nyour loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.  \nYour passion for doing right\nis as solid as the mountain ranges;\nyour understanding of us\nis as deep as the oceans. \nYou set out to save the lives of every creature\, LORD\,\nand no one – not man nor woman\,\nnot bird nor beast – is left out of your care. \nYour love\, O God\, is our greatest treasure!\nYou keep a place for everyone\nunder the shelter of your wings. \nYou invite all who come to feast at your table;\nthe wine of your love flows like a river\nand no one’s glass is allowed to run dry. \nLife bursts forth from you like a fountain;\nlight shines from you and lights up our world. \nDon’t ever give up on us\, LORD;\nkeep loving all who trust you\,\nkeep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place. \nProtect us from those who would trample us underfoot.\nStand in the way of those who would drive us from the land. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 9: 11-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n The priests of old served in a great tent which people had made as the place to approach God here on earth\, but when Christ came he bypassed the old tent. He came as the new high priest\, bringing a new improved way of approaching God. Once and for all he went in to the real Holy Place of God’s presence\, in the middle of the ultimate tent — heaven itself. He also bypassed the old sacrifices of goat and calf blood. Instead\, he shed his own blood in the process of winning permanent freedom for everyone. \nUnder the old arrangements\, people were not permitted to come and worship God if they had done something that made them officially unclean. They had to be purified first in a ritual that required them to be sprinkled with blood from goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. Now if such a ritual was enough to clear up these problems\, imagine how much more thoroughly our lives can be cleaned up — inside and out — by the blood of Christ! Christ’s self-sacrifice — which because of his spotless record was the greatest possible sacrifice — was made in the power of God’s Spirit to wipe the slate clean for us. No longer are we weighed down by the emotional debris left over from previous futile efforts to sort things out with God. Now we are free to join the joyous dance of life that honours God! \nThis is why we say that Jesus is the mediator. He brought the two sides together — us and God — to establish a new alliance. It took his own death to bring the job to completion\, but he succeeded in having written off the debts we had accumulated by breaking the rules of the old agreement\, and having us written back into the list of those who God has called — those who will inherit for all time all that God has promised to give. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 12: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Six days before the celebration of Passover\, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He stayed overnight in the home of Mary\, Martha and Lazarus; the man he had previously raised from the dead. Martha prepared a dinner party in honour of Jesus\, and everyone was there\, including Lazarus. During the evening\, Mary broke open a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She poured out the oil and used it to massage Jesus’ feet. She then wiped them dry with her own hair. The intoxicating fragrance of the oils filled the whole house. \nJudas Iscariot\, however\, took exception to her behaviour. Although he was one of Jesus’ closest followers\, the seeds of betrayal were taking root in his mind. When he saw what Mary was doing\, he growled\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nHe wasn’t really the least bit concerned about the plight of the poor\, but he was their treasurer and liked to keep their shared account topped up so he could help himself to it without anyone noticing. \nJesus said\, “Get off her case\, Judas! She brought that oil and kept it to use in preparing me for a decent burial. There will never be any shortage of opportunities to do something worthwhile for the poor\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me.” \nThe news that Jesus was back in Bethany spread quickly and the crowds gathered to see him. Many were also keen to see Lazarus\, because they had heard about Jesus raising him from the dead. When news of this reached the senior religious authorities\, they began plotting to have Lazarus killed as well. They wanted to get rid of him because he had inspired so many of their followers to give up on them and switch their allegiance to Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc24/2030-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T054759Z UID:10002116-1902441600-1902527999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Monday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 36: 5-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n You unwavering love fills the universe\, LORD;\nyour loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.  \nYour passion for doing right\nis as solid as the mountain ranges;\nyour understanding of us\nis as deep as the oceans. \nYou set out to save the lives of every creature\, LORD\,\nand no one – not man nor woman\,\nnot bird nor beast – is left out of your care. \nYour love\, O God\, is our greatest treasure!\nYou keep a place for everyone\nunder the shelter of your wings. \nYou invite all who come to feast at your table;\nthe wine of your love flows like a river\nand no one’s glass is allowed to run dry. \nLife bursts forth from you like a fountain;\nlight shines from you and lights up our world. \nDon’t ever give up on us\, LORD;\nkeep loving all who trust you\,\nkeep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place. \nProtect us from those who would trample us underfoot.\nStand in the way of those who would drive us from the land. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 9: 11-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n The priests of old served in a great tent which people had made as the place to approach God here on earth\, but when Christ came he bypassed the old tent. He came as the new high priest\, bringing a new improved way of approaching God. Once and for all he went in to the real Holy Place of God’s presence\, in the middle of the ultimate tent — heaven itself. He also bypassed the old sacrifices of goat and calf blood. Instead\, he shed his own blood in the process of winning permanent freedom for everyone. \nUnder the old arrangements\, people were not permitted to come and worship God if they had done something that made them officially unclean. They had to be purified first in a ritual that required them to be sprinkled with blood from goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. Now if such a ritual was enough to clear up these problems\, imagine how much more thoroughly our lives can be cleaned up — inside and out — by the blood of Christ! Christ’s self-sacrifice — which because of his spotless record was the greatest possible sacrifice — was made in the power of God’s Spirit to wipe the slate clean for us. No longer are we weighed down by the emotional debris left over from previous futile efforts to sort things out with God. Now we are free to join the joyous dance of life that honours God! \nThis is why we say that Jesus is the mediator. He brought the two sides together — us and God — to establish a new alliance. It took his own death to bring the job to completion\, but he succeeded in having written off the debts we had accumulated by breaking the rules of the old agreement\, and having us written back into the list of those who God has called — those who will inherit for all time all that God has promised to give. