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:20280401T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20280930T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20290331T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20291006T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20300406T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20301005T160000 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290128T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290128T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20230221T002604Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260301T050409Z UID:10002004-1864252800-1864339199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:4th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Micah 6: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n Open your ears\, for this is what the LORD has to say: \nIf you have got a complaint\, stand up and let it be heard.\nLet the mountains and hills be your witnesses. \nFor I am calling on the mountains to hear my dispute.\nI am calling on the earth itself\nto take my complaint to heart.\nFor I\, the LORD\, have a dispute to settle with my people\,\nand I will have it out with you\, my chosen ones. \nWhen have I ever done the wrong thing by you\, my people?\nWhat have I done to make you sick of me?\nAnswer me that! \nI was the one who got you out of the land where you were slaves;\nbroke you free and put you back where you belonged.\nI was the one who provided you with good leaders:\nMoses\, Aaron\, and Miriam. \nAnd don’t forget\nhow King Balak of Moab conspired to curse you\,\nand how it backfired on him\nwhen he gave the job to Balaam.\nAnd don’t forget\, my people\,\nhow you got from one side of the great river to the other.\nKeep in mind all that I\, the LORD\, have done;\nall the actions I have taken to get you to safety. \nHaving been reminded of all this\,\nhow can we express our thanks to the LORD?\nIs there anything we could ever give\nthat would be worthy of our God? \nShould we offer our most treasured possessions\nas a sacrifice on God’s altar?\nWould the LORD like us to sacrifice a year’s wages\,\nor even hand over everything we own?\nShould we sacrifice our children to pay the price;\nour own flesh and blood for the sin deep within us? \nCome on people! God has told us what is good.\nWe know what the LORD wants from us: \nTo make sure everybody gets a fair go;\nTo be passionate about caring for others;\nAnd to stay on track with God without getting full of ourselves. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 15 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, who is welcome at your table?\nWho can stay in the place you call your own? \nYou have given us the answer\, LORD.\nIt is those who walk with integrity\nand do the right thing;\nthose who speak the honest truth\nand do not use their words to wound;\nthose who do not exploit their friends\nor put down their neighbours.\nIt is those who hate corruption\nand look up to those who honour you\, LORD;\nthose who give their word\nand stand by it even if it costs them;\nthose who lend freely\, without seeking a profit\,\nand cannot be bribed into shafting the innocent. \nYou honour such people\, LORD\,\nand anchor them on unshakable ground. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31 \n \n\n \n \n \n The message about the cross sounds like a lot of mindless cock-and-bull to those who have thrown their lot in with this present world order and are going down with the ship. But to those of us who are being saved from that\, it is nothing less than the power of God! God spoke about this in the Scriptures: \n“I will expose the brilliant insights of your experts\nand the wise counsel of your gurus;\nI will expose them for what they really are\,\na load of codswallop!” \nSo where are the intellectuals now? Where are the religious experts? Where are those who have an answer for everything? What have they got to show for all their cleverness now that God has turned all the conventional wisdom on its head and made it look foolish? Seeing that no amount of human cleverness had ever woken anybody up to God’s ways\, God made the wise decision to use something that seemed utterly foolish to everyone — our preaching! — to rescue those who would trust the message. Most people want something more than this. Those with a religious world view demand to see miraculous signs to prove that it is from God. Those with a modern rational world view insist that it should have to prove its intellectual credibility. But what we are preaching is a Messiah who was strung up and killed. The religious people find this unthinkable\, and the intellectuals regard it as primitive nonsense; but to those who have heard the call of God\, whatever their background\, it is the ultimate good news of God’s chosen one — as miraculous and profound as one could ever wish for! When it’s all said and done\, the sum total of the human race’s intellectual achievements don’t even begin to stack up against the foolishness of God; and the combined force of all the world’s powers is puny in comparison to the weakness of God. \nSisters and brothers\, you don’t have to look any further than your own experience of God’s call to see the truth of this. Not many of you were academic hot-shots. Not many of you were movers and shakers in the corridors of power. Not many of you were feted as celebrities. But God chose you! God chose those who were dismissed as fools to expose the bankruptcy of the world’s accepted wisdom. God chose those who were weak and vulnerable in the world to show up the corruption of those who wield power. God consistently chooses what is despised as the dregs by the world\, things which are seen as worthless\, to expose the worthlessness of things which are seen as being ‘it and a bit’. Because of this\, no one who is accepted into God’s presence has any grounds for blowing their own trumpet. God and God alone is the source of the life you share in union with the Messiah\, Jesus. It is only in Jesus that we have been able to tap into God’s wisdom. And it is only in Jesus that our lives have been put back on track\, given a clean bill of health\, and set on the path to wholeness. For this reason\, the scriptures make sense to us when they say: \n“If you are going to blow your trumpet about something\,\nblow it about the Lord!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 5: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus found himself increasingly surrounded by crowds of people\, so one day he headed off up the mountain. He sat down up there and his committed followers gathered around to hear what he had to say. This is what he taught them: \n“Those who depend entirely on God for their welfare\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they are already at home in the culture of heaven. \n“Those who are stricken with grief\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will receive the ultimate comfort. \n“Those who allow others to have first claim on everything\nhave got it made\,\nbecause the whole world will be given to them. \n“Those who hunger and thirst to see the world put right\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will be richly satisfied. \n“Those who readily treat others better than they deserve\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will be treated with extravagant mercy. \n“Those whose hearts are unpolluted\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will see God. \n“Those who forge peace and reconciliation in places of hostility\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they will be known as God’s own children. \n“Those who are attacked and abused for sticking to what is right\nhave got it made\,\nbecause they are already at home in the culture of heaven. \n“When people turn on you\nand do all they can to make your life a misery;\nwhen they make false allegations about you\nand drag your name through the mud\,\nall because of your association with me\,\nyou have really got it made!\nKick up your heels and party\,\nbecause heaven is coming\nand you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams!\nYou are in great company\,\nbecause they were just as vicious\nto God’s faithful messengers in the past. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have always shown us\nwhat is good and what you require of us. \nYou laid the foundations of the earth\,\nand the mountains and hills witness to your justice.\nYou redeemed your people from the house of slavery\nand called us to remember your saving acts\,\nthat we might know your ways\nand live our lives in justice\, kindness and humility. \nWhen our own wisdom and discernment\nfailed to bring us near to you\,\nyou chose what was foolish\, weak and despised in our eyes\nto break the grip of human wisdom and strength:\nChrist Jesus our Lord\,\nand him crucified.\nRaised to new life\,\nhe has made known to us what the wise never guessed\,\nthat you honour not what the world seeks\nbut those who walk with you the way of the cross. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give you thanks that through what was foolish\, weak and despised\n— Christ Jesus our Lord\, and him crucified —\nyou broke the grip of human wisdom and strength\,\nhonouring not what the world seeks\nbut those who walk with you the way of the cross. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have always shown us\nwhat is good and what you require of us. \nYou laid the foundations of the earth\,\nand the mountains and hills witness to your justice.\nYou redeemed your people from the house of slavery\nand called us to remember your saving acts\,\nthat we might know your ways\nand live our lives in justice\, kindness and humility. \nWhen our own wisdom and discernment\nfailed to bring us near to you\,\nyou chose what was foolish\, weak and despised in our eyes\nto break the grip of human wisdom and strength:\nChrist Jesus our Lord\,\nand him crucified.\nRaised to new life\,\nhe has made known to us what the wise never guessed\,\nthat you honour not what the world seeks\nbut those who walk with you the way of the cross. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n God decided\, through a message considered foolish\,\nto save those who believe.\nThrough our life in Christ Jesus\,\nwe have been put right with God\,\nand set free to be God’s holy people. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world.\nWalk with integrity.\nDo only what is right.\nSpeak the truth with courage. \nAnd may God reward your mercy with divine mercy;\nMay Christ Jesus allow you to see God;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you into righteousness and peace\n    and fill you with all the blessings of God’s children. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nTrusting a stupid weak failureA sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGodly Living – Why Bother?A sermon on Micah 6: 1-8; Psalm 15; Matthew 5: 1-12 & 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBlessed are those with lots to learnA sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 & 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Be-Jesus-like AttitudesA sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBloody SacrificesA sermon on Micah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 & Matthew 5:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRe-imagining the Kingdom in the time of Global TraumaA sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 by Francesca Nuzzolese\n\n\n\nBlessed and BlessingA sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a14/2029-01-28/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/14.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290202T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290202T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200801T111224Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260301T050159Z UID:10002002-1864684800-1864771199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Presentation of our Lord DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Malachi 3: 1-4 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD who rules over everything has this to say: \n“Look\, I am sending my own messenger to get things ready for my arrival. Then\, all of a sudden\, the Lord you have been looking for will turn up in the temple. You have been longing to see the messenger who will come to put my promises on the table. Well\, he’s coming alright. But will anyone be able to cope with him when he does? Will anyone be able to stand firm in his presence? \nYou see\, he’ll be like a bush fire that clears all the debris from the forest floor\, or like paint stripper that takes a surface back to bare metal. He will tear through the whole family of priests and burn away the rubbish once and for all\, until they shine like pure polished gold. Then they’ll do what they are supposed to do and bring the right kind of offerings to the LORD. That way the offerings of the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to God again\, just like they were in the past.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 84 (alternative canticle) \n \n\n \n \n \n The place where you live is just exquisite\,\nO LORD\, ruler of all!\nWith everything inside me\, I long to be there;\nI go all weak at the very thought of it.\nI want to be there\, body and soul\,\nsinging my heart out for you\, O God of life.  \nEven the birds find a home in your house;\nthere are nests in every nook and cranny\nwhere pigeons and sparrows raise their young.\nBird song and incense rise together\nto honour you\, Sovereign God\, ruler of all.\nHow privileged are those who live in your house;\njoyous songs of praise are forever on their lips.  \nThose who have tapped into your strength\nhave got it made.\nThe highway to heaven begins within them;\na direct route to your holy presence. \nThey are like people who can find water in the desert;\nthey drink from life giving springs\nthat no drought can ever dry up.\nThey go from strength to strength\,\nand will see you face to face on your holy mountain.  \nO LORD\, ruler of everything\, hear my cry.\nTune in to my prayer\, O God of our ancestors. \nYour presence is our protection\, O God;\nsmile upon us\, your chosen ones.  \nA day spent in your presence\nbeats a thousand nights in a five star resort.\nI’d rather scrub floors in your house\, O God\,\nthan rub shoulders with the rich and famous\nbeneath the flashing lights of greed and corruption.  \nO LORD our God\, you are the sun that shines on us\nand the shield that keeps us safe.\nYou shower us with generosity and honour\,\nand deny nothing to people of integrity.  \nO LORD\, ruler of all\,\neveryone who trusts in you has got it made! \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 24: 7-10 (alternative canticle) \n \n\n \n \n \n We hear the call:\n“Wake up! On your feet!\nOpen the gates and form a guard of honour!\nRoll out the red carpet\nbefore the glorious sovereign.” \nWho is this majestic ruler?\nIt is you\, LORD\, supreme and dynamic\,\nthe conqueror of conflict.  \nWe hear it again:\n“Wake up! On your feet!\nOpen the gates and form a guard of honour!\nRoll out the red carpet\nbefore the glorious sovereign.” \nWho is this majestic ruler?\nIt is you\, the LORD who rules over everything.\nThis majestic ruler is you\, our God. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Hebrews 2: 14-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n For Jesus to share so fully in the life experience of the children\, he had to be of the same flesh and blood as them. It was only in the same flesh and blood that he could go through the same death; and it was in going through death that he destroyed the devil who wields death as his ultimate weapon. That is how he broke open an escape route for those whose fear of death robbed them of their freedom to live. Now it is quite clear that he wasn’t doing this for the benefit of the angels. Rather it was for us human beings\, who follow in the footsteps of Abraham\, and so he had to become one of us in every respect. Only by being totally identified with us could he have the necessary compassion and loyalty to be the high priest who offers the costly gift to God to cancel out all we have done wrong. Because he himself has survived the worst that life can dish out without giving up\, he is now ideally placed to help out those whose limits are being being put to the test. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 2: 22-40 \n \n\n \n \n \n Forty days after the birth of Jesus\, Joseph and Mary went up to the Jerusalem temple to undergo the purification ritual required by the religious law. They took Jesus with them\, and offered the sacrifice which the religious law required of new parents. In their case\, because they could not afford much\, the required sacrifice was “a pair of young pigeons or doves.” While they were at the Temple\, they took the opportunity to make the ritual presentation of the baby to the Lord. This too was in line with God’s law\, for it specified that “every firstborn son will be marked out as being dedicated to the Lord.”\nA man named Simeon came into the temple that day at the prompting of the Spirit. Simeon was a man of deep integrity and prayer; a man clearly under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He was living in eager anticipation of the day when the sorrows of God’s people would be brought to an end\, and the Holy Spirit had let him know that he would see the Lord’s chosen Messiah in person before he died. So when Joseph and Mary brought the child into the temple to do all the customary things that the law required\, Simeon was there. He took Jesus in his arms\, and began to praise God in prayer\, saying: \n“At last you are letting your servant go in peace\, Lord\,\njust as you promised you would.\nFor now\, with my own eyes\,\nI have seen your rescue operation underway.\nI have seen the launch of the life you have been preparing\nin the midst of the world and its peoples.\nI have seen the light which will make you known to the nations\,\nthe light which will have your people basking in glory.” \nThe parents couldn’t believe their ears when they heard what was being said about their child. Simeon gave them both a blessing\, and spoke to the child’s mother\, Mary\, saying\, “This child is destined to be the making or breaking of many people in Israel. He will be a sign of what God is now up to\, and many people will turn against him\, and thus expose what they are really made of. And as for you\, his mother\, it will tear your heart out.”\nThere was also an elderly prophet in the temple that day. Her name was Anna\, and she was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was eighty four years old\, and had lived as a widow ever since her husband had died after only seven years of marriage. She spent all her time in the temple\, worshipping God there\, day and night\, with prayer and great discipline. As Mary and Joseph presented the child in the temple\, Anna came up and began to speak of how wonderful God is. She spoke about the child to all those who were looking forward to the day when everything would be put right again for Jerusalem.\nWhen the family had completed everything that the law of the Lord required of them\, they headed back north to Galilee\, to their home town of Nazareth. The child grew up strong and healthy\, with a wise head on his shoulders\, and showing every indication that God was pleased with him. \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 have allowed us to see the salvation\nyou have prepared for all peoples. \nYou are the Lord of heaven’s might\nwho conquered the chaos\nand brought forth the newborn earth.\nYou taught your people through your law and prophets\nto present themselves and their offspring to you\nto be purified and made holy for your service. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you shared our flesh and blood\nand became like us in every way.\nAs a newborn\, he was presented in the temple\nand designated as holy to you.\nHe was recognised by faithful prophets\nas the one who would\,\nthrough his own suffering and death\,\ndestroy the power of death\,\nand rise to be a merciful and faithful high priest\nwho atones for the sins of the people\nand frees us from the fear of death. \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 child\, Jesus\,\nwho was presented to you in your temple\nand designated as the holy one\nwho would serve as a merciful and faithful high priest\nand\, through his own suffering and death\,\ndestroy the power 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 have allowed us to see the salvation\nyou have prepared for all peoples. \nYou are the Lord of heaven’s might\nwho conquered the chaos\nand brought forth the newborn earth.\nYou taught your people through your law and prophets\nto present themselves and their offspring to you\nto be purified and made holy for your service. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, you shared our flesh and blood\nand became like us in every way.\nAs a newborn\, he was presented in the temple\nand designated as holy to you.\nHe was recognised by faithful prophets\nas the one who would\,\nthrough his own suffering and death\,\ndestroy the power of death\,\nand rise to be a merciful and faithful high priest\nwho atones for the sins of the people\nand frees us from the fear of death. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©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 became like us in every way\,\nso that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest\nmaking a sacrifice of atonement\nfor the sins of the people. \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\, for the Lord is dismissing you in peace.\nPresent yourselves to God\nto be purified and made holy to the Lord.\nRejoice in the presence of God\nwho never fails to bless those who walk with integrity. \nAnd may God be pleased with all you offer;\nMay Christ Jesus help you whenever you are tested;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit purify you with refining fire\nand give you honour and grace. \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\nWhat Now?A sermon on Luke 2: 22-40 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Gift of BelongingA sermon on Luke 2: 22-40 by Alison Sampson URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc43/2029-02-02/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/43.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290204T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290204T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20230227T003620Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260309T122459Z UID:10002006-1864857600-1864943999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:5th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 58: 1-9a\, (9b-12) \n \n\n \n \n \n God has told me to shout until you people hear;\nto hammer home the message until it gets through.\nYou are God’s people\, but God feels betrayed by you.\nListen to what God has to say about your sins: \n“Day after day\, you look good:\nyou turn up to worship and pay attention to my teachings.\nYou act like a people who want to do what is right;\nlike a people who want to obey to the letter.\nYou ask me for directions before you do anything\,\nand you seem enthusiastic about getting closer to me. \n“Do you want to know why your religious behaviour turns me off?\nDo you want to know why I ignore your fasting and bowing?\nI’ll tell you why. You put on a great performance of it all\,\nbut then you go straight back to feathering your own nest\nand ripping off your workers in the process. \n“When you fast\, it just makes you irritable and violent;\nand when you behave like that\, I’ll just hang up on you. \n“Do you really think this is what I like to see:\na day of pious misery?\nblack clothes\, long faces and crocodile tears?\ngiving up chocolate and ice-cream?\nDo you think that’s worship?\nDo you think that pleases me?\nGive me a break! \n“Do you want to know what I’d really like to see?\nDismantle the structures of injustice;\ntake your feet off the throats of the poor;\nstop jailing the victims of unfair laws;\nand quit plundering nature’s resources. \n“Do you want to know what else I’d like to see?\nOpen your tables to the hungry;\nopen your hearts and your homes to the refugees;\nopen your wardrobes to those without clothes;\nand don’t go hiding every time you see someone in need. \n“Do that\, and I’ll put your name up in lights!\nDo that and our relationship will be healed in an instant!\nI’ll put you under my personal protection;\nanyone who attacks you will have to deal with me\, the LORD!\nI’ll be on hand to respond whenever you need me;\njust say the word\, and I’ll be there for you. \n“If you abandon all forms of exploitation\,\nand avoid bad-mouthing others to gain an edge;\nif you share what you have with those in need\,\nand respond to the real needs of suffering communities;\nthen you’ll find that the world will light up for you\nand life will be one beautiful day after another. \n“I\, the LORD\, will always be there to guide you;\neven in the grip of drought\,\nI’ll keep you healthy and well fed.\nYou’ll be like an irrigated vineyard with its own deep bore\,\ngreen and lush and full of life! \n“Your ruined houses will be renovated and new;\nyou’ll be able to restore the homes\nthat have been in your families for generations.\nYou’ll get a reputation for making dreams possible\,\nfor enabling everyone to find a good place to live.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 112: 1-9 (10) \n \n\n \n \n \n We are singing your praises\, LORD! \nHow good life is for those who respect you\, LORD\,\nfor those who gladly do what you want them to do. \nTheir children will follow in their footsteps\,\ndoing what’s right and going from strength to strength. \nYou fill their homes with good things\,\nand guarantee their good reputation. \nTheir generosity\, tolerance\, and integrity shine forth in a dark world\,\nlighting up the way for others to follow. \nLORD\, you see that things go well\nfor those who conduct their business fairly\nand lend generously to those in need. \nYou guarantee a firm footing for people of integrity;\ntheir reputation will long outlast them. \nBad news will not break them\,\nfor they have an inner strength grounded in you\, LORD.\nWith their trust in you\, they are calm in a crisis;\nfearless in the fight\,\nand they always end up on top. \nYou will honour their strength\nand make their integrity a lasting legacy\,\nfor they have been open-handed\, especially to the poor. \nAll this throws corrupt people into a snarling rage.\n   Bitterness consumes them\n      as their dreams crumble to nothing. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 2: 1-12\, (13-16) \n \n\n \n \n \n Brothers and sisters in Corinth\, back when I first came your way to announce the mind-boggling truth about God\, I didn’t dress it up in fancy words or philosophical jargon. I wanted to keep it simple and avoid getting sidetracked\, so I emptied my head of everything except the news about Jesus the Messiah and\, in particular\, about him strung up to die. I didn’t cut a very impressive figure among you did I? A sickly little weed\, scared out of my wits and shaking like a leaf. There was nothing in my conversation or my preaching that would have wowed the crowds or had anyone yelling for encores. But that didn’t stop God’s Spirit and power showing themselves. Clearly then\, your trust in Jesus was never based on any human theories\, however profound\, but on your first hand experience of God’s powerful work. \nNow don’t get me wrong: we are happy to talk about deeper stuff with those who are far enough down the track to be ready for it. But even when we do\, it is not the trendy pop-wisdom that is all the rage these days. Nor is it the opinions of those who call the shots on the world stage. They’re on borrowed time anyway. But when it comes to speaking about God’s wisdom\, we are prepared to dig down and explore depths that few ever plumb. There are riches to be discovered there which God laid down for us before the dawn of time. Clearly none of the world’s movers and shakers ever had a clue about this\, because if they had\, they would have known better than to knock off the Lord of glory on that cross. But\, as the prophets noted: \n“Way beyond what anyone has ever seen or heard\,\nor even begun to imagine\,\nlie the things which are being prepared\nfor the people who love God.” \nAnd yet\, God’s Spirit has given us a preview of these very things. There is nothing that the Spirit hasn’t thoroughly explored; not even the deepest depths of God. It is usually true that “it takes one to know one”: only a human being can know what goes on in the human heart\, and only the Spirit of God can truly know what goes on in the heart of God. But that is no longer the whole story for us because instead of just being on the same wavelength as the culture around us\, we have been given the Spirit that comes from God and tunes us in to God\, and so enables us to pick up on what these gifts God is giving us are all about. The books of philosophy and science don’t even give us a language to talk about these things. We can only say anything meaningful about them if we tune into the Spirit\, for the Spirit transmits spiritual truth to those who are spiritually attuned. \nThose who are not spiritually attuned don’t receive any of the gifts that God’s Spirit is offering. They dismiss them as foolish and worthless. They don’t recognise their depth or value because these things can only be picked up on a spiritual wavelength. Those who are spiritually attuned pick up everything\, and yet no one else can get a clear picture of who they are or what they are on about. The prophets asked the question: \n“Does anyone know what God has in mind\,\n   or what God is up to?” \nNow the answer is ‘yes’\, because the Messiah has shared his mind with us. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 5: 13-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus taught his followers\, saying\, “This is how you lot fit into the big picture: you are the salt without which the world would quickly go putrid. But if salt is left sitting around instead of being put to use\, it soon dissolves away or gets contaminated. Then what can you do with it? It is completely useless\, so it just gets chucked out. \n“Or again\, you are the light without which the world would be left in the dark. Your light should be as obvious as a city built on a hill. No one turns on a lamp and then hides it under the bed. They put it out in the open\, front and centre\, so that it can light up the whole room. That is what you should be like. Live your lives openly\, reflecting God brightly\, so that everyone can bask in the light of your integrity and generous love\, and give due credit to God who conceived you in heaven. \n“Don’t go thinking that I’ve given you licence to start ignoring what the Bible says. I’m not getting rid of it. I’m unleashing it to do what it was always intended to do. I kid you not\, until the world as we know it comes to an end and everything is put right\, the Bible will still be necessary\, and not one dot of an “i” or cross of a “t” will be struck out of it. If you start thinking that some of the Bible’s instructions are no big deal\, and start playing fast and loose with them\, and encouraging others to follow suit\, you’ll go straight to the bottom of the class in the culture of heaven. But if you take seriously what they are on about\, and teach others to do likewise\, they’ll have your name up on the honour boards in the culture of heaven. Let me give it to you straight: don’t take your cues from the experts in religious law or the devout Pharisees. Unless your integrity is way out of their league\, you’ll never get within cooee of the culture of heaven. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor your mercy and justice are a light in our darkness\nand your Word outlasts even heaven and earth\nwhich you have created. \nBefore the ages\, your wisdom destined us for glory\nand you have revealed your depths to us through the Spirit.\nWhen we failed in righteousness\nand turned our worship into a mask\nhiding our oppression\, contempt and disregard of others\,\nyou rejected our fasts and prayers\nand sent prophets to denounce our rebellion\nand call us back to your ways. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, and him crucified\,\nwe have seen the light of the world\,\nand found a spring of healing that never fails.\nYou raised him from the dead\,\nand through him\, gave us your Spirit.\nwho has begun the rebuilding of our integrity\non the ancient foundations of justice\, mercy and compassion. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you that in your Son Jesus\, and him crucified\,\nwe have seen the light of the world and received your Spirit.\nwho has begun the rebuilding of our integrity\non the ancient foundations of justice\, mercy and compassion. \n©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor your mercy and justice are a light in our darkness\nand your Word outlasts even heaven and earth\nwhich you have created. \nBefore the ages\, your wisdom destined us for glory\nand you have revealed your depths to us through the Spirit.\nWhen we failed in righteousness\nand turned our worship into a mask\nhiding our oppression\, contempt and disregard of others\,\nyou rejected our fasts and prayers\nand sent prophets to denounce our rebellion\nand call us back to your ways. \nIn your child\, Jesus\, and him crucified\,\nwe have seen the light of the world\,\nand found a spring of healing that never fails.\nYou raised him from the dead\,\nand through him\, gave us your Spirit.\nwho has begun the rebuilding of our integrity\non the ancient foundations of justice\, mercy and compassion. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Put an end to oppression\, to contempt and to evil talk\,\nand God’s favour will shine on you like the morning sun.\nYour wounds will be quickly healed.\nGod will be with you to save you\,\nand the Spirit’s presence will protect you on every side. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n You are the salt of the earth.\nYou are the light of the world.\nLet your light shine before others\nthat seeing your justice\, mercy and compassion\nthey may give glory to God in heaven. \nAnd may God guide you continually;\nMay Christ Jesus satisfy your needs even in parched places\,\nAnd may the Holy Spirit keep you strong and well\nand make your life as rich as a garden\nwhose springs of living water never fail. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2005 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nSalt in an open woundA sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat are you good for?A sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 & 1 Corinthians 2: 1-16 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot One Jot or TittleA sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 & Isaiah 58:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Clever EnoughA sermon on 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 & Matthew 5:13-20 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCovenant Salt of the EarthA sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 by Joris Geldhof\n\n\n\nThe Salt of the Earth In Our Open WoundsA sermon on Matthew 5:13-20 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a15/2029-02-04/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/15.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290211T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290211T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20210616T090325Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260315T042210Z UID:10002009-1865462400-1865548799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Transfiguration Sunday (Last Sunday before Lent) - Year A DESCRIPTION:Churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday may prefer to use the resources for the 6th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent. \n\n\n\nBelow you will find the Bible readings set for Transfiguration Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Exodus 24: 12-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Moses\, “Come up onto the mountain and wait for me there; and I will give you the two slabs of stone on which I have written the instructions for how my people are to live.” \nSo Moses and his right-hand-man\, Joshua\, set out for the mountain to meet with God. Before going up the mountain\, Moses called together the tribal leaders and said\, “Stay put here until we get back. I’m leaving Aaron and Hur in charge. You can ask them to sort out any problems that occur while we are away.” \nThen Moses began his climb up Mount Sinai\, and cloud engulfed the mountain. The mountain top lit up with the glorious presence of the LORD. To the Israelite people watching from below\, it looked like a raging bushfire and the whole mountain was engulfed in thick cloud for six days. On the seventh day\, the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. Moses went into the cloud and right up onto the top of the mountain. He stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 2 \n \n\n \n \n \n Why do the nations conspire against you\, LORD?\nWhy do the peoples plot rebellion? \nWhy do the world’s power brokers thump their chests\,\nand the war lords put their heads together\,\nplotting against you and your chosen one? \nThey say:\n“Let us join forces to sever ties with God.\nLet’s throw off these chains and declare our independence.” \nYou must be laughing as you sit high above\, LORD.\nThey must look like a pathetic joke to you. \nYou will vent your terrifying anger on them\,\nand give them a piece of your mind\, saying\,\n“I\, the LORD\, have put my king on the throne\non Zion\, my sacred mountain.” \nWe know well what you promised\, LORD.\nYou said to your chosen one:\n“You are my son;\ntoday I have brought you forth.” \nYou give to your chosen one whatever he asks;\nnations\, land and sea\, the earth itself. \nThey are all his to do with as he sees fit;\nhe can smash them to pieces if he so desires. \nSo the power brokers would be well advised to serve you\, LORD;\nthe rulers would do well to heed the warning\nand kiss your feet with fear and trembling. \nIf they don’t your anger will blaze forth and incinerate them\,\nfor you easily lose your temper with corrupt leaders. \nBut those who trust you for shelter\, LORD\,\nwill always be glad they did. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 99 \n \n\n \n \n \n You\, LORD\, rule over everything!\nEnthroned in glory\, surrounded by awesome creatures\,\nyour presence sends shivers down our spines\nand makes even the earth tremble and quake! \nLORD\, your greatness is celebrated in Zion\,\nand in every nation you are number one.\nAt the mere mention of your name\,\npeople everywhere burst into praise\,\nfor your greatness and holiness are awesome! \nRuling in strength; loving justice with a passion;\nyou have seen to it that everyone gets a fair go.\nYou have laid down the law\nso that your people will do what is right. \nWe fall at your feet and sing your praises\, O LORD our God\,\nfor your greatness and holiness are awesome! \nMoses and Aaron served you as priests\,\nSamuel was another who reached out to you.\nThey cried out to you on the world’s behalf\,\nand from the awesome cloud you answered them. \nThey stuck to what you had told them\, LORD\,\nand did whatever you asked of them.\nWhen they did wrong you set them straight\,\nin no uncertain terms;\nbut you forgave them\, LORD\,\nand never failed to answer them. \nWe sing your praises\, O LORD our God.\nWe climb your holy mountain to worship you\,\nfor your greatness and holiness are awesome! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Peter 1: 16-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we filled you in on the power of our Lord Jesus\, the Messiah\, and his approaching return\, were not simply digging up a masterful old bit of story telling. We know what we were talking about because we had been given a sneak preview of his true grandeur. God\, the conceiver of everything\, decked Jesus out in honour and glory. We witnessed this ourselves while we were with him on the sacred mountain. With our own ears we heard God’s voice\, booming out majestically to him from heaven\, saying\, ““This is my Son who I love greatly and who fills me with pride.” \nSo we have been left in no doubt about the truth of what God’s prophets have said about him. Take my advice and pay attention to what they said\, because their message is a much-needed source of light in the darkness that you must endure until the new day breaks and the morning star rises in your hearts. But what you must first get clear in your heads is that the prophetic messages in the scriptures are not just the private opinions of those who wrote them down. The prophetic messages that have been passed down to us were not born of someone’s wishful thinking. Rather\, the Holy Spirit fired up men and women to speak on God’s behalf. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 17: 1-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus took Peter and the brothers\, James and John\, and led them off up a high mountain. Before their very eyes\, the way Jesus looked was suddenly changed from the inside out. His face shone like the sun and his clothing became so white it was dazzling. And\, lo and behold\, they saw Moses and Elijah there too\, in deep conversation with Jesus. \nPeter said\, “Lord\, this is fantastic! What a moment! If you like\, I will knock up three huts\, so that you\, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” \nEven before he finished getting the words out\, a dazzling cloud engulfed them all. Deep within the cloud\, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son\, the love of my life\, who fills me with pride. Listen to him!” \nWhen Peter\, James and John heard this\, they hit the deck\, dumbfounded. But Jesus came and tapped them on the shoulders and said\, “Up you get! There’s nothing to be afraid of!” \nAnd when they looked up\, everything looked normal again and they saw no one there but Jesus. \nAs they were coming back down the mountain\, Jesus swore them to secrecy\, saying\, “Don’t breathe a word to anyone about what you’ve seen until the New Human has been raised from the dead.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor your transfiguring light has overcome us\nand is restoring within us the image of your glory. \nAt the dawn of time your glory overcame the chaos\nand gave birth to the earth and heavens.\nOn the fiery mountain you gave the law to Moses\,\nand through men and women moved by your Holy Spirit\nyou gave us your word to lighten up the dark places. \nIn the timeless presence of Moses and Elijah\nyou transfigured your anointed one\, Jesus\,\nallowing his terrified followers to witness his majesty\nand hear your voice from the awesome cloud.\nPowerful leaders plotted against him\nand killed him\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\,\ndeclaring him again to be your beloved Son.\nCalling us now to listen to him\nyou send us forth to share your transfiguring love with all. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for the glory of your anointed one\, Jesus\,\nwhich was witnessed by his terrified followers in the awesome cloud\,\nand is now restoring within us the image of your glory\nand sending us forth to share your transfiguring love with all. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor your transfiguring light has overcome us\nand is restoring within us the image of your glory. \nAt the dawn of time your glory overcame the chaos\nand gave birth to the earth and heavens.\nOn the fiery mountain you gave the law to Moses\,\nand through men and women moved by your Holy Spirit\nyou gave us your word to lighten up the dark places. \nIn the timeless presence of Moses and Elijah\nyou transfigured your anointed one\, Jesus\,\nallowing his terrified followers to witness his majesty\nand hear your voice from the awesome cloud.\nPowerful leaders plotted against him\nand killed him\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\,\ndeclaring him again to be your beloved Son.\nCalling us now to listen to him\nyou send us forth to share your transfiguring love with all. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Though the glory of the Lord is a devouring fire\,\nbefore which we tremble in awe\,\nJesus comes to us\,\ntouching us with mercy\nand saying\, “Get up\, and do not be afraid.” \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and make known the power and coming\nof our Lord Jesus Christ.\nBow at God’s feet\,\nand serve the Lord with joy. \nAnd may God be your shelter;\nMay Christ Jesus take away your fear;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you in truth until the day dawns\nand the morning star rises in your hearts. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nAfter the MountainA sermon on 2 Peter 1:16-21 & Matthew 17:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\n Revealing the face of utter human vulnerabilityA sermon on Matthew 17:1-9 by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nFrom Mountain Top to Mountain Top (full version)A sermon on 2 Peter 1:16-21; Exodus 24:12-18 & Matthew 17:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFrom Mountain Top to Mountain Top (abridged version)A sermon on 2 Peter 1:16-21; Exodus 24:12-18 & Matthew 17:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a16/2029-02-11/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/16.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290211T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290211T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20230306T014139Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260315T041747Z UID:10002008-1865462400-1865548799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:6th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year A DESCRIPTION:This occasion only occurs in 2029 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 Deuteronomy 30: 15-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n “Take note that today I\, the LORD your God\, have laid out the choices clearly before you. You can choose life and good times or death and hard times. If you live by the rules that I have given you today — if you love me\, do things my way\, and follow my rules\, guidance and instructions — then you will live and flourish. I\, the LORD your God\, will look after you and make you strong and prosperous in the land I am about to give you. \nOn the other hand\, if you reject me and refuse to listen to me\, it will be a very different story. I am warning you in no uncertain terms that if you pursue other objects of devotion and serve them instead of me\, your lives will be ruined. You will not last long in the land I am about to give you on the other side of the Jordan River. \nHere and now I call on the earth and sky to witness that I have laid out the choices clearly before you; choices between life and death\, between being blessed and being cursed. Choose life! Choose life so that you and your children and grandchildren can flourish. Commit yourself to me\, the LORD your God\, in love and loyalty. Obey what I say and stick with me\, because that is the sure-fire recipe for a long and satisfying life in the land that I promised to your ancestors\, Abraham\, Isaac and Jacob.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Sirach 15: 15-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n You can do what God tells you if you want to.\nSticking to the right track is a simple matter of choice. \nGod has laid out the options in front of you.\nStick your hand in the fire or in the water. You choose! \nEvery person is offered the same alternatives – life or death –\nand whichever you choose\, that’s what you get. \nThe wisdom of the Lord is incredible.\nThe power of the Lord is enormous.\nThey eyes of the Lord don’t miss a thing. \nThe Lord keeps a close watch on all who respect him.\nWhatever people are up to\, the Lord knows about it. \nNo one is under God’s orders to do the wrong thing by others.\nThe Lord has not given the nod to corruption of any kind. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 119: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, how good it will be for those who no one can point a finger at\,\nwho play by your rules and stick to the straight and narrow. \nHow good it will be for those who do what you say\,\nand put their whole heart into knowing you better;\nwho never do the wrong thing by any one\,\nbut stick to your tracks all the way. \nYou have laid down the law for us\nand told us to follow it to the letter. \nThere is nothing I want more than to be rock solid\,\nfollowing your script in everything I do. \nIf I keep my eyes fixed on your instructions\,\nI will never have to hang my head. \nThe more I discover the justice and integrity of your teaching\,\nthe more I sing your praises with my heart beating proud. \nI intend to do everything you say;\nplease don’t ever give up on me. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Corinthians 3: 1-9 \n \n\n \n \n \n Sisters and brothers\, I wish I could treat you as grown-ups when we are speaking of spiritual things but\, unfortunately\, I can’t. You are such babies in the Messiah’s family that I can’t treat you much better than those who live like animals. I’m still having to spoon feed you with baby food\, because you are clearly not ready for the solid meat-and-potatoes stuff. You weren’t ready when I was with you\, and you are still not\, because you still behaving like animals. Look at all the bitchiness and back-biting that goes on among you. Can’t you see what it says about you; that you not tuned in to the Spirit at all\, but are constantly at the beck and call of your own selfish desires? \nYou keep splitting up into rival factions. One group says\, “We’re on Paul’s side\,” and another says\, “We’re for Apollos.” You’re like toddlers spitting the dummy! \nWhat’s so important about Apollos or me anyway? We are just simple workers who introduced you to the Lord while doing the jobs that he gave us. We were working together like a team of gardeners. I planted the seeds\, Apollos came along and watered them\, but it was God who made things grow. The ones who plant and water are nothing. They can’t make anything grow. Only God can do that. Apollos and I are on the same team. My planting and his watering were both for the same purpose\, and we’ll both be paid our due wages from the one payroll. You see\, we are simply two labourers\, working shoulder to shoulder\, tending God’s garden\, which is you lot\, or constructing God’s building\, which is also you lot. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 5: 21-37 \n \n\n \n \n \n After telling his followers that their integrity needed to go way beyond that of the Pharisees and the religious experts\, Jesus went on to give some examples. He said\, “You know that the law given to our ancestors in the olden days said ‘Do not kill anyone’\, and ‘whoever kills someone will be brought to justice.’ Well\, I am telling you to set your sights way higher than that. Imagine one of those sliding scales the legal eagles love to dream up\, and try this for size. If you lose your temper with someone\, you will be brought to justice. And if you spit insults at someone\, you’ll be dragged before the High Court. And if you call someone a brainless moron\, you will probably burn in hell! Now there’s a standard to aim at! \n“So what does this look like in practice? Well\, if you are on your way to offer your worship to God and you remember that you have offended a sister or brother and you haven’t sorted it out with them yet\, then put everything on hold\, and go and make peace straight away. Get your relationship back on good terms first\, and then you are free to come and worship God. \n“Or\, if someone is accusing you of something and threatening to take you to court\, do everything you can to find some way of settling it and getting back on good terms before it ever gets that far. If you dig your heels in and try to fight it through the courts\, you’ll be paying off lawyers for the rest of your life\, and you might lose anyway. \n“You know that the law said ‘Do not have sex with anyone who is married to someone else’. Well\, I am telling you expect a bit more of yourselves than just that. If you start undressing someone with your eyes and wishing you could get your hands on them\, then there is already a sexual predator on the prowl in your heart. Stomp on it before it gets loose! If you can’t control your wandering eye\, you might as well gouge it out and get rid of it. You’d be better off without it than letting it lead you onto the slippery slope of depravity that ends in hell. And if you can’t keep your hands to yourself\, you’d be better off getting them amputated. It is no use keeping them if they are out of control and turning you into a predator fit for hell. \n“The law also said that if you decide to quit on your marriage\, you should end it completely with a proper legal divorce. Well\, I am telling you to lift your standards. Unless the person you married is already dragging your vows through the mud\, divorcing them is a failure to follow through on your promises and is no better than adultery. And if you marry someone who walked out on their marriage to be with you\, that’s just adultery too. The legal niceties don’t make it right. \n“And another thing: you know that the law given to our ancestors in the olden days said\, ‘You must not tell lies under oath\, and if you make a promise in God’s name\, then you must follow through on it.’ Well\, I am telling you to set your sights way higher than that. Think of yourselves as being under oath all the time\, and don’t go trying to add extra weight to what you say by calling God as your witness\, or swearing on a stack of Bibles\, or on your mother’s grave\, or any such thing. None of this cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die rubbish\, as if it made any difference. Just speak the truth all the time. Say what you mean\, and mean what you say. Any attempt to muddy the waters beyond that is a scheme of the devil.” \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor we have learned of your justice\,\nand you have never left us without witnesses to your Word. \nIn ancient days before you gave your people the land\,\nyou set before us a covenant\,\nwith heaven and earth as your witnesses\,\ncalling us to embrace your ways\nand choose life over evil. \nWhen we turned away from you\, life began to perish\,\nbut you sent your child\, Jesus Christ\,\n— your word become flesh —\nto reconcile us to one another and to you\,\nso that the righteousness of your law might be fulfilled in us.\nThough he was killed\, you raised him to life\,\nand now\, in each generation\nyour servants work together\nto plant and water the seed of your Word\nwhich you cause to grow in us\,\nso that\, following your ways\, life can be blessed. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for sending your child\, Jesus Christ\,\nto reconcile us to one another and to you\,\nso that the righteousness of your law\nmight be planted and grown in us\,\nand following your ways\, life can be blessed. \n©2011 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor we have learned of your justice\,\nand you have never left us without witnesses to your Word. \nIn ancient days before you gave your people the land\,\nyou set before us a covenant\,\nwith heaven and earth as your witnesses\,\ncalling us to embrace your ways\nand choose life over evil. \nWhen we turned away from you\, life began to perish\,\nbut you sent your child\, Jesus Christ\,\n— your word become flesh —\nto reconcile us to one another and to you\,\nso that the righteousness of your law might be fulfilled in us.\nThough he was killed\, you raised him to life\,\nand now\, in each generation\nyour servants work together\nto plant and water the seed of your Word\nwhich you cause to grow in us\,\nso that\, following your ways\, life can be blessed. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n To all you who seek God with all your heart\ncomes God’s promise to steady you and hold you close\,\nGod’s mercy is for you\,\nthat you may\, without shame\,\nwalk in the ways of God’s life. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n God has placed before you life & death\, blessings & curses.\nTherefore choose life\, follow God’s way.\nGo now\, and be a people of reconciliation and integrity.\nLet your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” “no”. \nAnd in all the paths you walk\nmay God hold you steady and close.\nMay Christ Jesus bless you and every place you enter.\nAnd may the Spirit give you length of days and fullness of life. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2006 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nFighting RightA sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 & Matthew 5:21-37 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLifting our StandardsA sermon on Matthew 5:21-37 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nTaking Our Humanity to a New LevelA sermon on 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 & Matthew 5:21-37 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWho Lit the Fires of Hell?A sermon on Matthew 5:21-37 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nJesus Confronts My Angry TiradeA sermon on Matthew 5:21-37 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap01/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P01.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290214T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290214T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20250301T130714Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260322T012007Z UID:10002184-1865721600-1865807999@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/abc17/2029-02-14/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/17.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290218T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290218T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20230319T115209Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260322T012301Z UID:10002014-1866067200-1866153599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:1st Sunday in Lent - Year A DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD God put the humans in the garden of Eden so that they could tend the garden and look after it. The LORD God gave them these instructions: “You are free to eat the fruit from every tree in the garden except one. There is one tree whose fruit you must not eat\, for just one bite of it and your minds will start dividing everything up into good and evil. The day that happens\, you lose your life.” \nNow\, among the wild animals which the LORD God had made\, the most devious of all was the snake. The snake approached the woman one day and said\, “Did God tell you you couldn’t eat fruit from the trees in the garden?” \nThe woman replied\, “We are free to eat fruit from any tree in the garden except for one tree in the middle. God told us not to eat its fruit or even touch it because if we do we will die.” \nBut the snake said to the woman\, “You would not die. God knows very well that if you eat that fruit you will be able to see what you cannot yet see. You will be like God\, because you be able to judge good and evil.” \nThen the woman stared at the fruit on the tree. It was beautiful\, and not only looked delicious\, but now it looked to her like a desirable shortcut to great wisdom\, so she took a piece of the fruit and ate it. The man was with her\, so she gave some to him and he ate it too. Suddenly they saw everything through different eyes. Feeling exposed\, and needing to cover up\, they sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 32 \n \n\n \n \n \n What a blessing it is to be among those you have forgiven\, LORD\,\nthose whose record of wrongdoing you have wiped clean. \nPeople who are honest about their lives\nhave everything going for them;\nthey never have to cover their tracks\nor worry that they’ll be in your bad books. \nI used to keep my sins to myself\, LORD\,\nbut they poisoned me from within;\nwasting my body\,\ntormenting my mind. \nDay and night I felt your eyes following me;\nI lived in fear that you’d see right through me.\nThe joy of living evaporated\nin the burning heat of my guilt. \nThen I decided to come clean with you\, LORD\,\nto own up to all I’d done and stop living a lie.\nI made a full confession to you\, LORD\,\nand you gave me a full pardon\, forgiving all my sin. \nNow\, like all your faithful people\, LORD\,\nI am always ready to open myself to you in prayer.\nWhen trouble breaks its banks\,\nyour faithful ones are on safe ground. \nYou are like a bomb shelter for us\, LORD;\nyou protect us from danger.\nThanks to you\, LORD\, we can still laugh;\nwe can dance around singing songs of freedom. \nYou have given us clear directions;\nyou have pointed out the path we should follow.\nYou have kept a watchful eye on us\nand made sure we understood. \nYou have encouraged us to follow willingly\,\nto understand and embrace your ways;\nnot to buck and snort like wild horses\,\nfighting the reins until our strength is broken. \nThose who refuse the straight and narrow\nwill suffer for it\, over and over;\nbut those who put their trust in you\, LORD\,\nwill find love and loyalty wherever they go. \nYou are celebrated by all right-minded people\, LORD;\nwith open hearts we shout for joy;\nwith clear minds we sing your praises. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 5: 12-19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Sin infected the world through one person; and it proved to be fatal. It spread rapidly and no one was immune. In no time at all everybody was facing death because sin had shown up in the actions of every person on the planet. Indeed\, the epidemic of sin had well and truly taken hold before God gave us the Law through Moses\, but until then\, there was no way to accurately diagnose it or keep a record of it. Records or no records\, death was still the order of the day before the time of Moses\, and had been ever since Adam. While most people had not developed symptoms as serious as Adam’s — flat out disobedience of a clear instruction from God — even the mildest cases of sin proved to be fatal. Despite his role in all this\, when we look back at Adam we can see in him some clear indicators of the nature of the one who would later come to clear up the mess. \nOf course the free gift that the Messiah gives is nothing like the infection that Adam left us\, but there are striking similarities in the way that their respective actions had such enormous consequences for everybody else. One person’s stuff-up was responsible for the death of many; while the other person\, Jesus the Messiah\, through his own generous love\, was responsible for the extravagant generosity of God becoming freely available to everyone. The comparison ends there\, though\, because the consequences are clearly a world apart. The sentence that was brought down on that first act of corruption put us all on death row\, but despite the sorry history of corruption since\, the Messiah’s free gift enables anybody and everybody to stand before God with a perfectly clean record. All it took for death to seize absolute power was for one person to do the wrong thing. So you can imagine what can be achieved through the actions of one person when that person is Jesus the Messiah! It is a sure thing that those who open themselves to his extravagant generosity\, and accept his free gift of being put in the good books with God\, will topple death and regain the power to live life to the full. \nSo it all boils down to this: just as a corrupt act by one person resulted in us all being condemned to death\, so an act of unshakeable integrity by one person resulted in us all being able to make a fresh start with a clean slate and an open ticket on life. One person did the wrong thing by God and we were all tarred with the same brush; but now one person has done the right thing by God\, and we’re all going to get the credit! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 4: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Spirit led Jesus up into a remote wilderness area so that he could be challenged and prove himself. He went without food for forty days and nights out there\, and after that he was weak from hunger. Sensing his weakness\, the devil tried every trick in the book to lure him off-track. Playing on his hunger\, the devil said\, “If you are really the Son of God\, prove it! Say the word and turn these rocks into loaves of bread.” \nJesus answered him\, “As the scriptures say\,  \n‘It takes a lot more than bread to make life worth living.\nIt is the words that God speaks\, every one of them\,\nthat really feed us.’” \nThe devil decided to try quoting scripture too. Taking Jesus to the holy city and standing him on top of the Temple’s highest tower\, the devil said\, “If you are really the Son of God\, prove it to everyone. Throw yourself down from the top of this tower so that God can fulfil the scriptures that say: \n‘God will give instructions to the angels about you\,’\n‘They will catch you as you fall\nand you won’t so much as stub your toe on the rocks below.’” \nBut Jesus couldn’t be budged and replied\, “The scriptures also say\, ‘Don’t go trying to test out the Lord your God.’” \nMaking another try\, the devil took Jesus up onto a very high mountain with panoramic views of all the world’s nations in all their splendour\, and said to him\, “I can make the world your oyster. I will give you all this if you just get down on your knees and worship me. Just acknowledge me as number one – and it’s all yours.” \nBut Jesus was not taken in\, and he said\, “Get out of here\, you satan! The scriptures leave no doubt about who we are to call number one:  \n‘Worship the Lord your God and no other.\nGive your whole-hearted service\nto the Lord your God and no other.’”  \nWith that\, the devil cleared off\, and suddenly God’s angels showed up and took care of everything Jesus needed. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have given us the free gift of righteousness and life. \nYou created the world\, abundant and fertile\,\nand entrusted it to us.\nWith every word that comes from your mouth\,\nyou feed us with the fruit of life\nand show us how to avoid the fruit of death. \nWhen sin entered the world through one man’s deceit\,\nwe were all left\, poisoned by shame\,\nour strength withering as in a summer drought.\nBut now\, through one man\, Jesus Christ\,\nrighteousness has come.\nHe was tested in the wilderness\nbut refused to compromise with evil\,\neven when it came disguised\nas compassion\, knowledge and reason.\nThough he was killed\, you raised him to life\,\nand in him we have received the abundance of grace\nthat we might stand before you cleansed of all evil and deceit. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for feeding us with every word that comes from your mouth\,\nand for not leaving us poisoned by the fruit of death\,\nbut\, through one man\, Jesus Christ\,\nreaching out to us with the free gift of grace\nthat we might stand before you cleansed of all evil and deceit. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have given us the free gift of righteousness and life. \nYou created the world\, abundant and fertile\,\nand entrusted it to us.\nWith every word that comes from your mouth\,\nyou feed us with the fruit of life\nand show us how to avoid the fruit of death. \nWhen sin entered the world through one man’s deceit\,\nwe were all left\, poisoned by shame\,\nour strength withering as in a summer drought.\nBut now\, through one man\, Jesus Christ\,\nrighteousness has come.\nHe was tested in the wilderness\nbut refused to compromise with evil\,\neven when it came disguised\nas compassion\, knowledge and reason.\nThough he was killed\, you raised him to life\,\nand in him we have received the abundance of grace\nthat we might stand before you cleansed of all evil and deceit. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n When we hide our sin\, we grow weak\,\nbut when we confess our wrong\,\nGod pardons us.\nA free gift of righteousness is ours through Jesus Christ\nwho brings justification and life for all. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world in the righteousness of Christ.\nDo not hide your sin\,\nbut trust in God who gives mercy and love.\nDo not be afraid to face the wilderness\,\nbut do not compromise with evil. \nAnd may God be your shelter to save you from ruin.\nMay Christ be your teacher and show you the path to walk.\nAnd may the Spirit encircle you with songs of freedom. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nWhat Does Discipleship Cost?A sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDoes the Devil make us do it?A sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShortcuts and Hard YardsA sermon on Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 & Matthew 4:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nTemptation – the glory of being humanA sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 by Jude Waldron\n\n\n\nHooked InA sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 by Samara Pitt\n\n\n\nRethinking EveA sermon on Genesis 2:15-17\, 3:1-7 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nWhen Scarcity Is the IllusionA sermon on Romans 5:12-19; Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 & Matthew 4:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a18/2029-02-18/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/18.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290225T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290225T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20230326T094121Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260329T105908Z UID:10002018-1866672000-1866758399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:2nd Sunday in Lent - Year A DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Genesis 12: 1-4a \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD spoke to Abram\, and said: \n“Get up and leave your country\, your relatives and the family of your parents\, and move to the land that I will show you. I will make things go well for you and see that your descendants become a great nation. I will see to it that you are remembered as one of the greats; as one whose life was a blessing to others. I will do good to those who do good to you\, and I will pull the rug out from under anyone who pulls the rug out from under you. Life will be better for everyone on earth because of you.” \nSo Abram got up and left Haran\, just as the LORD had told him to. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 121 \n \n\n \n \n \n If we look to the mountains\,\nwill we find security there? \nNo\, our security comes from you alone\,\nthe LORD\, the maker of earth and sky. \nYou are on the alert\, twenty four hours a day\,\nmaking sure that we don’t lose our footing. \nYou never slack off or take a nap\,\nbut constantly guard your people. \nYou keep us safe\, LORD\,\nyou are always at our side to shield us. \nWhile the sun shines\, nothing can harm us;\nthe moon comes up\, but still we are safe. \nYou stand between us and all evil\, LORD;\nyou keep our lives clear of danger. \nWhether we are coming or going\,\nyou look after us\, LORD;\nyou always have and always will. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 4: 1-5\, 13-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n How does our new perspective on faith affect the way we understand the example set by our ancestor Abraham? If Abraham had earned God’s acceptance through his own hard work\, then he could quite fairly claim to be a cut above the rest of us\, though not above God of course. But that is not the way it happened. As the scriptures clearly say: “Abraham put his trust in God\, and God counted that as the equivalent of a perfect life.” \nWhen people put in an honest day’s work\, their wages are not thought of as a gift\, but as something they have earned. But no one can earn God’s acceptance. Instead of claiming it as an entitlement\, we can only put our trust in God\, who generously treats such trust as the equivalent of a perfect life\, and puts right those who could never make the grade on their own. \nWhen God promised Abraham that he and his descendants would inherit the earth\, it was not because Abraham had earned it by following God’s instructions to the letter. Instead it was a gift given when God put things right for Abraham in response to the trust he had shown. If it were possible to earn the rights to the earth by rigid compliance with the law\, then basic values like trust and promise would be irrelevant. It would all become just another legal contract to be negotiated. Tie it all up in fine print and it will only end up serving as evidence against you; but where the relationship is conducted on the basis of trust\, no one goes on the lookout for very possible breach. \nSo instead of being a legal matter\, the fulfilment of the promise is conditional only on people’s willingness to put their trust in God. It is simply an expression of God’s generosity\, and that’s why it is guaranteed to always be available to everyone. Whether you were raised in a culture where observing the religious law was the norm\, or whether you have simply stepped out and put your trust in God like Abraham did\, the promise is open to you. After all\, both groups can rightly trace their line back to Abraham\, and the scriptures say that God promised to make him the father of many nations. When it looked like Abraham wouldn’t ever become the father of anyone\, he trusted his future into the hands of God\, believing that the God who can bring life out of death could create something out of nothing. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 3: 1-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n There was a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Pharisee party and a leader in the Jewish nation. Late one night he came to speak with Jesus. He said\, “Rabbi\, we recognise that God has sent you as a teacher and that God is with you. How else could you do these things which are so clearly the work of God?” \nJesus answered him\, “Right you are. And let me tell you this: no one will see the full life of God without being born into it from above.” \nNicodemus was taken aback. “How can this be?” he asked\, “A person can only be born once. None of us can go back to the womb and be born again.” \nJesus replied saying: \n“Listen again\, for it is important that you get this. There is only one way into the full life of God\, and it is through a birth of water and Spirit. A baby that emerges from a womb got its body from the bodies of its parents. But a growing person is not just a body\, and the life-force within them emerges from the womb of the Spirit. So don’t be surprised that I said you have to be born from above. You can’t control or predict these things. They are like the wind. You can hear it coming and see what it does\, but what’s driving it or where it is going next is anyone’s guess. God’s Spirit is like the wind\, and so are all those who are born of the Spirit.” \nBut Nicodemus said\, “I’m not with you. How can these things be?” \nJesus replied: \n“How can you set yourself up as one of the teachers of Israel when you are struggling to get your head around the basics? \n“Listen carefully because I’m speaking the truth. We know these things from our own experience\, we’ve seen them with our own eyes\, and yet you fob us off as though we were reporting a rumour we’d heard in the street. If I told you the sky was blue\, you’d blink and take another look\, so what chance is there of you believing anything I have to say about the ways of God? How are you going to check out what I say? None of you have ever gone up and stood face to face with God. The only one who has done that is the New Human\, the one who came from God in the first place. You know the old story from the desert: the one about Moses lifting up the hand-made snake so that the people could look at something that would help them to focus their trust in God. Well\, the New Human is going to be lifted up for much the same reason. Everyone who looks up to him in trust and hope will receive life without limit. \n“God’s love for the world is so overwhelming that even giving up his own son was not too great a cost to ensure that no one need succumb to death. All those who put their trust in him can have boundless life instead. \n“God didn’t put his son’s life on the line merely to bring down the hammer and pass sentence on us. Rather\, God saw the world in desperate trouble and sent the Son on a cosmic rescue mission.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Matthew 17: 1-9 (if the last Sunday before Lent was not observed as Transfiguration Sunday) \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus took Peter and the brothers\, James and John\, and led them off up a high mountain. Before their very eyes\, the way Jesus looked was suddenly changed from the inside out. His face shone like the sun and his clothing became so white it was dazzling. And\, lo and behold\, they saw Moses and Elijah there too\, in deep conversation with Jesus. \nPeter said\, “Lord\, this is fantastic! What a moment! If you like\, I will knock up three huts\, so that you\, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” \nEven before he finished getting the words out\, a dazzling cloud engulfed them all. Deep within the cloud\, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son\, the love of my life\, who fills me with pride. Listen to him!” \nWhen Peter\, James and John heard this\, they hit the deck\, dumbfounded. But Jesus came and tapped them on the shoulders and said\, “Up you get! There’s nothing to be afraid of!” \nAnd when they looked up\, everything looked normal again and they saw no one there but Jesus. \nAs they were coming back down the mountain\, Jesus swore them to secrecy\, saying\, “Don’t breathe a word to anyone about what you’ve seen until the New Human has been raised from the dead.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are our help\, our protector\, our saviour. \nYou made the heavens and earth\,\ncalling into existence things which were not.\nYou founded a people for yourself\non the faithful obedience of Abraham\,\nand led them through your law and prophets. \nFrom the depths of your love\nyou sent your Son into the world\,\nnot to condemn it\, but to save it.\nWhen he was lifted up on the cross and killed\,\nyou raised him to life again\,\nand opened the life of your Kingdom\nto all who believe and are born of water and Spirit.\nCalling us to entrust our destinies\nto the unpredictable currents of your Spirit\,\nand in faith follow your call into unknown places\,\nyou have invited us to share in your gracious promise\,\na promise of blessing for all the earth. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give you thanks for sending your Son into the world\,\nnot to condemn it\, but to save it\,\nand to open the life of your Kingdom\nto all who believe and are born of water and Spirit. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are our help\, our protector\, our saviour. \nYou made the heavens and earth\,\ncalling into existence things which were not.\nYou founded a people for yourself\non the faithful obedience of Abraham\,\nand led them through your law and prophets. \nFrom the depths of your love\nyou sent your Son into the world\,\nnot to condemn it\, but to save it.\nWhen he was lifted up on the cross and killed\,\nyou raised him to life again\,\nand opened the life of your Kingdom\nto all who believe and are born of water and Spirit.\nCalling us to entrust our destinies\nto the unpredictable currents of your Spirit\,\nand in faith follow your call into unknown places\,\nyou have invited us to share in your gracious promise\,\na promise of blessing for all the earth. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n If we put our trust in the one who justifies the ungodly\,\nGod counts our faith as righteousness\,\nfor God did not send the Son into the world\nto condemn us\nbut in order that the world might be saved through him. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world at the call of God.\nFind your help in the Lord\,\nand allow the Spirit to carry you wherever she blows. \nAnd may God shelter you from evil and keep you from stumbling;\nMay Christ Jesus secure your life in faith;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit carry you on the winds of God’s love. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nRisk Evaluation and Reckless TrustA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBirth\, New Birth and the Kingdom of GodA sermon on John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBirth\, New Birth and the Culture of God This sermon on John 3: 1-17& Genesis 12:1-4 by Nathan Nettleton consists mostly of a merger of the previous two above.\n\n\n\nA New Start in the Great UnknownA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Lord is your KeeperA sermon on Psalm 121 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHobbits\, Abram\, and other JourneysA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3: 1-17 by Margie Dahl\n\n\n\nA Name on the WayA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 121 & John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a19/2029-02-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/19.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290304T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290304T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20230402T123207Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230402T123208Z UID:10002020-1867276800-1867363199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:3rd Sunday in Lent - Year A DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Exodus 17: 1-7 \n \n\n \n \n \n The whole gathered people of Israel pushed on from the Sen Desert\, making the journey in manageable stages as the LORD directed them. At the end of one stage\, they set up camp at a place called Rephidim\, only to find that there was no drinking water in the area. The people started getting stuck into Moses again and demanding that he provide them with water to drink. But Moses said to them\, “What are you taking it out on me for? Are you trying to provoke the LORD into losing patience with you?” \nBut the people’s thirst was becoming severe\, and the more desperate they became\, the more they blamed Moses. “Now look at the mess you’ve got us into\,” they said. “Is this what you dragged us all out of Egypt for: to watch us die in a parched desert\, and our children and livestock with us? \nSo Moses cried out to the LORD\, saying\, “What am I supposed to do with these people? They are nearly ready to tear me limb from limb.” \nThe LORD replied\, “Take some of the Israelite tribal leaders with you\, and go on ahead of the people. Take your hiking stick with you — the same one you used to strike the waters of the Nile. I will be waiting for you at the rock at Mount Sinai. Give the rock a good thump with your stick\, and water will come pouring out of it for everyone to drink.” \nIn full view of the tribal leaders\, Moses did as the LORD had told him\, and sure enough\, there was water for everyone. From then on\, Moses referred to that place by either of two names: Massah\, which means ‘testing’\, because the people had tested the LORD’s patience; and Meribah\, which means ‘dispute’\, because the people had questioned the LORD’s loyalty. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 95 \n \n\n \n \n \n We gather and sing to you\, LORD.\nWe raise the roof with shouts of joy\nfor you are the rock on which we are safe! \nWe come into your presence bursting with gratitude;\nwe set the house rocking as we sing your praises! \nFor you\, LORD\, are the greatest God of all;\nyou rank way above every other claim on our loyalty. \nYou hold the depths of the earth in your hands\,\nand the highest mountains are at your disposal. \nThe oceans and the dry lands alike belong to you\,\nfor you made them with your own hands. \nYou made us too\, LORD\, and we worship you\,\nfalling to our knees and bowing down to the ground! \nYou are our God and we are your people;\nyou tenderly care for us like a sheep rearing her young. \nIf only all your people would pay attention to you! \nIf only they wouldn’t turn their backs on you\nlike their ancestors did that day at Meribah.\nThere in the Massah Desert they slandered you;\nthey forgot all you had done\nand demanded that you prove yourself. \nFor forty years you turned your back on them\, LORD\,\nfor you couldn’t stand to see how twisted they became\nas they deserted your ways. \nYou angrily wrote off the whole generation\nand denied them the satisfaction of finding a place to call home. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 5: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n It was our faith that put us back in the good books with God. We put our trust in Jesus Christ our Lord and we can rest assured that he has cleared up everything with God for us. Christ got us in on the extravagant generosity of God\, and that generosity has given us a safe place to plant our feet. We don’t just stand there\, though. We hold our heads up high and announce\, with pride\, that we confidently expect to be sharing the glory that is coming to God. Actually\, it’s not just what’s coming in the future that makes us feel so good. Even now\, when life seems to be giving us a raw deal\, we can stand proud. We know that going through suffering can make us tough enough to survive the worst of times. This ability to tough things through will in turn generate new depths of integrity and maturity within us. And that brings us full-circle because it is this integrity and maturity that gives us our confidence about the future. Our confidence is not in vain either. We are sure about that because of what we have already experienced: a flood of love surging into our hearts from the Holy Spirit who God has given to us. \nChrist got us on track at the cost of his own life. He did it right when we most needed it; when we were way off course and too weak to ever get ourselves back. It’s hard to believe\, but true. You rarely hear of people putting their lives on the line for others\, even for innocent children. Perhaps we might be able to imagine finding the courage to die for someone who we deeply admired and loved. But if you need proof of how much God loves us\, just look at what Christ did. While we were still showing no signs of ever offering God anything but contempt\, Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for us. \nSo if Christ was willing to spill his own blood to get us back on side with God\, you can bet your bottom dollar that he will get us through safely when it all hits the fan. When we were still his enemies\, Christ died to reconcile us to God\, so imagine how much he would be prepared to do for us now that we are his friends. In his dying he ended the hostility: now in his living he is building us a rich life of love and peace. So you can see why we get so carried away about it all. Christ has taken us from being enemies to being friends of God\, and we can never find adequate words to express the praise we want to heap on God through our Lord Jesus Christ. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 4: 5-42 \n \n\n \n \n \n On his way back to Galilee\, Jesus stopped in a Samaritan town called Sychar; a town known for its historic links to Jacob. There was a piece of land which Jacob had given to his son Joseph there; and a well he had dug was still providing the town with water. Feeling bushed after hiking all morning\, Jesus plonked himself down near the well while his disciples went into town to buy some lunch. \nOne of the local women came out to draw water from the well. Jesus said to her\, “Could you give me a drink\, please?” \nThe woman replied\, “What are you doing talking to me? I didn’t think you Jews ever had anything to do with us Samaritans\, let alone with Samaritan women!” \nJesus answered her\, “You don’t realise what God is willing to give you\, or who it is who is asking you for a drink. If you did\, you’d be asking me to give you a drink\, and I would have offered you pure living water.” \nThe woman replied\, “Mister\, this is a deep well and you don’t even have a bucket. Where do you suppose you’re going to get this living water? This well was given to us by our ancestor Jacob. He drank from it himself\, and so did his family and his livestock. You’re not making yourself out to be a better man than Jacob are you?” \nJesus said to her\, “You can drink this water all you like\, but it won’t quench your thirst for long. But everyone who drinks the water I give them will never be thirsty again. For them\, the water I will give will become a permanent spring within\, an overflowing source of life without limit.” \n“O please Mister\,” said the woman\, “give me some of this water so that I won’t keep getting thirsty and having to trudge out here to draw water.” \nJesus said to her\, “Go and get your husband first\, and come back with him.” \n“But I don’t have a husband\,” the woman protested. \n“You’ve hit the nail on the head there\,” said Jesus. “You’ve lost five husbands\, and the man you’re living with now hasn’t taken you as his wife. You’re not wrong saying you don’t have a husband!” \n“Obviously you are a prophet\, Mister\,” said the woman\, “so clear up a question for me. Who’s right: our ancestors who worshipped God on this mountain\, or you Jews who claim that Jerusalem is the only place to worship?” \nJesus replied\, “Woman\, you can take from me that the time is coming when it won’t make the slightest bit of difference where you worship. You people worship as best you can\, but you don’t have the full picture. We Jews have got a much better idea what we are doing when we worship\, because God is working through us to save the world. But the time is coming – it’s here now now – when the measure of true worship will be the integrity and spirit of those who offer it\, not their location. The God who conceived us seeks people whose worship is for real. Since God is spirit\, our worship of God must flow out of the integrity of who we are in the core of our being\, and of how we live.” \nThe woman said to him\, “Well\, I know that the anointed one is coming\, the one who is called the Christ. When he arrives\, he’ll spell out the truth about everything for us.” \nJesus said to her\, “You are looking at him. I am the one.” \nAt that moment\, his disciples came back with the lunch. Their shock at finding Jesus interacting with the woman was written all over their faces\, even though none of them came right out and challenged him. The woman cleared off in such a hurry that she forgot her bucket. She went back into town and began telling everyone about Jesus. “You have all got to come and see this bloke\,” she said. “He read me like a book and told me all about my past! You don’t think he could perhaps be the Messiah do you? Come and see.” \nSo everybody began coming out from the town to see him. Meanwhile\, the disciples were trying get him ready to move on again\, saying\, “Come on\, Rabbi. Get some food into you.” \nBut he said to them\, “I’m getting by fine on food that you lot know nothing about.” \nThey looked at one another and said\, “Surely no one else has been bringing food to him out here?” \nJesus said to them\, “The food that keeps me going is to do what is asked of me by the One who sent me\, and to finish the job I was sent to complete. Now you lot might look around you and think that it will be at least four months until the crops are ready for picking\, but I’m telling you to look again. What has been growing around here is ripe for picking now. The gun picker is already on the pay roll and the fruit he is picking is destined for life without limit. You can be sure that the One who planted and the One who harvested will be celebrating together. You can see here the truth of the old saying\, ‘One sows\, and another reaps.’ The job I’m setting for you is to pick fruits that you haven’t had to do a moment’s work for. Others have put in the hard yakka\, and you get to share in the rewards.” \nMany of the Samaritan people from the town were ready to put their trust in Jesus because of what the woman had told them about how he had read her like a book. They came out and pleaded with him to stay on in the town\, so he stayed there for a couple of days. Many more of them put their trust in him once they had heard his message for themselves. They told the woman\, “We believed what you said about him\, but now we have heard him for ourselves and we are quite convinced that he is the One who will save the world!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are our saviour\, our rock\,\nthe shepherd who leads us with care. \nYou formed the earth by hand\nand brought forth all things from nothing.\nYou led your people to freedom\nand provided them with living water\,\nand with the law and prophets to guide them. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus\, to reconcile us to yourself.\nWhile we were still sinners\,\nhe proved your love for us in dying for us.\nYou raised him to life that we might be saved through him\,\nand drink from the spring of living water\nthat gushes up for eternal life.\nThrough your Holy Spirit poured into our hearts\,\nyou have given us access to grace\nand formed in us endurance\, character and hope\nthat we might worship you in spirit and truth\nand share in your eternal glory. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for pouring your Holy Spirit into our hearts\,\ngiving us access to grace\nand forming in us endurance\, character and hope\nthat we might worship you in spirit and truth\nand share in your eternal glory. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are our saviour\, our rock\,\nthe shepherd who leads us with care. \nYou formed the earth by hand\nand brought forth all things from nothing.\nYou led your people to freedom\nand provided them with living water\,\nand with the law and prophets to guide them. \nYou sent your child\, Jesus\, to reconcile us to yourself.\nWhile we were still sinners\,\nhe proved your love for us in dying for us.\nYou raised him to life that we might be saved through him\,\nand drink from the spring of living water\nthat gushes up for eternal life.\nThrough your Holy Spirit poured into our hearts\,\nyou have given us access to grace\nand formed in us endurance\, character and hope\nthat we might worship you in spirit and truth\nand share in your eternal 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©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n God proves his love for us in that\nwhile we were still sinners Christ died for us\,\nand was raised that we might be saved and reconciled to God. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world\nand in your words and your living\nmake it known that Christ is the saviour of the world.\nMake it your food to do the work of God who sends you\,\nand drink deeply of the water of life. \nAnd may God shepherd you and lead you with care.\nMay Christ who justifies you\, give you peace with God\,\nand may the Spirit fill you with truth\nthat your lives may be worship\, and your worship may live. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nWhen Jesus sees through youA sermon on John 4:5-42 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nStruggles and SecurityA sermon on Romans 5:1-11 & John 4:5-42 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nKnowing your PlaceA sermon on Romans 5:1-11 & John 4:5-42 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Living Water of Love and FreedomA sermon on Romans 5:1-11 & John 4:5-42 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nQuenching Our ThirstA sermon on John 4:5-42; Exodus 17:1-7 & Romans 5:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThirsting at the WellA sermon on John 4:5-42 by Vincent Hodge URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a20/2029-03-04/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/20.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290311T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290311T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20230319T115749Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230416T120022Z UID:10002021-1867881600-1867967999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:4th Sunday in Lent - Year A DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n One day the LORD said to Samuel\, “It is time for you to get over your misery about the failure of King Saul. I have had a gutful of him and I am going to end his reign. Fill up your flask with olive oil ready to anoint a new king. Go to Bethlehem and find a man named Jesse there\, for I have chosen one of his sons to be my king.” \nSamuel protested\, “How can I do that? If Saul gets wind of it he will kill me.” \nBut the LORD replied\, “Take a calf with you and tell everyone that you have come to a hold a feast offered in honour of me\, the LORD. Invite Jesse and his family to join you for the feast\, and then I will let you know what to do next. I will pick out one of Jesse’s sons\, and you are to pour the oil on his head to mark him out as the next king.” \nSamuel followed the LORD’S instructions and went to Bethlehem. The town officials were unnerved by his arrival\, and went out to meet him asking\, “What brings you to town? Have we done something wrong\, or are you just passing through in peace?” \nSamuel replied\, “Nothing’s wrong. I am here to offer a feast to the LORD. Go and prepare yourselves properly and then come and join me for the occasion.” \nSamuel also invited Jesse and his family to the feast and instructed them to prepare themselves properly. When they arrived\, Samuel took one look at Jesse’s oldest son\, Eliab\, and thought to himself\, “He has got to be the one the LORD has chosen.” \nBut the LORD said to Samuel\, “Don’t be fooled by how big and impressive he looks. He is not the man for me\, because I\, the LORD\, am not impressed by the same things that impress you people. People judge others by their outward appearance\, but I look beneath that and see what makes them tick.” \nThen Jesse introduced Samuel to his next son\, Abinadab\, but Samuel said\, “No\, this is not the one the LORD sent me to find.” \nJesse introduced his next son\, Shammah\, but Samuel said\, “This is not the one the LORD sent me to find either.” \nJesse introduced seven sons to Samuel\, but Samuel was convinced that none of them was the one the LORD had chosen. So he asked Jesse\, “Are all your sons here?” \nJesse replied\, “My youngest boy is not here. He is out on the farm taking care of some sheep.” \nSamuel said\, “Send someone to get him as quickly as possible\, for we will not sit down to this meal until he arrives.” \nSo Jesse sent someone to get his youngest son\, David\, and bring him to the feast. David was a good-looking\, fresh-faced kid\, and his eyes were full of life. As soon as he walked in\, the LORD said\, “Samuel\, get up and anoint him\, because this is the one I have chosen.” \nSo Samuel took out his flask of oil and poured it on David’s head in full view of his brothers. The Spirit of the LORD took hold of David and was powerfully at work in him from that moment on. With his mission accomplished\, Samuel got up and headed back home to Ramah. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 23 \n \n\n \n \n \n You\, LORD\, are my guide in the wilderness;\nthere is nothing more I could need. \nYou set up camp in places of beauty and shelter;\nyou lead the way on secluded tracks\nbeside creeks of cool clean water.\nI feel my spirit breathing freely again;\nyour reputation puts me at ease;\nI leave the navigating to you\, and follow. \nEven if we hike through a perilous valley\,\nwhere crows keep a menacing watch\,\nfear will still not get the better of me.\nAs long as I stick with you\nI know I’ll make the distance;\nwith a knife and a bit of rope\nyou seem able to tackle any challenge. \nYou cook up a feast for me\,\nas those who wanted to feed on me watch\, frustrated.\nYou pamper me like an honoured guest\nand constantly top up my glass. \nMy life feels charmed\, each and every day.\nLove\, mercy and all good things\nkeep falling into my lap. \nI’m with you for life\, LORD\,\nwhere you go\, I’ll go;\nwhere you live\, I’ll live. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 5: 8-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n In the past\, the darkness was your natural habitat\, because you needed its cover to hide the way you lived. But now you are united to the Lord and are at home in the light. So live lives that reflect the light. Be shining examples of all that naturally grows in the light – goodness\, honesty\, and integrity. Do your best to discern what will be most pleasing to the Lord\, and let that set your agendas. Have nothing to do with the things that people will only do under cover of darkness. Blow their cover instead\, for such things produce nothing good. It does no one any credit to even talk about the corrupt activities that people go to such lengths to keep hidden. The truth about everything is seen when it is exposed to the light\, and those things that can stand the light are worth seeing. That’s why it is said\, \n“Wake up\, sleepy head!\nRise from your grave\,\nand Christ will light up your life!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 9: 1-41 \n \n\n \n \n \n One day\, Jesus and his disciples were heading down the street when they saw a man who had been blind since birth. The disciples asked\, “Rabbi\, was this man born blind because of his own sins or because of the sins of his parents?” \nJesus replied\, “You can’t blame either him or his parents for his blindness. The important thing to look for is not what caused it\, but what God can do about it. The one who sent me has given us work to do\, and we had better be on the job as long as it is still day. Night fall will put an end to everyone’s work soon enough\, but as long as I am in the world\, I am the light of the world.” \nHaving said this\, he spat on the ground and made a mud ointment from a mixture of dust and saliva. He pasted the mud over the blind man’s eyes and sent him off to wash himself in the Siloam Pool. (The name Siloam actually means ‘sent’.) The man went and washed\, and when he came back he could see. It certainly caused a stir. People who knew him or were used to seeing him begging for money on the streets were soon asking\, “What’s going on here? Isn’t this the blind bloke who is always rattling his can on the street?” \nSome were saying\, “It’s him alright\,” but others reckoned it must just be someone who looked like him. He kept insisting that he was indeed the same man\, but some took a lot of convincing and kept demanding an explanation for how he could now see. All he could do was repeat the story: “Someone called Jesus spread mud on my eyes and told me to go and wash in the Siloam Pool. So I went and washed it off\, and now I can see.” \nThen they wanted to know where Jesus was now\, but the man said\, “I don’t know.” \nThe people then marched him off to the relevant authorities – the leaders of the devoutly religious Pharisee party. The day on which Jesus had made the mud and healed the man’s blindness was a Sabbath day\, so there were questions of religious law at stake. The authorities questioned the man about how he had received his sight. He told it to them straight: “The man spread mud on my eyes. I washed it off\, and now I can see.” \nSome of the Pharisees were quick to express their opinion: “Obviously this man is not from God\, because he doesn’t even stop what he is doing on the Sabbath.” \nBut others were not so sure: “How could a man who was against God have the ability to do things which so clearly point to God’s involvement?” \nSince they were divided over the matter\, they asked the man what he thought. “It was your eyes he opened. What do you make of him?” \nThe man replied\, “I think he is God’s messenger!” \nSome of the religious leaders began casting doubts on whether the man who had been given his sight had really been blind in the first place\, so his parents were called in for questioning. “Is this man your son?” they were asked. “Are you sure he was blind? How then\, is it that he can now see?” \nHis parents answered\, “This is certainly our son\, and we know\, without the slightest doubt\, that he was born blind. But as to how come he can see now\, or who was responsible for opening his eyes\, we are completely in the dark. Why don’t you ask him? He’s a grown man and can speak for himself.” \nHis parents were playing it safe because they didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the Jewish authorities. The authorities had already made up their minds that any one who expressed the belief that Jesus was the Messiah would be stripped of their membership of the Synagogue. With that threat hanging over their heads\, his parents hand-passed the question back to their son. \nSo the authorities called in the man who had been blind and questioned him for a second time. They said to him\, “Swear by God to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. We know that the man who did this to you is opposed to God!” \nHe replied\, “I wouldn’t know anything about that\, one way or the other. The one thing I know for sure is this: I was born blind\, but now I can see.” \n“So what did he do to you?” they demanded to know. “How did he open your eyes?” \nHe answered\, “I have already told you all I can about that\, but you didn’t want to believe me. Why do you need to hear it over and over again? Are you planning to sign up as his followers?” \nAt that\, they went off their heads at him\, saying\, “You are obviously following him\, but we are followers of Moses. We can know for sure that God spoke to Moses\, but this Jesus is a no-one. We don’t even know where he comes from.” \n“Well what a bizarre situation this is\,” said the man. “You lot don’t know the first thing about him\, and yet he gave sight to my blind eyes. Everybody knows that God doesn’t team up with liars and crooks. It is only the person who worships and obeys God that God is going to take sides with. Never before in the whole history of the world has anybody heard of someone opening the eyes of a person who had been blind from birth. So surely if this man were not from God he wouldn’t be able to do such a thing.” \nWith that\, they wrote him off. “You are nothing but the scum of the earth\, and you always have been. How dare you talk to us like that!” \nAnd they threw him out into the street. Word reached Jesus that they had thrown the man out\, so he went and found him. “Do you believe in the New Human?” Jesus asked him. \nThe man answered\, “I don’t know who he is\, mister\, but if you will introduce me to him\, I will believe in him.” \n“Jesus replied\, “You have seen him\, sure enough. You are talking to him right now!” \nThe man said\, “Lord\, I believe in you!” and fell to his knees at Jesus’s feet. \nJesus said\, “I came into the world to sort out who was who. I came so that those who have been kept in the dark might see\, and so that the blindness of those who see might be exposed.” \nSome members of the Pharisee party overheard this\, and stopped to question him. “You are not suggesting that we are blind\, are you?” \nBut Jesus replied\, “If you were blind\, you would not be held guilty. But since you claim that the way you see things is the only way they can be seen\, you’ve got blood all over your hands.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you do not judge us by outer appearances\,\nbut make visible the secret places of our hearts\nand commission us as children of the light. \nOnce there was darkness\,\nbut you created the the light.\nWith your touch the world was begun\,\nand when you spoke to Moses and the prophets\,\nyou gave guidance to keep us on sure paths. \nIn your servant\, David\, the least of his family\,\nyou saw a King who could shepherd your people.\nIn your child\, Jesus Christ\,\nyou gave us one whose light could open blinded eyes\nand guide us safely through death’s dark valley.\nWhen he was killed\, you awoke him\,\nraising him from the dead.\nNow he spreads a rich table before us\,\nfilling our cup with goodness and love\nthat we may live forever in your house. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for giving us your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwhose light opens blinded eyes\nand guides us safely through death’s dark valley\,\nthat we may live forever in the light of your house\nand feast at the rich table where you fill our cup with goodness and love. \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 do not judge us by outer appearances\,\nbut make visible the secret places of our hearts\nand commission us as children of the light. \nOnce there was darkness\,\nbut you created the the light.\nWith your touch the world was begun\,\nand when you spoke to Moses and the prophets\,\nyou gave guidance to keep us on sure paths. \nIn your servant\, David\, the least of his family\,\nyou saw a King who could shepherd your people.\nIn your child\, Jesus Christ\,\nyou gave us one whose light could open blinded eyes\nand guide us safely through death’s dark valley.\nWhen he was killed\, you awoke him\,\nraising him from the dead.\nNow he spreads a rich table before us\,\nfilling our cup with goodness and love\nthat we may live forever in your house. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Once you were darkness\, but now in the Lord you are light.\nEverything exposed by the light becomes light.\nYou have brought your sin into the light of Christ. \nSisters and Brothers\,\nyour sins are forgiven;\nRise from the dead\, and Christ will shine on you. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and live as children of the light.\nSeek what is pleasing to the Lord.\nExpose the unfruitful works of darkness\,\nand commit yourselves to the works of God who sends you. \nAnd may the Lord be your shepherd and be all that you need.\nMay Christ open your eyes and guide you along sure paths.\nMay the Spirit Holy revive your spirits\nand tend you with goodness and love\nevery day of your life. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe advertiser is my shepherd??A sermon on Psalm 23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Hidden LightA sermon on John 9:1-41 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nHealing those blinded by sinA sermon on John 9:1-41 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod sees what’s on the inside and there’s nothing to fearA sermon on 1 Samuel 16:1-13\, John 9:1-41 & Psalm 23 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nDon’t let them keep you blindA sermon on John 9:1-41 & Psalm 23 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a21/2029-03-11/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/21.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290318T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290318T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20230416T120949Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230416T120951Z UID:10002023-1868486400-1868572799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:5th Sunday in Lent - Year A DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Ezekiel 37: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones\, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying\, “Ezekiel\, mortal man\, can these bones come back to life?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“All you dry bones\, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead\, I\, the Lord\, will put breath into you again\, and you will live. Muscles\, ligaments\, organs\, veins; all these I will give you\, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.” \n So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight\, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together\, linking up\, one bone to another. As I watched\, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh\, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“North Wind\, South Wind\, East Wind\, West Wind\, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses\, so that they can live again.” \n Again I spoke as the LORD had said\, and even as I did\, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies\, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd\, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“Ezekiel\, mortal man\, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly\, Ezekiel\, and tell them this:\n“All you people\, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves\, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you\, my people\, when I restore life to your bodies\, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs\, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I\, the LORD\, have spoken and that what I say goes.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 130 \n \n\n \n \n \n From the depths of despair\, from rock bottom\,\nI cry to you\, O LORD.\nI beg you to listen!\nPlease tune in and hear what I’m asking! \nIf you put black marks against our names\nfor every failing\,\nLord\, wouldn’t you have to write off everyone? \nBut forgiveness is much more your style\,\nand for this we adore you. \nI wait in eager anticipation for your presence\, LORD.\nEverything inside me yearns for you\nand your promises fill me with hope. \nDeep in my guts there is a hunger for you\, LORD\,\nmore pressing than a woman\nwaiting for the birth of her baby\,\nmore impatient than a child\nwaiting for a birthday;\ncrossing off the days\, one by one. \nO People of Israel\, put your trust in the LORD!\nThe LORD’s love never lets us down\,\nand is always ready to rescue us from danger. \nIt is the Lord who will bail us out\nwhen we are caught in the consequences\nof our own sin. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 8: 6-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Preoccupation with gratifying your own selfish impulses is a downward spiral into living death. But a mind open to the Spirit is an open door to the fullness of life and peace. Clearly then\, a mind that is fixated on self-gratification is hostile to God. Such a mind will not\, and can not\, respond positively to anything God asks of it\, and so those who are locked into their own selfish impulses are incapable of getting the thumbs-up from God. \nBut you are not locked into such impulses. You are now living in union with God’s Spirit\, and the Spirit has moved in and become the life-force within you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of the Messiah at work within them does not\, in fact\, belong to him at all. But if the Messiah has taken up residence within you\, then\, even though your bodies will die from the after-effects of sin\, the Spirit has put you on the right track and you will have life. If the Spirit who lives in you is the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead\, then you can rest assured that this same Spirit will raise your bodies out of death and into a life that is lived to the full in union with the Spirit of the Messiah. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 11: 1-45 \n \n\n \n \n \n A man named Lazarus became dangerously ill. He and his two sisters\, Mary and Martha\, lived in the town of Bethany and were good friends of Jesus. Mary was the one who is remembered for having massaged the Lord’s feet with perfumed oils and dried them with her hair. When her brother Lazarus got sick\, she and her sister sent a message to Jesus\, saying\, “Lord\, your good mate Lazarus is gravely ill.” \nWhen Jesus got the message\, he said\, “This illness is not going to result in death\, but in great credit being given to God and to the Son of God.” \nDespite his great love for Martha and her sister\, and for Lazarus\, Jesus did not drop everything the minute he got the message and head off to be with them. It was another two days before he finished up what he was doing and got ready to go. When he was ready he said to his disciples\, “Let’s make tracks back to Judea.” \nBut the disciples said\, “Rabbi\, you’ve only just fled Judea because they were trying to kill you there. Why on earth would you be wanting to go back?” \nJesus replied\, “There is a time for working and a time for sleeping. If you go about your business during the daylight\, you won’t stumble\, because your world will be full of light. But if you wait until its dark\, you will fall flat on your face because you will have no light to guide you. Our good mate Lazarus has gone to sleep\, and I am going down there to wake him up.” \nThe disciples said to him\, “Lord\, if he is getting plenty of sleep then he will be back on his feet in no time.” \nJesus had really been saying that Lazarus had died\, but the disciples had taken him too literally\, so he spelt it out for them: “Lazarus is dead. I’m glad\, for your sakes\, that I wasn’t there\, because this will toughen up your faith. So let’s go and join him.”\nThomas the Twin turned to the other disciples and said\, “Come on. If he is going to get himself killed\, we might as well be killed with him.” \nWhen Jesus arrived in Bethany\, he discovered that Lazarus had been buried four days earlier. Many people from nearby Jerusalem had come to town to comfort Martha and Mary and pay their last respects to Lazarus. Martha heard that Jesus had arrived and ran down the street to meet him\, leaving Mary at home. Martha said to Jesus\, “Lord\, if only you’d been here. I know my brother wouldn’t have died if you had been here. But I know that\, even now\, God will do anything you ask.” \nJesus said to her\, “Your brother will be raised to life again.” \nMartha replied\, “I know that he and all the dead will be raised to life at the end of time.” \nBut Jesus said to her\, “I am the one who raises the dead and gives life. Those who put their trust in me will have life\, even if they die. Those who live trusting in me\, will never succumb to death. Will you take my word for this\, Martha?” \n“Yes\, Lord\,” she replied\, “I believe that you are the Messiah\, the Son of God; the one whose arrival the world has been waiting for.” \nHaving said this\, Martha went back to the house and spoke in private to her sister Mary\, saying\, “The teacher is here and he wants to see you.”\nWhen she heard this\, Mary wasted no time in getting up and hurrying out to meet Jesus. She found him where Martha had left him\, just outside the fringe of the town. When all the visitors from Jerusalem who had been with her in the house saw her hurrying out\, they assumed that she was going to the graveyard to mourn and leave flowers\, so they followed her. When Mary saw Jesus\, she embraced him and sobbed\, “Lord\, if only you’d been here. I know my brother wouldn’t have died if you had been here.” \nJesus was stirred up\, deep in his guts\, by her tears and by the crying of the people who were with her. “Where did you bury him?” he asked. \n“Come and we’ll show you\, Lord\,” they said. As they went\, Jesus too began weeping. This prompted some of the people to say\, “He must have really loved Lazarus\,” but others were more cynical\, saying\, “If he loved him so much\, how come he didn’t do something to keep him from dying? After all\, he had no trouble giving sight to a blind man.” \nJesus arrived at the tomb\, and by now he was quite worked up. The tomb was a cave with a big rock sealing the entrance. Jesus gave orders for it to be reopened. Martha\, the other sister of the dead man\, protested saying\, “Lord\, it will stink to high heaven. He’s already been dead for four days.”\nBut Jesus said\, “I told you\, didn’t I\, that if you believed\, you would see things so amazing that they could only be credited to God?” \nSo they went ahead and removed the rock from the entrance of the tomb. Jesus paused to pray\, saying\, “Father\, thank you for hearing my prayer. I know you always do\, but I want this crowd to hear me giving the credit to you\, because then they might believe that it was you who sent me.” \nHaving said that\, he raised his voice and bellowed\, “Lazarus\, get out here!” \nAnd sure enough\, the dead man came out\, still wrapped up like a mummy from head to toe. Jesus gave the order to unwrap him and set him free. \nThis was the turning point for many of the people who had accompanied Mary. When they saw what Jesus did\, they put their trust him. \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 yours is the power of life\nthat even death cannot hold back. \nYou created the world\nand breathed your Spirit into our bodies of earth\,\nforming for yourself a people with whom to celebrate life. \nIn Jesus Christ\, your child\,\nyou have sent to us one who is both life and resurrection.\nSharing our grief in the face of death\,\nhe prised open the grip of the grave\nand called us forth into the fullness of life and peace.\nArousing the fury of hell\,\nhe was crucified and cast lifeless into the depths\,\nbut you raised him to new life.\nNow\, wherever people lay lost in valleys of death\,\nhe again comes speaking the word of life\nand calling his Spirit to breathe new life into us\nso that hope is reborn and you are glorified. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho comes wherever people lay lost in valleys of death\nand calls his Spirit to breathe new life into us\nso that we might come forth into the fullness of life and peace. \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 yours is the power of life\nthat even death cannot hold back. \nYou created the world\nand breathed your Spirit into our bodies of earth\,\nforming for yourself a people with whom to celebrate life. \nIn Jesus Christ\, your child\,\nyou have sent to us one who is both life and resurrection.\nSharing our grief in the face of death\,\nhe prised open the grip of the grave\nand called us forth into the fullness of life and peace.\nArousing the fury of hell\,\nhe was crucified and cast lifeless into the depths\,\nbut you raised him to new life.\nNow\, wherever people lay lost in valleys of death\,\nhe again comes speaking the word of life\nand calling his Spirit to breathe new life into us\nso that hope is reborn and you are glorified. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n If God recorded our sins\, no one could survive\,\nbut God’s forgiveness is awesome.\nThe Lord will bring mercy\nand grant full pardon. \nSisters and Brothers\,\nyour sins are forgiven;\nRise from the dead\, and Christ will shine on you. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and walk in the light of Christ.\nTrust in the one who is resurrection and life.\nStand firm before the forces of death\nand speak words of life. \nAnd may God raise you up and give life to your bodies;\nMay Christ Jesus dwell in you in righteousness;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit be the life in your every breath. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nIs anything too far gone?A sermon on Ezekiel 37:1-14 & John 11:1-45 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo you believe this?A sermon on John 11:1-45 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nSigns of Unimaginable LifeA sermon on John 11:1-45; Romans 8:6-11 & Ezekiel 37:1-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nSacred DepthsA sermon on Psalm 130\, Ezekiel 37:1-14 & John 11:1-45 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a22/2029-03-18/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/22.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290325T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290325T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200807T012716Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260315T041951Z UID:10003006-1869091200-1869177599@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/abc44/2029-03-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/44.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290325T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290325T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20230423T114816Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230423T114818Z UID:10002025-1869091200-1869177599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:6th Sunday in Lent (Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday) - Year A DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Matthew 21: 1-11 (Gospel for the Liturgy of the Palms) \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus and his followers were getting close Jerusalem. 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’ll see two donkeys tied up to a fence; a female and her awkward looking colt that has not yet even been ridden. Collect them and bring them to me. If anyone questions you\, just tell them that the boss needs them\, and they will let you take them.” \nThese events again shed new light on what the prophet had said: \n“Broadcast this to the people of Jerusalem.\nLook\, here comes your king!\nHe doesn’t big-note himself\,\nbut comes riding a simple donkey\,\nand a baby one at that!” \nSo they did as Jesus had told them and brought the donkeys to him. They made improvised saddles from items of spare clothing and got Jesus seated. As Jesus began riding slowly up the road\, the crowd 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 for the new King David!\nGod’s blessing is on the one\nwho comes in the name of the Lord!\nHooray for God\, the greatest of all! \nAs he arrived in Jerusalem\, it was absolute mayhem. The question on everyone’s lips was “Who on earth is this?” \nThe answer coming from the crowd was\, “This is Jesus the prophet\, from Nazareth in Galilee.” \n©2002 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 Matthew 26:14 - 27:66 \n \n\n \n \n \n One of Jesus’s twelve closest followers\, a man named Judas Iscariot\, met with the High Priests in secret\, and asked them\, “What would you pay me for the information that you need to arrest him.” \nThey agreed on a price of thirty pieces of silver\, and from then on\, Judas was looking for the right moment to double cross Jesus. \nOn the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread\, Jesus’s closest followers asked him where he wanted them to book a room for their celebration of the Passover Meal. He sent them to see a certain man in the city with instructions to say to him\, “The Teacher says\, My time is due. I want to celebrate the Passover with my followers in your house.” So they did as he asked\, and got everything ready for the Passover Meal in the man’s house. \nWhen the evening came\, Jesus sat down to share the meal with the twelve. While they were eating\, he said\, “I kid you not; one of you will double cross me.” \nThey were all quite shaken by this\, and began asking him in turn\, “Surely\, Lord\, it is not me\, is it?” \nHe answered\, “I will be betrayed by one who has been sharing meals with me; one who passes me the sauce and tops up my glass. 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.” \nJudas\, who had already taken the blood money\, said\, “Surely you don’t mean me\, do you\, Rabbi?” \nJesus replied\, “Take a good hard look at yourself\, Judas!” \nLater during the meal\, Jesus took a loaf of bread in his hands and praised God. He broke the loaf\, and gave it to his followers\, saying: “Take some of this and eat it. This is my body.”  \nThen he picked up a glass of wine\, gave thanks to God\, and gave it to them\, saying: “Drink this; all of you. This is my blood which seals God’s new alliance and is spilled for countless people in the forgiving of their toxic ways. I’ll tell you now; not another drop will pass my lips until the day when we drink together in celebration of the culture of my Father.” \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 drop your bundle and turn your backs on me tonight. 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 stick with you\, no matter what.” \nJesus said to him\, “Don’t bet on it. Even before the rooster crows tonight\, you will have sworn three times that you don’t even know me.” \n“Over my dead body!” said Peter. “I’d die before I would deny you.” \nAnd all the others swore the same. \nSoon Jesus and his followers arrived at the Gethsemene Gardens. He asked most of them to wait for him while he found a place to pray\, and took only Peter and the brothers\, 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 with me while I pray.” \nHe went ahead a little and threw himself down on the ground and prayed\, “My Father\, if there is any way out of this\, I want out. But still\, the bottom line is whatever you want.” \nWhen he got up\, he found that his companions had fallen asleep. He woke Peter\, saying\, “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 for a second time and prayed\, “My Father\, if there is no other way to get rid of this bitter cup than for me to drink it dry\, I’m ready to do whatever you want.” \nWhen he came back\, he found them all asleep again\, simply unable to keep their eyes open. So he just left them and went off to pray for a third time\, praying in the same way as he had before. Then he returned to his followers and said\, “Are you lot planning to sleep right through? Come on. 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!” \nEven before he finished getting the words out\, Judas\, one of the twelve\, arrived on the scene with a heavily armed mob. They had been dispatched by the chief priests and political authorities. The traitor had given them their cue: “The one I greet with a kiss is the target. Bust him.” \nSo he went straight up to Jesus and said\, “How are you\, Rabbi?” and gave him a kiss. \nJesus said to him\, “Mate\, get it over with.” \nImmediately the mob surrounded Jesus\, grabbed him roughly and began to drag him off. In a flash\, one of Jesus’s followers pulled a knife and began lashing out\, slashing a personal attendant of the High Priest and cutting off his ear. But Jesus said\, “Put that knife away\, back where it belongs. All who live violent lives will die violent deaths. What were you thinking? You must realise that one word from me and God would send a dozen elite fighting units of angels. But if I did that\, what would be left of the agenda outlined in scripture that took all this into account?” \nAt the same time he addressed the mob\, saying\, “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 nearly every day\, teaching the people\, and you could have easily busted me if you had wanted to. But it had to happen this way didn’t it\, just as the prophets in scripture described.” \nBy this time\, his followers had all turned tail and run for their lives. \nThe mob who had seized Jesus dragged him off to the home of Caiaphas the High Priest\, where all the religious lawyers and political heavy-weights were waiting for him. Peter followed at a safe distance\, trying to keep track of what was going on. He got as far as the security guards stationed in the High Priest’s entrance courtyard\, but no further. \nThe chief priests and the ruling council were doing their best to frame Jesus on charges that would lead to a summary execution. Although a procession of witnesses brought false allegations against him\, they couldn’t get anything to stick. Eventually though\, two separate witnesses testified that Jesus had claimed to be able to completely demolish the Temple of God and rebuild it in just three days. The High Priest 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. Then the High Priest said to him\, “I remind you that you are under oath before the living God to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Tell us then: are you the Messiah\, the Son of God?” \nJesus replied\, “You said it! And what’s more\, from now on you will see the New Human seated as God’s right hand man and riding in on the clouds of heaven.” \nAt that\, the High Priest feigned utter dismay and turned to the council saying\, “It’s blasphemy! This man is claiming to be on a par with God. Why should we bother with further witnesses? You have all heard him for yourselves. What is your verdict?” \nThe verdict was unanimous: “He must die for this.” \nThere was a near riot as they all began to stick the boots in\, spitting in his face and roughing him up. Some of them were even hitting him from behind and then saying\, “Come on\, Mr Messiah. Show us how good a prophet you really are. Name the person who hit you.” \nPeter was still keeping a low profile out the front courtyard. A girl who worked there recognised him and said\, “You were with that Galilean bloke\, Jesus\, weren’t you?” \nBut in front of everyone\, he denied it\, saying\, “I’ve got no idea what you are talking about.” \nA short time later he was walking along the front porch when another staff member piped up and said\, “Look\, that bloke there was with Jesus the Nazarene.” \nOnce again Peter denied it adamantly: “I swear I don’t even know the man. I give you my word on it.” \nLater still\, some of the bystanders became more insistent\, closing in on Peter and saying\, “You’ve got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away for sure.” \nPeter began foul-mouthing them and yelling\, “I’ve never even set eyes on the bloke. I swear it on a stack of bibles!” \nBut the moment the denial was out of his mouth\, a rooster began to crow\, and as the words of Jesus came flooding back – “Before the rooster crows\, you will have sworn three times that you don’t even know me” – Peter ran off down the street bawling his eyes out; a broken man. \nThe next morning\, the chief priests and the ruling council met to work out what steps they needed to take in order to get Jesus executed. Setting the wheels in motion\, they handcuffed him\, marched him off\, and transferred him into the custody of Pilate\, the Roman governor. \nWhen Judas\, the traitor\, saw that Jesus was now on death row\, he couldn’t live with what he had done. He took the thirty pieces of silver back to the chief priests and the ruling council and said\, “I am guilty of a terrible thing. I have betrayed an innocent man to death.” \nBut they said\, “What has that got to do with us? You made your own bed; go lie in it!” \nJudas threw the money back at them\, stormed out\, and went off and hanged himself. Gathering up the money\, the chief priests said\, “We can hardly put this into the Temple offerings; it has got blood all over it.” \nSo they put their heads together and decided to use the money to buy a property that a nearby potter had put up for sale\, and redevelop it as a cemetery for foreigners. That is why the place came to be known as “the Killing Field” – a name that has stuck. It shed new light on the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: \n“They took the thirty pieces of silver\,\nthe price set on the head of a man by his own people\,\nand they spent it on a potter’s field\,\njust as the Lord had told me.” \nJesus was brought before Pilate for further interrogation. The governor got straight to the point: “Are you the King of the Jews?” \n“They are your words\,” said Jesus. \nThe delegation from the chief priests and the ruling council began outlining all the allegations against him\, but Jesus made no attempt to defend himself. Pilate turned to him and said\, “Do you realise the seriousness of all these crimes they are accusing you of?” \nBut\, much to the governor’s amazement\, Jesus continued to remain silent\, not even replying to a single charge. \nNow a custom had developed that the Roman governor would release a political prisoner – any prisoner nominated by the people – during the annual celebration of the Passover festival. One of the most notorious prisoners held at the time was a man named Jesus Barabbas. Pilate realised that Jesus of Nazareth had only been charged to get him out of the way of his religious rivals\, and he saw the annual custom as an opportunity to solve two problems at once. So when the crowd had gathered he addressed them\, saying\, “Which prisoner would you like me to release for you this year\, Jesus Barabbas or the Jesus they call the Messiah?” \nWhile Pilate was still presiding over the court\, his wife sent him a message saying\, “Don’t get yourself caught up in the conspiracy against that innocent man\, for I have had a long and disturbing dream about him.” \nThe chief priests and the council members began putting the word around among the crowd that they should call for the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus. So when the governor asked them again which of the two they wanted him to release\, they all began to shout\, “Barabbas.” \n“Then what am I supposed to do with the Jesus they call the Messiah?” Pilate asked the crowd. \nThe shout came back\, “Execute him!” \n“Why? What evil has he done to deserve death?” asked Pilate. \nBut the crowd just kept chanting\, “String him up! String him up!” \nWhen Pilate saw that it was useless to go on\, and that further argument would only spark a riot\, he called for a basin of water and made a show of washing his hands as he said to the crowd\, “This man’s blood is not on my hands. Have it your own way and be it on your own heads.” \nThe crowd responded\, roaring as one\, “It is on our heads. We and our children accept full responsibility!” \nSo Pilate gave orders for the release of Barabbas\, and 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 stripped him naked and then dressed him in a scarlet robe. They twisted some barbed wire into a crown and jammed it on his head. They put a flag in his hand and made a big joke of coming up and saluting him and saying\, “Heil\, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on him and gave him a serious bashing with their batons. When they’d finished their brutal sport\, they stripped the robe back off him\, put him back in his own clothes\, and marched him off to be executed. \nAs they hit the main street\, they pulled a Cyrenian man named Simon out of the crowd\, and forced him to carry the large wooden cross on which Jesus was to be strung up. The 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 when he tasted what it was\, he refused it. They strung Jesus up on the cross by driving nails through his flesh. Then they tossed coins for his clothes\, and sat down to wait for him to die. The sign hung on his cross to inform onlookers of the offence for which he was dying\, read\, “This is Jesus\, 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 and save yourself now! Getting yourself off the cross should be a piece of cake if you’re the Son of God!” \nThe chief priests\, the religious lawyers and the members of the ruling council were all there sticking the boots in with the best of them. “He reckoned he could save everyone else\, but he can’t even save himself!” they said. “He is supposed to be the King of Israel\, so let’s see him prove himself by getting himself down off the cross. He made a big noise about trusting God\, let’s see whether God is interested in getting him out of this one. After all\, he did claim to be God’s Son!” \nEven the two thugs being executed alongside him joined in and hurled more abuse at him. \nAt midday\, 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 poured some wine that had turned to vinegar into a sponge and held it up to his mouth with a stick\, but the others said\, “Hold your horses. Let’s see whether Elijah will turn up to rescue him first.” \nThen Jesus let out another loud cry\, and breathed his dying breath. 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. There was a violent earthquake\, that split rocks and broke open the tombs. The bodies of many of God’s people who had been laid to rest in peace were raised\, and after Jesus had been raised they came out of their tombs and went into Jerusalem where many people saw them. \nWhen the commanding officer and the security guards on duty with him saw the earthquake and everything else that happened\, they were scared spitless\, and said\, “Fair dinkum\, this bloke must have been God’s Son!” \nThere were a number of women there too\, watching it all from a distance. They had been among Jesus’s followers since the days in Galilee and had provided most of the resources needed by his group. Among them were Mary Magdalene\, another Mary who was the mother of James and Joseph\, and the mother of James and John\, Zebedee’s wife. \nThat evening\, a wealthy man from Arimethea went to Pilate and asked permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. The man’s name was Joseph\, and he was a follower of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be released into his care. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linen cloth. He buried Jesus in a new tomb which he had had cut into the rock for his own eventual use. He rolled a boulder over the entrance to the tomb to seal it\, and then went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting opposite the tomb watching all this. \nThe next day was still part of the sacred festival\, and a deputation of the chief priests and members of the Pharisee party held an early meeting with Pilate. They said\, “Sir\, we have remembered that while that con man was still alive\, he claimed that he would rise again three days after his death. So please give orders to have guards secure the tomb for the next three days so that his fan club can’t steal his body and start telling everyone that he has been raised from the dead. A fraud like that would be even more dangerous than the pack of lies he was pushing before.” \nPilate said to them\, “Fair enough. There are security guards at your disposal. Go and do whatever you think is necessary to prevent anyone tampering with the tomb.” \nSo they took the security guards\, taped off the area around the tomb\, sealed the stone\, and kept it under constant surveillance. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 27: 11-54 (Alternative shorter gospel reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus was brought before Pilate for further interrogation. The governor got straight to the point: “Are you the King of the Jews?” \n“They are your words\,” said Jesus. \nThe delegation from the chief priests and the ruling council began outlining all the allegations against him\, but Jesus made no attempt to defend himself. Pilate turned to him and said\, “Do you realise the seriousness of all these crimes they are accusing you of?” \nBut\, much to the governor’s amazement\, Jesus continued to remain silent\, not even replying to a single charge. \nNow a custom had developed that the Roman governor would release a political prisoner – any prisoner nominated by the people – during the annual celebration of the Passover festival. One of the most notorious prisoners held at the time was a man named Jesus Barabbas. Pilate realised that Jesus of Nazareth had only been charged to get him out of the way of his religious rivals\, and he saw the annual custom as an opportunity to solve two problems at once. So when the crowd had gathered he addressed them\, saying\, “Which prisoner would you like me to release for you this year\, Jesus Barabbas or the Jesus they call the Messiah?” \nWhile Pilate was still presiding over the court\, his wife sent him a message saying\, “Don’t get yourself caught up in the conspiracy against that innocent man\, for I have had a long and disturbing dream about him.” \nThe chief priests and the council members began putting the word around among the crowd that they should call for the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus. So when the governor asked them again which of the two they wanted him to release\, they all began to shout\, “Barabbas.” \n“Then what am I supposed to do with the Jesus they call the Messiah?” Pilate asked the crowd. \nThe shout came back\, “Execute him!” \n“Why? What evil has he done to deserve death?” asked Pilate. \nBut the crowd just kept chanting\, “String him up! String him up!” \nWhen Pilate saw that it was useless to go on\, and that further argument would only spark a riot\, he called for a basin of water and made a show of washing his hands as he said to the crowd\, “This man’s blood is not on my hands. Have it your own way and be it on your own heads.” \nThe crowd responded\, roaring as one\, “It is on our heads. We and our children accept full responsibility!” \nSo Pilate gave orders for the release of Barabbas\, and 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 stripped him naked and then dressed him in a scarlet robe. They twisted some barbed wire into a crown and jammed it on his head. They put a flag in his hand and made a big joke of coming up and saluting him and saying\, “Heil\, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on him and gave him a serious bashing with their batons. When they’d finished their brutal sport\, they stripped the robe back off him\, put him back in his own clothes\, and marched him off to be executed. \nAs they hit the main street\, they pulled a Cyrenian man named Simon out of the crowd\, and forced him to carry the large wooden cross on which Jesus was to be strung up. The 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 when he tasted what it was\, he refused it. They strung Jesus up on the cross by driving nails through his flesh. Then they tossed coins for his clothes\, and sat down to wait for him to die. The sign hung on his cross to inform onlookers of the offence for which he was dying\, read\, “This is Jesus\, 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 and save yourself now! Getting yourself off the cross should be a piece of cake if you’re the Son of God!” \nThe chief priests\, the religious lawyers and the members of the ruling council were all there sticking the boots in with the best of them. “He reckoned he could save everyone else\, but he can’t even save himself!” they said. “He is supposed to be the King of Israel\, so let’s see him prove himself by getting himself down off the cross. He made a big noise about trusting God\, let’s see whether God is interested in getting him out of this one. After all\, he did claim to be God’s Son!” \nEven the two thugs being executed alongside him joined in and hurled more abuse at him. \nAt midday\, 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 poured some wine that had turned to vinegar into a sponge and held it up to his mouth with a stick\, but the others said\, “Hold your horses. Let’s see whether Elijah will turn up to rescue him first.” \nThen Jesus let out another loud cry\, and breathed his dying breath. 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. There was a violent earthquake\, that split rocks and broke open the tombs. The bodies of many of God’s people who had been laid to rest in peace were raised\, and after Jesus had been raised they came out of their tombs and went into Jerusalem where many people saw them. \nWhen the commanding officer and the security guards on duty with him saw the earthquake and everything else that happened\, they were scared spitless\, and said\, “Fair dinkum\, this bloke must have been God’s Son!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you alone are 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©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We thank you for 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©2002 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 who vindicates you is near.\nGod has heard your confessions\nand you will not be put to shame.\nWith the Lord God as your help\nno one can declare you guilty. \nSisters and Brothers\,\nyour sins are forgiven;\nRise from the dead\, and Christ will shine on you. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now and 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\nand 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©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website\, but our church no longer includes a sermon in the Palm Sunday liturgy\, so there is not much here. \n\n\n\n\nJesus and the Opinion PollsA sermon for Palm Sunday by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/a23/2029-03-25/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/23.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T054759Z UID:10002026-1869177600-1869263999@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/abc24/2029-03-26/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002915-1869177600-1869263999@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/abc24/2029-03-26/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002927-1869177600-1869263999@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/abc24/2029-03-26/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002937-1869177600-1869263999@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/abc24/2029-03-26/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002921-1869177600-1869263999@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/abc24/2029-03-26/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290326T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002932-1869177600-1869263999@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/abc24/2029-03-26/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055641Z UID:10002027-1869264000-1869350399@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/abc25/2029-03-27/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z UID:10002899-1869264000-1869350399@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/abc25/2029-03-27/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002909-1869264000-1869350399@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/abc25/2029-03-27/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z UID:10002893-1869264000-1869350399@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/abc25/2029-03-27/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z UID:10002904-1869264000-1869350399@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/abc25/2029-03-27/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290327T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T122852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z UID:10002887-1869264000-1869350399@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/abc25/2029-03-27/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290328T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290328T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T123026Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055725Z UID:10002028-1869350400-1869436799@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/abc26/2029-03-28/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/26.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290329T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290329T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T123825Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055538Z UID:10002029-1869436800-1869523199@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/abc27/2029-03-29/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/27.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290331T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290331T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093927 CREATED:20200810T125101Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T060945Z UID:10002030-1869609600-1869695999@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Holy Saturday (The Day of Nothingness) for services prior to the Paschal Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Job 14: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n Job addressed God saying: \nWhat happened to dying ‘old and full of days’?\n‘Few of days and full of grief’\nseems to be the lot of everyone born.\nLike flowers\, we’re lucky to survive the heat of a single day;\nlike shadows\, we never survive the fall of night. \nSo why have you set your sights on me?\nWhy are you dragging me into court as though I was your equal?\nHow can anyone like me\, born in the gutter\,\nexpect to come out clean on legal street? Not a chance! \nThe length of our lives is already set.\nYou have decided how long we’ve got\,\nand when our number’s up\, there is nothing we can do about it.\nSo why not back off and give us a break?\nCan’t we do our time without you standing over us? \nA tree can still have hope\neven if it is cut down in its prime.\nThere is every chance\nthat it will sprout again and flourish.\nEven if its stump rots away\nand its roots wither in the ground\,\nit only needs a whiff of water and it buds again\nand comes up strong like a young plant reborn. \nBut we mere mortals die\, and that’s it.\nDead and buried\, no human is ever seen again. \nJust like a lake drying out in a never ending drought\,\nor a river fading to a trickle and then its gone\,\nso too we mortals crumble to dust\nwith no hope of a second time round.\nWe think we’ll wake up in the morning\,\nbut no way! Not till hell freezes over. \nIf only the land of the dead was just a prison\nand you could lock me safely away till your anger cools down.\nYou could fix my sentence\nand remember me when my time was done.\nThen I could serve my time and hang on to hope\,\nas I counted down the days till my release.\nWishful thinking!\nWhen we mere mortals die\, that’s it\, isn’t it? \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Lamentations 3: 1-9\, 19-24 (alternative 1st reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n I have borne the brunt of your anger\, God.\nI have suffered the punishment you dished out.\nYou drove me away from the light\nand left me facing the darkness alone.\nYou singled me out for a beating;\nand belted me around day and night. \nUnder your hand\, my body wasted away\,\nand my bones were cracked and broken.\nYou were constantly in my face\,\nstanding over me\, keeping me in fear.\nYou locked me up in darkness\nand death seemed close at hand. \nYou have fenced me in with barbed wire\,\nand chained my ankles for good measure.\nI can cry for help all I like\,\nbut you’ve blocked your ears.\nYou built permanent blockades on every road.\nWherever I go\, I am turned back. \nThe reality I’m facing is like a bitter taste in my mouth.\nGrief and deprivation poison my mind. \nI can’t stop thinking about it over and over\,\nbut every thought makes me want to die. \nThe one thing that gives me hope\,\nthe one thing I keep reminding myself of is this: \nYour love and loyalty never die\, LORD.\nYour generous mercy never runs dry.\nThey are created new every morning\nand you are as trustworthy as the solid rock. \nSo I keep telling myself that you are all I need\nand that I can still trust you to come through for me. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 31: 1-4\, 15-16 \n \n\n \n \n \n I look to you for refuge\, LORD;\ndon’t let me be dragged through the mud.\nYou promised justice – save me! \nGive me your ear – I’m crying for help;\nrescue me before it’s too late.\nBe a secure refuge for me\,\na bomb shelter where I can hide. \nYour solid walls protect me from danger;\nlead me and guide me so I’ll be a credit to you;\nkeep me clear of pitfalls and traps. \nYou are the only refuge I trust\, LORD;\nmy future is in your hands.\nSnatch me from the grasp\nof those who are hunting me down. \nI’m working for you; look on me with love.\nStand by me and save me. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 1 Peter 4: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Messiah put his body on the line and went through serious suffering\, and so now you need to steel yourselves to face it with the same guts and determination. Those who keep putting their bodies on the line at great cost have clearly cut their ties with sin. Even in this age of indulging every bodily appetite\, you will be able to live through it\, freely following the ways of God instead of being driven slavishly by every pathetic desire. You have already done more than enough time being driven along in the ways of the godless by such desires\, caught up in a life of desperate partying\, emotional chaos\, binge drinking\, sexual regrets\, self-degradation\, and out-of-control worship of worthless things. Your old friends can’t believe it when you are no longer first to join them in the same old patterns of compulsive indulgence. “Are you too good for us now?” they sneer\, and they heap offensive insults on all that is good. But they will have to answer to God for their offences\, as everyone will\, living or dead. This is the reason that the great news about God’s love was broadcast even to those who have died. That way\, even though the judgement of the way they lived in their bodies is now in the past — indeed none of us can take back what we have done — they still have the opportunity to live in the spirit as God lives. \nEverything is about to be wrapped up\, so keep your wits about you\, your heads clear\, and your prayers focussed. And make it your number one priority to keep loving one another\, no matter what. Any number of offences will be forgotten if love stays on the job. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 27: 57-66 \n \n\n \n \n \n A few hours after Jesus had died\, a wealthy man from Arimethea went to Pilate and asked permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. The man’s name was Joseph\, and he was a follower of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be released into his care. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linen cloth. He buried Jesus in a new tomb which he had had cut into the rock for his own eventual use. He rolled a boulder over the entrance to the tomb to seal it\, and then went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting opposite the tomb watching all this. \nThe next day was still part of the sacred festival\, and a deputation of the chief priests and members of the Pharisee party held an early meeting with Pilate. They said\, “Sir\, we have remembered that while that con man was still alive\, he claimed that he would rise again three days after his death. So please give orders to have guards secure the tomb for the next three days so that his fan club can’t steal his body and start telling everyone that he has been raised from the dead. A fraud like that would be even more dangerous than the pack of lies he was pushing before.” \nPilate said to them\, “Fair enough. There are security guards at your disposal. Go and do whatever you think is necessary to prevent anyone tampering with the tomb.” \nSo they took the security guards\, taped off the area around the tomb\, sealed the stone\, and kept it under constant surveillance. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n John 19: 38-42 (alternative gospel reading) \n \n\n \n \n \n Once Jesus was well and truly dead\, a man went to Pilate and got permission to take the body for burial. His name was Joseph of Arimethea\, and he had been a closet follower of Jesus\, because he was afraid for his reputation with the Temple hierarchy. He and Nicodemus\, who had first spoken to Jesus in the quiet of night\, removed the body. Nicodemus supplied the embalming spices\, and as was the Jewish custom\, they wrapped the body with the spices in linen cloth. There was a memorial garden not far from the place where Jesus was crucified\, and there was a tomb there which had not yet been used. Because it was the day of preparation and there was little time\, they buried Jesus in that tomb. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc29/2029-03-31/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/29.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290331T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290401T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093928 CREATED:20200811T140223Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200811T140223Z UID:10002871-1869609600-1869782399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a \n \n\n \n \n \n At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Noah: \n“I want you and your family to board the giant lifeboat you have built\, because you are the only person alive who does the right thing in my eyes. It is time to move the animals on board too. Take seven breeding pairs of every kind of animal that can be offered in worship\, one breeding pair of every kind that cannot\, and seven pairs of every kind of flying bird. In this way we will ensure the survival of all their species on the earth. You’ve only got seven days before the rain starts\, so get cracking. I will make it bucket down\, day and night\, for forty days\, to wipe every living thing from the face of the earth\, everything I have created.” \nSo Noah got stuck into it and followed the LORD’s instructions to the letter. Noah was six hundred years old at the time\, and sure enough\, on the seventeenth day of the second month that year\, great torrents of water came flooding up from beneath the ground and the clouds burst from above. Rain bucketed down\, day and night\, for forty days. The very day it began\, Noah finished loading the lifeboat and moved in with his wife\, his three sons — Shem\, Ham and Japheth — and their three wives. On board they had loaded every kind of animal\, wild and domestic\, every kind of creepy-crawly\, and every kind of bird and flying animal. There were breeding pairs of every species that lives and breathes on the earth\, and they all went on board the lifeboat with Noah. Noah had rounded them all up and herded them into the boat\, just as God had instructed him\, and when they were all aboard\, the LORD closed the door to keep them in. \nThe flood waters surged over the earth for forty days\, and as the waters rose the lifeboat floated up well clear of the ground below. The waters continued to swell\, becoming deeper and deeper over the earth\, but the lifeboat floated safely on the surface. \nWhen the rain stopped after forty days\, Noah opened a window in the lifeboat he had built\, and released a crow. It never came back\, but kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up. So Noah released a pigeon\, in order to find out whether the waters had subsided enough to find dry land. But the pigeon returned to the boat\, because the water was still too deep and it couldn’t find anywhere else to land. Noah put out his hand for the bird to land on and brought it back inside. He waited another seven days and then released the pigeon from the boat again. That evening the pigeon came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak\, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided enough for the land to begin drying out. Seven days later he released the pigeon again\, and this time it never came back. \nThey had been in the lifeboat for nearly a year before the flood was gone completely. It was New Year’s Day when Noah opened up the roof of the boat and took a look around. He could see that the ground was still soggy\, but drying fast. Eventually\, on the twenty seventh day of the second month that year\, the earth was dry enough\, and God said to Noah: \n“It is time for you and your whole family to leave the lifeboat. Unload all the living creatures that are with you; all the birds and animals and creepy-crawlies of every kind. Release them so that they can breed like rabbits and restock the earth.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“I\, myself\, am forging an alliance with you\, and with all your descendants to come\, and with every living creature; all the birds\, domestic animals\, and wild animals of the earth who came out of the lifeboat with you. In the terms of this alliance which I am forging with you\, I am giving you my word that never again will all life be wiped out by a flood. There will never be another flood that will totally destroy the earth. I am making this alliance between me and you and all the living creatures that are with you\, and I am signing it in the clouds. The rainbow that I have put in the clouds for you all to see is my signature on the alliance between me and the earth.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 46 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod said\, “Go and get Isaac\, your son\, your only son whom you love. Take him to the mountain that I will point out to you in the land of Moriah. There you are to sacrifice him to me on an altar as a burnt offering.” \nSo Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire on the altar. He saddled his donkey and set out for the place that God had told him to go with Isaac and two of his hired hands. After three day’s journey\, Abraham could finally see their destination in the distance. He said to the two hired hands\, “Wait here with the donkey while the boy and I go on up there to worship. We will then return and meet you back here.” \nAbraham got Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering\, and he himself carried the knife and the coals for starting the fire. As the two of them walked on together\, Isaac spoke to Abraham saying\, “Father!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“Haven’t we forgotten something?” Isaac asked. “We’ve got everything we need to get the fire going\, but we haven’t brought a lamb to sacrifice as a burnt offering.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo the two of them walked on together. When they arrived at the spot that God had shown him\, Abraham built an altar and stacked the wood on it ready for the fire. Then he tied up his son Isaac\, and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. He took the knife in hand and was about to kill his son\, when the messenger of the LORD called to him from heaven\, saying\, “Abraham\, Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe messenger said\, “Put down your knife and don’t hurt the boy in any way\, for now I know what I needed to know. Since you have not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I know that you trust God\, no matter what.”\nAs he looked up\, Abraham saw a ram with its horns entangled in the scrub. So he went and got it\, and offered up the ram on the altar as a burnt offering in place of his son. \nFrom then on\, Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide\,” and a saying was coined that you still hear today: “On the LORD’s mountain all will be provided.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI swear to you\, and give you my personal guarantee\, that because you have done what I told you to do\, and not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I will do the right thing by you and set you up for life. I will see to it that your descendants become as countless as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over their cities and towns. Through your offspring\, a better life will be available to everyone on earth\, because you obeyed when I spoke to you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 16 \n \n\n \n \n \n Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Israelites stopped near the Red Sea\, they looked back over their shoulders and saw the King of Egypt and his whole army in hot pursuit. They began to cry out in panic: \n“God help us! What are you doing to us\, Moses? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Weren’t there enough graves there\, so you had to take us off to be slaughtered in the outback? Didn’t we tell you it would come to this\, when we were still safe in Egypt? We said ‘Don’t rock the boat\, Moses. Leave us be. We are better off working as slaves in Egypt than ending up dead in the outback.’ Didn’t we tell you?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“Don’t panic! Hold your nerve\, and you will see the LORD take action to rescue you\, right here and now. Take a last look at your oppressors while you can\, because you will never see them alive again. The LORD will fight this battle for you. That should shut you up!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“Why all this whingeing to me? Tell the Israelites to get travelling. Hold up your walking stick and stretch out your hand towards the sea. Slice it open\, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on a dry track. The Egyptian army are so pig-headed that they will go in after the people\, and when they do\, I will cover myself in glory by defeating the King of Egypt and all his armoured vehicles and soldiers. Then all Egypt will understand that I AM the LORD.” \n    The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moved around and took up a new position\, covering them from the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and settled in a position behind them\, making it impossible for the Egyptians and the Israelites to see each other. The cloud shrouded the Egyptian camp in darkness and lit up the night over the Israelite camp\, and the night passed without any contact between the two camps. \nThen Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and\, with a violent wind that blew all night\, the LORD forced back the sea\, carving out a track of dry ground right through the middle of the water. The Israelites trooped into the sea on the dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side. The Egyptian soldiers gave chase\, charging into the middle of the sea aboard their horses and armoured vehicles. Just before dawn\, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud\, and began to wreak havoc among them\, bogging their vehicles and leaving them stuck in the middle. In panic\, the soldiers began shouting\, “Run for your lives! Get away from these Israelites because the LORD is on their side fighting against us!” \nThen the LORD said to Moses\, “Stretch out your hand towards the sea again so that the water will surge back over the Egyptian army and all their soldiers and armoured vehicles.” \nSo Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and as the dawn broke\, the sea came crashing back down on top of the fleeing army. The LORD trapped the soldiers in the middle of the sea\, and when the waters had closed over and returned to normal\, there wasn’t a soldier or a vehicle left. The Israelites had walked through the sea on a dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side\, but the entire army of the King of Egypt had been swallowed up by the sea while pursuing them. \nSo that day the LORD rescued the people of Israel from their oppressors\, and the people saw all the dead soldiers washed up on the shore. When they saw the power of the LORD’s action against their oppressors\, the people were in awe of the LORD and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses who was working for the LORD. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 12: 2-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 42 & 43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones\, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying\, “Ezekiel\, mortal man\, can these bones come back to life?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“All you dry bones\, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead\, I\, the Lord\, will put breath into you again\, and you will live. Muscles\, ligaments\, organs\, veins; all these I will give you\, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.” \n So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight\, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together\, linking up\, one bone to another. As I watched\, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh\, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“North Wind\, South Wind\, East Wind\, West Wind\, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses\, so that they can live again.” \n Again I spoke as the LORD had said\, and even as I did\, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies\, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd\, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“Ezekiel\, mortal man\, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly\, Ezekiel\, and tell them this:\n“All you people\, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves\, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you\, my people\, when I restore life to your bodies\, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs\, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I\, the LORD\, have spoken and that what I say goes.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 143 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 98 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Surely you know that all of us who have been baptised into union with Christ were\, in that baptism\, dying with Christ. You will understand then\, that having died in baptism\, we have been buried with him; and so now\, in the same way that Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome power of God\, we too can re-enter life in a whole new way. \nYou see\, if we have been united with him in sharing the same kind of death\, you can rest assured we will be united with him further in sharing the same kind of resurrection. We are no longer the people we used to be. Our former selves were put to death with him on the cross in order to eradicate the sin that had taken over our lives\, and to thus allow us to live free of it. Everyone knows that death is the only escape from a sin-infested life — once you are dead\, you are free of it. For us\, though\, that’s no dead-end solution. If we have died with Christ\, we are convinced that we will live with him too. This much we know for sure: Christ has been raised from the dead and will never have to die again. Death has lost any further power over him. When he died\, he took sin out with him\, once and for all. The life he now lives\, then\, is lived in union with God. So you should now think of yourselves in the same way — your former lives\, ended; your new lives\, begun. Your old relationship with sin\, dead; your new relationship with God\, alive and flourishing in Christ Jesus. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 114 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n The morning after the Sabbath\, just as the first day of the new week was dawning\, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly the earth shuddered and shook beneath them and an angel from the Lord appeared from heaven right in front of them\, rolled back the boulder that had sealed the mouth of the tomb\, and sat on it. The angel was as radiant as lightening\, and wore clothes as white as freshly fallen snow. The angel’s appearance had the security guards quaking in their boots and falling like flies\, scared stiff. But to the women\, the angel said\, “Do not be afraid of me! I know you have come here looking for Jesus\, the one they executed\, but you won’t find him here. He has been raised to life\, just as he said he would be. Come and I will show you the place where his body was laid to rest. Then run and tell the rest of his followers that he has been raised from the dead. Tell them that he is heading back to Galilee and you are all to follow. There you will see him for yourselves. This is what I have been sent to tell you.” \nSo they left the tomb on the double\, awestruck and overjoyed\, and ran to tell the rest of his followers the news. On the way\, they suddenly ran straight into Jesus himself. “Good morning!” he said. \nThey threw themselves at him and fell down kissing his feet and worshipping him. Jesus said to them. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Go and tell the rest of my brothers and sisters to go on up to Galilee and I will meet them there.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Sabbath rest day was over\, three of the women – Mary Magdalene\, Mary the mother of James\, and Salome – went and purchased the spices required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. At the crack of dawn on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, they went to the tomb. On the way there they had been discussing whether they would be able to find anyone to shift the large boulder that sealed the entrance to the tomb\, but when they arrived within sight of it\, they could see that the massive stone had already been rolled aside. They went into the tomb and nearly jumped out of their skins when they found a young man\, wearing a white robe\, sitting on the right hand side. He said to them\, “Don’t panic. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was executed. He has been raised up. You won’t find him here. Look\, this is the spot where they laid his body. Off you go. Tell his disciples\, and especially Peter\, that Jesus is going on up to Galilee ahead of you. There\, in Galilee\, you will see him\, just as he told you you would.” \nThe women bolted out of the tomb and fled as fast as they could\, shaking with fear and their heads spinning. They were so frightened that they didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday\, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid\, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in\, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when\, out of the blue\, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said\, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed\, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.” \nSuddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala\, Joanna\, and Mary the mother of James; but even so\, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head\, with no idea what to make of it all. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2029-03-31/2/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/30.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290331T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290401T235959 DTSTAMP:20260404T093928 CREATED:20200811T140223Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z UID:10002881-1869609600-1869782399@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a \n \n\n \n \n \n At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26 \n \n\n \n \n \n Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD said to Noah: \n“I want you and your family to board the giant lifeboat you have built\, because you are the only person alive who does the right thing in my eyes. It is time to move the animals on board too. Take seven breeding pairs of every kind of animal that can be offered in worship\, one breeding pair of every kind that cannot\, and seven pairs of every kind of flying bird. In this way we will ensure the survival of all their species on the earth. You’ve only got seven days before the rain starts\, so get cracking. I will make it bucket down\, day and night\, for forty days\, to wipe every living thing from the face of the earth\, everything I have created.” \nSo Noah got stuck into it and followed the LORD’s instructions to the letter. Noah was six hundred years old at the time\, and sure enough\, on the seventeenth day of the second month that year\, great torrents of water came flooding up from beneath the ground and the clouds burst from above. Rain bucketed down\, day and night\, for forty days. The very day it began\, Noah finished loading the lifeboat and moved in with his wife\, his three sons — Shem\, Ham and Japheth — and their three wives. On board they had loaded every kind of animal\, wild and domestic\, every kind of creepy-crawly\, and every kind of bird and flying animal. There were breeding pairs of every species that lives and breathes on the earth\, and they all went on board the lifeboat with Noah. Noah had rounded them all up and herded them into the boat\, just as God had instructed him\, and when they were all aboard\, the LORD closed the door to keep them in. \nThe flood waters surged over the earth for forty days\, and as the waters rose the lifeboat floated up well clear of the ground below. The waters continued to swell\, becoming deeper and deeper over the earth\, but the lifeboat floated safely on the surface. \nWhen the rain stopped after forty days\, Noah opened a window in the lifeboat he had built\, and released a crow. It never came back\, but kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up. So Noah released a pigeon\, in order to find out whether the waters had subsided enough to find dry land. But the pigeon returned to the boat\, because the water was still too deep and it couldn’t find anywhere else to land. Noah put out his hand for the bird to land on and brought it back inside. He waited another seven days and then released the pigeon from the boat again. That evening the pigeon came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak\, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided enough for the land to begin drying out. Seven days later he released the pigeon again\, and this time it never came back. \nThey had been in the lifeboat for nearly a year before the flood was gone completely. It was New Year’s Day when Noah opened up the roof of the boat and took a look around. He could see that the ground was still soggy\, but drying fast. Eventually\, on the twenty seventh day of the second month that year\, the earth was dry enough\, and God said to Noah: \n“It is time for you and your whole family to leave the lifeboat. Unload all the living creatures that are with you; all the birds and animals and creepy-crawlies of every kind. Release them so that they can breed like rabbits and restock the earth.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“I\, myself\, am forging an alliance with you\, and with all your descendants to come\, and with every living creature; all the birds\, domestic animals\, and wild animals of the earth who came out of the lifeboat with you. In the terms of this alliance which I am forging with you\, I am giving you my word that never again will all life be wiped out by a flood. There will never be another flood that will totally destroy the earth. I am making this alliance between me and you and all the living creatures that are with you\, and I am signing it in the clouds. The rainbow that I have put in the clouds for you all to see is my signature on the alliance between me and the earth.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 46 \n \n\n \n \n \n Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod said\, “Go and get Isaac\, your son\, your only son whom you love. Take him to the mountain that I will point out to you in the land of Moriah. There you are to sacrifice him to me on an altar as a burnt offering.” \nSo Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire on the altar. He saddled his donkey and set out for the place that God had told him to go with Isaac and two of his hired hands. After three day’s journey\, Abraham could finally see their destination in the distance. He said to the two hired hands\, “Wait here with the donkey while the boy and I go on up there to worship. We will then return and meet you back here.” \nAbraham got Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering\, and he himself carried the knife and the coals for starting the fire. As the two of them walked on together\, Isaac spoke to Abraham saying\, “Father!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“Haven’t we forgotten something?” Isaac asked. “We’ve got everything we need to get the fire going\, but we haven’t brought a lamb to sacrifice as a burnt offering.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo the two of them walked on together. When they arrived at the spot that God had shown him\, Abraham built an altar and stacked the wood on it ready for the fire. Then he tied up his son Isaac\, and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. He took the knife in hand and was about to kill his son\, when the messenger of the LORD called to him from heaven\, saying\, “Abraham\, Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe messenger said\, “Put down your knife and don’t hurt the boy in any way\, for now I know what I needed to know. Since you have not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I know that you trust God\, no matter what.”\nAs he looked up\, Abraham saw a ram with its horns entangled in the scrub. So he went and got it\, and offered up the ram on the altar as a burnt offering in place of his son. \nFrom then on\, Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide\,” and a saying was coined that you still hear today: “On the LORD’s mountain all will be provided.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI swear to you\, and give you my personal guarantee\, that because you have done what I told you to do\, and not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me\, I will do the right thing by you and set you up for life. I will see to it that your descendants become as countless as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over their cities and towns. Through your offspring\, a better life will be available to everyone on earth\, because you obeyed when I spoke to you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 16 \n \n\n \n \n \n Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Israelites stopped near the Red Sea\, they looked back over their shoulders and saw the King of Egypt and his whole army in hot pursuit. They began to cry out in panic: \n“God help us! What are you doing to us\, Moses? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Weren’t there enough graves there\, so you had to take us off to be slaughtered in the outback? Didn’t we tell you it would come to this\, when we were still safe in Egypt? We said ‘Don’t rock the boat\, Moses. Leave us be. We are better off working as slaves in Egypt than ending up dead in the outback.’ Didn’t we tell you?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“Don’t panic! Hold your nerve\, and you will see the LORD take action to rescue you\, right here and now. Take a last look at your oppressors while you can\, because you will never see them alive again. The LORD will fight this battle for you. That should shut you up!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“Why all this whingeing to me? Tell the Israelites to get travelling. Hold up your walking stick and stretch out your hand towards the sea. Slice it open\, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on a dry track. The Egyptian army are so pig-headed that they will go in after the people\, and when they do\, I will cover myself in glory by defeating the King of Egypt and all his armoured vehicles and soldiers. Then all Egypt will understand that I AM the LORD.” \n    The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moved around and took up a new position\, covering them from the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and settled in a position behind them\, making it impossible for the Egyptians and the Israelites to see each other. The cloud shrouded the Egyptian camp in darkness and lit up the night over the Israelite camp\, and the night passed without any contact between the two camps. \nThen Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and\, with a violent wind that blew all night\, the LORD forced back the sea\, carving out a track of dry ground right through the middle of the water. The Israelites trooped into the sea on the dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side. The Egyptian soldiers gave chase\, charging into the middle of the sea aboard their horses and armoured vehicles. Just before dawn\, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud\, and began to wreak havoc among them\, bogging their vehicles and leaving them stuck in the middle. In panic\, the soldiers began shouting\, “Run for your lives! Get away from these Israelites because the LORD is on their side fighting against us!” \nThen the LORD said to Moses\, “Stretch out your hand towards the sea again so that the water will surge back over the Egyptian army and all their soldiers and armoured vehicles.” \nSo Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea\, and as the dawn broke\, the sea came crashing back down on top of the fleeing army. The LORD trapped the soldiers in the middle of the sea\, and when the waters had closed over and returned to normal\, there wasn’t a soldier or a vehicle left. The Israelites had walked through the sea on a dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side\, but the entire army of the King of Egypt had been swallowed up by the sea while pursuing them. \nSo that day the LORD rescued the people of Israel from their oppressors\, and the people saw all the dead soldiers washed up on the shore. When they saw the power of the LORD’s action against their oppressors\, the people were in awe of the LORD and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses who was working for the LORD. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Isaiah 12: 2-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6 \n \n\n \n \n \n Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 19 \n \n\n \n \n \n Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28 \n \n\n \n \n \n I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 42 & 43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones\, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying\, “Ezekiel\, mortal man\, can these bones come back to life?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“All you dry bones\, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead\, I\, the Lord\, will put breath into you again\, and you will live. Muscles\, ligaments\, organs\, veins; all these I will give you\, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.” \n So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight\, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together\, linking up\, one bone to another. As I watched\, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh\, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“North Wind\, South Wind\, East Wind\, West Wind\, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses\, so that they can live again.” \n Again I spoke as the LORD had said\, and even as I did\, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies\, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd\, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“Ezekiel\, mortal man\, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly\, Ezekiel\, and tell them this:\n“All you people\, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves\, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you\, my people\, when I restore life to your bodies\, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs\, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I\, the LORD\, have spoken and that what I say goes.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 143 \n \n\n \n \n \n Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 \n \n\n \n \n \n Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 98 \n \n\n \n \n \n We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Surely you know that all of us who have been baptised into union with Christ were\, in that baptism\, dying with Christ. You will understand then\, that having died in baptism\, we have been buried with him; and so now\, in the same way that Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome power of God\, we too can re-enter life in a whole new way. \nYou see\, if we have been united with him in sharing the same kind of death\, you can rest assured we will be united with him further in sharing the same kind of resurrection. We are no longer the people we used to be. Our former selves were put to death with him on the cross in order to eradicate the sin that had taken over our lives\, and to thus allow us to live free of it. Everyone knows that death is the only escape from a sin-infested life — once you are dead\, you are free of it. For us\, though\, that’s no dead-end solution. If we have died with Christ\, we are convinced that we will live with him too. This much we know for sure: Christ has been raised from the dead and will never have to die again. Death has lost any further power over him. When he died\, he took sin out with him\, once and for all. The life he now lives\, then\, is lived in union with God. So you should now think of yourselves in the same way — your former lives\, ended; your new lives\, begun. Your old relationship with sin\, dead; your new relationship with God\, alive and flourishing in Christ Jesus. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 114 \n \n\n \n \n \n When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n The morning after the Sabbath\, just as the first day of the new week was dawning\, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly the earth shuddered and shook beneath them and an angel from the Lord appeared from heaven right in front of them\, rolled back the boulder that had sealed the mouth of the tomb\, and sat on it. The angel was as radiant as lightening\, and wore clothes as white as freshly fallen snow. The angel’s appearance had the security guards quaking in their boots and falling like flies\, scared stiff. But to the women\, the angel said\, “Do not be afraid of me! I know you have come here looking for Jesus\, the one they executed\, but you won’t find him here. He has been raised to life\, just as he said he would be. Come and I will show you the place where his body was laid to rest. Then run and tell the rest of his followers that he has been raised from the dead. Tell them that he is heading back to Galilee and you are all to follow. There you will see him for yourselves. This is what I have been sent to tell you.” \nSo they left the tomb on the double\, awestruck and overjoyed\, and ran to tell the rest of his followers the news. On the way\, they suddenly ran straight into Jesus himself. “Good morning!” he said. \nThey threw themselves at him and fell down kissing his feet and worshipping him. Jesus said to them. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Go and tell the rest of my brothers and sisters to go on up to Galilee and I will meet them there.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8 \n \n\n \n \n \n When the Sabbath rest day was over\, three of the women – Mary Magdalene\, Mary the mother of James\, and Salome – went and purchased the spices required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. At the crack of dawn on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, they went to the tomb. On the way there they had been discussing whether they would be able to find anyone to shift the large boulder that sealed the entrance to the tomb\, but when they arrived within sight of it\, they could see that the massive stone had already been rolled aside. They went into the tomb and nearly jumped out of their skins when they found a young man\, wearing a white robe\, sitting on the right hand side. He said to them\, “Don’t panic. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was executed. He has been raised up. You won’t find him here. Look\, this is the spot where they laid his body. Off you go. Tell his disciples\, and especially Peter\, that Jesus is going on up to Galilee ahead of you. There\, in Galilee\, you will see him\, just as he told you you would.” \nThe women bolted out of the tomb and fled as fast as they could\, shaking with fear and their heads spinning. They were so frightened that they didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12 \n \n\n \n \n \n Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday\, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid\, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in\, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when\, out of the blue\, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said\, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed\, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.” \nSuddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala\, Joanna\, and Mary the mother of James; but even so\, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head\, with no idea what to make of it all. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2029-03-31/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/30.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR