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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T122724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002922-1902441600-1902527999@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Monday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 42:1-9			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Lord says: \nLet me introduce to you the one who serves me\,\nthe one I am backing all the way.\nI have chosen him\,\nand I am bursting with pride over him.\nI have given him my spirit in full measure\,\nand he will bring about justice everywhere on earth. \nHe won’t go thrusting himself into the public eye\,\nor grandstanding in the street with pompous speeches.\nHe won’t exploit the vulnerability of damaged people\,\nor squeeze the last drops out of those who are running on empty.\nHe will be completely fair dinkum\nabout making justice a reality. \nHe will not run out of steam or throw in the towel\nuntil his mission is accomplished;\nuntil justice holds sway everywhere on earth\nand the world’s peoples are eager to learn from him. \nI am the one who created the universe\nand stretched out the skies;\nthe one who constructed the earth\nand produced everything that grows from it;\nthe one who breathes life into the world’s people\nand kindles the spark of life within them;\nI am the LORD your God;\nso listen to what I have to say: \nI\, the LORD\, have called you to stand for what is right.\nI have put my arm around you and kept you safe.\nI have made you a shining light for all the earth to see\,\nto draw all people everywhere\ninto a permanent alliance with me.\nI have given you a privileged role\nas the one who enables the blind to see the light;\nthe one who opens the gates of the stifling detention centres\nand welcomes the prisoners into the fresh air of freedom. \nI am the LORD\, that is my name;\nI don’t allow pretenders to cash in on my glory\nor rip off my image to promote their frauds. \nTake note: everything I warned you about has happened on cue.\nNow I am announcing my new projects;\nI’m letting you in on them even before they get started. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 36: 5-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You unwavering love fills the universe\, LORD;\nyour loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.  \nYour passion for doing right\nis as solid as the mountain ranges;\nyour understanding of us\nis as deep as the oceans. \nYou set out to save the lives of every creature\, LORD\,\nand no one – not man nor woman\,\nnot bird nor beast – is left out of your care. \nYour love\, O God\, is our greatest treasure!\nYou keep a place for everyone\nunder the shelter of your wings. \nYou invite all who come to feast at your table;\nthe wine of your love flows like a river\nand no one’s glass is allowed to run dry. \nLife bursts forth from you like a fountain;\nlight shines from you and lights up our world. \nDon’t ever give up on us\, LORD;\nkeep loving all who trust you\,\nkeep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place. \nProtect us from those who would trample us underfoot.\nStand in the way of those who would drive us from the land. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Hebrews 9: 11-15			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The priests of old served in a great tent which people had made as the place to approach God here on earth\, but when Christ came he bypassed the old tent. He came as the new high priest\, bringing a new improved way of approaching God. Once and for all he went in to the real Holy Place of God’s presence\, in the middle of the ultimate tent — heaven itself. He also bypassed the old sacrifices of goat and calf blood. Instead\, he shed his own blood in the process of winning permanent freedom for everyone. \nUnder the old arrangements\, people were not permitted to come and worship God if they had done something that made them officially unclean. They had to be purified first in a ritual that required them to be sprinkled with blood from goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. Now if such a ritual was enough to clear up these problems\, imagine how much more thoroughly our lives can be cleaned up — inside and out — by the blood of Christ! Christ’s self-sacrifice — which because of his spotless record was the greatest possible sacrifice — was made in the power of God’s Spirit to wipe the slate clean for us. No longer are we weighed down by the emotional debris left over from previous futile efforts to sort things out with God. Now we are free to join the joyous dance of life that honours God! \nThis is why we say that Jesus is the mediator. He brought the two sides together — us and God — to establish a new alliance. It took his own death to bring the job to completion\, but he succeeded in having written off the debts we had accumulated by breaking the rules of the old agreement\, and having us written back into the list of those who God has called — those who will inherit for all time all that God has promised to give. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Six days before the celebration of Passover\, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He stayed overnight in the home of Mary\, Martha and Lazarus; the man he had previously raised from the dead. Martha prepared a dinner party in honour of Jesus\, and everyone was there\, including Lazarus. During the evening\, Mary broke open a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She poured out the oil and used it to massage Jesus’ feet. She then wiped them dry with her own hair. The intoxicating fragrance of the oils filled the whole house. \nJudas Iscariot\, however\, took exception to her behaviour. Although he was one of Jesus’ closest followers\, the seeds of betrayal were taking root in his mind. When he saw what Mary was doing\, he growled\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nHe wasn’t really the least bit concerned about the plight of the poor\, but he was their treasurer and liked to keep their shared account topped up so he could help himself to it without anyone noticing. \nJesus said\, “Get off her case\, Judas! She brought that oil and kept it to use in preparing me for a decent burial. There will never be any shortage of opportunities to do something worthwhile for the poor\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me.” \nThe news that Jesus was back in Bethany spread quickly and the crowds gathered to see him. Many were also keen to see Lazarus\, because they had heard about Jesus raising him from the dead. When news of this reached the senior religious authorities\, they began plotting to have Lazarus killed as well. They wanted to get rid of him because he had inspired so many of their followers to give up on them and switch their allegiance to Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc24/2030-04-15/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T122724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002933-1902441600-1902527999@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Monday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 42:1-9			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Lord says: \nLet me introduce to you the one who serves me\,\nthe one I am backing all the way.\nI have chosen him\,\nand I am bursting with pride over him.\nI have given him my spirit in full measure\,\nand he will bring about justice everywhere on earth. \nHe won’t go thrusting himself into the public eye\,\nor grandstanding in the street with pompous speeches.\nHe won’t exploit the vulnerability of damaged people\,\nor squeeze the last drops out of those who are running on empty.\nHe will be completely fair dinkum\nabout making justice a reality. \nHe will not run out of steam or throw in the towel\nuntil his mission is accomplished;\nuntil justice holds sway everywhere on earth\nand the world’s peoples are eager to learn from him. \nI am the one who created the universe\nand stretched out the skies;\nthe one who constructed the earth\nand produced everything that grows from it;\nthe one who breathes life into the world’s people\nand kindles the spark of life within them;\nI am the LORD your God;\nso listen to what I have to say: \nI\, the LORD\, have called you to stand for what is right.\nI have put my arm around you and kept you safe.\nI have made you a shining light for all the earth to see\,\nto draw all people everywhere\ninto a permanent alliance with me.\nI have given you a privileged role\nas the one who enables the blind to see the light;\nthe one who opens the gates of the stifling detention centres\nand welcomes the prisoners into the fresh air of freedom. \nI am the LORD\, that is my name;\nI don’t allow pretenders to cash in on my glory\nor rip off my image to promote their frauds. \nTake note: everything I warned you about has happened on cue.\nNow I am announcing my new projects;\nI’m letting you in on them even before they get started. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 36: 5-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You unwavering love fills the universe\, LORD;\nyour loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.  \nYour passion for doing right\nis as solid as the mountain ranges;\nyour understanding of us\nis as deep as the oceans. \nYou set out to save the lives of every creature\, LORD\,\nand no one – not man nor woman\,\nnot bird nor beast – is left out of your care. \nYour love\, O God\, is our greatest treasure!\nYou keep a place for everyone\nunder the shelter of your wings. \nYou invite all who come to feast at your table;\nthe wine of your love flows like a river\nand no one’s glass is allowed to run dry. \nLife bursts forth from you like a fountain;\nlight shines from you and lights up our world. \nDon’t ever give up on us\, LORD;\nkeep loving all who trust you\,\nkeep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place. \nProtect us from those who would trample us underfoot.\nStand in the way of those who would drive us from the land. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Hebrews 9: 11-15			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The priests of old served in a great tent which people had made as the place to approach God here on earth\, but when Christ came he bypassed the old tent. He came as the new high priest\, bringing a new improved way of approaching God. Once and for all he went in to the real Holy Place of God’s presence\, in the middle of the ultimate tent — heaven itself. He also bypassed the old sacrifices of goat and calf blood. Instead\, he shed his own blood in the process of winning permanent freedom for everyone. \nUnder the old arrangements\, people were not permitted to come and worship God if they had done something that made them officially unclean. They had to be purified first in a ritual that required them to be sprinkled with blood from goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. Now if such a ritual was enough to clear up these problems\, imagine how much more thoroughly our lives can be cleaned up — inside and out — by the blood of Christ! Christ’s self-sacrifice — which because of his spotless record was the greatest possible sacrifice — was made in the power of God’s Spirit to wipe the slate clean for us. No longer are we weighed down by the emotional debris left over from previous futile efforts to sort things out with God. Now we are free to join the joyous dance of life that honours God! \nThis is why we say that Jesus is the mediator. He brought the two sides together — us and God — to establish a new alliance. It took his own death to bring the job to completion\, but he succeeded in having written off the debts we had accumulated by breaking the rules of the old agreement\, and having us written back into the list of those who God has called — those who will inherit for all time all that God has promised to give. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Six days before the celebration of Passover\, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He stayed overnight in the home of Mary\, Martha and Lazarus; the man he had previously raised from the dead. Martha prepared a dinner party in honour of Jesus\, and everyone was there\, including Lazarus. During the evening\, Mary broke open a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She poured out the oil and used it to massage Jesus’ feet. She then wiped them dry with her own hair. The intoxicating fragrance of the oils filled the whole house. \nJudas Iscariot\, however\, took exception to her behaviour. Although he was one of Jesus’ closest followers\, the seeds of betrayal were taking root in his mind. When he saw what Mary was doing\, he growled\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nHe wasn’t really the least bit concerned about the plight of the poor\, but he was their treasurer and liked to keep their shared account topped up so he could help himself to it without anyone noticing. \nJesus said\, “Get off her case\, Judas! She brought that oil and kept it to use in preparing me for a decent burial. There will never be any shortage of opportunities to do something worthwhile for the poor\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me.” \nThe news that Jesus was back in Bethany spread quickly and the crowds gathered to see him. Many were also keen to see Lazarus\, because they had heard about Jesus raising him from the dead. When news of this reached the senior religious authorities\, they began plotting to have Lazarus killed as well. They wanted to get rid of him because he had inspired so many of their followers to give up on them and switch their allegiance to Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc24/2030-04-15/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300415T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T122724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T054759Z
UID:10002116-1902441600-1902527999@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Monday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 42:1-9			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Lord says: \nLet me introduce to you the one who serves me\,\nthe one I am backing all the way.\nI have chosen him\,\nand I am bursting with pride over him.\nI have given him my spirit in full measure\,\nand he will bring about justice everywhere on earth. \nHe won’t go thrusting himself into the public eye\,\nor grandstanding in the street with pompous speeches.\nHe won’t exploit the vulnerability of damaged people\,\nor squeeze the last drops out of those who are running on empty.\nHe will be completely fair dinkum\nabout making justice a reality. \nHe will not run out of steam or throw in the towel\nuntil his mission is accomplished;\nuntil justice holds sway everywhere on earth\nand the world’s peoples are eager to learn from him. \nI am the one who created the universe\nand stretched out the skies;\nthe one who constructed the earth\nand produced everything that grows from it;\nthe one who breathes life into the world’s people\nand kindles the spark of life within them;\nI am the LORD your God;\nso listen to what I have to say: \nI\, the LORD\, have called you to stand for what is right.\nI have put my arm around you and kept you safe.\nI have made you a shining light for all the earth to see\,\nto draw all people everywhere\ninto a permanent alliance with me.\nI have given you a privileged role\nas the one who enables the blind to see the light;\nthe one who opens the gates of the stifling detention centres\nand welcomes the prisoners into the fresh air of freedom. \nI am the LORD\, that is my name;\nI don’t allow pretenders to cash in on my glory\nor rip off my image to promote their frauds. \nTake note: everything I warned you about has happened on cue.\nNow I am announcing my new projects;\nI’m letting you in on them even before they get started. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 36: 5-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You unwavering love fills the universe\, LORD;\nyour loyalty is as timeless as the milky way.  \nYour passion for doing right\nis as solid as the mountain ranges;\nyour understanding of us\nis as deep as the oceans. \nYou set out to save the lives of every creature\, LORD\,\nand no one – not man nor woman\,\nnot bird nor beast – is left out of your care. \nYour love\, O God\, is our greatest treasure!\nYou keep a place for everyone\nunder the shelter of your wings. \nYou invite all who come to feast at your table;\nthe wine of your love flows like a river\nand no one’s glass is allowed to run dry. \nLife bursts forth from you like a fountain;\nlight shines from you and lights up our world. \nDon’t ever give up on us\, LORD;\nkeep loving all who trust you\,\nkeep rescuing all whose hearts are in the right place. \nProtect us from those who would trample us underfoot.\nStand in the way of those who would drive us from the land. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Hebrews 9: 11-15			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The priests of old served in a great tent which people had made as the place to approach God here on earth\, but when Christ came he bypassed the old tent. He came as the new high priest\, bringing a new improved way of approaching God. Once and for all he went in to the real Holy Place of God’s presence\, in the middle of the ultimate tent — heaven itself. He also bypassed the old sacrifices of goat and calf blood. Instead\, he shed his own blood in the process of winning permanent freedom for everyone. \nUnder the old arrangements\, people were not permitted to come and worship God if they had done something that made them officially unclean. They had to be purified first in a ritual that required them to be sprinkled with blood from goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. Now if such a ritual was enough to clear up these problems\, imagine how much more thoroughly our lives can be cleaned up — inside and out — by the blood of Christ! Christ’s self-sacrifice — which because of his spotless record was the greatest possible sacrifice — was made in the power of God’s Spirit to wipe the slate clean for us. No longer are we weighed down by the emotional debris left over from previous futile efforts to sort things out with God. Now we are free to join the joyous dance of life that honours God! \nThis is why we say that Jesus is the mediator. He brought the two sides together — us and God — to establish a new alliance. It took his own death to bring the job to completion\, but he succeeded in having written off the debts we had accumulated by breaking the rules of the old agreement\, and having us written back into the list of those who God has called — those who will inherit for all time all that God has promised to give. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Six days before the celebration of Passover\, Jesus arrived in Bethany. He stayed overnight in the home of Mary\, Martha and Lazarus; the man he had previously raised from the dead. Martha prepared a dinner party in honour of Jesus\, and everyone was there\, including Lazarus. During the evening\, Mary broke open a very expensive bottle of blended fragrant oils. She poured out the oil and used it to massage Jesus’ feet. She then wiped them dry with her own hair. The intoxicating fragrance of the oils filled the whole house. \nJudas Iscariot\, however\, took exception to her behaviour. Although he was one of Jesus’ closest followers\, the seeds of betrayal were taking root in his mind. When he saw what Mary was doing\, he growled\, “What do you think you’re doing? That stuff is worth a fortune. Why was it not sold and the money put to work to do something for the poor?” \nHe wasn’t really the least bit concerned about the plight of the poor\, but he was their treasurer and liked to keep their shared account topped up so he could help himself to it without anyone noticing. \nJesus said\, “Get off her case\, Judas! She brought that oil and kept it to use in preparing me for a decent burial. There will never be any shortage of opportunities to do something worthwhile for the poor\, but you won’t always have the opportunity to do anything worthwhile for me.” \nThe news that Jesus was back in Bethany spread quickly and the crowds gathered to see him. Many were also keen to see Lazarus\, because they had heard about Jesus raising him from the dead. When news of this reached the senior religious authorities\, they began plotting to have Lazarus killed as well. They wanted to get rid of him because he had inspired so many of their followers to give up on them and switch their allegiance to Jesus. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc24/2030-04-15/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z
UID:10002894-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 49: 1-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Everyone\, from coast to coast\, listen up!\nAll you people\, far and near\, don’t miss a word. \nBefore I was born\, the LORD had chosen me.\nWhile I was still in my mother’s womb\nI was given a name and a job. \nI was created to be a surgeon’s knife\,\nrazor sharp in the hand of the LORD;\nready and waiting to slice through any defence\nand cut to the core with a word. \nThe LORD said to me\, “Israel\, you are my servant\,\nthe one who will put my name up in lights.” \nBut I said\, “Then how come every thing I do comes to nothing?\nI’ve worked my guts out but there is nothing to show for it.\nBut I gave it my best shot for you LORD\,\nso you decide whether I’m worth my pay.” \nAnd now the LORD has more to say to me;\nthis God who chose me as a servant before I was born;\nwho gave me the job of bringing home the people of Israel\nfor a great reunion with God.\nIt is a privilege and an honour to do this for the LORD\,\nand God has given me the strength to see it through. \nBut now the LORD says to me\,\n“Getting the people of Israel back on their feet is great\,\nbut it’s a piece of cake for my number one worker.\nNow I’ve got a real challenge for you!\nI want you to help the whole world to see the light!\nI want you to give my saving love a global reach!” \nI\, the LORD\, the one and only\, who puts things right for Israel\,\nhave this to say:\n“You have been treated like dirt.\nkicked around by the nations\,\nand forced to work in chains for their rulers;\nbut let me tell you how it is going to be:\nKings will stand up when you walk in;\nGovernors will snap to attention at your approach.\nYou have my word on this and I can be trusted;\nI am the LORD\, your one and only\, and I have chosen you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 71: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 1: 18-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The message about the cross sounds like a lot of mindless cock-and-bull to those who have thrown their lot in with this present world order and are going down with the ship. But to those of us who are being saved from that\, it is nothing less than the power of God! God spoke about this in the Scriptures: \n“I will expose the brilliant insights of your experts\nand the wise counsel of your gurus;\nI will expose them for what they really are\,\na load of codswallop!” \nSo where are the intellectuals now? Where are the religious experts? Where are those who have an answer for everything? What have they got to show for all their cleverness now that God has turned all the conventional wisdom on its head and made it look foolish? Seeing that no amount of human cleverness had ever woken anybody up to God’s ways\, God made the wise decision to use something that seemed utterly foolish to everyone — our preaching! — to rescue those who would trust the message. Most people want something more than this. Those with a religious world view demand to see miraculous signs to prove that it is from God. Those with a modern rational world view insist that it should have to prove its intellectual credibility. But what we are preaching is a Messiah who was strung up and killed. The religious people find this unthinkable\, and the intellectuals regard it as primitive nonsense; but to those who have heard the call of God\, whatever their background\, it is the ultimate good news of God’s chosen one — as miraculous and profound as one could ever wish for! When it’s all said and done\, the sum total of the human race’s intellectual achievements don’t even begin to stack up against the foolishness of God; and the combined force of all the world’s powers is puny in comparison to the weakness of God. \nSisters and brothers\, you don’t have to look any further than your own experience of God’s call to see the truth of this. Not many of you were academic hot-shots. Not many of you were movers and shakers in the corridors of power. Not many of you were feted as celebrities. But God chose you! God chose those who were dismissed as fools to expose the bankruptcy of the world’s accepted wisdom. God chose those who were weak and vulnerable in the world to show up the corruption of those who wield power. God consistently chooses what is despised as the dregs by the world\, things which are seen as worthless\, to expose the worthlessness of things which are seen as being ‘it and a bit’. Because of this\, no one who is accepted into God’s presence has any grounds for blowing their own trumpet. God and God alone is the source of the life you share in union with the Messiah\, Jesus. It is only in Jesus that we have been able to tap into God’s wisdom. And it is only in Jesus that our lives have been put back on track\, given a clean bill of health\, and set on the path to wholeness. For this reason\, the scriptures make sense to us when they say: \n“If you are going to blow your trumpet about something\,\nblow it about the Lord!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 20-36			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002905-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 49: 1-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Everyone\, from coast to coast\, listen up!\nAll you people\, far and near\, don’t miss a word. \nBefore I was born\, the LORD had chosen me.\nWhile I was still in my mother’s womb\nI was given a name and a job. \nI was created to be a surgeon’s knife\,\nrazor sharp in the hand of the LORD;\nready and waiting to slice through any defence\nand cut to the core with a word. \nThe LORD said to me\, “Israel\, you are my servant\,\nthe one who will put my name up in lights.” \nBut I said\, “Then how come every thing I do comes to nothing?\nI’ve worked my guts out but there is nothing to show for it.\nBut I gave it my best shot for you LORD\,\nso you decide whether I’m worth my pay.” \nAnd now the LORD has more to say to me;\nthis God who chose me as a servant before I was born;\nwho gave me the job of bringing home the people of Israel\nfor a great reunion with God.\nIt is a privilege and an honour to do this for the LORD\,\nand God has given me the strength to see it through. \nBut now the LORD says to me\,\n“Getting the people of Israel back on their feet is great\,\nbut it’s a piece of cake for my number one worker.\nNow I’ve got a real challenge for you!\nI want you to help the whole world to see the light!\nI want you to give my saving love a global reach!” \nI\, the LORD\, the one and only\, who puts things right for Israel\,\nhave this to say:\n“You have been treated like dirt.\nkicked around by the nations\,\nand forced to work in chains for their rulers;\nbut let me tell you how it is going to be:\nKings will stand up when you walk in;\nGovernors will snap to attention at your approach.\nYou have my word on this and I can be trusted;\nI am the LORD\, your one and only\, and I have chosen you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 71: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 1: 18-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The message about the cross sounds like a lot of mindless cock-and-bull to those who have thrown their lot in with this present world order and are going down with the ship. But to those of us who are being saved from that\, it is nothing less than the power of God! God spoke about this in the Scriptures: \n“I will expose the brilliant insights of your experts\nand the wise counsel of your gurus;\nI will expose them for what they really are\,\na load of codswallop!” \nSo where are the intellectuals now? Where are the religious experts? Where are those who have an answer for everything? What have they got to show for all their cleverness now that God has turned all the conventional wisdom on its head and made it look foolish? Seeing that no amount of human cleverness had ever woken anybody up to God’s ways\, God made the wise decision to use something that seemed utterly foolish to everyone — our preaching! — to rescue those who would trust the message. Most people want something more than this. Those with a religious world view demand to see miraculous signs to prove that it is from God. Those with a modern rational world view insist that it should have to prove its intellectual credibility. But what we are preaching is a Messiah who was strung up and killed. The religious people find this unthinkable\, and the intellectuals regard it as primitive nonsense; but to those who have heard the call of God\, whatever their background\, it is the ultimate good news of God’s chosen one — as miraculous and profound as one could ever wish for! When it’s all said and done\, the sum total of the human race’s intellectual achievements don’t even begin to stack up against the foolishness of God; and the combined force of all the world’s powers is puny in comparison to the weakness of God. \nSisters and brothers\, you don’t have to look any further than your own experience of God’s call to see the truth of this. Not many of you were academic hot-shots. Not many of you were movers and shakers in the corridors of power. Not many of you were feted as celebrities. But God chose you! God chose those who were dismissed as fools to expose the bankruptcy of the world’s accepted wisdom. God chose those who were weak and vulnerable in the world to show up the corruption of those who wield power. God consistently chooses what is despised as the dregs by the world\, things which are seen as worthless\, to expose the worthlessness of things which are seen as being ‘it and a bit’. Because of this\, no one who is accepted into God’s presence has any grounds for blowing their own trumpet. God and God alone is the source of the life you share in union with the Messiah\, Jesus. It is only in Jesus that we have been able to tap into God’s wisdom. And it is only in Jesus that our lives have been put back on track\, given a clean bill of health\, and set on the path to wholeness. For this reason\, the scriptures make sense to us when they say: \n“If you are going to blow your trumpet about something\,\nblow it about the Lord!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 20-36			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z
UID:10002888-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 49: 1-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Everyone\, from coast to coast\, listen up!\nAll you people\, far and near\, don’t miss a word. \nBefore I was born\, the LORD had chosen me.\nWhile I was still in my mother’s womb\nI was given a name and a job. \nI was created to be a surgeon’s knife\,\nrazor sharp in the hand of the LORD;\nready and waiting to slice through any defence\nand cut to the core with a word. \nThe LORD said to me\, “Israel\, you are my servant\,\nthe one who will put my name up in lights.” \nBut I said\, “Then how come every thing I do comes to nothing?\nI’ve worked my guts out but there is nothing to show for it.\nBut I gave it my best shot for you LORD\,\nso you decide whether I’m worth my pay.” \nAnd now the LORD has more to say to me;\nthis God who chose me as a servant before I was born;\nwho gave me the job of bringing home the people of Israel\nfor a great reunion with God.\nIt is a privilege and an honour to do this for the LORD\,\nand God has given me the strength to see it through. \nBut now the LORD says to me\,\n“Getting the people of Israel back on their feet is great\,\nbut it’s a piece of cake for my number one worker.\nNow I’ve got a real challenge for you!\nI want you to help the whole world to see the light!\nI want you to give my saving love a global reach!” \nI\, the LORD\, the one and only\, who puts things right for Israel\,\nhave this to say:\n“You have been treated like dirt.\nkicked around by the nations\,\nand forced to work in chains for their rulers;\nbut let me tell you how it is going to be:\nKings will stand up when you walk in;\nGovernors will snap to attention at your approach.\nYou have my word on this and I can be trusted;\nI am the LORD\, your one and only\, and I have chosen you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 71: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 1: 18-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The message about the cross sounds like a lot of mindless cock-and-bull to those who have thrown their lot in with this present world order and are going down with the ship. But to those of us who are being saved from that\, it is nothing less than the power of God! God spoke about this in the Scriptures: \n“I will expose the brilliant insights of your experts\nand the wise counsel of your gurus;\nI will expose them for what they really are\,\na load of codswallop!” \nSo where are the intellectuals now? Where are the religious experts? Where are those who have an answer for everything? What have they got to show for all their cleverness now that God has turned all the conventional wisdom on its head and made it look foolish? Seeing that no amount of human cleverness had ever woken anybody up to God’s ways\, God made the wise decision to use something that seemed utterly foolish to everyone — our preaching! — to rescue those who would trust the message. Most people want something more than this. Those with a religious world view demand to see miraculous signs to prove that it is from God. Those with a modern rational world view insist that it should have to prove its intellectual credibility. But what we are preaching is a Messiah who was strung up and killed. The religious people find this unthinkable\, and the intellectuals regard it as primitive nonsense; but to those who have heard the call of God\, whatever their background\, it is the ultimate good news of God’s chosen one — as miraculous and profound as one could ever wish for! When it’s all said and done\, the sum total of the human race’s intellectual achievements don’t even begin to stack up against the foolishness of God; and the combined force of all the world’s powers is puny in comparison to the weakness of God. \nSisters and brothers\, you don’t have to look any further than your own experience of God’s call to see the truth of this. Not many of you were academic hot-shots. Not many of you were movers and shakers in the corridors of power. Not many of you were feted as celebrities. But God chose you! God chose those who were dismissed as fools to expose the bankruptcy of the world’s accepted wisdom. God chose those who were weak and vulnerable in the world to show up the corruption of those who wield power. God consistently chooses what is despised as the dregs by the world\, things which are seen as worthless\, to expose the worthlessness of things which are seen as being ‘it and a bit’. Because of this\, no one who is accepted into God’s presence has any grounds for blowing their own trumpet. God and God alone is the source of the life you share in union with the Messiah\, Jesus. It is only in Jesus that we have been able to tap into God’s wisdom. And it is only in Jesus that our lives have been put back on track\, given a clean bill of health\, and set on the path to wholeness. For this reason\, the scriptures make sense to us when they say: \n“If you are going to blow your trumpet about something\,\nblow it about the Lord!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 20-36			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z
UID:10002900-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 49: 1-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Everyone\, from coast to coast\, listen up!\nAll you people\, far and near\, don’t miss a word. \nBefore I was born\, the LORD had chosen me.\nWhile I was still in my mother’s womb\nI was given a name and a job. \nI was created to be a surgeon’s knife\,\nrazor sharp in the hand of the LORD;\nready and waiting to slice through any defence\nand cut to the core with a word. \nThe LORD said to me\, “Israel\, you are my servant\,\nthe one who will put my name up in lights.” \nBut I said\, “Then how come every thing I do comes to nothing?\nI’ve worked my guts out but there is nothing to show for it.\nBut I gave it my best shot for you LORD\,\nso you decide whether I’m worth my pay.” \nAnd now the LORD has more to say to me;\nthis God who chose me as a servant before I was born;\nwho gave me the job of bringing home the people of Israel\nfor a great reunion with God.\nIt is a privilege and an honour to do this for the LORD\,\nand God has given me the strength to see it through. \nBut now the LORD says to me\,\n“Getting the people of Israel back on their feet is great\,\nbut it’s a piece of cake for my number one worker.\nNow I’ve got a real challenge for you!\nI want you to help the whole world to see the light!\nI want you to give my saving love a global reach!” \nI\, the LORD\, the one and only\, who puts things right for Israel\,\nhave this to say:\n“You have been treated like dirt.\nkicked around by the nations\,\nand forced to work in chains for their rulers;\nbut let me tell you how it is going to be:\nKings will stand up when you walk in;\nGovernors will snap to attention at your approach.\nYou have my word on this and I can be trusted;\nI am the LORD\, your one and only\, and I have chosen you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 71: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 1: 18-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The message about the cross sounds like a lot of mindless cock-and-bull to those who have thrown their lot in with this present world order and are going down with the ship. But to those of us who are being saved from that\, it is nothing less than the power of God! God spoke about this in the Scriptures: \n“I will expose the brilliant insights of your experts\nand the wise counsel of your gurus;\nI will expose them for what they really are\,\na load of codswallop!” \nSo where are the intellectuals now? Where are the religious experts? Where are those who have an answer for everything? What have they got to show for all their cleverness now that God has turned all the conventional wisdom on its head and made it look foolish? Seeing that no amount of human cleverness had ever woken anybody up to God’s ways\, God made the wise decision to use something that seemed utterly foolish to everyone — our preaching! — to rescue those who would trust the message. Most people want something more than this. Those with a religious world view demand to see miraculous signs to prove that it is from God. Those with a modern rational world view insist that it should have to prove its intellectual credibility. But what we are preaching is a Messiah who was strung up and killed. The religious people find this unthinkable\, and the intellectuals regard it as primitive nonsense; but to those who have heard the call of God\, whatever their background\, it is the ultimate good news of God’s chosen one — as miraculous and profound as one could ever wish for! When it’s all said and done\, the sum total of the human race’s intellectual achievements don’t even begin to stack up against the foolishness of God; and the combined force of all the world’s powers is puny in comparison to the weakness of God. \nSisters and brothers\, you don’t have to look any further than your own experience of God’s call to see the truth of this. Not many of you were academic hot-shots. Not many of you were movers and shakers in the corridors of power. Not many of you were feted as celebrities. But God chose you! God chose those who were dismissed as fools to expose the bankruptcy of the world’s accepted wisdom. God chose those who were weak and vulnerable in the world to show up the corruption of those who wield power. God consistently chooses what is despised as the dregs by the world\, things which are seen as worthless\, to expose the worthlessness of things which are seen as being ‘it and a bit’. Because of this\, no one who is accepted into God’s presence has any grounds for blowing their own trumpet. God and God alone is the source of the life you share in union with the Messiah\, Jesus. It is only in Jesus that we have been able to tap into God’s wisdom. And it is only in Jesus that our lives have been put back on track\, given a clean bill of health\, and set on the path to wholeness. For this reason\, the scriptures make sense to us when they say: \n“If you are going to blow your trumpet about something\,\nblow it about the Lord!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 20-36			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002910-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 49: 1-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Everyone\, from coast to coast\, listen up!\nAll you people\, far and near\, don’t miss a word. \nBefore I was born\, the LORD had chosen me.\nWhile I was still in my mother’s womb\nI was given a name and a job. \nI was created to be a surgeon’s knife\,\nrazor sharp in the hand of the LORD;\nready and waiting to slice through any defence\nand cut to the core with a word. \nThe LORD said to me\, “Israel\, you are my servant\,\nthe one who will put my name up in lights.” \nBut I said\, “Then how come every thing I do comes to nothing?\nI’ve worked my guts out but there is nothing to show for it.\nBut I gave it my best shot for you LORD\,\nso you decide whether I’m worth my pay.” \nAnd now the LORD has more to say to me;\nthis God who chose me as a servant before I was born;\nwho gave me the job of bringing home the people of Israel\nfor a great reunion with God.\nIt is a privilege and an honour to do this for the LORD\,\nand God has given me the strength to see it through. \nBut now the LORD says to me\,\n“Getting the people of Israel back on their feet is great\,\nbut it’s a piece of cake for my number one worker.\nNow I’ve got a real challenge for you!\nI want you to help the whole world to see the light!\nI want you to give my saving love a global reach!” \nI\, the LORD\, the one and only\, who puts things right for Israel\,\nhave this to say:\n“You have been treated like dirt.\nkicked around by the nations\,\nand forced to work in chains for their rulers;\nbut let me tell you how it is going to be:\nKings will stand up when you walk in;\nGovernors will snap to attention at your approach.\nYou have my word on this and I can be trusted;\nI am the LORD\, your one and only\, and I have chosen you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 71: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 1: 18-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The message about the cross sounds like a lot of mindless cock-and-bull to those who have thrown their lot in with this present world order and are going down with the ship. But to those of us who are being saved from that\, it is nothing less than the power of God! God spoke about this in the Scriptures: \n“I will expose the brilliant insights of your experts\nand the wise counsel of your gurus;\nI will expose them for what they really are\,\na load of codswallop!” \nSo where are the intellectuals now? Where are the religious experts? Where are those who have an answer for everything? What have they got to show for all their cleverness now that God has turned all the conventional wisdom on its head and made it look foolish? Seeing that no amount of human cleverness had ever woken anybody up to God’s ways\, God made the wise decision to use something that seemed utterly foolish to everyone — our preaching! — to rescue those who would trust the message. Most people want something more than this. Those with a religious world view demand to see miraculous signs to prove that it is from God. Those with a modern rational world view insist that it should have to prove its intellectual credibility. But what we are preaching is a Messiah who was strung up and killed. The religious people find this unthinkable\, and the intellectuals regard it as primitive nonsense; but to those who have heard the call of God\, whatever their background\, it is the ultimate good news of God’s chosen one — as miraculous and profound as one could ever wish for! When it’s all said and done\, the sum total of the human race’s intellectual achievements don’t even begin to stack up against the foolishness of God; and the combined force of all the world’s powers is puny in comparison to the weakness of God. \nSisters and brothers\, you don’t have to look any further than your own experience of God’s call to see the truth of this. Not many of you were academic hot-shots. Not many of you were movers and shakers in the corridors of power. Not many of you were feted as celebrities. But God chose you! God chose those who were dismissed as fools to expose the bankruptcy of the world’s accepted wisdom. God chose those who were weak and vulnerable in the world to show up the corruption of those who wield power. God consistently chooses what is despised as the dregs by the world\, things which are seen as worthless\, to expose the worthlessness of things which are seen as being ‘it and a bit’. Because of this\, no one who is accepted into God’s presence has any grounds for blowing their own trumpet. God and God alone is the source of the life you share in union with the Messiah\, Jesus. It is only in Jesus that we have been able to tap into God’s wisdom. And it is only in Jesus that our lives have been put back on track\, given a clean bill of health\, and set on the path to wholeness. For this reason\, the scriptures make sense to us when they say: \n“If you are going to blow your trumpet about something\,\nblow it about the Lord!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 20-36			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300416T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055641Z
UID:10002117-1902528000-1902614399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Tuesday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 49: 1-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Everyone\, from coast to coast\, listen up!\nAll you people\, far and near\, don’t miss a word. \nBefore I was born\, the LORD had chosen me.\nWhile I was still in my mother’s womb\nI was given a name and a job. \nI was created to be a surgeon’s knife\,\nrazor sharp in the hand of the LORD;\nready and waiting to slice through any defence\nand cut to the core with a word. \nThe LORD said to me\, “Israel\, you are my servant\,\nthe one who will put my name up in lights.” \nBut I said\, “Then how come every thing I do comes to nothing?\nI’ve worked my guts out but there is nothing to show for it.\nBut I gave it my best shot for you LORD\,\nso you decide whether I’m worth my pay.” \nAnd now the LORD has more to say to me;\nthis God who chose me as a servant before I was born;\nwho gave me the job of bringing home the people of Israel\nfor a great reunion with God.\nIt is a privilege and an honour to do this for the LORD\,\nand God has given me the strength to see it through. \nBut now the LORD says to me\,\n“Getting the people of Israel back on their feet is great\,\nbut it’s a piece of cake for my number one worker.\nNow I’ve got a real challenge for you!\nI want you to help the whole world to see the light!\nI want you to give my saving love a global reach!” \nI\, the LORD\, the one and only\, who puts things right for Israel\,\nhave this to say:\n“You have been treated like dirt.\nkicked around by the nations\,\nand forced to work in chains for their rulers;\nbut let me tell you how it is going to be:\nKings will stand up when you walk in;\nGovernors will snap to attention at your approach.\nYou have my word on this and I can be trusted;\nI am the LORD\, your one and only\, and I have chosen you.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 71: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I run to you for protection\, LORD\,\nplease don’t ever let me down. \nYou always do the right thing\,\nso please be there for me when I need you.\nHear me when I call for help\nand step in quickly to bail me out. \nKeep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.\nYou are like a mountain hideaway to me;\nlike a bunker than nothing can blast open. \nIf I fall into hostile hands\,\nbe my God and rescue me;\nDon’t let the callous and cruel\nget their claws into me. \nYou are my only hope\,\nthe only one I can depend on\, LORD;\nI’ve trusted you since I was a kid. \nI’ve leaned on you for support\nsince the day I was born.\nYou were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb\,\nthe safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.\nI’ll never stop thanking you for that! \nMany people think my name spells trouble\,\nbut you stick up for me when they attack.\nHow can I ever thank you enough?\nI go on all day about how wonderful you are. \nDon’t give up on me when I get too old\, LORD;\ndon’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer. \nI’ll need your help\, because my enemies are out to get me\,\nthey’re plotting against my life even now.\nThey’ve put out a contract on me\nand guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down\nThey say you’ve given up on me\nand that no one will defend me. \nDon’t ever let me out of your sight\, God;\njump to my defence at the first sign of trouble. \nTurn the tables on those who slandered me\,\nleave them with egg all over their faces.\nSee to it that those who set out to destroy me\nget the public humiliation they deserve. \nI will never give up hope\,\nbecause I trust in you.\nEvery time I open my mouth\,\nI will sing your praises more and more. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 1: 18-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The message about the cross sounds like a lot of mindless cock-and-bull to those who have thrown their lot in with this present world order and are going down with the ship. But to those of us who are being saved from that\, it is nothing less than the power of God! God spoke about this in the Scriptures: \n“I will expose the brilliant insights of your experts\nand the wise counsel of your gurus;\nI will expose them for what they really are\,\na load of codswallop!” \nSo where are the intellectuals now? Where are the religious experts? Where are those who have an answer for everything? What have they got to show for all their cleverness now that God has turned all the conventional wisdom on its head and made it look foolish? Seeing that no amount of human cleverness had ever woken anybody up to God’s ways\, God made the wise decision to use something that seemed utterly foolish to everyone — our preaching! — to rescue those who would trust the message. Most people want something more than this. Those with a religious world view demand to see miraculous signs to prove that it is from God. Those with a modern rational world view insist that it should have to prove its intellectual credibility. But what we are preaching is a Messiah who was strung up and killed. The religious people find this unthinkable\, and the intellectuals regard it as primitive nonsense; but to those who have heard the call of God\, whatever their background\, it is the ultimate good news of God’s chosen one — as miraculous and profound as one could ever wish for! When it’s all said and done\, the sum total of the human race’s intellectual achievements don’t even begin to stack up against the foolishness of God; and the combined force of all the world’s powers is puny in comparison to the weakness of God. \nSisters and brothers\, you don’t have to look any further than your own experience of God’s call to see the truth of this. Not many of you were academic hot-shots. Not many of you were movers and shakers in the corridors of power. Not many of you were feted as celebrities. But God chose you! God chose those who were dismissed as fools to expose the bankruptcy of the world’s accepted wisdom. God chose those who were weak and vulnerable in the world to show up the corruption of those who wield power. God consistently chooses what is despised as the dregs by the world\, things which are seen as worthless\, to expose the worthlessness of things which are seen as being ‘it and a bit’. Because of this\, no one who is accepted into God’s presence has any grounds for blowing their own trumpet. God and God alone is the source of the life you share in union with the Messiah\, Jesus. It is only in Jesus that we have been able to tap into God’s wisdom. And it is only in Jesus that our lives have been put back on track\, given a clean bill of health\, and set on the path to wholeness. For this reason\, the scriptures make sense to us when they say: \n“If you are going to blow your trumpet about something\,\nblow it about the Lord!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 20-36			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Many people were arriving in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Jewish religious festival known as Passover. However\, not all of the people were Jewish\, and one group of foreigners made contact with Philip\, and said\, “Sir\, we would like to meet Jesus.” \nPhilip\, who was from the Galilean town of Bethsaida\, told Andrew\, and together they went and told Jesus about the request from the foreign visitors. On hearing about it\, Jesus said\, “If the foreigners are asking after us\, we’ve reached the point of no return. The time has come for the New Human to be lifted up in all his glory.” \nHe went on to say: \n“I kid you not\, a grain of wheat is nothing unless it hits the dirt and loses its life. But if it gives up its life as a single grain\, then it will begin to produce a bumper crop of life. Anyone who prizes their own life above everything else will end up losing the lot. But those who treat their individual survival in this world as a matter of no consequence will find life opening up before them without limit. If any of these people want to apprentice themselves to me\, they will need to come and stick with me. Those who work for me will be going wherever I go. Whoever works for me will get the thumbs-up from the God who conceived me. But at the moment\, I’m all churned up inside. Should I call on the Father to bail me out of what is about to happen? No\, I can’t do that because what is about to happen is the pinnacle of everything I came to achieve. So then\, I call out to God and say\, ‘Father\, put your name up in lights!’ ” \nAnd a voice answered from heaven\, saying\, “I have already brought glory to my name\, and I will do so again.” \nThe crowd who were gathered there heard the voice. Some of them said it sounded like thunder\, and others said\, “A messenger from God has spoken to him.” \nJesus addressed them\, saying\, “This voice has spoken for your benefit\, not mine. The world is being weighed in the balance right now; and the one who has been calling the shots in this world will now be driven out. As for me\, I will be lifted up off the ground\, and when that happens\, I will draw all people to myself.” \nWith these words\, he gave an indication of the kind of death he was going to die. The crowd questioned him about this\, saying\, “The Bible tells us that the Messiah will be with us forever\, so how can you say that the New Human will be strung up? And who exactly is this New Human?” \nJesus said to them\, “The light will only be with you for a little while longer\, so make your move while it continues to light up the way. If you leave it too late\, the darkness will catch up with you\, and if you try to make your move then\, you’ll have no idea where you are going. Put your trust in the light as long as you have access to it\, so that you may become people of the light.” \nAnd having said this\, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc25/2030-04-16/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300417T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300417T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T123026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055725Z
UID:10002118-1902614400-1902700799@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Wednesday of Holy Week
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 50: 4-9a			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD God has given me the gift of the gab\nso that my words can teach others\nand put a spring in the step of the weary. \nAs I wake up each new day\,\nGod makes me hungry for learning.\nThe LORD cleaned out my ears\nso that I could hear every word.\nI learned eagerly;\nI never rebelled or quit. \nI was opposed by others\,\nbut I gritted my teeth and stood my ground.\nI looked them in the eye\nwhen they insulted me and spat in my face.\nI took it on the chin and did not fight back\,\nwhen they gave me a belting and tore out my hair. \nThe Lord GOD is always there for me\,\nso no disgrace ever gets to me.\nI have steeled my jaw and dug in my heels\,\nand I’m sure I’ll never be ashamed of my stand\nbecause I can trust God to back me up. \nSo\, who thinks they can take me on?\nLet them stand up and face me!\nWho are my opponents?\nLet’s see what they’re made of! \nThe Lord GOD is backing me;\nso who is going to accuse me of doing wrong? \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 70			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Please God\, deliver me!\nHelp me\, LORD\, quickly! \nThese people are out to get me\, LORD;\nleave them confused\nwith egg all over their faces.\nThey are trying to do me harm;\nknock them off their perches\nand send them packing. \nWhen they smirk and make a joke of me\,\nrun them out of town in disgrace. \nPut a smile on the face\nof everyone who seeks you\, LORD.\nGive everyone who loves your ways\nreason to celebrate your greatness forever. \nBut right now\, God\, I need your help in a hurry;\nI can’t make ends meet.\nYou are the one who helps me;\nthe one who rescues me from danger.\nQuickly\, LORD\, help me without delay! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Hebrews 12: 1-3			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	So\, we are by no means running the race alone! The air around us is thick with encouragement — all these heroes who bore witness to the truth before us\, cheering us on. So let’s strip down for the run that lies ahead\, tossing aside everything that would hold us back\, especially the sin that clings on so tenaciously. And then let’s get on with it — run and run and never quit until we’ve crossed the line. We can do it if we just keep our eyes fixed on Jesus\, because he has led the way and become the first to complete this faith marathon. He was so focussed on the goal that he was able to push on through the pain barriers\, enduring the agony and humiliation of the cross. He knew that the celebrations would make it all worth while\, and sure enough\, he now enjoys the number one seat of honour alongside God’s throne. \nSo\, whenever you feel yourself running low on energy or confidence\, think again about him and how he endured the violent hostility directed at him by faithless people\, and draw new strength from that. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 13: 21-32			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	While Jesus was speaking with his disciples at the supper\, he began to get quite churned up\, and before long they all knew why. “I kid you not\,” he said\, “one of you lot is going to double-cross me.” \nThe disciples began scanning each others faces\, looking for a clue as to who he was talking about. Simon Peter whispered to one of the other disciples – the one with whom Jesus was most intimate and who was sitting next to him at the time – saying\, “Ask him who he’s talking about.” \nSo he did. He leaned over and asked\, “Lord\, who is it?” \nJesus answered quietly\, “I’ll dip this bread in the gravy and hand it to him. He’s the one.” \nSo Jesus dipped a piece of bread in the gravy and handed it to Judas\, the son of Simon Iscariot. When he received the piece of bread\, the satan got into his head and took over. Jesus said to him\, “What you’ve got to do\, you’ve got to do. Go\, and get it over and done with quickly.” \nAt the time\, no one else at the table understood what he meant when he said this to Judas. Judas handled their finances\, so some of them just assumed that Jesus was telling him to go and buy some things they needed for the Passover celebration\, or perhaps to go and give some money to people in need. Anyway\, after receiving the piece of bread\, Judas immediately disappeared off into the night. \nOnce he was gone\, Jesus spoke to the remaining disciples\, saying\, “Now the moment of glory has arrived for the New Human\, and it is God’s glory too. If God’s glory is made known in him\, then God will pour out his own glory on him. It’s all happening right now.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc26/2030-04-17/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300418T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300418T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T123825Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055538Z
UID:10002119-1902700800-1902787199@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Thursday of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday)
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Exodus 12: 1-4\, (5-10)\, 11-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After the King of Egypt had refused to listen to all the warnings\, the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron again\, saying: \n“Rewrite your calendars — from now on\, this month is to be the beginning of the new year. Put the word out among all the Israelite people that on the tenth day of the month\, each household is to obtain a lamb or a young goat to be eaten. Small households can combine with their neighbours to share one\, dividing it up so that there is enough for everyone to have some. The lamb must be a healthy male yearling with no deformities — not a runt. Having obtained the lamb\, the household is to keep it at home for four days. Just after sunset on the fourteenth\, all the Israelites are to slaughter the lambs ready for cooking. Take some of the blood and paint it on the frame of the front door of the house where you are eating the lamb. Cook and eat it that night. Don’t serve it raw or boiled. Don’t even cut it up or gut it. Spit-roast it whole over the fire and serve it with unleavened flat-breads and bitter herbs. Eat it all that night. If there is any left over in the morning you are to burn it. When you eat it\, you are to eat as though you were in a hurry and about to leave on a journey. You should be dressed and packed\, with your walking boots on and your stick at hand. In this way you are to keep the feast of Passover in honour of me\, the LORD. \nThat night\, I will pass through Egypt\, killing the firstborn sons of every family and the firstborn male animals. I am the LORD\, and I will carry out the sentence I have passed on the gods of Egypt this night. The lamb’s blood painted on your door frames will be the sign that your households are to be exempted. I will pass over every house that I see marked with the blood\, and you will not be touched by the plague that will strike down the Egyptians. \nRemember this day and\, in every generation to come\, celebrate it as an annual festival to honour me\, the LORD.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 116: 1-2\, 12-19			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I love you\, LORD!\nHow could I not love you\nwhen you always respond to my cries? \nYou are always ready to listen to me\,\nso I will bring my needs to you as long as I live. \nHow can I ever repay you\, LORD?\nWhat gift could ever express my gratitude? \nI will raise my glass in your honour\,\nI will name you as the one who saved me. \nI will make good on all I promised you\, LORD\,\nand I’ll let everyone know its for you. \nWhenever one of your faithful people dies\nit affects you deeply. \nLORD\, you have released me from my chains.\nI will serve you forever\,\njust as my forebears have done. \nI will bring a gift to say thanks;\nI will pray to you\, and you alone. \nI will be true to the vows I’ve made;\nand I won’t keep it hidden.\nIn full view of all your people\,\nin the public place of worship\,\nI’ll do all I promised you\, LORD. \nAll the praise and all the credit are your\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 11: 23-26			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The teaching I gave you about the Lord’s Supper is worth repeating. I gave it to you exactly as I received it from the Lord himself. On the very night that he was betrayed\, Jesus was sharing a meal. He took a loaf of bread in his hands\, gave thanks to God and then broke the loaf\, saying: \n“This is my body. It is for you.\nDo this so that I will be remembered.” \nAt the end of the meal he did the same thing with the cup\, saying: \n“This cup is God’s new alliance with you —\nan alliance sealed with my blood.\nDo this\, every time you drink it\,\nso that I will be remembered.” \nThe meaning of this is clear: whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you are announcing the truth about the Lord’s death. This truth will continue to be broadcast in this way until the Lord returns. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 13: 1-17\, 31b-35			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Even before the sacred Passover festival began\, Jesus knew that his time was running out. He knew that he had come from God\, and he knew that it was time to leave this world and return to God. He had consistently loved his followers in this world\, and he continued to demonstrate his love for them right up to the end. A seed sown by the devil had taken root in the mind of Judas\, the son of Simon Iscariot\, and by the time they gathered for supper\, he was planning to double-cross Jesus. \nJesus knew that everything was up to him\, because God had put everything in his hands. During the supper\, he got up from the table\, took off his jacket and tied a towel around his waist. Filling a large bowl with water\, he began to wash the feet of each of the disciples in turn and to dry them with the towel tied around his waist. When it was his turn\, Simon Peter objected saying\, “Surely it’s not your job to wash my feet\, Lord?” \nJesus answered\, “I know you don’t yet understand why I’m doing this\, but in time it will make sense to you.”\nBut Peter said\, “No way! I’ll never let you wash my feet.”\nJesus answered\, “If I don’t wash you\, then it’s all over between us. You’ll have nothing further to do with me.” \n“In that case\,” Simon Peter replied\, “don’t just wash my feet! Wash my hands; wash my head!”\nJesus said to him\, “You had a bath before you came! Once someone’s had a bath\, they don’t need to wash anything on arrival other than their feet and they’ll be completely clean. You lot are clean.” But then\, because he knew who was going to double-cross him\, he added\, “Well\, most of you are clean anyway.” \nWhen he had finished washing their feet\, he put his jacket back on and sat back down at the table. He said to them: \n“Do you understand what I have just done to you? You lot call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’\, and that’s fair enough\, because that’s exactly what I am. So if I’m your Teacher and Lord\, and I’ve just been down on my knees washing your feet\, then you too ought to serve one another in the same way. I’m modelling the way I want you to live. Do as I have done. You can take it from me: servants do not outrank their boss\, and the postie who brings the letter does not rank as importantly as the one who wrote it. When you get these things sorted out for yourselves\, you’ll discover just how good life can really be. \n“Now the moment of glory has arrived for the New Human\, and it is God’s glory too. If God’s glory is made known in him\, then God will pour out his own glory on him. It’s all happening right now.  \n“You are my children\, but you’re about to be on your own because our time together is almost up. You’ll keep looking for me\, but as I said to the people before\, where I am going\, there is no way you can come. \n“I’ve got one new instruction for you – in fact take it as an order – love one another. I want you to love one another in the same way that I have loved you. If you do that – if you really have love for one another – then it will be apparent to everyone that you are following in my footsteps.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nWe do indeed bring you a gift of thanks\, O God\,\nas we raise the cup of freedom in your name\,\nfor you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ\nand broken us free from the grip of death. \nIn your creative love\, you brought the world to birth\,\nand from the first you loved all who live in it.\nYou heard the cries of your suffering people\nand protected them with the blood of the Passover lamb\nas you struck down those who oppressed them. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, as our Teacher and Lord\nand gave all things into his hands.\nLaying aside his power\,\nhe gave himself to us in humble service\nand taught us to love one another\nas he had loved us.\nWhen the hour for his departure came\,\nhe was betrayed by a friend\nand his body broken on the cross.\nWith his outpoured blood you marked out those\nwho will follow where he has gone\,\ninto the promised land of resurrection life. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We raise the cup of freedom in thanks to you\, O God\,\nfor you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ\,\nwho gave himself to us in humble service\nand taught us to love one another as he had loved us. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The blood of Christ\, the true lamb\,\nseals God’s new covenant with us\nand marks us out for salvation.\nThe Lord has forgiven your sins\,\nwashed you clean\,\nand freed you from death’s grip. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now and fulfil your vows to the Lord.\nLove one another as Christ has loved you\nand give yourselves to one another in humble service\,\njust as Christ has given himself to you.\nCelebrate these holy days as a perpetual ordinance\,\nfor no gift could ever repay God’s goodness to us. \nAnd may God hear you whenever you call;\nMay Christ Jesus keep you safe through his blood;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you further\ninto the depths of God’s saving mysteries. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nDiscerning the Body at the TableA sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 by Nathan Nettleton (This sermon was not intended for Maundy Thursday\, but may provide some applicable ideas)
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc27/2030-04-18/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300419T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300419T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200810T124845Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T060734Z
UID:10002120-1902787200-1902873599@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Good Friday
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD says:\n“This one who serves on my behalf will succeed.\nHe will come out on top\nand be honoured by everyone. \nMany people were shocked by what happened to him;\nhis appearance was enough to make them throw up.\nTorture had disfigured him beyond recognition;\nat first sight he no longer looked human. \nThe next time he’s seen will be an even greater shock;\nnations and their kings will fall to their knees\, speechless.\nAll of a sudden\, what they had never seen or understood\nwill be as plain as day\, and all they can think about.” \nThe people reply to this news\, saying:\n“Who could have believed what we now know to be true?\nWho would have recognised what the LORD was doing? \nThis one who serves on the LORD’s behalf\ngrew up hard like a plant taking root in the stony desert.\nTo look at him\, you wouldn’t think he’d amount to much;\nnothing about his appearance would make you look twice. \nOthers wrote him off\, and treated him as scum;\npain and suffering were his constant companions.\nHe was despised and abused\, but we looked away;\nwe didn’t consider him worth caring about. \nThe sickness and brokenness he endured turned out to be ours;\nif it wasn’t for him\, it would have wiped us out.\nBut back then we thought it was his own fault\nand that God was punishing him for what he had done. \nIn reality\, it was what we had done that was to blame.\nIt was us who deserved to be punished\,\nbut him who copped the flak.\nWhen he was left battered\, broken and bleeding\,\nwe were off the hook;\nfree to enjoy the fruits of health and wholeness. \nWe were all doing our own thing in our own way;\nas far off-track as a penguin in the desert;\nas far off-key as a mob of galahs.\nAnd yet the LORD accepted his offer to take the rap\nfor the actions of each and every one of us. \nHe was ripped off and kicked around\,\nbut he took it on the chin.\nNot once did he ever whinge or protest;\nhe was as silent as a lamb that trots to its fate\,\nknowing neither shearer nor slaughterer. \nHis arrest and trial made a mockery of justice.\nNo one knew or cared what he was up against.\nHe was dragged off in the midst of life;\nput to death for crimes committed by our people. \nAlthough he had never breathed a lie\nor done anything to hurt anyone\,\nthey buried him alongside the callous and corrupt\n– thoughtless profiteers who died rich.” \nThe LORD says\,\n“It was me who decided to allow this tragedy\nto befall the one who serves on my behalf.\nHe made the ultimate sacrifice at your hands\,\nand won forgiveness for you in the process.\nSo now he will be rewarded with life;\nhe will live to see his children and their children.\nThrough his actions\,\nmy plans are able to succeed. \nIn the depths of agony and despair he discovered the truth\,\nand with the truth he found true peace.\nThe one who serves on my behalf was beyond reproach\,\nbut he took the rap for what others did\,\nand left their record as spotless as his own. \nBecause of all that he has done\,\nI\, the LORD\, elevate him to the hall of fame\nand give him the rewards of true greatness.\nHe deserves the best\, for he made the ultimate sacrifice\,\naccepting the death of common criminal\nso that through his suffering and prayers\nothers might be cut free from their sin.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 22			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God\, my God\, why the hell have you turned your back on me?\nHow come in my most desperate hour\,\nyou are nowhere to be found?  \nI called you all day\, God\, over and over;\nI tossed and turned all night\,\nbut I still didn’t hear back from you. \nAren’t you supposed to be our one and only?\nAren’t you the one we’ve always voted for?\nOur ancestors put their trust in you\nand you never let them down.\nThey cried out for help and you stepped in;\nyou saved them from disaster and shame. \nSo what about me?\nShouldn’t I still be treated as a human being\,\neven if I feel like a worm –\nlooked down on\, loathed\, stomped on? \nEveryone who sees me sticks the boots in;\nthey turn up their noses and dismiss me with a sneering joke;\n“Why don’t you see if God’s on your side?\nSurely if you’re a mate of God’s then God will help you out!” \nWhat’s the story God?\nYour hands eased me from my mother’s womb;\nYou kept me from harm as I suckled at her breast.\nAs a baby\, I rested trustingly in your arms;\nYou’ve been my God since the day I was born. \nDon’t quit on me now.\nAll hell is about to break loose\nand there is no one else I can turn to. \nI’m surrounded by enemies\nlike a mob of wild bulls.\nAngry\, snorting\, stampeding beasts;\nthey charge at me\, all horns and pounding hoofs. \nI’m chucked out like a bucket of dirty water\,\nand I’m so smashed up I can barely move a muscle.\nMy heart has gone to jelly\,\na quivering useless blob.\nMy throat is as dry as a salt pan\,\nand my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.\nAnd you? You have left me for dead\ncovered in dust and flies. \nLike a pack of hungry dingoes they sniff around me;\nevil mongrels\, every one of them.\nI’m so wasted my hands and feet feel like they could snap off;\nMy ribs stick out like a picket fence. \nThey hang me up for a public viewing\,\nboasting over how they finished me off.\nThey empty my pockets\nand toss a coin to see who gets my clothes. \nWhat are you doing\, LORD? Don’t quit on me now!\nGet your act together and come to my rescue!\nSave me before I get my throat cut\,\nbefore my body is dog meat!\nPull me out before they get their teeth into me! \nAt last! Just before the bulls ran me down\, you have rescued me.\nI won’t forget this – I’ll let everyone know.\nWhenever people gather\, I’ll be singing your praise. \nI’ll call on all who honour you\, LORD\, to stand up and say so!\nAll who trace their roots to Jacob will give you the glory!\nAll who share the heritage of Israel will stand in awe of you! \nLORD\, you did not rubbish anyone\nor blame the victims for their suffering.\nYou did not turn away or slip off quietly;\nwhen I cried for help\, you responded. \nWhenever people gather to worship\,\nmy heart overflows and I sing your praises.\nOut in the open for all to see\nI’ll do all that I promised. \nAt your table\, God\, the needy will feast;\nthose who hunger for you will be fed till they burst with praise!\nThey will be able to live it up\, now and forever! \nIn every corner of the earth people will wake up to themselves\nand turn back to you\, LORD.\nEvery race\, nation\, tribe and family\nwill offer themselves to you in worship\,\nfor you have the last word on everything;\nwhat you say goes. \nEven the dead will bow down to you\, LORD;\nthose who are trampled in the dust will look to you in hope\,\nand I will live for you and you alone. \nOur kids and their kids will serve you\, LORD;\nas we pass the message down from one generation to the next.\nPeople not even born yet will hear the story;\nthey will be told of what you have done to set us free. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Hebrews 10: 16-25			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Holy Spirit says to us in the scriptures: \n“The new alliance I will make with the people\nwill be different\, says the Lord:\nNo more writing down the rules for people to read;\nthis time I’ll write them into their hearts and minds.”\n“I’ll wipe the record of their failings and their perverse behaviour;\nnone of it will ever again even enter my mind.”  \nSo if that’s done – if the slate has been wiped clean – then there is no longer any need to come offering sacrifices to try to make up for what we’ve done wrong. \nSo\, my friends\, now it’s a whole new ball game. Now we can confidently walk straight into the sacred place because Jesus won us that right\, spilling his own blood in the process. We walk in via a new route. The old way had a big curtain between us and the sacred place – on the new route the only thing between us and the sacred place is Jesus\, and he invites us to become part of his own body and go in that way. Add all that to the fact that Jesus himself is now our great priest who says what goes in the house of God\, and you’ll understand what is now open to us. So let’s go! Let’s approach God with integrity and with deep trust. Let us stand before God knowing for sure that not only have our bodies been washed clean in pure water\, but so to have our hearts\, our minds\, our conscience.  \nIn light of all this\, let’s hold on tight to the hope that we’ve put our hands up to. None of this on-again off-again stuff! You can’t get more dependable than the one who has made these promises. So let’s put on our thinking caps and come up with some good strategies for stirring one another up to greater and greater love and more and more ways to put it into action. Some people have got out of the habit of gathering together as a congregation – let’s not go down that path. Gather often\, support and encourage one another. It becomes more and more important the closer we get to that final day. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9 (alternative)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let’s see to it that we stand firm in the faith we’ve already put our hands up to. After all\, the one who will present us to God and speak on our behalf — our great high priest — is Jesus\, and as God’s own Son we can be sure he has God’s ear. We can also be sure that he can relate to the realities we have to live with\, because he has already been through everything we have to go through — weakness\, doubts and torments — and all without selling out to sin. What more could we want in a high priest?! So let’s not be timid. Whenever we’re in need of help\, let’s walk right up to the throne of God and ask\, for our God is extravagantly welcoming and generous — only too happy to wipe our debts and help us out. \nWhen Jesus was among us and the threat of death was closing in on him\, it was with agonized cries and tears that he did his priestly work of offering up prayers and appeals to the God who has the power to save us from death. His pleas were heard because of his prayerful acceptance of God’s will. He was given no special privileges as a Son — he got his lessons in obedience in the same school of suffering as the rest of us. Once he had made the grade\, perfecting all that he had to learn\, he became the one who sets free all who trust and follow him. For them he is the source of life without limit. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 18:1 - 19:42			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After the supper\, and after Jesus had prayed for his followers\, they went outside and headed across town to the Kidron Valley gardens where they had often met together before. Judas had now betrayed Jesus\, and of course\, he knew they would be heading for the gardens. Judas showed the way to those sent to arrest Jesus – a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple security guards sent by the chief priests and the hard-line Pharisee party. It was now late\, and so the heavily armed group carried torches and flood lights. Jesus knew what he had coming to him and so when they arrived he just stepped out in the open and asked\, “Who are you looking for?” \nThey answered\, “We’ve been sent to find Jesus of Nazareth.” \n“Well you’ve found him\,” he replied\, “I’m Jesus.” \nWhen he said that\, they were so taken aback you could have knocked them over with a feather. Judas\, the back-stabber\, was still with them. Because they were looking so uncertain\, Jesus asked them again\, “Who are you looking for?” \nAnd again they replied\, “Jesus of Nazareth.” \nJesus answered\, “Like I said\, I’m Jesus. And since I am the man you’re looking for\, you can let these others go in peace.” \nIn so saying\, he backed up the promise he had made in his earlier prayer when he had said\, “I didn’t lose a single one of those you entrusted to me.” \nSuddenly Simon Peter pulled a knife and began slashing wildly. He struck a man named Malchus – a servant of the high priest – and cut off his ear. Jesus yelled at his\, saying\, “Peter\, put that thing away. Do you think I’m going to back out now and refuse to drink the cup that God has poured for me?” \nAt that point\, the soldiers and the Temple security guards surrounded Jesus and made the arrest. They handcuffed him\, and dragged him off to see Annas\, who had issued the arrest warrant. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphus\, who was the high priest that year; and Caiaphus was the one who had persuaded the authorities that\, for the sake of the rest of the population\, it would be best if this one person died. \nSimon Peter and one of the other disciples followed as Jesus was dragged off. When the arrived at the high priest’s residence\, Peter was refused entry at the gate\, but the other disciple knew the high priest and got in. Having got in\, he spoke to the woman in charge of the security gate and had Peter let in too. As he came in\, the woman looked at Peter and said\, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples are you?” \nHe replied\, “No\, I’m not.” \nThe soldiers and guards were standing around an open fire in the middle of the courtyard warming themselves\, because it was a cold night. Not knowing what else to do\, Peter joined them. \nInside\, the high priest was interrogating Jesus about his followers and about the things he had been teaching the people. Jesus answered him\, saying\, “Everything I’ve said has been out in the open. I have always done my teaching in the public places where the people gather – in the synagogues and in the temple. I’ve kept nothing behind closed doors\, so what are you asking me for? Why don’t you ask the people who heard what I said. They can tell you what it was all about.” \nWhen he said this\, one of the security guards gave Jesus a whack in the face\, saying\, “You think you can get away with back-chatting the high priest\, do you?” \nBut Jesus stood his ground\, saying\, “If you think there’s something wrong with what I’ve been saying\, then put your evidence on the table. But if what I’m saying is correct\, what are you smacking me around for?” \nWhile this was happening\, Simon Peter was still keeping warm by the fire with the guards. They asked him\, “Aren’t you one of his disciples?” \n“Not me\,” said Peter\, denying everything. \nOne of the Temple guards there was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off when he’d pulled the knife in the garden. He said\, “Come on mate\, you’ve got to be one of them. Didn’t I just see you with him in the garden when we picked him up?” \nBut Peter denied it again\, and the words were barely out of his mouth when he heard the sound of the rooster crowing. \nShortly after that\, in the early hours of the morning\, Jesus was transferred from the residence of Caiaphus to the headquarters of Pilate\, the Roman governor. The Jewish officers themselves did not go inside the headquarters\, because it was nearly time for the sacred Passover festival\, and going into a gentile home would have ruled them out of participating. Pilate agreed to come out and meet their delegation\, and asked them\, “So\, what have you charged this bloke with?” \nThey answered\, “You can take it for granted that he’s a dangerous criminal – otherwise we wouldn’t have bothered you with his case.” \nPilate replied\, “I’m sure you are quite capable of dealing with him yourselves. Get him out of here and deal with him according to your own local laws.”  \nBut the Jewish officers said\, “We don’t have the power to authorise an execution.” \nClearly the things Jesus had previously said about the sort of death he would die were coming true. \nPilate went back into his headquarters and had Jesus brought inside so he could interrogate him. “Do you see yourself as the King of the Jews?” he asked. \nJesus replied\, saying\, “Is that your own question or has someone else been wording you up?” \n“Give me a break\,” Pilate retorted\, “I’m obviously not one of the Jews\, am I? It wasn’t my people who had you dragged in here. It was your mob\, your own race\, your own religious leaders. What in the world have you done?” \nJesus answered\, “My reign is not tied to this world. If my power base depended on this world\, those who have given their allegiance to me would be fighting tooth and nail to keep me out of the hands of that mob. But it’s not like that. My reign is not tied to this world.” \nPilate latched on to that: “So you are claiming to be a king then?” \n“You’re the one who’s putting the ‘king’ label on me\,” Jesus replied. “If you want to know what I’m on about\, what I was born into the world for\, it’s this: I’m the key witness whose job it is to speak the truth\, the whole truth\, and nothing but the truth. Everyone who has given their allegiance to the truth responds to my voice.” \n“Truth\,” Pilate sneered. “What is truth?” \nThen he went back outside to the delegation from the Temple and told them\, “I can’t find any basis for a case against this prisoner. It is customary for me to release a political prisoner for you at Passover time. How about I release this ‘king of the Jews’ for you? He seems harmless enough to me.” \nBut they shouted back\, “No way! Not this man. Release Barabbas!” Barabbas was a convicted terrorist. \nAt that point\, Pilate handed Jesus over to some of his own soldiers and told them to give him a flogging. The soldiers thought it was huge joke. They hung a purple robe on him and wove a crown out of barbed wire and jammed it on his head. They took turns at coming up to him\, saying\, “Heil\, King of the Jews!” as they saluted him\, and then smashed their fists into his face. When they’d finished their brutal sport\, Pilate went back out to the Temple delegation and said\, “Look\, I’m handing him back over to you and telling you that I can’t find any basis for a case against him.” \nJesus was dragged back out\, still wearing the barbed wire crown and the purple robe. Pilate said “Here he is: the man!” \nBut the minute the chief priests and the Temple security guards saw him\, they began screaming\, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” \nPilate replied\, “You take him and crucify him yourselves. I can’t see that he’s done anything wrong.” \nThe delegation replied\, “The case against him is clear in our law. He claimed to be the Son of God and our law makes the death penalty mandatory for that.” \nWhen Pilate heard this\, he began to really worry\, and went back inside his headquarters to interview Jesus again. “Where have you come from?” he asked him\, but Jesus didn’t answer. Pilate said to him\, “It’s no use claiming the right to silence. Don’t you understand that I can say the word to have you released or to have you tortured to death?” \nJesus replied\, “You wouldn’t have any authority over me at all unless it had been given to you from a higher power. It is the one who handed me over to you who is going to have to answer for the greatest wrongdoing.” \nAfter that\, Pilate tried to have Jesus released\, but the Temple crowd would have none of it. They insisted\, “If you release this man you are no friend of the emperor\, and we’ll see that he hears about it. Anyone who claims to be a king is setting himself up in opposition to the emperor.” \nWith that\, Pilate capitulated to their demands. At noon on the day of Preparation for the Passover festival\, Pilate sat down at the judge’s bench at the Stone Pavement Court – known in Hebrew as Gabbatha – and had Jesus stood in the dock. He said to the Temple delegation\, “Here is your king!” \nThey shouted in chorus\, “Get rid of him! Kill him! Crucify him!” \n“Crucify him?” Pilate replied. “You want me to crucify your king?” \n“We have no king but the emperor!” they shouted. \nWith that\, Pilate passed sentence and handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. \nSo they took Jesus out to the place called Skull Hill\, or in Hebrew\, Golgotha. Jesus was made to carry his own cross on the way out there. When they got there\, they hung him on the cross by nails driven through his flesh. They crucified a couple of other convicted men at the same time – the three of them in a row with Jesus in the middle. On Pilate’s orders\, a sign was hung on the cross Jesus was on\, saying\, “Jesus of Nazareth\, the King of the Jews.” Many people read the sign because the crucifixion occurred in a public place on the main road into the city and the sign was written in three languages – Hebrew\, Latin and Greek. The chief priests from the Temple went to Pilate objecting to the sign. They wanted the sign changed from “The King of the Jews” to “This man claimed to be the King of the Jews” but Pilate told them that what was written was written and that was the end of the story. \nWhen the soldiers had hung Jesus up on the nails\, they divided up his clothes between the four of them. His robe was left over\, and when they saw that it was woven from a single piece of fabric\, with no seams\, they decided that rather than tear it\, they’d have a round of two-up\, and award it to the winner. This backed up what the scriptures had said long ago: \n“They divided up my clothes\,\nand tossed for my coat.”  \nWhile the soldiers tossed coins\, a group of women stood near Jesus’ cross. They were his mother\, his mother’s sister\, Mary the wife of Clopas\, and Mary of Magdala. Jesus saw that his mother was standing with the disciple with whom he was most intimate\, and so he said to his mother\, “Woman\, this man is your son.” And then he said to the disciple\, “This woman is your mother.” From that day on\, Mary moved into the home of that disciple. \nAfter that\, Jesus knew it was all over. He did one more thing that the scriptures had spoken about. He said\, “I’m thirsty.”  \nSomeone had half a bottle of wine that had turned to vinegar\, so they poured some into a sponge and held it up to his mouth. He drank it and then said\, “Everything is finished.” \nWith that\, his head dropped and he gave up his spirit. \nBecause it was the day of Preparation for the Passover\, the Temple authorities wanted to make sure the bodies were not left hanging up on the sacred festival day. They went to Pilate and got him to authorise the soldiers to break the legs of the three crucified men\, so that they’d die quicker. The soldiers broke the legs of the other two crucified men\, but when they came to Jesus\, they saw that there was no need – he was already dead. Just to make sure\, one of the soldiers drove a spear into his side\, and blood and water gushed out.  \nThe eyewitness to these things has given a sworn account of it all. His report is true and can be trusted. Scripture was again shown to be true\, because it was written that not one of his bones would be broken. Similarly in another place the scriptures said\, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” \nWhen it was all over\, a man went to Pilate and got permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. His name was Joseph of Arimethea\, and he had been a closet follower of Jesus\, because he was afraid for his reputation with the Temple hierarchy. He and Nicodemus\, who had first spoken to Jesus in the quiet of night\, removed the body. Nicodemus supplied the embalming spices\, and as was the Jewish custom\, they wrapped the body with the spices in linen cloth. There was a memorial garden not far from the place where Jesus was crucified\, and there was a tomb there which had not yet been used. Because it was the day of preparation and there was little time\, they buried Jesus in that tomb. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Opening Prayer			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is the day when life is raw\,\nquivering\, terrifying:\nThe day of numbed emotions\,\nthe day of blunt nails\nand splintered wood\,\nof bruised flesh\nand red blood.\nThe day we loathe\,\nwhen hopes are crushed.\nThe day we long for\,\nwhen pretences fall away—\nBecause the worst that we can do\ncannot kill the love of God.\n\nGracious God\,\nyour love is a light in our darkness\,\nvulnerable\, yet unquenchable.\nWe would stand with Christ\,\nin the midst of the horrors of this world\nwhere betrayal and death\nconstantly threaten your love and peace. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Prayer at the Arrest of Christ (responding to the reading of John 18: 1-12)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Again and again\nwe have bound you\nand taken you captive\, O Lord\, \nBecause it's easier\,\neasier than facing the reality\nof what you ask of us. \nAgain and again\nyou have been taken captive\nand your voice silenced. \nAgain and again\nyou have been dragged out\nwhenever it seems\nthat quoting your name will justify\nour attempts to gain what we want\nat the expense of others. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Prayer at the Death of Christ (responding to the reading of John 19:25-30)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God\, why did you let this happen\,\nwhy do our greatest hopes\nseem to flicker out and die? \nWe search for meaning in life\nand before we find it\, it is gone.\nWe search for meaning in death\nbut its horrible reality drives us back\nand we are afraid to look. \nGod\, we shudder at the way this life ended:\nsurrounded by cold brutality\,\nrejected and betrayed by a friend\,\ndeprived of justice\,\nand loved by only a frightened few\nwho watched in fear. \nInside we are afraid that this is all there is\,\na flickering light snuffed out\, no meaning\,\nno future\, no love.\nEvil triumphs yet again. \nEvil triumphs so often.\nYours was one of thousands of deaths.\nFrom those times to now\nthousands die in loneliness and fear\,\nvictims of the cruelty and oppression of this world. \nRemind us with every death\,\nthat there is still so much to be done\,\nbefore love reigns\nand fear is driven away. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  The Request for the Disposal of the Body (responding to the reading of John 19:31-37)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Once again we don't want to face up\nto what we have done. \nWe quickly seek to clean up the mess\,\nto hide the evidence\,\nto get life normal again. \nWe want it finished\nand the body put out of sight. \nAnd yet that broken body\,\nif we would only face it\nis the evidence of the love we crave\nand the source of\nthe healing we cry for. \nGive us courage\nto see beyond the blood and the horror. \nGive us the hope that in this death\nwe may find our own life. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nJoanna’s StoryA reflection for Good Friday by Margie Dahl\n\n\n\nMoving on from CrucifyingA sermon by Nathan Nettleton (This sermon was written for the Paschal Vigil\, but the first half or more would also be useful in reflecting on Good Friday)
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc28/2030-04-19/
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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/abc29/2030-04-20/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300420T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200811T140223Z
UID:10002860-1902873600-1903046399@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/abc30/2030-04-20/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300420T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200811T140223Z
UID:10002872-1902873600-1903046399@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/abc30/2030-04-20/2/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300420T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z
UID:10002882-1902873600-1903046399@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/abc30/2030-04-20/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300420T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T061202Z
UID:10002122-1902873600-1903046399@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/abc30/2030-04-20/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300420T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200811T140223Z
UID:10002866-1902873600-1903046399@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/abc30/2030-04-20/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300420T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200811T140223Z
UID:10002877-1902873600-1903046399@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/abc30/2030-04-20/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200812T023433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240428T121817Z
UID:10002123-1902960000-1903046399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Resurrection Sunday Morning - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1st Reading: Acts 10: 34-43			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Peter addressed the gathered people saying: \n“Now it is all perfectly clear to me — God does not play favourites! Whoever you are and wherever you are from\, if you take God seriously and do the right thing\, God will welcome you with open arms! Jesus the Messiah preached God’s message about a peace deal to the people of Israel\, but clearly it did not stop with them — he is Lord of all! No doubt you have heard the news about Jesus of Nazareth\, because since it sparked off in Galilee\, it has spread like wildfire all over Judea. The story began after John started calling everyone to turn their lives around through baptism. God singled Jesus out then and there\, charging him with the Holy Spirit’s power. From then on\, Jesus travelled around working for good and helping people out from under the devil’s thumb and back onto their feet. God was with him in all this. We saw it all ourselves; everything he did in the Judean backblocks and in the city of Jerusalem. They strung him up on a post and killed him\, but three days later God raised him to life and let us see him. Not everybody got to see him\, but God had picked us out to be the ones who would know first hand what had happened. We got to spend time sharing meals and a few drinks with him after he was brought back from the dead. He gave us the job of getting his message out to the people and going public with the fact that he is the one who God has appointed to make the final assessment of everybody on earth\, past and present. You don’t have to take our word alone on this; all the prophets back us up. Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus receives pardon for their sins on his say so.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Alternative 1st Reading: Isaiah 25: 6-9			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Every people on earth will be invited to the sacred mountain\nfor the huge party thrown by the LORD who rules over everything.\nIt will be the feast to end all feasts\,\nwith the very finest of foods and wines:\nchoice meats\, wines aged to perfection\,\ngourmet delicacies to make every mouth water! \nAnd right here on this sacred mountain\nthe LORD will tear off the pall of death\nand release the nations from the coffin that held them.\nThe LORD will swallow up death once and for all. \nWith that\, the Lord GOD will wipe the tears from every eye\,\nand God’s people will no longer be humiliated and despised;\nThe LORD says so and that settles it. \nWhen that happens people will say\,\nWow! This is our God!\nWe hoped\, we waited\, we trusted God to save us.\nAnd our waiting has not been in vain.\nThe LORD has not let us down.\nCelebrate! Sing and dance\,\nfor God has come to our rescue and set us free. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 118: 1-2\, 14-24			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless!\nMay all your people recognise\nthat your love and loyalty last forever. \nOur energy and strength come from you\, LORD;\nour peace and safety were won by you. \nThe sound of singing rings out\nfrom the homes of all who are honest and true.\nThey sing of what you have done\, LORD\,\nfor you raised your hand and saved the day. \nNow we know that our lives are safe;\nwe will live to tell of what you have done.\nYou gave us the tough medicine we deserved\, LORD\,\nbut you didn’t let death get its claws into us. \nThe minute they open the city gates\n— the gates of justice —\nwe’ll be the first through\, LORD;\neager to tell you how thankful we are. \nThese gates belong to you\, LORD\,\nthose you have put right can come on through. \nThank you for answering our prayers\, LORD;\nfor coming to our rescue and putting us right. \nFrom a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile\nyou cut and polished a priceless jewel.\nThis is obviously your work\, LORD\,\nand we can hardly believe our eyes! \nToday is your day\, LORD\, a day to honour you;\nwe will celebrate with joy and laughter. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	My friends\, let me spell out the guts of the message I’ve been preaching one more time. This is the message which you welcomed so eagerly and gladly put your names to. It is the message through which your lives are being saved\, assuming of course\, that your faith has got sticking power and wasn’t just a flash in the pan. What a waste that would have been! \nIn my preaching I passed on to you the really crucial stuff\, exactly as it had been told to me. Let me recite it again: \nThe Messiah died to deal with our sins\,\nbacking up what the scriptures say.\nAfter three days in the grave\, he was raised to life\,\nbacking up what the scriptures say.\nHe appeared alive to Peter\,\nand then to his closest followers.\nHe also appeared to a gathering\nof more than five hundred of his followers.\nOf those who saw him\, only a few have since died;\nmost are still alive to tell the story.\nHe spent some time with James\nand the others he had picked out\nto be the leaders of his church. \nAt the end of the line – like the perpetual late-comer I am – I too was privileged to have him appear to me. If anyone deserved to be left out\, it was me and I have certainly never deserved my place among the leaders of his church because I spent my early years trying to wipe God’s church out of existence. But God is extremely generous and has made me what I am. I’ve driven myself hard to make sure that God’s investment in me was not wasted. I reckon I’ve been the hardest worker on the team\, although I can’t really take the credit when it is actually God who is so generously working through me. It makes no difference which of us God was using at the time. Whether you heard it from me or from them\, what matters is that you heard the message we were preaching and that you put your trust in what we had to say. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Alternative 2nd Reading: Acts 10: 34-43			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Peter addressed the gathered people saying: \n“Now it is all perfectly clear to me — God does not play favourites! Whoever you are and wherever you are from\, if you take God seriously and do the right thing\, God will welcome you with open arms! Jesus the Messiah preached God’s message about a peace deal to the people of Israel\, but clearly it did not stop with them — he is Lord of all! No doubt you have heard the news about Jesus of Nazareth\, because since it sparked off in Galilee\, it has spread like wildfire all over Judea. The story began after John started calling everyone to turn their lives around through baptism. God singled Jesus out then and there\, charging him with the Holy Spirit’s power. From then on\, Jesus travelled around working for good and helping people out from under the devil’s thumb and back onto their feet. God was with him in all this. We saw it all ourselves; everything he did in the Judean backblocks and in the city of Jerusalem. They strung him up on a post and killed him\, but three days later God raised him to life and let us see him. Not everybody got to see him\, but God had picked us out to be the ones who would know first hand what had happened. We got to spend time sharing meals and a few drinks with him after he was brought back from the dead. He gave us the job of getting his message out to the people and going public with the fact that he is the one who God has appointed to make the final assessment of everybody on earth\, past and present. You don’t have to take our word alone on this; all the prophets back us up. Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus receives pardon for their sins on his say so.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading: John 20: 1-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Early on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, even before it began to get light\, Mary Magdalene went to visit the tomb where Jesus had been buried. When she got there\, she discovered that the stone had been removed and the tomb was open. She fled as fast as she could\, and found Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus had been closest to. Mary blurted out\, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb\, and we don’t know where they have taken him.” \nSo Peter and the other disciple set off on the double. They were both running at full tilt\, but the other disciple was faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. He didn’t go in\, but he bent down to peer inside and saw that the linen burial shroud had been unwrapped and left behind. Moments later\, Simon Peter arrived\, and barged straight into the tomb. He too\, saw the unwrapped shroud lying there\, and noticed that the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was not with the rest of the shroud\, but had been rolled up and left in a different spot. Then the other disciple\, who had reached the tomb first\, followed Peter in. They had not yet got their minds around the scriptures that said that Jesus must rise from the dead\, but what he saw was enough to convince him that this was no grave robbery\, but something far more extraordinary. \nThe two men left\, and headed off to their homes\, but Mary stayed behind and stood weeping outside the tomb. A little later she bent down to look into the tomb\, and through her tears she saw two angels dressed in white. They were sitting where the body of Jesus had previously been lying\, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her\, “Woman\, why are you crying?” \nShe replied\, “Someone has taken away my Lord\, and I have got no idea where they might have put him.” \nHaving said this\, she turned around and saw Jesus standing behind her\, but she didn’t realise it was him. Jesus asked her\, “Woman\, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” \nMary assumed that he was the cemetery gardener\, so she said to him\, “Mister\, if you have removed his body from the tomb\, please tell me where you have put him\, and I will take him off your hands.” \nJesus said to her\, “Mary!” \nShe spun around and said\, “Rabbouni!”\, which is a Hebrew word meaning ‘Dear Teacher’. \nJesus said to her\, “Don’t try to hold on to me\, because I have not yet fully risen to the Father. But go now\, and tell my whole family of disciples that I am rising up to the one who conceived me and conceived you\, to my God and your God.” \nSo Mary Magdalene went straight to the disciples\, and was the first to make the announcement\, “I have seen the Lord!” \nShe went on to fill them in on all that he had said to her. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Alternative Gospel Reading: 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\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ from the dead\nand swallowed up death forever. \nYou made the world and all that is in it;\nyou made this day and we will be glad and rejoice in it!\nFor this is the day your prophets testified about\nwhen you destroy the shroud of death\nand open the gates of salvation to all who believe. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, among us\,\nanointed with your Holy Spirit and power\nto preach peace and heal all who were oppressed\,\nWhen he was put to death and buried\,\nyou broke open the tomb and raised him on this day.\nNow we need never again search for him\nin the places of buried dreams\,\nfor he is alive and reaches out to us\,\nwiping away our tears and calling us by name. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your risen Son\, Jesus\,\nwho was dead and buried\,\nbut who you raised on this day\nand who is alive forever\,\nreaching out to us\,\nwiping away our tears and calling us by name. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ from the dead\nand swallowed up death forever. \nYou made the world and all that is in it;\nyou made this day and we will be glad and rejoice in it!\nFor this is the day your prophets testified about\nwhen you destroy the shroud of death\nand open the gates of salvation to all who believe. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, among us\,\nanointed with your Holy Spirit and power\nto preach peace and heal all who were oppressed\,\nWhen he was put to death and buried\,\nyou broke open the tomb and raised him on this day.\nNow we need never again search for him\nin the places of buried dreams\,\nfor he is alive and reaches out to us\,\nwiping away our tears and calling us by name. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus Christ died for our sins\nand has been raised by God\nas judge of the living and the dead.\nEveryone who trusts in him\nreceives forgiveness of sins through his name. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now as God’s chosen witnesses\nto testify that Christ has been raised\nand that we are raised with him.\nDo not look for him among the dead\,\nbut be glad and rejoice in his salvation. \nAnd may God raise you from all that would entomb you;\nMay Christ Jesus call you by name and go ahead of you;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit empower you for all that is good. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe 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\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b31/2030-04-21/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200812T023433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003406Z
UID:10002855-1902960000-1903046399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Resurrection Sunday Morning - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1st Reading: Acts 10: 34-43			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Peter addressed the gathered people saying: \n“Now it is all perfectly clear to me — God does not play favourites! Whoever you are and wherever you are from\, if you take God seriously and do the right thing\, God will welcome you with open arms! Jesus the Messiah preached God’s message about a peace deal to the people of Israel\, but clearly it did not stop with them — he is Lord of all! No doubt you have heard the news about Jesus of Nazareth\, because since it sparked off in Galilee\, it has spread like wildfire all over Judea. The story began after John started calling everyone to turn their lives around through baptism. God singled Jesus out then and there\, charging him with the Holy Spirit’s power. From then on\, Jesus travelled around working for good and helping people out from under the devil’s thumb and back onto their feet. God was with him in all this. We saw it all ourselves; everything he did in the Judean backblocks and in the city of Jerusalem. They strung him up on a post and killed him\, but three days later God raised him to life and let us see him. Not everybody got to see him\, but God had picked us out to be the ones who would know first hand what had happened. We got to spend time sharing meals and a few drinks with him after he was brought back from the dead. He gave us the job of getting his message out to the people and going public with the fact that he is the one who God has appointed to make the final assessment of everybody on earth\, past and present. You don’t have to take our word alone on this; all the prophets back us up. Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus receives pardon for their sins on his say so.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Alternative 1st Reading: Isaiah 25: 6-9			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Every people on earth will be invited to the sacred mountain\nfor the huge party thrown by the LORD who rules over everything.\nIt will be the feast to end all feasts\,\nwith the very finest of foods and wines:\nchoice meats\, wines aged to perfection\,\ngourmet delicacies to make every mouth water! \nAnd right here on this sacred mountain\nthe LORD will tear off the pall of death\nand release the nations from the coffin that held them.\nThe LORD will swallow up death once and for all. \nWith that\, the Lord GOD will wipe the tears from every eye\,\nand God’s people will no longer be humiliated and despised;\nThe LORD says so and that settles it. \nWhen that happens people will say\,\nWow! This is our God!\nWe hoped\, we waited\, we trusted God to save us.\nAnd our waiting has not been in vain.\nThe LORD has not let us down.\nCelebrate! Sing and dance\,\nfor God has come to our rescue and set us free. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 118: 1-2\, 14-24			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless!\nMay all your people recognise\nthat your love and loyalty last forever. \nOur energy and strength come from you\, LORD;\nour peace and safety were won by you. \nThe sound of singing rings out\nfrom the homes of all who are honest and true.\nThey sing of what you have done\, LORD\,\nfor you raised your hand and saved the day. \nNow we know that our lives are safe;\nwe will live to tell of what you have done.\nYou gave us the tough medicine we deserved\, LORD\,\nbut you didn’t let death get its claws into us. \nThe minute they open the city gates\n— the gates of justice —\nwe’ll be the first through\, LORD;\neager to tell you how thankful we are. \nThese gates belong to you\, LORD\,\nthose you have put right can come on through. \nThank you for answering our prayers\, LORD;\nfor coming to our rescue and putting us right. \nFrom a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile\nyou cut and polished a priceless jewel.\nThis is obviously your work\, LORD\,\nand we can hardly believe our eyes! \nToday is your day\, LORD\, a day to honour you;\nwe will celebrate with joy and laughter. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	My friends\, let me spell out the guts of the message I’ve been preaching one more time. This is the message which you welcomed so eagerly and gladly put your names to. It is the message through which your lives are being saved\, assuming of course\, that your faith has got sticking power and wasn’t just a flash in the pan. What a waste that would have been! \nIn my preaching I passed on to you the really crucial stuff\, exactly as it had been told to me. Let me recite it again: \nThe Messiah died to deal with our sins\,\nbacking up what the scriptures say.\nAfter three days in the grave\, he was raised to life\,\nbacking up what the scriptures say.\nHe appeared alive to Peter\,\nand then to his closest followers.\nHe also appeared to a gathering\nof more than five hundred of his followers.\nOf those who saw him\, only a few have since died;\nmost are still alive to tell the story.\nHe spent some time with James\nand the others he had picked out\nto be the leaders of his church. \nAt the end of the line – like the perpetual late-comer I am – I too was privileged to have him appear to me. If anyone deserved to be left out\, it was me and I have certainly never deserved my place among the leaders of his church because I spent my early years trying to wipe God’s church out of existence. But God is extremely generous and has made me what I am. I’ve driven myself hard to make sure that God’s investment in me was not wasted. I reckon I’ve been the hardest worker on the team\, although I can’t really take the credit when it is actually God who is so generously working through me. It makes no difference which of us God was using at the time. Whether you heard it from me or from them\, what matters is that you heard the message we were preaching and that you put your trust in what we had to say. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Alternative 2nd Reading: Acts 10: 34-43			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Peter addressed the gathered people saying: \n“Now it is all perfectly clear to me — God does not play favourites! Whoever you are and wherever you are from\, if you take God seriously and do the right thing\, God will welcome you with open arms! Jesus the Messiah preached God’s message about a peace deal to the people of Israel\, but clearly it did not stop with them — he is Lord of all! No doubt you have heard the news about Jesus of Nazareth\, because since it sparked off in Galilee\, it has spread like wildfire all over Judea. The story began after John started calling everyone to turn their lives around through baptism. God singled Jesus out then and there\, charging him with the Holy Spirit’s power. From then on\, Jesus travelled around working for good and helping people out from under the devil’s thumb and back onto their feet. God was with him in all this. We saw it all ourselves; everything he did in the Judean backblocks and in the city of Jerusalem. They strung him up on a post and killed him\, but three days later God raised him to life and let us see him. Not everybody got to see him\, but God had picked us out to be the ones who would know first hand what had happened. We got to spend time sharing meals and a few drinks with him after he was brought back from the dead. He gave us the job of getting his message out to the people and going public with the fact that he is the one who God has appointed to make the final assessment of everybody on earth\, past and present. You don’t have to take our word alone on this; all the prophets back us up. Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus receives pardon for their sins on his say so.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading: John 20: 1-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Early on Sunday\, the first day of the week\, even before it began to get light\, Mary Magdalene went to visit the tomb where Jesus had been buried. When she got there\, she discovered that the stone had been removed and the tomb was open. She fled as fast as she could\, and found Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus had been closest to. Mary blurted out\, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb\, and we don’t know where they have taken him.” \nSo Peter and the other disciple set off on the double. They were both running at full tilt\, but the other disciple was faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. He didn’t go in\, but he bent down to peer inside and saw that the linen burial shroud had been unwrapped and left behind. Moments later\, Simon Peter arrived\, and barged straight into the tomb. He too\, saw the unwrapped shroud lying there\, and noticed that the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was not with the rest of the shroud\, but had been rolled up and left in a different spot. Then the other disciple\, who had reached the tomb first\, followed Peter in. They had not yet got their minds around the scriptures that said that Jesus must rise from the dead\, but what he saw was enough to convince him that this was no grave robbery\, but something far more extraordinary. \nThe two men left\, and headed off to their homes\, but Mary stayed behind and stood weeping outside the tomb. A little later she bent down to look into the tomb\, and through her tears she saw two angels dressed in white. They were sitting where the body of Jesus had previously been lying\, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her\, “Woman\, why are you crying?” \nShe replied\, “Someone has taken away my Lord\, and I have got no idea where they might have put him.” \nHaving said this\, she turned around and saw Jesus standing behind her\, but she didn’t realise it was him. Jesus asked her\, “Woman\, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” \nMary assumed that he was the cemetery gardener\, so she said to him\, “Mister\, if you have removed his body from the tomb\, please tell me where you have put him\, and I will take him off your hands.” \nJesus said to her\, “Mary!” \nShe spun around and said\, “Rabbouni!”\, which is a Hebrew word meaning ‘Dear Teacher’. \nJesus said to her\, “Don’t try to hold on to me\, because I have not yet fully risen to the Father. But go now\, and tell my whole family of disciples that I am rising up to the one who conceived me and conceived you\, to my God and your God.” \nSo Mary Magdalene went straight to the disciples\, and was the first to make the announcement\, “I have seen the Lord!” \nShe went on to fill them in on all that he had said to her. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Alternative Gospel Reading: 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\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ from the dead\nand swallowed up death forever. \nYou made the world and all that is in it;\nyou made this day and we will be glad and rejoice in it!\nFor this is the day your prophets testified about\nwhen you destroy the shroud of death\nand open the gates of salvation to all who believe. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, among us\,\nanointed with your Holy Spirit and power\nto preach peace and heal all who were oppressed\,\nWhen he was put to death and buried\,\nyou broke open the tomb and raised him on this day.\nNow we need never again search for him\nin the places of buried dreams\,\nfor he is alive and reaches out to us\,\nwiping away our tears and calling us by name. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your risen Son\, Jesus\,\nwho was dead and buried\,\nbut who you raised on this day\nand who is alive forever\,\nreaching out to us\,\nwiping away our tears and calling us by name. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ from the dead\nand swallowed up death forever. \nYou made the world and all that is in it;\nyou made this day and we will be glad and rejoice in it!\nFor this is the day your prophets testified about\nwhen you destroy the shroud of death\nand open the gates of salvation to all who believe. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, among us\,\nanointed with your Holy Spirit and power\nto preach peace and heal all who were oppressed\,\nWhen he was put to death and buried\,\nyou broke open the tomb and raised him on this day.\nNow we need never again search for him\nin the places of buried dreams\,\nfor he is alive and reaches out to us\,\nwiping away our tears and calling us by name. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus Christ died for our sins\nand has been raised by God\nas judge of the living and the dead.\nEveryone who trusts in him\nreceives forgiveness of sins through his name. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now as God’s chosen witnesses\nto testify that Christ has been raised\nand that we are raised with him.\nDo not look for him among the dead\,\nbut be glad and rejoice in his salvation. \nAnd may God raise you from all that would entomb you;\nMay Christ Jesus call you by name and go ahead of you;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit empower you for all that is good. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe 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\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b31/2030-04-21/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300422T005959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093933
CREATED:20200812T030128Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250518T055127Z
UID:10002124-1902960000-1903049999@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Resurrection Sunday Evening
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 25: 6-9			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Every people on earth will be invited to the sacred mountain\nfor the huge party thrown by the LORD who rules over everything.\nIt will be the feast to end all feasts\,\nwith the very finest of foods and wines:\nchoice meats\, wines aged to perfection\,\ngourmet delicacies to make every mouth water! \nAnd right here on this sacred mountain\nthe LORD will tear off the pall of death\nand release the nations from the coffin that held them.\nThe LORD will swallow up death once and for all. \nWith that\, the Lord GOD will wipe the tears from every eye\,\nand God’s people will no longer be humiliated and despised;\nThe LORD says so and that settles it. \nWhen that happens people will say\,\nWow! This is our God!\nWe hoped\, we waited\, we trusted God to save us.\nAnd our waiting has not been in vain.\nThe LORD has not let us down.\nCelebrate! Sing and dance\,\nfor God has come to our rescue and set us free. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 114			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 5: 6b-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You do realise\, don’t you\, that it only takes a little bit of yeast to leaven a whole batch of bread dough? A little bit of corruption can similarly affect a whole congregation\, so get rid of it. Just as we have traditionally cleaned out every trace of yeast from our homes in preparation for the Passover festival when we use only unleavened bread\, so you should clean the corruption from your midst. You are to be the new batch of unleavened bread. In Christ\, our Paschal lamb has been sacrificed. Now is the time for us to celebrate the festival\, and just as we can’t celebrate it with yeast-leavened bread\, neither can we celebrate it with the old yeast of inhumanity and evil. We celebrate this festival with the unleavened bread of truth and integrity. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 24: 13-49			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	In the afternoon of the day that the tomb had been found empty\, a couple who had been followers of Jesus were heading back home to the small town called Emmaus. As they walked the ten kilometres or so from Jerusalem\, they were talking over everything that had happened in the past few days. Along the way\, Jesus himself joined them\, but to their eyes he was just another stranger on the road. He asked them\, “What’s all this you are discussing so intently as you travel?” \nThey pulled up in their tracks and looked at him with long faces. One of them\, a man named Cleopas\, said to him\, “You must be the only stranger in and around Jerusalem who has not caught up with what’s been going on in the last few days.” \n“What has been going on?” Jesus asked. \nThey replied\, “It is all to do with Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet whose words and actions electrified the people in the presence of God. The religious and civil authorities had him arrested and then pushed for the death penalty. They got their way and he was executed. We’d had our hopes pinned on him being the one who would set Israel back in its rightful place. It’s all been over for three days now. A strange twist has rocked us all today\, though. Some women from our group apparently went to the tomb first thing this morning and couldn’t find his body. They came back and told the rest of us that they had seen a vision of angels who said that Jesus was alive. We sent a group down to check out their story\, and they found things just the way the women had said\, but there was no sign of Jesus anywhere.” \nWhen they had finished filling him in\, Jesus said to them\, “What a thick-headed pair you are! Why are you so slow to get your heads and your hearts around everything that the prophets spelled out?! Hasn’t it always been the case that the Messiah would have to cop all this suffering before getting in on the glory that was in store for him?” \nJesus spent the rest of their journey explaining the scriptures to them. Passage by passage\, he showed them what Moses and the prophets had said about him. \nWhen they reached the turn-off to the town they were heading for\, Jesus appeared set to push on up the highway\, but they put the hard word on him to stop at their place overnight since the sun was going down and the day was almost over. So he accepted their offer of hospitality and went home with them. When he sat down to the evening meal with them\, he picked up a loaf of bread\, gave thanks\, broke it\, and gave it to them. Suddenly their eyes were opened and they realised who he was; and just as suddenly he disappeared from sight. They looked at one another and said\, “No wonder there was such a fire burning in our guts when he was explaining the scriptures to us on the road!” \nSo\, without a moment’s delay\, they were on their feet and hurrying back to Jerusalem to tell the news to the eleven and the rest of the crew. When they found them\, they were all together and abuzz with news: “The Lord really has risen! He has appeared to Simon Peter!” \nThe couple from Emmaus filled them all in on what had happened on the road\, and how it had dawned on them who he was when the bread had been broken. \nWhile they were talking about all this\, Jesus himself suddenly appeared\, standing among them. “Greetings!” he said\, “Peace be with you.” \nTaken by surprise\, they thought he was a ghost\, and were scared spitless. Jesus said to them\, “What have you got to be afraid of? Why are you letting your doubts get the better of you? Here\, take a look at my hands and feet. See for yourselves that it really is me. Reach out and touch me and you will know that I am made of flesh and bone. No ghost can claim that!” \nAs he spoke\, he showed them his hands and feet. It all seemed too good to be true; so wonderful that they couldn’t believe their eyes. Their heads were bursting with joy and disbelief! Jesus asked them\, “Have you got anything here I can eat?” \nThey gave him a piece of grilled fish and he took it and ate it in front of them. Then he said to them\, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses\, the prophets\, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.”  \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.”  \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ to life\nand destroyed the shroud of death that covered all people. \nYou made the earth\, and it trembles in your presence;\nyou rescued your people from slavery\,\nleading them through the deep waters\nfrom death to life. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, to us\,\na prophet mighty in word and deed\nwho taught us to celebrate your salvation\nin sincerity and truth.\nThough he was condemned to death\nand crucified by the religious\,\nyou raised him from the dead\nand wiped the tears from our faces.\nRisen indeed\, he is with us always\,\nbreathing his peace over our fears\nand spreading a rich banquet before us\nso that in the breaking of bread\nand your word proclaimed\,\nour eyes might be opened\nand our hearts set on fire with love. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your Risen Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho breathes his peace over our fears\nand spreads a rich banquet before us\nso that in the breaking of bread\nand your word proclaimed\,\nour eyes might be opened\nand our hearts set on fire with love. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ to life\nand destroyed the shroud of death that covered all people. \nYou made the earth\, and it trembles in your presence;\nyou rescued your people from slavery\,\nleading them through the deep waters\nfrom death to life. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, to us\,\na prophet mighty in word and deed\nwho taught us to celebrate your salvation\nin sincerity and truth.\nThough he was condemned to death\nand crucified by the religious\,\nyou raised him from the dead\nand wiped the tears from our faces.\nRisen indeed\, he is with us always\,\nbreathing his peace over our fears\nand spreading a rich banquet before us\nso that in the breaking of bread\nand your word proclaimed\,\nour eyes might be opened\nand our hearts set on fire with love. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	As the scriptures said\,\nthe Messiah suffered and rose from the dead on the third day\,\nso that repentance and forgiveness of sins\nmight be proclaimed in his name to all nations. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now as witnesses of God’s victory over evil and death.\nThe risen Christ has made himself known to you\nin the breaking of bread\,\nso clean out the old yeast of malice and evil\nand live as the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. \nAnd may God wipe every tear from your faces;\nMay Christ Jesus make himself known to you in all things;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit open your eyes\nand set your hearts on fire with love. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nCan’t see the wood for the treesA sermon on Luke 24: 13-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nOpen Minds and Narrow ThinkingA sermon on Luke 24:36b-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nEaster in OrdinaryA sermon on Luke 24.13-35 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nThe Stranger on the Road of DespairA sermon on Luke 24: 13-35 & 1 Peter 1: 17-23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThere and Back AgainA sermon on Luke 24:13-35 by Roslyn Wright
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc32/2030-04-21/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300428T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300429T005900
DTSTAMP:20260404T093934
CREATED:20200817T102906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003406Z
UID:10002853-1903564800-1903654740@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:2nd Sunday of Pascha - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Acts 4: 32-35			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	There was an extraordinary harmony in the group of those who had put their trust in Christ. They shared a common heart and a common spirit. They also shared their possessions\, giving up claims of private ownership and holding everything in common. With electrifying effect\, the apostles shared the stories of their experience of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The evidence of God’s generous love and mercy was apparent in all they did. No one among them was left battling to make ends meet\, because those who owned houses and land sold up and handed over the proceeds to the apostles\, with no strings attached\, and the money was distributed to each person according to their needs. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 133			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	What a great thing it is\, LORD\,\nwhen people can get along with one another\,\nand live together in unity and mutual respect. \nIt is even more satisfying than holding the cup aloft\nand dancing in the rain of champagne\non Grand Final day. \nIt is even more desirable than sitting by an open fire\nsharing chocolates and fine wine with a loved one. \nIt is even more beautiful than the monsoon rains\nturning the desert into a sea of wildflowers. \nFor you LORD created us to be one people\,\ncommitted to one another\, honouring one another\,\nsharing the land and its blessings forever. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 John 1:1 - 2:2			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	That which was in place from day one\,\n  which we have heard\,\n   which we have seen with our own eyes\,\n     and which we have examined and touched with our own hands;\nthat which is all about the word of life\,\n  a life which was brought out into the open\n   and which we have seen and spoken up about\,\n     and which we are telling you is the unstoppable life\n      that came from the Father and was unveiled to us; \nthat – all of that – is what we are announcing to you. \nHaving seen it and heard it ourselves\, we are announcing it to you so that you may join us in friendship and partnership. In fact\, the partnership we enjoy and are inviting you in on is with God and with God’s Son\, Jesus the Messiah. We are putting all this down in print so that the joy we get from sharing it may be all the more complete. \nIf we were to sum up the message Jesus taught us and which we are now teaching you\, it would be this: God is pure light. There is not even a hint of anything shadowy in God. \nIf we claim that we are in partnership with God while we are still living our lives in the shadows\, then we are lying\, and failing to live out the truth. But if\, on the other hand\, we live our lives openly in the light\, just as God does\, then we will be in full partnership with one another. In that case\, the blood which God’s Son Jesus shed will not have been wasted on us\, but will have succeeded in cleaning up the sin which had corrupted our lives. If we claim to be uncorrupted\, we are kidding no one but ourselves\, and what we are really missing is honesty and integrity. If we own up to our corrupt actions\, the One who is unswervingly faithful and just will give us a full pardon and clean up all that is polluted and twisted within us. If we claim that we have not done anything corrupt\, then we are calling God a liar\, and God’s word has clearly not taken root within us. \nI love you like my own children\, and I am writing these things to you to help you to steer clear of corrupt ways. But if one of you does do something wrong\, it is not the end of the world. There is one who goes in to bat for us with God – Jesus the Messiah\, the One who always gets things right. He made the ultimate sacrifice in the process of dealing with our corruption and the corruption of the entire world\, so that it would not cut us or anyone else off from God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 20: 19-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	It was a Sunday – the first day of the week – when the tomb was found empty. That same evening\, the disciples met together. They locked all the doors of the house where they were meeting because they were afraid of being tracked down by the religious authorities. Suddenly\, Jesus appeared and stood among them saying\, “Good evening to you all!” \nHe proceeded to show them the deep scars in his hands and side. The disciples\, of course\, were over the moon at seeing the Lord again. Jesus spoke again\, saying\, “All the best to you. God sent me into the world\, and in the same way\, I’m sending you.” \nHaving said that\, he breathed a big breathe onto them and said\, “Receive the Holy Spirit; all of you. If you forgive anyone who has sinned\, then their sins are forgiven. If you withhold forgiveness for any sins\, they remain unforgiven.” \nWhen this happened\, Thomas – known as “the Twin” and one of the twelve – was missing. The other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord\, but they couldn’t convince him. “I’m not falling for that one!” Thomas replied. “I’d have to see the nail holes in his hands before I’d believe it. In fact I’d have to feel the holes myself\, and touch the spear wound in his side.” \nA week later\, the disciples again gathered behind locked doors in the same house\, and this time Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors\, Jesus came and stood among them again and said\, “Good evening to you all!” \nThen he turned to Thomas and said\, “Here are my hands\, Thomas. Put your finger here in the wound.” And pulling up his shirt\, he said\, “And here is my side. You can put your hand in the hole. Let go of your doubts and trust me.”\nThomas\, of course\, was blown away\, and said\, “You are my Lord and my God!” \nJesus said to him\, “Believing is not that hard when you’ve seen me\, is it? Imagine how much God will smile on those who put their trust in me without ever having seen me!” \nThe disciples saw Jesus do many other things that demonstrated to them the reality of who he was\, but they have not all been written down in this book. But what has been written here has been written for you\, dear readers\, so that you will know enough to see that Jesus is the anointed One – the Son of God – and so that by putting your trust in him you can come to have real life: the life that he lived and shares. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ from the dead\nand by your grace we have life in his name. \nFrom the very beginning\, the Word of life was with you\,\ncreating everything in earth and heaven.\nYou rescued your people from death\nand called them to follow you\, walking in the light. \nYou sent your Word of Life into the world\,\nin your Son\, Jesus\,\nshining your light into our darkness\,\nthat the sins of the world might be forgiven.\nThough he was killed by those who walk in darkness\,\nyou raised him to resurrection life\nand now he lives at your side for ever\,\nadvocating mercy for all who stumble into sin.\nThrough his great grace\nwe are able to live in fellowship with you\nand in peace with one another\,\nin one heart and mind. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your risen Son\, Jesus\,\nwho shines your light into our darkness\,\nthat the sins of the world might be forgiven\,\nand we that might live in fellowship with you\nand peace with one another\,\nin one heart and mind. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ from the dead\nand by your grace we have life in his name. \nFrom the very beginning\, the Word of life was with you\,\ncreating everything in earth and heaven.\nYou rescued your people from death\nand called them to follow you\, walking in the light. \nYou sent your Word of Life into the world\,\nin your Son\, Jesus\,\nshining your light into our darkness\,\nthat the sins of the world might be forgiven.\nThough he was killed by those who walk in darkness\,\nyou raised him to resurrection life\nand now he lives at your side for ever\,\nadvocating mercy for all who stumble into sin.\nThrough his great grace\nwe are able to live in fellowship with you\nand in peace with one another\,\nin one heart and mind. \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	If we confess our sins\,\nthe one who is faithful and just\nwill forgive us our sins\nand cleanse us from all unrighteousness. \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\, sent by the one who was sent by God.\nWalk in the light;\ntestify to the resurrection of Christ;\nforgive the sins of all\,\nand live at peace with one another. \nAnd may God bless you with life forever;\nMay Christ Jesus breathe his Spirit and peace into you;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you into the life and light of God. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nChrist is Risen\, so what’s next?A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBeyond Doubt? Perhaps Not.A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRedeeming ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nForgiveness Comes with ScarsA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nPeace Be With YouA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nAn Economy of AbundanceA sermon on Acts 4:32-35 and 1 John 1:1-2:2 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nDoubters\, Failures\, and other Model ChristiansA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nMerely-Reserving-Judgement ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShame\, Redemption\, and the Terror of ResurrectionA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBehind Locked DoorsA sermon on John 20:19-31 by Paul Sheppy\n\n\n\nWhat Shall We Do Now?A sermon on Acts 4:32-35 & John 20:19-31 by Guilherme Almeida
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b33/2030-04-28/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300428T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300429T005900
DTSTAMP:20260404T093934
CREATED:20200817T102906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240506T025051Z
UID:10002125-1903564800-1903654740@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:2nd Sunday of Pascha - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Acts 4: 32-35			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	There was an extraordinary harmony in the group of those who had put their trust in Christ. They shared a common heart and a common spirit. They also shared their possessions\, giving up claims of private ownership and holding everything in common. With electrifying effect\, the apostles shared the stories of their experience of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The evidence of God’s generous love and mercy was apparent in all they did. No one among them was left battling to make ends meet\, because those who owned houses and land sold up and handed over the proceeds to the apostles\, with no strings attached\, and the money was distributed to each person according to their needs. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 133			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	What a great thing it is\, LORD\,\nwhen people can get along with one another\,\nand live together in unity and mutual respect. \nIt is even more satisfying than holding the cup aloft\nand dancing in the rain of champagne\non Grand Final day. \nIt is even more desirable than sitting by an open fire\nsharing chocolates and fine wine with a loved one. \nIt is even more beautiful than the monsoon rains\nturning the desert into a sea of wildflowers. \nFor you LORD created us to be one people\,\ncommitted to one another\, honouring one another\,\nsharing the land and its blessings forever. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 John 1:1 - 2:2			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	That which was in place from day one\,\n  which we have heard\,\n   which we have seen with our own eyes\,\n     and which we have examined and touched with our own hands;\nthat which is all about the word of life\,\n  a life which was brought out into the open\n   and which we have seen and spoken up about\,\n     and which we are telling you is the unstoppable life\n      that came from the Father and was unveiled to us; \nthat – all of that – is what we are announcing to you. \nHaving seen it and heard it ourselves\, we are announcing it to you so that you may join us in friendship and partnership. In fact\, the partnership we enjoy and are inviting you in on is with God and with God’s Son\, Jesus the Messiah. We are putting all this down in print so that the joy we get from sharing it may be all the more complete. \nIf we were to sum up the message Jesus taught us and which we are now teaching you\, it would be this: God is pure light. There is not even a hint of anything shadowy in God. \nIf we claim that we are in partnership with God while we are still living our lives in the shadows\, then we are lying\, and failing to live out the truth. But if\, on the other hand\, we live our lives openly in the light\, just as God does\, then we will be in full partnership with one another. In that case\, the blood which God’s Son Jesus shed will not have been wasted on us\, but will have succeeded in cleaning up the sin which had corrupted our lives. If we claim to be uncorrupted\, we are kidding no one but ourselves\, and what we are really missing is honesty and integrity. If we own up to our corrupt actions\, the One who is unswervingly faithful and just will give us a full pardon and clean up all that is polluted and twisted within us. If we claim that we have not done anything corrupt\, then we are calling God a liar\, and God’s word has clearly not taken root within us. \nI love you like my own children\, and I am writing these things to you to help you to steer clear of corrupt ways. But if one of you does do something wrong\, it is not the end of the world. There is one who goes in to bat for us with God – Jesus the Messiah\, the One who always gets things right. He made the ultimate sacrifice in the process of dealing with our corruption and the corruption of the entire world\, so that it would not cut us or anyone else off from God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 20: 19-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	It was a Sunday – the first day of the week – when the tomb was found empty. That same evening\, the disciples met together. They locked all the doors of the house where they were meeting because they were afraid of being tracked down by the religious authorities. Suddenly\, Jesus appeared and stood among them saying\, “Good evening to you all!” \nHe proceeded to show them the deep scars in his hands and side. The disciples\, of course\, were over the moon at seeing the Lord again. Jesus spoke again\, saying\, “All the best to you. God sent me into the world\, and in the same way\, I’m sending you.” \nHaving said that\, he breathed a big breathe onto them and said\, “Receive the Holy Spirit; all of you. If you forgive anyone who has sinned\, then their sins are forgiven. If you withhold forgiveness for any sins\, they remain unforgiven.” \nWhen this happened\, Thomas – known as “the Twin” and one of the twelve – was missing. The other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord\, but they couldn’t convince him. “I’m not falling for that one!” Thomas replied. “I’d have to see the nail holes in his hands before I’d believe it. In fact I’d have to feel the holes myself\, and touch the spear wound in his side.” \nA week later\, the disciples again gathered behind locked doors in the same house\, and this time Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors\, Jesus came and stood among them again and said\, “Good evening to you all!” \nThen he turned to Thomas and said\, “Here are my hands\, Thomas. Put your finger here in the wound.” And pulling up his shirt\, he said\, “And here is my side. You can put your hand in the hole. Let go of your doubts and trust me.”\nThomas\, of course\, was blown away\, and said\, “You are my Lord and my God!” \nJesus said to him\, “Believing is not that hard when you’ve seen me\, is it? Imagine how much God will smile on those who put their trust in me without ever having seen me!” \nThe disciples saw Jesus do many other things that demonstrated to them the reality of who he was\, but they have not all been written down in this book. But what has been written here has been written for you\, dear readers\, so that you will know enough to see that Jesus is the anointed One – the Son of God – and so that by putting your trust in him you can come to have real life: the life that he lived and shares. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ from the dead\nand by your grace we have life in his name. \nFrom the very beginning\, the Word of life was with you\,\ncreating everything in earth and heaven.\nYou rescued your people from death\nand called them to follow you\, walking in the light. \nYou sent your Word of Life into the world\,\nin your Son\, Jesus\,\nshining your light into our darkness\,\nthat the sins of the world might be forgiven.\nThough he was killed by those who walk in darkness\,\nyou raised him to resurrection life\nand now he lives at your side for ever\,\nadvocating mercy for all who stumble into sin.\nThrough his great grace\nwe are able to live in fellowship with you\nand in peace with one another\,\nin one heart and mind. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your risen Son\, Jesus\,\nwho shines your light into our darkness\,\nthat the sins of the world might be forgiven\,\nand we that might live in fellowship with you\nand peace with one another\,\nin one heart and mind. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have raised Jesus Christ from the dead\nand by your grace we have life in his name. \nFrom the very beginning\, the Word of life was with you\,\ncreating everything in earth and heaven.\nYou rescued your people from death\nand called them to follow you\, walking in the light. \nYou sent your Word of Life into the world\,\nin your Son\, Jesus\,\nshining your light into our darkness\,\nthat the sins of the world might be forgiven.\nThough he was killed by those who walk in darkness\,\nyou raised him to resurrection life\nand now he lives at your side for ever\,\nadvocating mercy for all who stumble into sin.\nThrough his great grace\nwe are able to live in fellowship with you\nand in peace with one another\,\nin one heart and mind. \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	If we confess our sins\,\nthe one who is faithful and just\nwill forgive us our sins\nand cleanse us from all unrighteousness. \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\, sent by the one who was sent by God.\nWalk in the light;\ntestify to the resurrection of Christ;\nforgive the sins of all\,\nand live at peace with one another. \nAnd may God bless you with life forever;\nMay Christ Jesus breathe his Spirit and peace into you;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you into the life and light of God. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nChrist is Risen\, so what’s next?A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBeyond Doubt? Perhaps Not.A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRedeeming ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nForgiveness Comes with ScarsA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nPeace Be With YouA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nAn Economy of AbundanceA sermon on Acts 4:32-35 and 1 John 1:1-2:2 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nDoubters\, Failures\, and other Model ChristiansA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nMerely-Reserving-Judgement ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShame\, Redemption\, and the Terror of ResurrectionA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBehind Locked DoorsA sermon on John 20:19-31 by Paul Sheppy\n\n\n\nWhat Shall We Do Now?A sermon on Acts 4:32-35 & John 20:19-31 by Guilherme Almeida
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b33/2030-04-28/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300505T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300505T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093934
CREATED:20200826T040028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240512T111344Z
UID:10002126-1904169600-1904255999@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:3rd Sunday of Pascha - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Acts 3: 12-19			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	A crowd flocked around Peter and John after they had healed a crippled man at the Temple Gate. Peter addressed them\, saying: \n“People of Israel\, why does this come as such a surprise to you? And why are you staring at us? Don’t make the mistake of thinking that we have any special magical powers or spiritual secrets that enabled us to make him walk. The God of our ancestors\, the God of Abraham\, Isaac and Jacob\, has done this and given all the glory to Jesus. This Jesus was God’s servant\, but you lot turned him in to the Romans and shafted him in Pilate’s court. He was the Holy and Righteous One\, and even Pilate could see that he was innocent\, but you shafted him and asked for the release of some murdering scumbag instead. You killed the Author of Life\, but God has raised him from the dead. We know this first hand. The healing of this man today is all to do with Jesus – the authority of his name\, and our trust in his authority. You know this man well\, and you can see with your own eyes what has happened to him. It is the faith inspired by Jesus that has given this man a perfectly healthy body right here before your very eyes. \n“Friends\, I know that you didn’t understand what you were doing\, and neither did your leaders. Through your ignorant actions\, God’s Messiah copped the full bucket of human suffering\, just as God had foreshadowed through the prophets. So wake up to yourselves and turn your lives around. Get yourselves back on track with God\, and God will scrub out the black marks against your name.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 4			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	O God who always does what is right\,\nanswer me when I cry for help.\nYou gave me breathing space last time I was in a tight spot;\nbe generous to me again\, and hear my prayer. \nHow long will these people get away with it\,\ndragging my name through the mud?\nHow long will they go on spinning their propaganda\nand manufacturing lies and deceit? \nWhen will they wake up to the fact that you\, LORD\,\nhave singled out those who are faithful for your special care.\nYour hear\, LORD\, when we cry out to you. \nNo matter how much pressure anyone is under\,\nthere is still no excuse for doing the wrong thing by others. \nHelp us instead to quieten our minds down\,\nto meditate on the truth\nand get a good night’s sleep.\nWe put our trust in you alone\, LORD\,\nand offer you all we have in gratitude. \nCynics whinge that they never see any goodies from you\, LORD\,\nand that you never seem to smile on them. \nBut as for me\, you have filled my heart with joy\,\nand I’d take that any day\,\nover all the goodies their money can buy. \nI can go to bed with a clear conscience\nand sleep in peace\,\nfor you\, and you alone\, LORD\,\nare my security\, day and night. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 John 3: 1-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Think about the extraordinary gift of love the Father has given us in allowing us to be known as God’s own children. Indeed that is what we now are. Of course\, the world around us has never recognised God\, and so it doesn’t recognise us as being God’s children either. My dear friends\, we are God’s beloved children already. What we are destined to become goes beyond even that\, but the details have not yet been made known to us. This much we know already: Christ will return to centre stage in clear view of everyone\, and when that happens\, we who will recognise him for who he really is will be just like him. Everyone who is living in eager anticipation of this will work at making themselves as pure as Christ. \nEveryone who does what is wrong is rightly charged with opposing what God wants. ‘Doing wrong’ and ‘opposing what God wants’ are one and the same thing. You know that Christ was brought onto the scene to wipe out our wrongdoing. There is nothing corrupt in him at all. Those who live their lives in him do not do what is wrong; and anyone who does do what is wrong has obviously not recognised him and does not understand him. You are God’s little children\, so do not let anyone pull the wool over your eyes about these things. Everyone who is doing the right thing is on the right track in just the same way as Christ himself is on the right track. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 24: 36b - 48			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Suddenly Jesus himself appeared\, standing among his gathered followers. “Greetings!” he said\, “Peace be with you.” \nTaken by surprise\, they thought he was a ghost\, and were scared spitless. Jesus said to them\, “What have you got to be afraid of? Why are you letting your doubts get the better of you? Here\, take a look at my hands and feet. See for yourselves that it really is me. Reach out and touch me and you will know that I am made of flesh and bone. No ghost can claim that!” \nAs he spoke\, he showed them his hands and feet. It all seemed too good to be true; so wonderful that they couldn’t believe their eyes. Their heads were bursting with joy and disbelief! Jesus asked them\, “Have you got anything here I can eat?” \nThey gave him a piece of grilled fish and he took it and ate it in front of them. Then he said to them\, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses\, the prophets\, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.” \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor in great love you have made us your children\nand destined us for life in union with your Son\, Jesus Christ. \nYou are the creator of heaven and earth\nand the author of life.\nYou revealed your purposes\nthrough the law of Moses\, the prophets and the psalms\,\nand declared your intention to suffer as a servant among us\nso that you might bring forgiveness to the nations. \nYour Word came to fulfilment in your servant\, Jesus\,\nthe Holy and Righteous One\,\nwho was rejected and handed over to death.\nHe was killed through our ignorance\,\nbut after three days in the tomb\nyou raised him from the dead.\nNow he embraces us with hands still holed\,\nand disturbs our fears and doubts\nwith words of peace\nand the promise of life yet to be revealed. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your risen Son\, Jesus\,\nthe Holy and Righteous One\,\nwho embraces us with hands still holed\,\nand disturbs our fears and doubts\nwith words of peace\nand the promise of life yet to be revealed. \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 all thanks and praise to you\, O God\,\nfor in great love you have made us your children\nand destined us for life in union with your Son\, Jesus Christ. \nYou are the creator of heaven and earth\nand the author of life.\nYou revealed your purposes\nthrough the law of Moses\, the prophets and the psalms\,\nand declared your intention to suffer as a servant among us\nso that you might bring forgiveness to the nations. \nYour Word came to fulfilment in your servant\, Jesus\,\nthe Holy and Righteous One\,\nwho was rejected and handed over to death.\nHe was killed through our ignorance\,\nbut after three days in the tomb\nyou raised him from the dead.\nNow he embraces us with hands still holed\,\nand disturbs our fears and doubts\nwith words of peace\nand the promise of life yet to be revealed. \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	In Jesus Christ there is no sin\,\nand he has been revealed to the world to take away sin.\nAll who repent and turn to God\nhave their sins wiped out\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord. \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	We have eaten together with the risen Christ.\nGo out then\, as witnesses of these things.\nAttend to your heart\,\nworship with integrity\,\ntrust in the Lord.\nProclaim forgiveness and healing in his name to all. \nAnd may God raise you from death to life\,\nfrom brokenness to perfect health;\nMay Christ Jesus cast out your fear and doubt;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit give your heart joy\,\neven as the bread and wine give your body life. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nOpen Minds and Narrow ThinkingA sermon on Luke 24.36-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nMinds Opened to the ScripturesA sermon on Luke 24.36-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nResurrected for What?A sermon on Luke 24.36-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhen the Victim ReturnsA sermon on Luke 24.36-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nTouch and SeeA sermon on Luke 24.36-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nTo Understand the ScripturesA sermon on Luke 24.36-48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nI Am MyselfA sermon on Luke 24.36-48 & 1 John 3.1-7 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nEnthralled by Death or LifeA sermon on Luke 24:36 – 48\, Acts 3:12-19 & 1 John 3:1-7 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nResurrection ImaginationA sermon on Acts 3:12-19\,  1 John 3:1-7 & Luke 24:36 – 48 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHonouring Disfigured FleshA sermon on Luke 24.36-48 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b34/2030-05-05/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/34.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300512T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300512T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093934
CREATED:20200826T042136Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240519T105501Z
UID:10002127-1904774400-1904860799@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:4th Sunday of Pascha - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Acts 4: 5-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Peter and John were arrested after preaching to the crowds who gathered when they healed a crippled man at the Temple gate in Jerusalem. The next day they were brought before an assembly of the temple authorities\, the political leaders and the religious lawyers. The assembly included Annas the high priest\, Caiaphas\, John\, and Alexander\, and the whole high-priestly family. When the prisoners were on the stand in their midst\, the assembled authorities inquired\, “By what power\, or on whose authority did you do what you have done?” \nPeter was inspired by the Holy Spirit as he answered them\, saying\,  \n“Honourable members of the Assembly\, respected dignitaries\, ladies and gentlemen: if we are being questioned today over an act of kindness towards a person who had a disability; and if what you are wanting to know is how this man came to be made whole\, then I am happy to give the answer to you and to all the people of Israel. Let it be on the public record that this man was healed\, and is now standing before you in perfect health\, on the authority of Jesus of Nazareth\, the Messiah. This Jesus in the one who you had killed on a cross\, but who God raised from the dead. It is just as the scriptures said of him: \n‘the stone that you builders got rid of\nhas become the centrepiece\non which everything depends.’ \n“It is through Jesus that we must all be saved and made whole\, because there is no other authority on earth to which anyone can appeal that can save them and make them whole.” \n©2003 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				  1 John 3: 16-24			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	It was the example that Jesus set in laying down his life for us that put us in the know about real love. If we would love\, then we need to do likewise\, and lay our lives on the line for one another. How on earth can people claim that the love of God is at home in their hearts if they turn their backs on their needy brothers and sisters\, even though it is quite within their means to help? \nMy dear friends\, let us love; really love. Let us make sure we’re not just talking the talk\, but walking the walk: being fair dinkum about our love and expressing it in action. This kind of integrity between what we say and what we do is a sure sign that our lives are genuinely grounded in God’s truth. It enables us to hold our heads high when we approach God\, even though self-doubts may be trying to make us feel guilty and fearful. Our record of integrity can reassure us at such times\, because God knows everything and can overrule our self-accusations. So when we are doing what God tells us to do\, and thus living lives that please God\, we can rest assured that when we approach God with our requests\, we will get a positive response\, whether we feel we deserve it or not. \nAnd what is it that God tells us to do? It is this: to throw in our lot with God’s Son\, Jesus the Messiah\, and all that he stands for\, and to love one another just as Jesus instructed us to do. All who live as God tells us to live are living in God\, and God is living in them. And if we want further proof that God is living in us\, then we have the evidence of the Spirit that God has given us. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 10: 11-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus said: \n“I am like a first-rate farmer. Have you noticed how easy it is to pick the difference between the real farmers and their hired hands. The real farmers would die for their herd if they had to\, but the hired hands\, who don’t own the stock themselves\, don’t really care what happens to them. If a bushfire threatens the farm\, the only thing the hired hands are concerned about is getting themselves to safety. They hit the road straight away\, because they don’t give a toss what happens to the herd. The fire roars in\, unopposed\, and the stock are killed or scattered in all directions. I am the real thing. I know my own herd well\, and they know me. It is just like the relationship between me and the Father – we know each other intimately. And I lay down my life for the stock. Not all the stock that belong to me belong to this herd\, but they will respond to my voice just the same. It is my job to round them up too and unite them all in the one new herd with me as the farmer over them all. If you want to know why the Father loves me\, it is because I lay down my life in order to start life anew. No one can take my life against my will\, but I can choose to sacrifice it. I have the power to lay down my life\, and I have the power to take it up again. This is the assignment the Father has given me.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor with you as our shepherd\, we need nothing more. \nAt the dawn of time you spread creation out like a banquet\nand in love brought forth all life on the earth.\nThrough your prophets you promised a good shepherd\,\nwho though rejected\, would become the cornerstone\nof salvation for every creature under heaven. \nYour promise has been fulfilled in your Son\,\nJesus of Nazareth\,\nwho showed us the fullness of love\nthat lays down even its own life for others.\nHe was crucified\, but you raised him from the dead\,\nand through his love we have the boldness to approach you.\nBecause he abides in us\,\nand in all who listen to his voice\,\nour cup overflows with goodness and love\nand our feet find safe paths leading to your house\nwhere we will live forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your Son\,\nJesus of Nazareth\,\nwho showed us your shepherding love\nand laid down his own life for others\,\nand who now abides in us\,\nand in all who listen to his voice. \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 with you as our shepherd\, we need nothing more. \nAt the dawn of time you spread creation out like a banquet\nand in love brought forth all life on the earth.\nThrough your prophets you promised a good shepherd\,\nwho though rejected\, would become the cornerstone\nof salvation for every creature under heaven. \nYour promise has been fulfilled in your Son\,\nJesus of Nazareth\,\nwho showed us the fullness of love\nthat lays down even its own life for others.\nHe was crucified\, but you raised him from the dead\,\nand through his love we have the boldness to approach you.\nBecause he abides in us\,\nand in all who listen to his voice\,\nour cup overflows with goodness and love\nand our feet find safe paths leading to your house\nwhere we will live forever. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus Christ is the good shepherd\nwho lays down his life for his sheep.\nThough we have fallen short of his commandments\,\nthrough faith in his name we are saved\nand raised to new life. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now with your trust in the good shepherd\,\nand let us love\, not just in words\,\nbut in truth and action.\nBelieve in the name of Jesus Christ\,\nand love one another\, just as he has commanded us. \nAnd may God be at your side\, even in valleys of death.\nMay Christ Jesus be the cornerstone of your life.\nAnd may the Holy Spirit abide in you\n....and tend you with love and mercy all the days of your life. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe advertiser is my shepherd??A sermon on Psalm 23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBlood and Guts ShepherdingA sermon on John 10:11-18\, Psalm 23 & 1 John 3:16-24 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNo Other NameA sermon on Acts 4: 5-12\, 1 John 3: 16-24 & John 10: 11-18 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA personal response to Psalm 23A sermon on Psalm 23 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nAdding to the FlockA sermon on John 10:11-18\, Psalm 23 & 1 John 3:16-24 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLove and Laying Down One’s LifeA sermon on John 10:11-18\, Psalm 23 & 1 John 3:16-24 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLiving Out the Love of God!A sermon on 1 John 3: 16-24 & John 10: 11-18 by Chekrovei Cho-o
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b35/2030-05-12/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/35.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300512T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300512T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093934
CREATED:20200826T042136Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003405Z
UID:10002839-1904774400-1904860799@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:4th Sunday of Pascha - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Acts 4: 5-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Peter and John were arrested after preaching to the crowds who gathered when they healed a crippled man at the Temple gate in Jerusalem. The next day they were brought before an assembly of the temple authorities\, the political leaders and the religious lawyers. The assembly included Annas the high priest\, Caiaphas\, John\, and Alexander\, and the whole high-priestly family. When the prisoners were on the stand in their midst\, the assembled authorities inquired\, “By what power\, or on whose authority did you do what you have done?” \nPeter was inspired by the Holy Spirit as he answered them\, saying\,  \n“Honourable members of the Assembly\, respected dignitaries\, ladies and gentlemen: if we are being questioned today over an act of kindness towards a person who had a disability; and if what you are wanting to know is how this man came to be made whole\, then I am happy to give the answer to you and to all the people of Israel. Let it be on the public record that this man was healed\, and is now standing before you in perfect health\, on the authority of Jesus of Nazareth\, the Messiah. This Jesus in the one who you had killed on a cross\, but who God raised from the dead. It is just as the scriptures said of him: \n‘the stone that you builders got rid of\nhas become the centrepiece\non which everything depends.’ \n“It is through Jesus that we must all be saved and made whole\, because there is no other authority on earth to which anyone can appeal that can save them and make them whole.” \n©2003 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				  1 John 3: 16-24			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	It was the example that Jesus set in laying down his life for us that put us in the know about real love. If we would love\, then we need to do likewise\, and lay our lives on the line for one another. How on earth can people claim that the love of God is at home in their hearts if they turn their backs on their needy brothers and sisters\, even though it is quite within their means to help? \nMy dear friends\, let us love; really love. Let us make sure we’re not just talking the talk\, but walking the walk: being fair dinkum about our love and expressing it in action. This kind of integrity between what we say and what we do is a sure sign that our lives are genuinely grounded in God’s truth. It enables us to hold our heads high when we approach God\, even though self-doubts may be trying to make us feel guilty and fearful. Our record of integrity can reassure us at such times\, because God knows everything and can overrule our self-accusations. So when we are doing what God tells us to do\, and thus living lives that please God\, we can rest assured that when we approach God with our requests\, we will get a positive response\, whether we feel we deserve it or not. \nAnd what is it that God tells us to do? It is this: to throw in our lot with God’s Son\, Jesus the Messiah\, and all that he stands for\, and to love one another just as Jesus instructed us to do. All who live as God tells us to live are living in God\, and God is living in them. And if we want further proof that God is living in us\, then we have the evidence of the Spirit that God has given us. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 10: 11-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus said: \n“I am like a first-rate farmer. Have you noticed how easy it is to pick the difference between the real farmers and their hired hands. The real farmers would die for their herd if they had to\, but the hired hands\, who don’t own the stock themselves\, don’t really care what happens to them. If a bushfire threatens the farm\, the only thing the hired hands are concerned about is getting themselves to safety. They hit the road straight away\, because they don’t give a toss what happens to the herd. The fire roars in\, unopposed\, and the stock are killed or scattered in all directions. I am the real thing. I know my own herd well\, and they know me. It is just like the relationship between me and the Father – we know each other intimately. And I lay down my life for the stock. Not all the stock that belong to me belong to this herd\, but they will respond to my voice just the same. It is my job to round them up too and unite them all in the one new herd with me as the farmer over them all. If you want to know why the Father loves me\, it is because I lay down my life in order to start life anew. No one can take my life against my will\, but I can choose to sacrifice it. I have the power to lay down my life\, and I have the power to take it up again. This is the assignment the Father has given me.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor with you as our shepherd\, we need nothing more. \nAt the dawn of time you spread creation out like a banquet\nand in love brought forth all life on the earth.\nThrough your prophets you promised a good shepherd\,\nwho though rejected\, would become the cornerstone\nof salvation for every creature under heaven. \nYour promise has been fulfilled in your Son\,\nJesus of Nazareth\,\nwho showed us the fullness of love\nthat lays down even its own life for others.\nHe was crucified\, but you raised him from the dead\,\nand through his love we have the boldness to approach you.\nBecause he abides in us\,\nand in all who listen to his voice\,\nour cup overflows with goodness and love\nand our feet find safe paths leading to your house\nwhere we will live forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your Son\,\nJesus of Nazareth\,\nwho showed us your shepherding love\nand laid down his own life for others\,\nand who now abides in us\,\nand in all who listen to his voice. \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 with you as our shepherd\, we need nothing more. \nAt the dawn of time you spread creation out like a banquet\nand in love brought forth all life on the earth.\nThrough your prophets you promised a good shepherd\,\nwho though rejected\, would become the cornerstone\nof salvation for every creature under heaven. \nYour promise has been fulfilled in your Son\,\nJesus of Nazareth\,\nwho showed us the fullness of love\nthat lays down even its own life for others.\nHe was crucified\, but you raised him from the dead\,\nand through his love we have the boldness to approach you.\nBecause he abides in us\,\nand in all who listen to his voice\,\nour cup overflows with goodness and love\nand our feet find safe paths leading to your house\nwhere we will live forever. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus Christ is the good shepherd\nwho lays down his life for his sheep.\nThough we have fallen short of his commandments\,\nthrough faith in his name we are saved\nand raised to new life. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now with your trust in the good shepherd\,\nand let us love\, not just in words\,\nbut in truth and action.\nBelieve in the name of Jesus Christ\,\nand love one another\, just as he has commanded us. \nAnd may God be at your side\, even in valleys of death.\nMay Christ Jesus be the cornerstone of your life.\nAnd may the Holy Spirit abide in you\n....and tend you with love and mercy all the days of your life. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe advertiser is my shepherd??A sermon on Psalm 23 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBlood and Guts ShepherdingA sermon on John 10:11-18\, Psalm 23 & 1 John 3:16-24 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNo Other NameA sermon on Acts 4: 5-12\, 1 John 3: 16-24 & John 10: 11-18 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA personal response to Psalm 23A sermon on Psalm 23 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nAdding to the FlockA sermon on John 10:11-18\, Psalm 23 & 1 John 3:16-24 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLove and Laying Down One’s LifeA sermon on John 10:11-18\, Psalm 23 & 1 John 3:16-24 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLiving Out the Love of God!A sermon on 1 John 3: 16-24 & John 10: 11-18 by Chekrovei Cho-o
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b35/2030-05-12/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/35.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300519T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300519T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093934
CREATED:20200827T024641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240527T054404Z
UID:10002128-1905379200-1905465599@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:5th Sunday of Pascha - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Acts 8: 26-40			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Lord’s messenger said to Philip\, “Get moving and head south until you hit the Jerusalem-to-Gaza road.” \nSo Philip headed off and found the outback track to which he had been sent. A chariot came along the track\, carrying a high ranking Ethiopian official who had travelled to Jerusalem to worship and was now on his way back home. He was the treasurer in the court of Queen Candace of Ethiopia\, but because he was a eunuch\, he was excluded from full participation in worship at the Jerusalem temple. He was reading the writings of the prophet Isaiah as he rode along in his chariot. The Spirit said to Philip\, “Catch up with that chariot and walk alongside it.” \nSo Philip got running\, and as he pulled up alongside\, he heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. He asked\, “Do you understand the meaning of what you are reading?” \nThe official replied\, “How am I ever going to understand it without someone to help get me on the right track?” \nHe then offered Philip a lift and they sat side by side and looked at the passage of scripture together. The passage said: \n“Silent as a lamb that trots to its fate\,\nknowing neither shearer nor slaughterer\,\nhe never whinges or protests. \n“His public humiliation made a mockery of justice.\nNo one will ever speak of his descendants\,\nfor in the prime of life\, he is wiped off the earth.” \nThe eunuch said to Philip\, “Now here’s a question for you: who is the prophet saying these things about? Is he talking about himself\, or about someone else?” \nThen Philip launched into an inspired response\, and with this passage of scripture as his starting point\, he spelt out the great news about Jesus to the official. As they continued along the road\, they came to a water hole\, and the eunuch said\, “Look\, here is some water! Is there anything to stop me being baptised here and now?” \nHe gave the order to pull over and park the chariot. The two of them went down into the water together\, and Philip baptised the eunuch. When they came up out of the water\, the Spirit of the Lord whisked Philip away. The official never saw him again\, but continued his journey home\, bursting with joy. Philip turned up at Azotus\, and set off from there\, broadcasting the great news in every town he passed through in the area\, all the way to Caesarea. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 22: 25-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Whenever people gather to worship\,\nmy heart overflows and I sing your praises.\nOut in the open for all to see\nI’ll do all that I promised. \nAt your table\, God\, the needy will feast;\nthose who hunger for you will be fed till they burst with praise!\nThey will be able to live it up\, now and forever! \nIn every corner of the earth people will wake up to themselves\nand turn back to you\, LORD.\nEvery race\, nation\, tribe and family\nwill offer themselves to you in worship\,\nfor you have the last word on everything;\nwhat you say goes. \nEven the dead will bow down to you\, LORD;\nthose who are trampled in the dust will look to you in hope\,\nand I will live for you and you alone. \nOur kids and their kids will serve you\, LORD;\nas we pass the message down from one generation to the next.\nPeople not even born yet will hear the story;\nthey will be told of what you have done to set us free. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 John 4: 7-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Dear friends\, let us love one another\, because all love originates in God. Everyone who truly loves is able to do so because of their relationship with God: God has given birth to them and they are well acquainted with God. Those who do not love certainly do not know God\, because God is love. God’s love was made known to us in the act of sending the one and only Son of God into the world so that\, through him\, we might find authentic life. The reality of love is not discovered in our love for God\, but in the love God showed for us in sending the Son to make the ultimate sacrifice and wipe out the record of our corruption. Dear friends\, since God has loved us to such an extraordinary extent\, we ought to take our lead from that\, and love one another. No one can see or catch hold of God\, but if we love one another\, God will be living within us and God’s love will grow to maturity in us. \nOur confidence that we are living in God and that God is living in us is based on the evidence of God giving us a share of the Spirit. We know\, from first hand experience\, that the Father sent his Son on a mission to rescue the world. We have said it openly and we will continue to do so. God lives in those who are open about their belief that Jesus is the Son of God\, and they live in God. Through living in God in this way\, we have come to know and trust in God’s love for us. \nGod is love. Those who go on living in love go on living in God\, and God goes on living in them. In this way\, love is being brought to full maturity among us\, and it will ensure that on the day of judgment\, we can stand with our heads held high. You see\, as we and God live in each other\, we are becoming what God is\, right here in the midst of the world. We will stand with heads held high because those who truly love have nothing to fear. Indeed\, perfect love banishes fear. It is the thought of punishment that makes people fearful\, and so those who are still fearful have still got some way to go before love is fully grown within them. We can love only because we have first received love from God. If we claim to love God while refusing to love each other\, we are liars. How can any of us expect to express love for an invisible God if we won’t even commit ourselves to loving the people we see and interact with? We have clear instructions from Jesus on this: those who love God must love their sisters and brothers too. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 15: 1-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus said: \n“I am the true vine. My Father is the chief gardener who regularly gets out the pruning saw to clean up the vine. Any branches that fail to bear fruit are cut clean off\, and the fruitful branches are cut back clean so that they will bear even more fruit. You have already been cleaned up by the message I have been preaching to you. Go on living in me\, just as I live in you. No branch can bear fruit if it has been cut off and can no longer draw its life from the vine. Neither can you unless you continue to live your life in me. I am the whole vine\, and you are my branches. Those of you who remain united to me and allow me to live my life in you will produce a solid harvest of good fruit. By contrast\, if you are cut off from me\, you won’t produce a thing. Those who try to go it alone rather than drawing their life from me will be disposed of like broken branches. Such branches are tossed aside to dry out before being bundled up and burned on the fire. If you go on living in me and my words go on receiving a home in you\, then you can ask for whatever you hope for and it will be done for you. My Father receives due glory when you begin following in my footsteps\, and showing it by bearing plenty of fruit.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have sent your Son as the Saviour of the world\nand your Spirit to graft us into the vine of life. \nYou created the universe and everything in it\,\nand revealed your perfect love\nin your commitment to your people\nand your care for the poor and afflicted. \nThrough your prophets you promised a righteous servant\nwho would suffer humiliation and injustice\nand\, like a sheep to the slaughter\, have his life taken away.\nIn your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwe have seen your promises fulfilled\,\nand through his resurrection\,\nhe has broken the power of death to hold the righteous.\nIn his perfect love\, our fear is cast out\,\nand now\, like branches of a vine\,\nwe live in him and draw our life from him\,\nthat we might bear much fruit to your glory. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwhose perfect love casts out our fear\,\nand in whom we live\, like branches of a vine\,\ndrawing our life from him\nthat we might bear much fruit to your glory. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have sent your Son as the Saviour of the world\nand your Spirit to graft us into the vine of life. \nYou created the universe and everything in it\,\nand revealed your perfect love\nin your commitment to your people\nand your care for the poor and afflicted. \nThrough your prophets you promised a righteous servant\nwho would suffer humiliation and injustice\nand\, like a sheep to the slaughter\, have his life taken away.\nIn your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwe have seen your promises fulfilled\,\nand through his resurrection\,\nhe has broken the power of death to hold the righteous.\nIn his perfect love\, our fear is cast out\,\nand now\, like branches of a vine\,\nwe live in him and draw our life from him\,\nthat we might bear much fruit to your glory. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God loved us and sent his only Son into the world\nso that we might live through him.\nTrue love is known\, not in our love for God\,\nbut in God’s love for us\, sacrificing his son\nto overcome the burden of our sins. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, and love one another\,\nbecause love is from God.\nProclaim God’s salvation to every generation.\nRemain in Jesus Christ\,\nand like branches of a vine\, draw your life from him. \nAnd may God the vine grower tend you and make you fruitful;\nMay Christ Jesus abide in you and give you life;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit cast out all fear and fill you with God’s love. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nAbiding in God’s LoveA sermon on Acts 8. 26-40; 1 John 4.7-21 & John 15. 1-8 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nChrist in the Stranger’s GuiseA sermon on Acts 8:26-40 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nChrist of the CoonawarraA sermon on John 15: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat is to Exclude Them?A sermon on Acts 8:26-40; Acts 10:44-48 & John 15:9-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCan We Crucify Penal Substitutionary AtonementA sermon on 1 John 4.7-21 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhen the Family Line is Cut OffA sermon on Acts 8:26-40 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b36/2030-05-19/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/36.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300519T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300519T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093934
CREATED:20200827T024641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003404Z
UID:10002837-1905379200-1905465599@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:5th Sunday of Pascha - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Acts 8: 26-40			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Lord’s messenger said to Philip\, “Get moving and head south until you hit the Jerusalem-to-Gaza road.” \nSo Philip headed off and found the outback track to which he had been sent. A chariot came along the track\, carrying a high ranking Ethiopian official who had travelled to Jerusalem to worship and was now on his way back home. He was the treasurer in the court of Queen Candace of Ethiopia\, but because he was a eunuch\, he was excluded from full participation in worship at the Jerusalem temple. He was reading the writings of the prophet Isaiah as he rode along in his chariot. The Spirit said to Philip\, “Catch up with that chariot and walk alongside it.” \nSo Philip got running\, and as he pulled up alongside\, he heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. He asked\, “Do you understand the meaning of what you are reading?” \nThe official replied\, “How am I ever going to understand it without someone to help get me on the right track?” \nHe then offered Philip a lift and they sat side by side and looked at the passage of scripture together. The passage said: \n“Silent as a lamb that trots to its fate\,\nknowing neither shearer nor slaughterer\,\nhe never whinges or protests. \n“His public humiliation made a mockery of justice.\nNo one will ever speak of his descendants\,\nfor in the prime of life\, he is wiped off the earth.” \nThe eunuch said to Philip\, “Now here’s a question for you: who is the prophet saying these things about? Is he talking about himself\, or about someone else?” \nThen Philip launched into an inspired response\, and with this passage of scripture as his starting point\, he spelt out the great news about Jesus to the official. As they continued along the road\, they came to a water hole\, and the eunuch said\, “Look\, here is some water! Is there anything to stop me being baptised here and now?” \nHe gave the order to pull over and park the chariot. The two of them went down into the water together\, and Philip baptised the eunuch. When they came up out of the water\, the Spirit of the Lord whisked Philip away. The official never saw him again\, but continued his journey home\, bursting with joy. Philip turned up at Azotus\, and set off from there\, broadcasting the great news in every town he passed through in the area\, all the way to Caesarea. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 22: 25-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Whenever people gather to worship\,\nmy heart overflows and I sing your praises.\nOut in the open for all to see\nI’ll do all that I promised. \nAt your table\, God\, the needy will feast;\nthose who hunger for you will be fed till they burst with praise!\nThey will be able to live it up\, now and forever! \nIn every corner of the earth people will wake up to themselves\nand turn back to you\, LORD.\nEvery race\, nation\, tribe and family\nwill offer themselves to you in worship\,\nfor you have the last word on everything;\nwhat you say goes. \nEven the dead will bow down to you\, LORD;\nthose who are trampled in the dust will look to you in hope\,\nand I will live for you and you alone. \nOur kids and their kids will serve you\, LORD;\nas we pass the message down from one generation to the next.\nPeople not even born yet will hear the story;\nthey will be told of what you have done to set us free. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 John 4: 7-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Dear friends\, let us love one another\, because all love originates in God. Everyone who truly loves is able to do so because of their relationship with God: God has given birth to them and they are well acquainted with God. Those who do not love certainly do not know God\, because God is love. God’s love was made known to us in the act of sending the one and only Son of God into the world so that\, through him\, we might find authentic life. The reality of love is not discovered in our love for God\, but in the love God showed for us in sending the Son to make the ultimate sacrifice and wipe out the record of our corruption. Dear friends\, since God has loved us to such an extraordinary extent\, we ought to take our lead from that\, and love one another. No one can see or catch hold of God\, but if we love one another\, God will be living within us and God’s love will grow to maturity in us. \nOur confidence that we are living in God and that God is living in us is based on the evidence of God giving us a share of the Spirit. We know\, from first hand experience\, that the Father sent his Son on a mission to rescue the world. We have said it openly and we will continue to do so. God lives in those who are open about their belief that Jesus is the Son of God\, and they live in God. Through living in God in this way\, we have come to know and trust in God’s love for us. \nGod is love. Those who go on living in love go on living in God\, and God goes on living in them. In this way\, love is being brought to full maturity among us\, and it will ensure that on the day of judgment\, we can stand with our heads held high. You see\, as we and God live in each other\, we are becoming what God is\, right here in the midst of the world. We will stand with heads held high because those who truly love have nothing to fear. Indeed\, perfect love banishes fear. It is the thought of punishment that makes people fearful\, and so those who are still fearful have still got some way to go before love is fully grown within them. We can love only because we have first received love from God. If we claim to love God while refusing to love each other\, we are liars. How can any of us expect to express love for an invisible God if we won’t even commit ourselves to loving the people we see and interact with? We have clear instructions from Jesus on this: those who love God must love their sisters and brothers too. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 15: 1-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus said: \n“I am the true vine. My Father is the chief gardener who regularly gets out the pruning saw to clean up the vine. Any branches that fail to bear fruit are cut clean off\, and the fruitful branches are cut back clean so that they will bear even more fruit. You have already been cleaned up by the message I have been preaching to you. Go on living in me\, just as I live in you. No branch can bear fruit if it has been cut off and can no longer draw its life from the vine. Neither can you unless you continue to live your life in me. I am the whole vine\, and you are my branches. Those of you who remain united to me and allow me to live my life in you will produce a solid harvest of good fruit. By contrast\, if you are cut off from me\, you won’t produce a thing. Those who try to go it alone rather than drawing their life from me will be disposed of like broken branches. Such branches are tossed aside to dry out before being bundled up and burned on the fire. If you go on living in me and my words go on receiving a home in you\, then you can ask for whatever you hope for and it will be done for you. My Father receives due glory when you begin following in my footsteps\, and showing it by bearing plenty of fruit.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have sent your Son as the Saviour of the world\nand your Spirit to graft us into the vine of life. \nYou created the universe and everything in it\,\nand revealed your perfect love\nin your commitment to your people\nand your care for the poor and afflicted. \nThrough your prophets you promised a righteous servant\nwho would suffer humiliation and injustice\nand\, like a sheep to the slaughter\, have his life taken away.\nIn your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwe have seen your promises fulfilled\,\nand through his resurrection\,\nhe has broken the power of death to hold the righteous.\nIn his perfect love\, our fear is cast out\,\nand now\, like branches of a vine\,\nwe live in him and draw our life from him\,\nthat we might bear much fruit to your glory. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwhose perfect love casts out our fear\,\nand in whom we live\, like branches of a vine\,\ndrawing our life from him\nthat we might bear much fruit to your glory. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have sent your Son as the Saviour of the world\nand your Spirit to graft us into the vine of life. \nYou created the universe and everything in it\,\nand revealed your perfect love\nin your commitment to your people\nand your care for the poor and afflicted. \nThrough your prophets you promised a righteous servant\nwho would suffer humiliation and injustice\nand\, like a sheep to the slaughter\, have his life taken away.\nIn your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwe have seen your promises fulfilled\,\nand through his resurrection\,\nhe has broken the power of death to hold the righteous.\nIn his perfect love\, our fear is cast out\,\nand now\, like branches of a vine\,\nwe live in him and draw our life from him\,\nthat we might bear much fruit to your glory. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God loved us and sent his only Son into the world\nso that we might live through him.\nTrue love is known\, not in our love for God\,\nbut in God’s love for us\, sacrificing his son\nto overcome the burden of our sins. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, and love one another\,\nbecause love is from God.\nProclaim God’s salvation to every generation.\nRemain in Jesus Christ\,\nand like branches of a vine\, draw your life from him. \nAnd may God the vine grower tend you and make you fruitful;\nMay Christ Jesus abide in you and give you life;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit cast out all fear and fill you with God’s love. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nAbiding in God’s LoveA sermon on Acts 8. 26-40; 1 John 4.7-21 & John 15. 1-8 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nChrist in the Stranger’s GuiseA sermon on Acts 8:26-40 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nChrist of the CoonawarraA sermon on John 15: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat is to Exclude Them?A sermon on Acts 8:26-40; Acts 10:44-48 & John 15:9-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCan We Crucify Penal Substitutionary AtonementA sermon on 1 John 4.7-21 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhen the Family Line is Cut OffA sermon on Acts 8:26-40 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b36/2030-05-19/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300526T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300526T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T093934
CREATED:20200827T024735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240602T114039Z
UID:10002129-1905984000-1906070399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:6th Sunday of Pascha - Year B
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Acts 10:44-48			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Peter was preaching in the home of Cornelius\, an officer from the Italian regiment. The gathered people were taking his words to heart\, and even before he had finished his speech\, the Holy Spirit fell upon them. The other believers who had come with Peter were all good Jews\, and they were absolutely gob-smacked when they saw that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on people who weren’t even Jewish. There was no disputing it though\, because they could hear these outsiders speaking in unknown languages and singing the praises of God. Then Peter turned to his companions and said\, “Can there be any justification for refusing to baptise these people into the community of Christ’s followers\, when it is clear that God has treated them exactly the same as us\, and given them the Holy Spirit in the same way?” \nSo\, on Peter’s say-so\, they were baptised in water into a declared allegiance to Jesus the Messiah. At their invitation\, Peter stayed on in Cornelius’s home for the next few days. \n©2003 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				  1 John 5: 1-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	All those who put their trust in Jesus as the Messiah are the offspring of God. Everyone who loves the parent will also love the parent’s offspring. Loving God and loving God’s offspring are bound up together\, and when we are living by the instructions God has given us\, we can be sure that we are doing both. You see\, the essential way to express our love for God is to follow God’s instructions for living right. There is no great difficulty in this; God’s instructions do not weigh us down. Anything that God has given birth to will win\, hands down\, in the struggle against the corrupt ways of the world. Our faith\, expressed in love and obedience\, is the sure-fire winner\, and there is nothing the world can put up against it to stop its march to certain victory. Who can defeat the powers that would drag us down into the world’s mire? The one who trusts in the human Jesus as the Son of God\, that’s who! When Jesus Christ came into the world\, he was not just united with us in our struggle through a baptism of water\, but through a baptism of blood. The Spirit is the one who has testified to all this\, and the Spirit is truth itself. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 15: 9-17			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus said: \n“I have loved you in the same way that I have been loved by the Father. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you live by the instructions I have given you\, you will be living in my love. I do the same\, following the instructions and living in the love of my Father. I have let you in on these things so that you can share my joy and be completely fulfilled. \n“My number one instruction for you – in fact take it as an order – is this: love one another in the same way that I have loved you. No one can outdo the love that is shown by people who lay down their lives for those they love. You are my loved ones if you do what I have instructed you to do. I am not going to call you my labourers any more\, because labourers just do as they’re told without knowing what the boss is on about. I now call you personal friends\, because I have let you in on everything my Father has told me. But it was not you that chose to forge this friendship; it was me. I gave you the tap on the shoulder and sent you out to bear fruit\, fruit that will last. And when you’re working on my behalf\, you can ask for whatever you need and the Father will give it to you. I am giving you these instructions so that you can truly love one another.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are the Lord of wonderful deeds\nwho fills the earth with mercy\, justice and love. \nYou created the world and all that live there;\nand the seas\, rivers and hills roar their praise.\nThrough your people you revealed your commandments\nand your merciful love to all the world. \nYou came among us in your beloved Son\, Jesus.\nwho makes us your friends\nby planting your word within us\nand leading us to abide in your love forever.\nHe was crucified and buried\,\nbut through your victorious power\nhe was born again from the deep waters of death\,\nand his resurrection power will conquer the world.\nNow he is pouring out your Holy Spirit on all who believe\,\nwithout distinction\,\nand bringing everyone who loves you and follows your ways\nto new birth as your children. \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 beloved Son\, Jesus\,\nwho pours out your Holy Spirit without distinction\nand makes us your friends\nby planting your word within us\nand leading us to abide in your love 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 you are the Lord of wonderful deeds\nwho fills the earth with mercy\, justice and love. \nYou created the world and all that live there;\nand the seas\, rivers and hills roar their praise.\nThrough your people you revealed your commandments\nand your merciful love to all the world. \nYou came among us in your beloved Son\, Jesus.\nwho makes us your friends\nby planting your word within us\nand leading us to abide in your love forever.\nHe was crucified and buried\,\nbut through your victorious power\nhe was born again from the deep waters of death\,\nand his resurrection power will conquer the world.\nNow he is pouring out your Holy Spirit on all who believe\,\nwithout distinction\,\nand bringing everyone who loves you and follows your ways\nto new birth as your children. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God’s justice and merciful love have been revealed\nthrough the Son\, who laid down his life for all.\nAll who trust in Jesus as God’s Son\nare given mercy for their sins\nand power to overcome the ways of the world. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, and bear fruit for God\, fruit that will last.\nAs Christ has loved you\, so love one another\,\nand abide always in God’s love\,\nthat your joy may be complete. \nAnd may God give you all you ask for in Christ’s name;\nMay Christ Jesus reveal to you God’s ways and call you his friends;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit confirm the truth within you and make your joy complete. \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\nDo they let anyone in here?!!A sermon on Acts 10:44-48 & 1 John 5:1-6 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nResurrection EthicsA sermon on Acts 10: 44-48; 1 John 5: 1-6 & John 15: 9-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLove: make yourself at home in itA sermon on John 15:9-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLove that Overcomes the PowersA sermon on 1 John 5: 1-6 and John 15: 9-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nI Call You My FriendsA sermon on John 15:9-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nIt doesn’t get better than this!A sermon on Acts 10: 44-48 and John 15: 9-17 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nWhat is to Exclude Them?A sermon on Acts 8:26-40; Acts 10:44-48 & John 15:9-17 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\n‘Love as you have been loved’ and toxic masculinityA sermon about domestic violence drawing on John 15:9-17 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/b37/2030-05-26/
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