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 12: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Six days before the celebration of Passover\, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He stayed overnight in the home of Mary\, Martha and Lazarus; the man he had previously raised from the dead. Martha prepared a dinner party in honour of Jesus\, and everyone was there\, including Lazarus. During the evening\, Mary broke open a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She poured out the oil and used it to massage Jesus’ feet. She then wiped them dry with her own hair. The intoxicating fragrance of the oils filled the whole house. \nJudas Iscariot\, however\, took exception to her behaviour. Although he was one of Jesus’ closest followers\, the seeds of betrayal were taking root in his mind. When he saw what Mary was doing\, he growled\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nHe wasn’t really the least bit concerned about the plight of the poor\, but he was their treasurer and liked to keep their shared account topped up so he could help himself to it without anyone noticing. \nJesus said\, “Get off her case\, Judas! She brought that oil and kept it to use in preparing me for a decent burial. There will never be any shortage of opportunities to do something worthwhile for the poor\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me.” \nThe news that Jesus was back in Bethany spread quickly and the crowds gathered to see him. Many were also keen to see Lazarus\, because they had heard about Jesus raising him from the dead. When news of this reached the senior religious authorities\, they began plotting to have Lazarus killed as well. They wanted to get rid of him because he had inspired so many of their followers to give up on them and switch their allegiance to Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc24/2030-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002916-1902441600-1902527999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Monday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 36: 5-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n You unwavering love fills the universe\, LORD;\nyour loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.  \nYour passion for doing right\nis as solid as the mountain ranges;\nyour understanding of us\nis as deep as the oceans. \nYou set out to save the lives of every creature\, LORD\,\nand no one – not man nor woman\,\nnot bird nor beast – is left out of your care. \nYour love\, O God\, is our greatest treasure!\nYou keep a place for everyone\nunder the shelter of your wings. \nYou invite all who come to feast at your table;\nthe wine of your love flows like a river\nand no one’s glass is allowed to run dry. \nLife bursts forth from you like a fountain;\nlight shines from you and lights up our world. \nDon’t ever give up on us\, LORD;\nkeep loving all who trust you\,\nkeep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place. \nProtect us from those who would trample us underfoot.\nStand in the way of those who would drive us from the land. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 9: 11-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n The priests of old served in a great tent which people had made as the place to approach God here on earth\, but when Christ came he bypassed the old tent. He came as the new high priest\, bringing a new improved way of approaching God. Once and for all he went in to the real Holy Place of God’s presence\, in the middle of the ultimate tent — heaven itself. He also bypassed the old sacrifices of goat and calf blood. Instead\, he shed his own blood in the process of winning permanent freedom for everyone. \nUnder the old arrangements\, people were not permitted to come and worship God if they had done something that made them officially unclean. They had to be purified first in a ritual that required them to be sprinkled with blood from goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. Now if such a ritual was enough to clear up these problems\, imagine how much more thoroughly our lives can be cleaned up — inside and out — by the blood of Christ! Christ’s self-sacrifice — which because of his spotless record was the greatest possible sacrifice — was made in the power of God’s Spirit to wipe the slate clean for us. No longer are we weighed down by the emotional debris left over from previous futile efforts to sort things out with God. Now we are free to join the joyous dance of life that honours God! \nThis is why we say that Jesus is the mediator. He brought the two sides together — us and God — to establish a new alliance. It took his own death to bring the job to completion\, but he succeeded in having written off the debts we had accumulated by breaking the rules of the old agreement\, and having us written back into the list of those who God has called — those who will inherit for all time all that God has promised to give. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 12: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Six days before the celebration of Passover\, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He stayed overnight in the home of Mary\, Martha and Lazarus; the man he had previously raised from the dead. Martha prepared a dinner party in honour of Jesus\, and everyone was there\, including Lazarus. During the evening\, Mary broke open a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She poured out the oil and used it to massage Jesus’ feet. She then wiped them dry with her own hair. The intoxicating fragrance of the oils filled the whole house. \nJudas Iscariot\, however\, took exception to her behaviour. Although he was one of Jesus’ closest followers\, the seeds of betrayal were taking root in his mind. When he saw what Mary was doing\, he growled\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nHe wasn’t really the least bit concerned about the plight of the poor\, but he was their treasurer and liked to keep their shared account topped up so he could help himself to it without anyone noticing. \nJesus said\, “Get off her case\, Judas! She brought that oil and kept it to use in preparing me for a decent burial. There will never be any shortage of opportunities to do something worthwhile for the poor\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me.” \nThe news that Jesus was back in Bethany spread quickly and the crowds gathered to see him. Many were also keen to see Lazarus\, because they had heard about Jesus raising him from the dead. When news of this reached the senior religious authorities\, they began plotting to have Lazarus killed as well. They wanted to get rid of him because he had inspired so many of their followers to give up on them and switch their allegiance to Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc24/2030-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002928-1902441600-1902527999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Monday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 36: 5-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n You unwavering love fills the universe\, LORD;\nyour loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.  \nYour passion for doing right\nis as solid as the mountain ranges;\nyour understanding of us\nis as deep as the oceans. \nYou set out to save the lives of every creature\, LORD\,\nand no one – not man nor woman\,\nnot bird nor beast – is left out of your care. \nYour love\, O God\, is our greatest treasure!\nYou keep a place for everyone\nunder the shelter of your wings. \nYou invite all who come to feast at your table;\nthe wine of your love flows like a river\nand no one’s glass is allowed to run dry. \nLife bursts forth from you like a fountain;\nlight shines from you and lights up our world. \nDon’t ever give up on us\, LORD;\nkeep loving all who trust you\,\nkeep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place. \nProtect us from those who would trample us underfoot.\nStand in the way of those who would drive us from the land. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 9: 11-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n The priests of old served in a great tent which people had made as the place to approach God here on earth\, but when Christ came he bypassed the old tent. He came as the new high priest\, bringing a new improved way of approaching God. Once and for all he went in to the real Holy Place of God’s presence\, in the middle of the ultimate tent — heaven itself. He also bypassed the old sacrifices of goat and calf blood. Instead\, he shed his own blood in the process of winning permanent freedom for everyone. \nUnder the old arrangements\, people were not permitted to come and worship God if they had done something that made them officially unclean. They had to be purified first in a ritual that required them to be sprinkled with blood from goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. Now if such a ritual was enough to clear up these problems\, imagine how much more thoroughly our lives can be cleaned up — inside and out — by the blood of Christ! Christ’s self-sacrifice — which because of his spotless record was the greatest possible sacrifice — was made in the power of God’s Spirit to wipe the slate clean for us. No longer are we weighed down by the emotional debris left over from previous futile efforts to sort things out with God. Now we are free to join the joyous dance of life that honours God! \nThis is why we say that Jesus is the mediator. He brought the two sides together — us and God — to establish a new alliance. It took his own death to bring the job to completion\, but he succeeded in having written off the debts we had accumulated by breaking the rules of the old agreement\, and having us written back into the list of those who God has called — those who will inherit for all time all that God has promised to give. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 12: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Six days before the celebration of Passover\, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He stayed overnight in the home of Mary\, Martha and Lazarus; the man he had previously raised from the dead. Martha prepared a dinner party in honour of Jesus\, and everyone was there\, including Lazarus. During the evening\, Mary broke open a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She poured out the oil and used it to massage Jesus’ feet. She then wiped them dry with her own hair. The intoxicating fragrance of the oils filled the whole house. \nJudas Iscariot\, however\, took exception to her behaviour. Although he was one of Jesus’ closest followers\, the seeds of betrayal were taking root in his mind. When he saw what Mary was doing\, he growled\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nHe wasn’t really the least bit concerned about the plight of the poor\, but he was their treasurer and liked to keep their shared account topped up so he could help himself to it without anyone noticing. \nJesus said\, “Get off her case\, Judas! She brought that oil and kept it to use in preparing me for a decent burial. There will never be any shortage of opportunities to do something worthwhile for the poor\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me.” \nThe news that Jesus was back in Bethany spread quickly and the crowds gathered to see him. Many were also keen to see Lazarus\, because they had heard about Jesus raising him from the dead. When news of this reached the senior religious authorities\, they began plotting to have Lazarus killed as well. They wanted to get rid of him because he had inspired so many of their followers to give up on them and switch their allegiance to Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc24/2030-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002938-1902441600-1902527999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Monday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 36: 5-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n You unwavering love fills the universe\, LORD;\nyour loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.  \nYour passion for doing right\nis as solid as the mountain ranges;\nyour understanding of us\nis as deep as the oceans. \nYou set out to save the lives of every creature\, LORD\,\nand no one – not man nor woman\,\nnot bird nor beast – is left out of your care. \nYour love\, O God\, is our greatest treasure!\nYou keep a place for everyone\nunder the shelter of your wings. \nYou invite all who come to feast at your table;\nthe wine of your love flows like a river\nand no one’s glass is allowed to run dry. \nLife bursts forth from you like a fountain;\nlight shines from you and lights up our world. \nDon’t ever give up on us\, LORD;\nkeep loving all who trust you\,\nkeep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place. \nProtect us from those who would trample us underfoot.\nStand in the way of those who would drive us from the land. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 9: 11-15 \n \n\n \n \n \n The priests of old served in a great tent which people had made as the place to approach God here on earth\, but when Christ came he bypassed the old tent. He came as the new high priest\, bringing a new improved way of approaching God. Once and for all he went in to the real Holy Place of God’s presence\, in the middle of the ultimate tent — heaven itself. He also bypassed the old sacrifices of goat and calf blood. Instead\, he shed his own blood in the process of winning permanent freedom for everyone. \nUnder the old arrangements\, people were not permitted to come and worship God if they had done something that made them officially unclean. They had to be purified first in a ritual that required them to be sprinkled with blood from goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. Now if such a ritual was enough to clear up these problems\, imagine how much more thoroughly our lives can be cleaned up — inside and out — by the blood of Christ! Christ’s self-sacrifice — which because of his spotless record was the greatest possible sacrifice — was made in the power of God’s Spirit to wipe the slate clean for us. No longer are we weighed down by the emotional debris left over from previous futile efforts to sort things out with God. Now we are free to join the joyous dance of life that honours God! \nThis is why we say that Jesus is the mediator. He brought the two sides together — us and God — to establish a new alliance. It took his own death to bring the job to completion\, but he succeeded in having written off the debts we had accumulated by breaking the rules of the old agreement\, and having us written back into the list of those who God has called — those who will inherit for all time all that God has promised to give. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 12: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Six days before the celebration of Passover\, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He stayed overnight in the home of Mary\, Martha and Lazarus; the man he had previously raised from the dead. Martha prepared a dinner party in honour of Jesus\, and everyone was there\, including Lazarus. During the evening\, Mary broke open a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She poured out the oil and used it to massage Jesus’ feet. She then wiped them dry with her own hair. The intoxicating fragrance of the oils filled the whole house. \nJudas Iscariot\, however\, took exception to her behaviour. Although he was one of Jesus’ closest followers\, the seeds of betrayal were taking root in his mind. When he saw what Mary was doing\, he growled\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nHe wasn’t really the least bit concerned about the plight of the poor\, but he was their treasurer and liked to keep their shared account topped up so he could help himself to it without anyone noticing. \nJesus said\, “Get off her case\, Judas! She brought that oil and kept it to use in preparing me for a decent burial. There will never be any shortage of opportunities to do something worthwhile for the poor\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me.” \nThe news that Jesus was back in Bethany spread quickly and the crowds gathered to see him. Many were also keen to see Lazarus\, because they had heard about Jesus raising him from the dead. When news of this reached the senior religious authorities\, they began plotting to have Lazarus killed as well. They wanted to get rid of him because he had inspired so many of their followers to give up on them and switch their allegiance to Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc24/2030-04-15/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z UID:10002888-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 71: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \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 John 12: 20-36 \n \n\n \n \n \n Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z UID:10002900-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 71: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \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 John 12: 20-36 \n \n\n \n \n \n Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002910-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 71: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \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 John 12: 20-36 \n \n\n \n \n \n Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z UID:10002894-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 71: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \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 John 12: 20-36 \n \n\n \n \n \n Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002905-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 71: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \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 John 12: 20-36 \n \n\n \n \n \n Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055641Z UID:10002117-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 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 71: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \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 John 12: 20-36 \n \n\n \n \n \n Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300417T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300417T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T123026Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055725Z UID:10002118-1902614400-1902700799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Wednesday of Holy Week DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 50: 4-9a \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD God has given me the gift of the gab\nso that my words can teach others\nand put a spring in the step of the weary. \nAs I wake up each new day\,\nGod makes me hungry for learning.\nThe LORD cleaned out my ears\nso that I could hear every word.\nI learned eagerly;\nI never rebelled or quit. \nI was opposed by others\,\nbut I gritted my teeth and stood my ground.\nI looked them in the eye\nwhen they insulted me and spat in my face.\nI took it on the chin and did not fight back\,\nwhen they gave me a belting and tore out my hair. \nThe Lord GOD is always there for me\,\nso no disgrace ever gets to me.\nI have steeled my jaw and dug in my heels\,\nand I’m sure I’ll never be ashamed of my stand\nbecause I can trust God to back me up. \nSo\, who thinks they can take me on?\nLet them stand up and face me!\nWho are my opponents?\nLet’s see what they’re made of! \nThe Lord GOD is backing me;\nso who is going to accuse me of doing wrong? \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 70 \n \n\n \n \n \n Please God\, deliver me!\nHelp me\, LORD\, quickly! \nThese people are out to get me\, LORD;\nleave them confused\nwith egg all over their faces.\nThey are trying to do me harm;\nknock them off their perches\nand send them packing. \nWhen they smirk and make a joke of me\,\nrun them out of town in disgrace. \nPut a smile on the face\nof everyone who seeks you\, LORD.\nGive everyone who loves your ways\nreason to celebrate your greatness forever. \nBut right now\, God\, I need your help in a hurry;\nI can’t make ends meet.\nYou are the one who helps me;\nthe one who rescues me from danger.\nQuickly\, LORD\, help me without delay! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 12: 1-3 \n \n\n \n \n \n So\, we are by no means running the race alone! The air around us is thick with encouragement — all these heroes who bore witness to the truth before us\, cheering us on. So let’s strip down for the run that lies ahead\, tossing aside everything that would hold us back\, especially the sin that clings on so tenaciously. And then let’s get on with it — run and run and never quit until we’ve crossed the line. We can do it if we just keep our eyes fixed on Jesus\, because he has led the way and become the first to complete this faith marathon. He was so focussed on the goal that he was able to push on through the pain barriers\, enduring the agony and humiliation of the cross. He knew that the celebrations would make it all worth while\, and sure enough\, he now enjoys the number one seat of honour alongside God’s throne. \nSo\, whenever you feel yourself running low on energy or confidence\, think again about him and how he endured the violent hostility directed at him by faithless people\, and draw new strength from that. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 13: 21-32 \n \n\n \n \n \n While Jesus was speaking with his disciples at the supper\, he began to get quite churned up\, and before long they all knew why. “I kid you not\,” he said\, “one of you lot is going to double-cross me.” \nThe disciples began scanning each others faces\, looking for a clue as to who he was talking about. Simon Peter whispered to one of the other disciples – the one with whom Jesus was most intimate and who was sitting next to him at the time – saying\, “Ask him who he’s talking about.” \nSo he did. He leaned over and asked\, “Lord\, who is it?” \nJesus answered quietly\, “I’ll dip this bread in the gravy and hand it to him. He’s the one.” \nSo Jesus dipped a piece of bread in the gravy and handed it to Judas\, the son of Simon Iscariot. When he received the piece of bread\, the satan got into his head and took over. Jesus said to him\, “What you’ve got to do\, you’ve got to do. Go\, and get it over and done with quickly.” \nAt the time\, no one else at the table understood what he meant when he said this to Judas. Judas handled their finances\, so some of them just assumed that Jesus was telling him to go and buy some things they needed for the Passover celebration\, or perhaps to go and give some money to people in need. Anyway\, after receiving the piece of bread\, Judas immediately disappeared off into the night. \nOnce he was gone\, Jesus spoke to the remaining disciples\, saying\, “Now the moment of glory has arrived for the New Human\, and it is God’s glory too. If God’s glory is made known in him\, then God will pour out his own glory on him. It’s all happening right now.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc26/2030-04-17/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/26.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300418T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300418T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T123825Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055538Z UID:10002119-1902700800-1902787199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Thursday of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday) DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Exodus 12: 1-4\, (5-10)\, 11-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n After the King of Egypt had refused to listen to all the warnings\, the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron again\, saying: \n“Rewrite your calendars — from now on\, this month is to be the beginning of the new year. Put the word out among all the Israelite people that on the tenth day of the month\, each household is to obtain a lamb or a young goat to be eaten. Small households can combine with their neighbours to share one\, dividing it up so that there is enough for everyone to have some. The lamb must be a healthy male yearling with no deformities — not a runt. Having obtained the lamb\, the household is to keep it at home for four days. Just after sunset on the fourteenth\, all the Israelites are to slaughter the lambs ready for cooking. Take some of the blood and paint it on the frame of the front door of the house where you are eating the lamb. Cook and eat it that night. Don’t serve it raw or boiled. Don’t even cut it up or gut it. Spit-roast it whole over the fire and serve it with unleavened flat-breads and bitter herbs. Eat it all that night. If there is any left over in the morning you are to burn it. When you eat it\, you are to eat as though you were in a hurry and about to leave on a journey. You should be dressed and packed\, with your walking boots on and your stick at hand. In this way you are to keep the feast of Passover in honour of me\, the LORD. \nThat night\, I will pass through Egypt\, killing the firstborn sons of every family and the firstborn male animals. I am the LORD\, and I will carry out the sentence I have passed on the gods of Egypt this night. The lamb’s blood painted on your door frames will be the sign that your households are to be exempted. I will pass over every house that I see marked with the blood\, and you will not be touched by the plague that will strike down the Egyptians. \nRemember this day and\, in every generation to come\, celebrate it as an annual festival to honour me\, the LORD.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 116: 1-2\, 12-19 \n \n\n \n \n \n I love you\, LORD!\nHow could I not love you\nwhen you always respond to my cries? \nYou are always ready to listen to me\,\nso I will bring my needs to you as long as I live. \nHow can I ever repay you\, LORD?\nWhat gift could ever express my gratitude? \nI will raise my glass in your honour\,\nI will name you as the one who saved me. \nI will make good on all I promised you\, LORD\,\nand I’ll let everyone know its for you. \nWhenever one of your faithful people dies\nit affects you deeply. \nLORD\, you have released me from my chains.\nI will serve you forever\,\njust as my forebears have done. \nI will bring a gift to say thanks;\nI will pray to you\, and you alone. \nI will be true to the vows I’ve made;\nand I won’t keep it hidden.\nIn full view of all your people\,\nin the public place of worship\,\nI’ll do all I promised you\, LORD. \nAll the praise and all the credit are your\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n The teaching I gave you about the Lord’s Supper is worth repeating. I gave it to you exactly as I received it from the Lord himself. On the very night that he was betrayed\, Jesus was sharing a meal. He took a loaf of bread in his hands\, gave thanks to God and then broke the loaf\, saying: \n“This is my body. It is for you.\nDo this so that I will be remembered.” \nAt the end of the meal he did the same thing with the cup\, saying: \n“This cup is God’s new alliance with you —\nan alliance sealed with my blood.\nDo this\, every time you drink it\,\nso that I will be remembered.” \nThe meaning of this is clear: whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you are announcing the truth about the Lord’s death. This truth will continue to be broadcast in this way until the Lord returns. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 13: 1-17\, 31b-35 \n \n\n \n \n \n Even before the sacred Passover festival began\, Jesus knew that his time was running out. He knew that he had come from God\, and he knew that it was time to leave this world and return to God. He had consistently loved his followers in this world\, and he continued to demonstrate his love for them right up to the end. A seed sown by the devil had taken root in the mind of Judas\, the son of Simon Iscariot\, and by the time they gathered for supper\, he was planning to double-cross Jesus. \nJesus knew that everything was up to him\, because God had put everything in his hands. During the supper\, he got up from the table\, took off his jacket and tied a towel around his waist. Filling a large bowl with water\, he began to wash the feet of each of the disciples in turn and to dry them with the towel tied around his waist. When it was his turn\, Simon Peter objected saying\, “Surely it’s not your job to wash my feet\, Lord?” \nJesus answered\, “I know you don’t yet understand why I’m doing this\, but in time it will make sense to you.”\nBut Peter said\, “No way! I’ll never let you wash my feet.”\nJesus answered\, “If I don’t wash you\, then it’s all over between us. You’ll have nothing further to do with me.” \n“In that case\,” Simon Peter replied\, “don’t just wash my feet! Wash my hands; wash my head!”\nJesus said to him\, “You had a bath before you came! Once someone’s had a bath\, they don’t need to wash anything on arrival other than their feet and they’ll be completely clean. You lot are clean.” But then\, because he knew who was going to double-cross him\, he added\, “Well\, most of you are clean anyway.” \nWhen he had finished washing their feet\, he put his jacket back on and sat back down at the table. He said to them: \n“Do you understand what I have just done to you? You lot call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’\, and that’s fair enough\, because that’s exactly what I am. So if I’m your Teacher and Lord\, and I’ve just been down on my knees washing your feet\, then you too ought to serve one another in the same way. I’m modelling the way I want you to live. Do as I have done. You can take it from me: servants do not outrank their boss\, and the postie who brings the letter does not rank as importantly as the one who wrote it. When you get these things sorted out for yourselves\, you’ll discover just how good life can really be. \n“Now the moment of glory has arrived for the New Human\, and it is God’s glory too. If God’s glory is made known in him\, then God will pour out his own glory on him. It’s all happening right now.  \n“You are my children\, but you’re about to be on your own because our time together is almost up. You’ll keep looking for me\, but as I said to the people before\, where I am going\, there is no way you can come. \n“I’ve got one new instruction for you – in fact take it as an order – love one another. I want you to love one another in the same way that I have loved you. If you do that – if you really have love for one another – then it will be apparent to everyone that you are following in my footsteps.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nWe do indeed bring you a gift of thanks\, O God\,\nas we raise the cup of freedom in your name\,\nfor you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ\nand broken us free from the grip of death. \nIn your creative love\, you brought the world to birth\,\nand from the first you loved all who live in it.\nYou heard the cries of your suffering people\nand protected them with the blood of the Passover lamb\nas you struck down those who oppressed them. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, as our Teacher and Lord\nand gave all things into his hands.\nLaying aside his power\,\nhe gave himself to us in humble service\nand taught us to love one another\nas he had loved us.\nWhen the hour for his departure came\,\nhe was betrayed by a friend\nand his body broken on the cross.\nWith his outpoured blood you marked out those\nwho will follow where he has gone\,\ninto the promised land of resurrection life. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We raise the cup of freedom in thanks to you\, O God\,\nfor you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ\,\nwho gave himself to us in humble service\nand taught us to love one another as he had loved us. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n The blood of Christ\, the true lamb\,\nseals God’s new covenant with us\nand marks us out for salvation.\nThe Lord has forgiven your sins\,\nwashed you clean\,\nand freed you from death’s grip. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and fulfil your vows to the Lord.\nLove one another as Christ has loved you\nand give yourselves to one another in humble service\,\njust as Christ has given himself to you.\nCelebrate these holy days as a perpetual ordinance\,\nfor no gift could ever repay God’s goodness to us. \nAnd may God hear you whenever you call;\nMay Christ Jesus keep you safe through his blood;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you further\ninto the depths of God’s saving mysteries. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nDiscerning the Body at the TableA sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 by Nathan Nettleton (This sermon was not intended for Maundy Thursday\, but may provide some applicable ideas) URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc27/2030-04-18/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/27.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300419T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300419T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T092711 CREATED:20200810T124845Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T060734Z UID:10002120-1902787200-1902873599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Good Friday DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD says:\n“This one who serves on my behalf will succeed.\nHe will come out on top\nand be honoured by everyone. \nMany people were shocked by what happened to him;\nhis appearance was enough to make them throw up.\nTorture had disfigured him beyond recognition;\nat first sight he no longer looked human. \nThe next time he’s seen will be an even greater shock;\nnations and their kings will fall to their knees\, speechless.\nAll of a sudden\, what they had never seen or understood\nwill be as plain as day\, and all they can think about.” \nThe people reply to this news\, saying:\n“Who could have believed what we now know to be true?\nWho would have recognised what the LORD was doing? \nThis one who serves on the LORD’s behalf\ngrew up hard like a plant taking root in the stony desert.\nTo look at him\, you wouldn’t think he’d amount to much;\nnothing about his appearance would make you look twice. \nOthers wrote him off\, and treated him as scum;\npain and suffering were his constant companions.\nHe was despised and abused\, but we looked away;\nwe didn’t consider him worth caring about. \nThe sickness and brokenness he endured turned out to be ours;\nif it wasn’t for him\, it would have wiped us out.\nBut back then we thought it was his own fault\nand that God was punishing him for what he had done. \nIn reality\, it was what we had done that was to blame.\nIt was us who deserved to be punished\,\nbut him who copped the flak.\nWhen he was left battered\, broken and bleeding\,\nwe were off the hook;\nfree to enjoy the fruits of health and wholeness. \nWe were all doing our own thing in our own way;\nas far off-track as a penguin in the desert;\nas far off-key as a mob of galahs.\nAnd yet the LORD accepted his offer to take the rap\nfor the actions of each and every one of us. \nHe was ripped off and kicked around\,\nbut he took it on the chin.\nNot once did he ever whinge or protest;\nhe was as silent as a lamb that trots to its fate\,\nknowing neither shearer nor slaughterer. \nHis arrest and trial made a mockery of justice.\nNo one knew or cared what he was up against.\nHe was dragged off in the midst of life;\nput to death for crimes committed by our people. \nAlthough he had never breathed a lie\nor done anything to hurt anyone\,\nthey buried him alongside the callous and corrupt\n– thoughtless profiteers who died rich.” \nThe LORD says\,\n“It was me who decided to allow this tragedy\nto befall the one who serves on my behalf.\nHe made the ultimate sacrifice at your hands\,\nand won forgiveness for you in the process.\nSo now he will be rewarded with life;\nhe will live to see his children and their children.\nThrough his actions\,\nmy plans are able to succeed. \nIn the depths of agony and despair he discovered the truth\,\nand with the truth he found true peace.\nThe one who serves on my behalf was beyond reproach\,\nbut he took the rap for what others did\,\nand left their record as spotless as his own. \nBecause of all that he has done\,\nI\, the LORD\, elevate him to the hall of fame\nand give him the rewards of true greatness.\nHe deserves the best\, for he made the ultimate sacrifice\,\naccepting the death of common criminal\nso that through his suffering and prayers\nothers might be cut free from their sin.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 22 \n \n\n \n \n \n God\, my God\, why the hell have you turned your back on me?\nHow come in my most desperate hour\,\nyou are nowhere to be found?  \nI called you all day\, God\, over and over;\nI tossed and turned all night\,\nbut I still didn’t hear back from you. \nAren’t you supposed to be our one and only?\nAren’t you the one we’ve always voted for?\nOur ancestors put their trust in you\nand you never let them down.\nThey cried out for help and you stepped in;\nyou saved them from disaster and shame. \nSo what about me?\nShouldn’t I still be treated as a human being\,\neven if I feel like a worm –\nlooked down on\, loathed\, stomped on? \nEveryone who sees me sticks the boots in;\nthey turn up their noses and dismiss me with a sneering joke;\n“Why don’t you see if God’s on your side?\nSurely if you’re a mate of God’s then God will help you out!” \nWhat’s the story God?\nYour hands eased me from my mother’s womb;\nYou kept me from harm as I suckled at her breast.\nAs a baby\, I rested trustingly in your arms;\nYou’ve been my God since the day I was born. \nDon’t quit on me now.\nAll hell is about to break loose\nand there is no one else I can turn to. \nI’m surrounded by enemies\nlike a mob of wild bulls.\nAngry\, snorting\, stampeding beasts;\nthey charge at me\, all horns and pounding hoofs. \nI’m chucked out like a bucket of dirty water\,\nand I’m so smashed up I can barely move a muscle.\nMy heart has gone to jelly\,\na quivering useless blob.\nMy throat is as dry as a salt pan\,\nand my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.\nAnd you? You have left me for dead\ncovered in dust and flies. \nLike a pack of hungry dingoes they sniff around me;\nevil mongrels\, every one of them.\nI’m so wasted my hands and feet feel like they could snap off;\nMy ribs stick out like a picket fence. \nThey hang me up for a public viewing\,\nboasting over how they finished me off.\nThey empty my pockets\nand toss a coin to see who gets my clothes. \nWhat are you doing\, LORD? Don’t quit on me now!\nGet your act together and come to my rescue!\nSave me before I get my throat cut\,\nbefore my body is dog meat!\nPull me out before they get their teeth into me! \nAt last! Just before the bulls ran me down\, you have rescued me.\nI won’t forget this – I’ll let everyone know.\nWhenever people gather\, I’ll be singing your praise. \nI’ll call on all who honour you\, LORD\, to stand up and say so!\nAll who trace their roots to Jacob will give you the glory!\nAll who share the heritage of Israel will stand in awe of you! \nLORD\, you did not rubbish anyone\nor blame the victims for their suffering.\nYou did not turn away or slip off quietly;\nwhen I cried for help\, you responded. \nWhenever people gather to worship\,\nmy heart overflows and I sing your praises.\nOut in the open for all to see\nI’ll do all that I promised. \nAt your table\, God\, the needy will feast;\nthose who hunger for you will be fed till they burst with praise!\nThey will be able to live it up\, now and forever! \nIn every corner of the earth people will wake up to themselves\nand turn back to you\, LORD.\nEvery race\, nation\, tribe and family\nwill offer themselves to you in worship\,\nfor you have the last word on everything;\nwhat you say goes. \nEven the dead will bow down to you\, LORD;\nthose who are trampled in the dust will look to you in hope\,\nand I will live for you and you alone. \nOur kids and their kids will serve you\, LORD;\nas we pass the message down from one generation to the next.\nPeople not even born yet will hear the story;\nthey will be told of what you have done to set us free. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 10: 16-25 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Holy Spirit says to us in the scriptures: \n“The new alliance I will make with the people\nwill be different\, says the Lord:\nNo more writing down the rules for people to read;\nthis time I’ll write them into their hearts and minds.”\n“I’ll wipe the record of their failings and their perverse behaviour;\nnone of it will ever again even enter my mind.”  \nSo if that’s done – if the slate has been wiped clean – then there is no longer any need to come offering sacrifices to try to make up for what we’ve done wrong. \nSo\, my friends\, now it’s a whole new ball game. Now we can confidently walk straight into the sacred place because Jesus won us that right\, spilling his own blood in the process. We walk in via a new route. The old way had a big curtain between us and the sacred place – on the new route the only thing between us and the sacred place is Jesus\, and he invites us to become part of his own body and go in that way. Add all that to the fact that Jesus himself is now our great priest who says what goes in the house of God\, and you’ll understand what is now open to us. So let’s go! Let’s approach God with integrity and with deep trust. Let us stand before God knowing for sure that not only have our bodies been washed clean in pure water\, but so to have our hearts\, our minds\, our conscience.  \nIn light of all this\, let’s hold on tight to the hope that we’ve put our hands up to. None of this on-again off-again stuff! You can’t get more dependable than the one who has made these promises. So let’s put on our thinking caps and come up with some good strategies for stirring one another up to greater and greater love and more and more ways to put it into action. Some people have got out of the habit of gathering together as a congregation – let’s not go down that path. Gather often\, support and encourage one another. It becomes more and more important the closer we get to that final day. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9 (alternative) \n \n\n \n \n \n Let’s see to it that we stand firm in the faith we’ve already put our hands up to. After all\, the one who will present us to God and speak on our behalf — our great high priest — is Jesus\, and as God’s own Son we can be sure he has God’s ear. We can also be sure that he can relate to the realities we have to live with\, because he has already been through everything we have to go through — weakness\, doubts and torments — and all without selling out to sin. What more could we want in a high priest?! So let’s not be timid. Whenever we’re in need of help\, let’s walk right up to the throne of God and ask\, for our God is extravagantly welcoming and generous — only too happy to wipe our debts and help us out. \nWhen Jesus was among us and the threat of death was closing in on him\, it was with agonized cries and tears that he did his priestly work of offering up prayers and appeals to the God who has the power to save us from death. His pleas were heard because of his prayerful acceptance of God’s will. He was given no special privileges as a Son — he got his lessons in obedience in the same school of suffering as the rest of us. Once he had made the grade\, perfecting all that he had to learn\, he became the one who sets free all who trust and follow him. For them he is the source of life without limit. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 18:1 - 19:42 \n \n\n \n \n \n After the supper\, and after Jesus had prayed for his followers\, they went outside and headed across town to the Kidron Valley gardens where they had often met together before. Judas had now betrayed Jesus\, and of course\, he knew they would be heading for the gardens. Judas showed the way to those sent to arrest Jesus – a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple security guards sent by the chief priests and the hard-line Pharisee party. It was now late\, and so the heavily armed group carried torches and flood lights. Jesus knew what he had coming to him and so when they arrived he just stepped out in the open and asked\, “Who are you looking for?” \nThey answered\, “We’ve been sent to find Jesus of Nazareth.” \n“Well you’ve found him\,” he replied\, “I’m Jesus.” \nWhen he said that\, they were so taken aback you could have knocked them over with a feather. Judas\, the back-stabber\, was still with them. Because they were looking so uncertain\, Jesus asked them again\, “Who are you looking for?” \nAnd again they replied\, “Jesus of Nazareth.” \nJesus answered\, “Like I said\, I’m Jesus. And since I am the man you’re looking for\, you can let these others go in peace.” \nIn so saying\, he backed up the promise he had made in his earlier prayer when he had said\, “I didn’t lose a single one of those you entrusted to me.” \nSuddenly Simon Peter pulled a knife and began slashing wildly. He struck a man named Malchus – a servant of the high priest – and cut off his ear. Jesus yelled at his\, saying\, “Peter\, put that thing away. Do you think I’m going to back out now and refuse to drink the cup that God has poured for me?” \nAt that point\, the soldiers and the Temple security guards surrounded Jesus and made the arrest. They handcuffed him\, and dragged him off to see Annas\, who had issued the arrest warrant. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphus\, who was the high priest that year; and Caiaphus was the one who had persuaded the authorities that\, for the sake of the rest of the population\, it would be best if this one person died. \nSimon Peter and one of the other disciples followed as Jesus was dragged off. When the arrived at the high priest’s residence\, Peter was refused entry at the gate\, but the other disciple knew the high priest and got in. Having got in\, he spoke to the woman in charge of the security gate and had Peter let in too. As he came in\, the woman looked at Peter and said\, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples are you?” \nHe replied\, “No\, I’m not.” \nThe soldiers and guards were standing around an open fire in the middle of the courtyard warming themselves\, because it was a cold night. Not knowing what else to do\, Peter joined them. \nInside\, the high priest was interrogating Jesus about his followers and about the things he had been teaching the people. Jesus answered him\, saying\, “Everything I’ve said has been out in the open. I have always done my teaching in the public places where the people gather – in the synagogues and in the temple. I’ve kept nothing behind closed doors\, so what are you asking me for? Why don’t you ask the people who heard what I said. They can tell you what it was all about.” \nWhen he said this\, one of the security guards gave Jesus a whack in the face\, saying\, “You think you can get away with back-chatting the high priest\, do you?” \nBut Jesus stood his ground\, saying\, “If you think there’s something wrong with what I’ve been saying\, then put your evidence on the table. But if what I’m saying is correct\, what are you smacking me around for?” \nWhile this was happening\, Simon Peter was still keeping warm by the fire with the guards. They asked him\, “Aren’t you one of his disciples?” \n“Not me\,” said Peter\, denying everything. \nOne of the Temple guards there was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off when he’d pulled the knife in the garden. He said\, “Come on mate\, you’ve got to be one of them. Didn’t I just see you with him in the garden when we picked him up?” \nBut Peter denied it again\, and the words were barely out of his mouth when he heard the sound of the rooster crowing. \nShortly after that\, in the early hours of the morning\, Jesus was transferred from the residence of Caiaphus to the headquarters of Pilate\, the Roman governor. The Jewish officers themselves did not go inside the headquarters\, because it was nearly time for the sacred Passover festival\, and going into a gentile home would have ruled them out of participating. Pilate agreed to come out and meet their delegation\, and asked them\, “So\, what have you charged this bloke with?” \nThey answered\, “You can take it for granted that he’s a dangerous criminal – otherwise we wouldn’t have bothered you with his case.” \nPilate replied\, “I’m sure you are quite capable of dealing with him yourselves. Get him out of here and deal with him according to your own local laws.”  \nBut the Jewish officers said\, “We don’t have the power to authorise an execution.” \nClearly the things Jesus had previously said about the sort of death he would die were coming true. \nPilate went back into his headquarters and had Jesus brought inside so he could interrogate him. “Do you see yourself as the King of the Jews?” he asked. \nJesus replied\, saying\, “Is that your own question or has someone else been wording you up?” \n“Give me a break\,” Pilate retorted\, “I’m obviously not one of the Jews\, am I? It wasn’t my people who had you dragged in here. It was your mob\, your own race\, your own religious leaders. What in the world have you done?” \nJesus answered\, “My reign is not tied to this world. If my power base depended on this world\, those who have given their allegiance to me would be fighting tooth and nail to keep me out of the hands of that mob. But it’s not like that. My reign is not tied to this world.” \nPilate latched on to that: “So you are claiming to be a king then?” \n“You’re the one who’s putting the ‘king’ label on me\,” Jesus replied. “If you want to know what I’m on about\, what I was born into the world for\, it’s this: I’m the key witness whose job it is to speak the truth\, the whole truth\, and nothing but the truth. Everyone who has given their allegiance to the truth responds to my voice.” \n“Truth\,” Pilate sneered. “What is truth?” \nThen he went back outside to the delegation from the Temple and told them\, “I can’t find any basis for a case against this prisoner. It is customary for me to release a political prisoner for you at Passover time. How about I release this ‘king of the Jews’ for you? He seems harmless enough to me.” \nBut they shouted back\, “No way! Not this man. Release Barabbas!” Barabbas was a convicted terrorist. \nAt that point\, Pilate handed Jesus over to some of his own soldiers and told them to give him a flogging. The soldiers thought it was huge joke. They hung a purple robe on him and wove a crown out of barbed wire and jammed it on his head. They took turns at coming up to him\, saying\, “Heil\, King of the Jews!” as they saluted him\, and then smashed their fists into his face. When they’d finished their brutal sport\, Pilate went back out to the Temple delegation and said\, “Look\, I’m handing him back over to you and telling you that I can’t find any basis for a case against him.” \nJesus was dragged back out\, still wearing the barbed wire crown and the purple robe. Pilate said “Here he is: the man!” \nBut the minute the chief priests and the Temple security guards saw him\, they began screaming\, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” \nPilate replied\, “You take him and crucify him yourselves. I can’t see that he’s done anything wrong.” \nThe delegation replied\, “The case against him is clear in our law. He claimed to be the Son of God and our law makes the death penalty mandatory for that.” \nWhen Pilate heard this\, he began to really worry\, and went back inside his headquarters to interview Jesus again. “Where have you come from?” he asked him\, but Jesus didn’t answer. Pilate said to him\, “It’s no use claiming the right to silence. Don’t you understand that I can say the word to have you released or to have you tortured to death?” \nJesus replied\, “You wouldn’t have any authority over me at all unless it had been given to you from a higher power. It is the one who handed me over to you who is going to have to answer for the greatest wrongdoing.” \nAfter that\, Pilate tried to have Jesus released\, but the Temple crowd would have none of it. They insisted\, “If you release this man you are no friend of the emperor\, and we’ll see that he hears about it. Anyone who claims to be a king is setting himself up in opposition to the emperor.” \nWith that\, Pilate capitulated to their demands. At noon on the day of Preparation for the Passover festival\, Pilate sat down at the judge’s bench at the Stone Pavement Court – known in Hebrew as Gabbatha – and had Jesus stood in the dock. He said to the Temple delegation\, “Here is your king!” \nThey shouted in chorus\, “Get rid of him! Kill him! Crucify him!” \n“Crucify him?” Pilate replied. “You want me to crucify your king?” \n“We have no king but the emperor!” they shouted. \nWith that\, Pilate passed sentence and handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. \nSo they took Jesus out to the place called Skull Hill\, or in Hebrew\, Golgotha. Jesus was made to carry his own cross on the way out there. When they got there\, they hung him on the cross by nails driven through his flesh. They crucified a couple of other convicted men at the same time – the three of them in a row with Jesus in the middle. On Pilate’s orders\, a sign was hung on the cross Jesus was on\, saying\, “Jesus of Nazareth\, the King of the Jews.” Many people read the sign because the crucifixion occurred in a public place on the main road into the city and the sign was written in three languages – Hebrew\, Latin and Greek. The chief priests from the Temple went to Pilate objecting to the sign. They wanted the sign changed from “The King of the Jews” to “This man claimed to be the King of the Jews” but Pilate told them that what was written was written and that was the end of the story. \nWhen the soldiers had hung Jesus up on the nails\, they divided up his clothes between the four of them. His robe was left over\, and when they saw that it was woven from a single piece of fabric\, with no seams\, they decided that rather than tear it\, they’d have a round of two-up\, and award it to the winner. This backed up what the scriptures had said long ago: \n“They divided up my clothes\,\nand tossed for my coat.”  \nWhile the soldiers tossed coins\, a group of women stood near Jesus’ cross. They were his mother\, his mother’s sister\, Mary the wife of Clopas\, and Mary of Magdala. Jesus saw that his mother was standing with the disciple with whom he was most intimate\, and so he said to his mother\, “Woman\, this man is your son.” And then he said to the disciple\, “This woman is your mother.” From that day on\, Mary moved into the home of that disciple. \nAfter that\, Jesus knew it was all over. He did one more thing that the scriptures had spoken about. He said\, “I’m thirsty.”  \nSomeone had half a bottle of wine that had turned to vinegar\, so they poured some into a sponge and held it up to his mouth. He drank it and then said\, “Everything is finished.” \nWith that\, his head dropped and he gave up his spirit. \nBecause it was the day of Preparation for the Passover\, the Temple authorities wanted to make sure the bodies were not left hanging up on the sacred festival day. They went to Pilate and got him to authorise the soldiers to break the legs of the three crucified men\, so that they’d die quicker. The soldiers broke the legs of the other two crucified men\, but when they came to Jesus\, they saw that there was no need – he was already dead. Just to make sure\, one of the soldiers drove a spear into his side\, and blood and water gushed out.  \nThe eyewitness to these things has given a sworn account of it all. His report is true and can be trusted. Scripture was again shown to be true\, because it was written that not one of his bones would be broken. Similarly in another place the scriptures said\, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” \nWhen it was all over\, a man went to Pilate and got permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. His name was Joseph of Arimethea\, and he had been a closet follower of Jesus\, because he was afraid for his reputation with the Temple hierarchy. He and Nicodemus\, who had first spoken to Jesus in the quiet of night\, removed the body. Nicodemus supplied the embalming spices\, and as was the Jewish custom\, they wrapped the body with the spices in linen cloth. There was a memorial garden not far from the place where Jesus was crucified\, and there was a tomb there which had not yet been used. Because it was the day of preparation and there was little time\, they buried Jesus in that tomb. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Opening Prayer \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the day when life is raw\,\nquivering\, terrifying:\nThe day of numbed emotions\,\nthe day of blunt nails\nand splintered wood\,\nof bruised flesh\nand red blood.\nThe day we loathe\,\nwhen hopes are crushed.\nThe day we long for\,\nwhen pretences fall away—\nBecause the worst that we can do\ncannot kill the love of God.\n\nGracious God\,\nyour love is a light in our darkness\,\nvulnerable\, yet unquenchable.\nWe would stand with Christ\,\nin the midst of the horrors of this world\nwhere betrayal and death\nconstantly threaten your love and peace. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Prayer at the Arrest of Christ (responding to the reading of John 18: 1-12) \n \n\n \n \n \n Again and again\nwe have bound you\nand taken you captive\, O Lord\, \nBecause it's easier\,\neasier than facing the reality\nof what you ask of us. \nAgain and again\nyou have been taken captive\nand your voice silenced. \nAgain and again\nyou have been dragged out\nwhenever it seems\nthat quoting your name will justify\nour attempts to gain what we want\nat the expense of others. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Prayer at the Death of Christ (responding to the reading of John 19:25-30) \n \n\n \n \n \n God\, why did you let this happen\,\nwhy do our greatest hopes\nseem to flicker out and die? \nWe search for meaning in life\nand before we find it\, it is gone.\nWe search for meaning in death\nbut its horrible reality drives us back\nand we are afraid to look. \nGod\, we shudder at the way this life ended:\nsurrounded by cold brutality\,\nrejected and betrayed by a friend\,\ndeprived of justice\,\nand loved by only a frightened few\nwho watched in fear. \nInside we are afraid that this is all there is\,\na flickering light snuffed out\, no meaning\,\nno future\, no love.\nEvil triumphs yet again. \nEvil triumphs so often.\nYours was one of thousands of deaths.\nFrom those times to now\nthousands die in loneliness and fear\,\nvictims of the cruelty and oppression of this world. \nRemind us with every death\,\nthat there is still so much to be done\,\nbefore love reigns\nand fear is driven away. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n The Request for the Disposal of the Body (responding to the reading of John 19:31-37) \n \n\n \n \n \n Once again we don't want to face up\nto what we have done. \nWe quickly seek to clean up the mess\,\nto hide the evidence\,\nto get life normal again. \nWe want it finished\nand the body put out of sight. \nAnd yet that broken body\,\nif we would only face it\nis the evidence of the love we crave\nand the source of\nthe healing we cry for. \nGive us courage\nto see beyond the blood and the horror. \nGive us the hope that in this death\nwe may find our own life. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nJoanna’s StoryA reflection for Good Friday by Margie Dahl\n\n\n\nMoving on from CrucifyingA sermon by Nathan Nettleton (This sermon was written for the Paschal Vigil\, but the first half or more would also be useful in reflecting on Good Friday) URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc28/2030-04-19/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/28.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR