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SUMMARY:8th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:This occasion only occurs in 2028 for churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday. \n\n\n\nBelow you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Sirach 27: 4-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When grain is put through a sieve\,\nyou find out how much rubbish was in it.\nIt’s the same when a person starts talking.\nWhatever rubbish they are full of is soon out in the open. \nThe heat of the kiln tests a potter’s work for hidden faults.\nWhat a person is made of is tested in the heat of conversation. \nThe quality of the fruit tells you if a tree has been looked after.\nThe things people have to say\nreveal how they have taken care of their minds. \nDon’t pump anyone up before you hear how they talk.\nThat’s the way the truth about people comes out. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  OR   Isaiah 55: 10-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is what the LORD says: \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \nMy Word will bring peace\nand you will come home with great celebration.\nThe trees will line the road\, clapping and singing;\nthe mountains will rain down ticker tape as you pass. \nWhere the saltbush struggled\,\na redgum will take root and grow;\nwhere noxious weeds ruled\,\nnative orchids and daisies will bloom again.\nThe wilderness in all its glory will stand like a monument\,\nlike a permanent sign of the LORD’s rich goodness. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 92: 1-4\, 12-15			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	It is a privilege to be able to publicly thank you\, LORD\,\nto sing your praises and put your name up in lights.\nIt is great to start the day singing about your rock-solid love\,\nwith a full band ringing out the tune\,\nand to end it thanking you for being so loyal and trustworthy\,\naccompanying our praise with guitars. \nFor you\, O LORD\, have given us so much to be happy about;\nwhat you have done with your own hands\nsets us singing and dancing for joy. \nPeople who always do the right thing by others\nwill thrive like a tropical rainforest\nand grow strong like a river redgum.\nThey have put down their roots in your soil\, LORD\,\nand they will brighten up your temple like flowers.\nEven when they grow old they will still be fruitful\,\nhealthy and vibrant and pulsing with life.\nThey are a credit to you\, LORD\,\nproving for all to see that you are straight and true.\nYou are our rock\,\nand there is nothing rotten or crooked in you. \n©2009 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 15: 51-58			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen up! I will let you in on a mystery! We are not all going to die after all. But we will all be radically changed. When the final siren blows\, it will happen in the blink of an eye. Just like that. The siren will sound\, and those who were dead and buried will be raised up new\, never to decay again\, and any of us who hadn’t yet died will be changed just like them. The biggest make-over of all time! Our bodies will be stripped of their old steady decline\, and clothed instead in never-ending health. These short-term bodies will lose their use-by dates\, and be refitted\, completely immortal. When that happens – when our old falling-apart bodies put on never-ending health and immortality – then the old saying from the prophets will have come true: \n“Life wins! Death has been eaten alive!”\n“You were so sure of yourself\, Death\,\nbut you turned out to be toothless.\nYour bark was worse than your bite.” \nDeath depended on sin for its bite\, and sin was powered by the law. But they have been blown away by our Lord Jesus\, the Messiah. When he enters the fray\, we win! Thanks be to God! \nThat being the case\, my beloved friends\, hang in there\, rock solid\, come what may. Whatever role the Lord has asked you to play\, give it your absolute best\, because you can be sure that when you are on his side\, your work will never be in vain. \n©2015 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 6: 39-49			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	While teaching the people\, Jesus quoted the proverb: “If the blind are leading the blind\, both fall into the same hole\,” and then he went on to say\, “Trainees can’t hold a candle to their teacher\, but if they continue their training\, they will eventually catch up with the teacher and be able to show others the way. \n“Why is it that you are always the first to point out a loose thread or a speck of dust on someone else’s clothing\, but you are the last to notice the dirty big vomit stain down your own front. There you are\, making a big display of offering to help the other person get their appearance in order\, without realising what a disgusting mess you are yourself. You pretentious fraud! Clean up your own act first\, and then you might gain enough perspective to be able to help others. \n“A healthy tree doesn’t produce sick fruit\, and neither does a sick tree produce healthy fruit. The health of each tree is judged by the quality of the fruit it produces. You don’t find mangoes growing on a lemon tree. You can’t pick grapes from a blackberry vine. Good people have hearts and minds full of good things\, and it shows in the generous and healthy ways they respond to others. Toxic people spew forth poison from the toxic filth churning inside them. Whatever your heart and mind are full of will colour what comes out when you open your mouth. \n“What’s the use of dropping my name all the time and prattling on about what a high view of my authority you hold\, when you ignore everything I ask you to do? The people who come to me and listen to what I say and put it into practice are like a builder who puts down solid foundations before building a house. When the flood waters rise and the river breaks its banks\, it can’t budge that house because it has been built to last. But those who hear what I say and don’t bother doing anything about it are more like someone who knocks up a house without laying any foundation at all. The first time the river bursts\, it is all over in a minute. The whole house comes crashing down and is swept away in little pieces!” \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\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 give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor your victory has swallowed up the power of death\nand given our living an unshakable foundation. \nYour Word went forth to create the earth\,\nand to give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.\nYour Word went forth through the law and prophets\nto form a people who hear and act on all you say. \nYour Word went forth in your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nand brought forth the full fruits\nthat grow from the goodness of your heart.\nHis words unmasked hypocrisy\,\ndisarmed the powers of death\,\nand laid the foundation for your Church.\nThough he was killed by those\nwho lead others to destruction\,\nyou raised him to life\nand clothed him in immortality.\nIn his victory\, death has lost its sting\,\nand we can offer you our labour\nknowing that all your purposes will be accomplished. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your Word which went forth to create the earth\,\nand to form us as a people who hear and act on all you say.\nIn your Son\, Jesus Christ\, your Word unmasked hypocrisy\,\ndisarmed the sting of death\,\nand laid an unshakeable foundation for your Church. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor your victory has swallowed up the power of death\nand given our living an unshakable foundation. \nYour Word went forth to create the earth\,\nand to give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.\nYour Word went forth through the law and prophets\nto form a people who hear and act on all you say. \nYour Word went forth in your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nand brought forth the full fruits\nthat grow from the goodness of your heart.\nHis words unmasked hypocrisy\,\ndisarmed the powers of death\,\nand laid the foundation for your Church.\nThough he was killed by those\nwho lead others to destruction\,\nyou raised him to life\nand clothed him in immortality.\nIn his victory\, death has lost its sting\,\nand we can offer you our labour\nknowing that all your purposes will be accomplished. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thought the words of our mouths betray the sin in our hearts\,\nthe words of God’s mouth will accomplish their purpose\,\novercoming the sting of death\nand giving us victory over sin\nthrough our Lord Jesus Christ. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now and act on the words of Christ which you have heard.\nProclaim that the Lord is just.\nBe steadfast and unshakeable.\nGive your best to the work of the Lord\,\nfor in Christ\, your labour is not in vain. \nAnd may God lead you out in joy and back in peace;\nMay Christ Jesus give you victory over the powers of death;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit cultivate your heart and mind\nto produce in you abundant fruits all your life. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nWhy you probably don’t need to learn moreA sermon on Luke 6:39-49 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/cp03/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280301T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280301T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20250301T130714Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260322T012007Z
UID:10002183-1835481600-1835567999@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Ash Wednesday
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Joel 2: 1-2\, 12-17			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Ring the alarm bells on the holy mountain.\nSound the sirens for the whole city to hear!\nPut the fear of God into everybody\,\nfor the day when the LORD will step in is near –\na dark and menacing day\,\na day of fierce heat and dark choking clouds! \nLike a raging bushfire sweeping down the mountain\,\na terrifying army comes.\nWave upon wave\,\nit leaves nothing but scorched earth in its path.\nIt is more terrifying than anything ever seen before\,\nor anything ever likely to be seen again. \nBut even now\, at the eleventh hour\,\nthe LORD calls to us saying: \n“It is not too late!\nGet back on track with me.\nShow me you mean it with your whole hearts.\nGo off your food and get on your knees.\nWeep and mourn from the depths of your hearts\,\nand don’t try to con me\nwith crocodile tears and cheap black arm bands. \n“Come back to me\, the LORD your God\,\nfor I am compassionate and generous\,\nas eager to forgive as any mother.\nMy love and loyalty always hold back my anger.\nGiven half a reason I’ll withhold sentence\nand give everybody a second chance. \n“What have you got to lose by trying?\nPerhaps you can convince me to change my mind.\nPerhaps I’ll even send good times instead of disaster\nand you’ll be eating and drinking in my honour. \n“Ring the alarm bells on my holy mountain.\nDeclare a day of national repentance.\nRally the people\, every one of them.\nGet them together to pray and fast.\nMake sure everyone has prepared themselves properly\,\nand make sure no one is missing.\nBring the aged and infirm\,\nthe toddlers and the newborn.\nCall back the newlyweds from honeymoons\nand cancel all leave. \n“In the heart of the place of worship\nlet those who lead you in prayer do so with tears.\nLet them cry out to me\, the LORD your God\,\nand beg me to have mercy on you.\nLet them plead with me not to make you a laughingstock\,\na classic example of a failed nation. \n“For why should the rest of the world scoff\nand conclude that your downfall is my failure?” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 58: 1-12 (alternative 1st reading)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God has told me to shout until you people hear;\nto hammer home the message until it gets through.\nYou are God’s people\, but God feels betrayed by you.\nListen to what God has to say about your sins: \n“Day after day\, you look good:\nyou turn up to worship and pay attention to my teachings.\nYou act like a people who want to do what is right;\nlike a people who want to obey to the letter.\nYou ask me for directions before you do anything\,\nand you seem enthusiastic about getting closer to me. \n“Do you want to know why your religious behaviour turns me off?\nDo you want to know why I ignore your fasting and bowing?\nI’ll tell you why. You put on a great performance of it all\,\nbut then you go straight back to feathering your own nest\nand ripping off your workers in the process. \n“When you fast\, it just makes you irritable and violent;\nand when you behave like that\, I’ll just hang up on you. \n“Do you really think this is what I like to see:\na day of pious misery?\nblack clothes\, long faces and crocodile tears?\ngiving up chocolate and ice-cream?\nDo you think that’s worship?\nDo you think that pleases me?\nGive me a break! \n“Do you want to know what I’d really like to see?\nDismantle the structures of injustice;\ntake your feet off the throats of the poor;\nstop jailing the victims of unfair laws;\nand quit plundering nature’s resources. \n“Do you want to know what else I’d like to see?\nOpen your tables to the hungry;\nopen your hearts and your homes to the refugees;\nopen your wardrobes to those without clothes;\nand don’t go hiding every time you see someone in need. \n“Do that\, and I’ll put your name up in lights!\nDo that and our relationship will be healed in an instant!\nI’ll put you under my personal protection;\nanyone who attacks you will have to deal with me\, the LORD!\nI’ll be on hand to respond whenever you need me;\njust say the word\, and I’ll be there for you. \n“If you abandon all forms of exploitation\,\nand avoid bad-mouthing others to gain an edge;\nif you share what you have with those in need\,\nand respond to the real needs of suffering communities;\nthen you’ll find that the world will light up for you\nand life will be one beautiful day after another. \n“I\, the LORD\, will always be there to guide you;\neven in the grip of drought\,\nI’ll keep you healthy and well fed.\nYou’ll be like an irrigated vineyard with its own deep bore\,\ngreen and lush and full of life! \n“Your ruined houses will be renovated and new;\nyou’ll be able to restore the homes\nthat have been in your families for generations.\nYou’ll get a reputation for making dreams possible\,\nfor enabling everyone to find a good place to live. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net\n \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 51: 1-17			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	O God\, your love never gives up.\nHave mercy on me now!  \nI’m relying on your record of generous mercy:\nplease wipe my slate clean! \nScrub away the filth I’ve been living in;\nScour away the stain of my sin. \nI know only too well what I’ve done;\nmy sins stare me in the face. \nIt is you I’ve double-crossed\, you I’ve betrayed;\nI’ve done things which I knew you despised. \nYou have all the facts and you know what I deserve;\nwhat ever you decide is fair enough.\nI’ve been on the wrong side of you forever.\nI turned my back on you before I was born. \nYou want honesty that comes from deep within\,\nso teach me your wisdom\,\nlet it take root in my heart. \nGet the bleach out and give me the treatment!\nSoak me and wash me\nuntil I’m as white as snow.  \nOpen my ears to laughter and music.\nThough you ground me into the dirt\,\nlet me now rise to the sounds of joy. \nTurn a blind eye to my record;\ndisregard my prior convictions. \nRenovate me from the inside\, O God;\nrebuild my heart and rewire my brain;\ninstall in me a new fault-free operating system. \nDon’t cut me off from you now\,\nor withdraw your Holy Spirit from me. \nRekindle in me the joy of being safe in your care\,\nand fill me with an insatiable desire to follow you. \nThen I’ll show others how to get back on track;\nthey’ll quit their corrupt ways and come back to you. \nGet me out of this mess before I get blood on my hands\, God.\nOnly you can get me out alive\,\nand I’ll tell everyone that you did. \nLord\, as soon as you’ve got me out\nand it’s safe to open my mouth\,\nI’ll be singing your praises with all my might. \nI know I can’t fool you with hollow religion\, God.\nI could perform all the rituals perfectly\, by the book\,\nbut it wouldn’t mean a cracker to you. \nWhat you want to see is a genuine heart-felt apology\nand a commitment to a total life-change.\nYou will never turn away anyone who comes to you heartbroken\nand promising to turn over a new leaf. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6:10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	On Christ’s behalf we beg you to accept the generous peace deal that God is offering. The way of reconciliation is on the table before you: you’d be mad to turn your backs on it! Even though Christ had never been sucked into sin like us\, God lumped him in with us\, so as to make it possible to lump us in with him. United with him\, we can become examples of all that God considers to be right and true.\nWe are working together\, shoulder to shoulder with God\, and we urge you not to take God’s extravagant generosity for granted.\nIn the scriptures God says\, \n“At exactly the right moment\,\nI heard your call.\nThe day you needed help\,\nI was there to bail you out.” \nWell\, this is it — the exact right moment. This is the day to throw off the shackles and walk free! It won’t be our fault if you don’t take this chance — we’re doing everything in our power not to get in anyone’s way. There’s no point in nit-picking over the details of our work. We have endeavoured to be faithful servants of God and we’re confident that we’ve got the runs on the board. It’s not as though we’ve had it easy either. We have hung in there through hard times\, tough times and horrendous disasters. We’ve been bashed\, lynched and locked up. We’ve worked ourselves into the ground when things needed to be done\, sometimes even going without sleep and food. And through all this we have maintained our integrity — our intentions have been pure and our heads have been clear. We have managed to hold on to our patience\, generosity\, and holiness of spirit. Our love has been genuine\, our speech truthful\, and God has continued to work powerfully through us. We have armed ourselves with nothing but an iron commitment to doing what’s right\, and we’ve grasped the work of justice with both hands. Sometimes we’ve been honoured and sometimes slandered. We have been true to our word and yet denounced as charlatans. We’ve been treated as nobodies even though everyone knows who we are. We’ve been written of as dead\, but here we are\, brimming with life. We’ve been flogged to within an inch of our lives but never quite killed. We’ve almost drowned in tears and yet we are still bubbling with joy. They say we are poor\, and yet many are enriched by us. They say we have nothing to offer\, and yet everything is ours to share. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Matthew 6: 1-6\, 16-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	While Jesus was teaching his followers on the mountain\, he said: \n“It is good to put the disciplines of godly living into practice\, but be on your guard against the temptation to start doing it for show. The God who conceived you knows what’s going on\, and if the good things you do are done only to impress people\, you’ll get no credit for them in heaven. \n“Don’t go blowing your own trumpet every time you do something charitable. If you give money for the relief of poverty\, don’t go asking for public acknowledgement. The world is full of sponsorship schemes and naming rights deals\, but it is all hypocrisy. It’s got more to do with image management than with concern for the poor. Of course it works as a business strategy\, but I can assure you that there will be no rewards beyond that. God brought you to birth and understands everything you do\, even what you do in secret. So if you want credit from God for giving money to charity\, give it anonymously. Go out of your way to keep it quiet – don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. It is that sort of unpretentious generosity that God will reward. \n“The same principle holds true when it comes to the inward disciplines such as prayer and fasting. When you pray\, don’t turn it into a exhibition. In the media and even in worship services you’ll see people leading so-called ‘prayers’ that look and sound more like campaign speeches\, carefully crafted for public consumption. It’s nothing more than hot air; sheer hypocrisy! No doubt they’ll succeed in impressing lots of people\, but I can assure you: that’s the only reward they’ll ever get. Take my advice: do your praying behind closed doors so that you won’t be tempted to start grandstanding. Find a place where you can take off your masks and just open yourselves to God in quietness. By getting yourself out of the spotlight\, you’ll have a chance of becoming aware of God’s presence – a reward in itself! \n“When you are fasting\, don’t go drawing attention to the fact. Some hypocrites make a big display of sitting at the table with long faces while everyone else eats. They might gain a reputation for being very religious and self-controlled\, but they won’t get anything else out of it. It’s a waste of time training yourself to control one appetite while simultaneously indulging your appetite for adulation. Instead\, when you are fasting\, maintain your usual outward appearance and demeanour as best you can\, so that no one will twig. God always has a loving eye on you and will see to it that your secret fasting reaps rich benefits. \n“Don’t go piling up investments here on earth\, where they can be wiped out in an instant by fire or flood\, or a market crash. There is only one investment strategy that can never fail or be eroded. Invest everything you are and everything you have in the ways of heaven. It is a simple fact that whatever you invest yourself in will monopolise your concerns and therefore shape the person you will become.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Great Prayer Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nAll glory and honour are yours\neverywhere and always\, O God\,\nfor in your kindness and mercy\,\nyour patience and faithfulness\,\nyou are always ready to forgive and not punish. \nWe give you thanks and praise for your Son\,\nour saviour and brother\, Jesus Christ\,\nby whose example and strength\nwe resist all evil\,\nand turn our backs on its lures\nof comfort and honour\, of power and success\,\nseeking instead to store up treasure in heaven\,\nknowing that though we may seem to have nothing\,\nin purity\, knowledge\, patience and kindness\,\nwe really possess everything. \nTherefore with ..... \n©1999 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you for the example our saviour and brother\, Jesus Christ\,\nby whose strength we resist all evil\,\nseeking instead to store up treasure in heaven\,\nknowing that though we may seem to have nothing\,\nin purity\, knowledge\, patience and kindness\,\nwe really possess everything. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted)\n\nWe give you thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor in your kindness and mercy\,\nyour patience and faithfulness\,\nyou are always ready to forgive and not punish. \nWe thank you for your Son\,\nour saviour and brother\, Jesus Christ\,\nby whose example and strength\nwe resist all evil\,\nand turn our backs on its lures\nof comfort and honour\, of power and success\,\nseeking instead to store up treasure in heaven\,\nknowing that though we may seem to have nothing\,\nin purity\, knowledge\, patience and kindness\,\nwe really possess everything. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Lord your God is kind and full of mercy\,\nalways ready to forgive and not punish.\nChrist\, by uniting with us and sharing in our sin\,\nhas enabled us to share in the righteousness of God. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nDoing the right thing: a modest entry to the kingdomA sermon on Matthew 6:1-6 by Paul Sheppy\n\n\n\nRiches in Heaven and Light in the BodyA sermon on Matthew 6: 19-23 by Peter Mugabi
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc17/2028-03-01/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/17.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280305T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280305T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20201104T033638Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250406T050120Z
UID:10001714-1835827200-1835913599@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:1st Sunday in Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Deuteronomy 26: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD your God is giving you the land\, and soon you will take ownership of it\, settle down there\, and plant your crops. When you begin harvesting each crop\, you are to take a basketful of the first pickings and take it to the place chosen by the LORD as the place of worship. You are to present yourself to whoever is the priest at the time\, saying\, “I am here to give thanks to the LORD our God\, for I have put down roots in the land that the LORD promised to our ancestors.” \nThen the priest will accept the basket of produce from you and place it in front of the sacred altar of the LORD. As he does\, you are to pray to the LORD in the words of the prayer which tells the story of your people: \n“I am descended from a refugee\,\nan Aramean who settled in Egypt.\nHis family was small when we arrived\,\nbut we expanded quickly in numbers and power.\nWe were forced into slavery to keep us in check;\nthe labour was hard and the treatment was harsh.\nWe cried out to you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors\,\nand you heard our prayers;\nyou saw how we were oppressed\,\nand felt the weight of our suffering.\nYou rescued us from the land of slavery\, LORD.\nYou broke us free and got us out\nwith miraculous signs and a terrifying display of strength.\nYou brought us here to this wonderful land\,\na land of peaches and cream.\nSo now\, LORD\, I am here to say thank you;\nI give you the first of my crops\,\nthe pick of all you have given me.” \nAfter your basket has been placed in front of the altar\, and you have prayed this prayer\, you are to bow down and worship the LORD your God. Then\, with your whole community\, throw a big party to celebrate and enjoy the good harvest which the LORD God has given you. Don’t forget to send an open invitation to share in the celebration to the attendants from the place of worship and to any refugees who have settled in the neighbourhood. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 91: 1-2\, 9-16			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Your greatness and strength are our shelter\, LORD;\nwe can live secure in your shade.\nWe call you our refuge\, our place of safety;\nyou are the God in whom we trust. \nWe have nothing to fear because we have found safety in you;\nwe have settled down within your care.\nThanks to you\, LORD of the universe\, no evil can touch us;\ndisaster can not get a foot in the door. \nYou have instructed your angels to look after us;\nmade it their job to protect us wherever we go.\nYou’ve told them to catch us when we fall;\nto keep us from coming to grief on hidden snags. \nWith your help we can face any danger;\nwe can stare down crocodiles and Tiger snakes. \nThose who know you and love you can depend on you\,\nyou are always there to pull them out of trouble. \nThe moment they call\, you answer;\nyou’re on their side when all hell breaks loose;\nyou save their lives and throw a party in their honour. \nYou give them long and fulfilling lives\, LORD;\nthey will see the realisation of all you have promised. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Romans 10: 8b-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	“The Word that saves is with you;\nit is on the tip of your tongue;\nit is beating in your heart.” \nThis is the message we’ve been preaching and it’s all about trust. If you put that trust into words\, declaring that Jesus is the one you answer to; and embrace that trust in your heart\, believing that Jesus lives because God raised him from the dead\, then you will be put back on the right track with God. That’s what salvation is! When anyone allows that trust in God to rewrite the basic beliefs they live by\, their heart is put right with God; and when those rewritten beliefs are expressed openly in what they say and do\, then you know they are safely in God’s care. The scriptures back this up\, saying\, “No one who trusts God will ever be let down.” Your ethnic or religious background makes no difference in this: there is only one God\, and that one God has the last word on everyone. God is equally generous to all those who call out in trust for help. As the saying goes\, “Anyone who wants help from God only has to ask.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 4: 1-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When Jesus left the Jordan River\, the Holy Spirit was pulsing through him and active in everything he did. At the prompting of the Spirit\, Jesus went bush by himself in a remote area. He spent forty days out there without eating at all\, and by the end of that time he was weak from hunger. During the forty days\, the devil tried every trick in the book to throw him off-track. Playing on his hunger\, the devil said\, “If you are really the Son of God\, prove it! Say the word and turn this rock into a loaf of bread.” \nJesus answered him\, “As the scriptures say\, ‘It takes a lot more than bread to make life worth living.’” \nAfter that\, the devil took Jesus up to a lookout with a panoramic view of every nation and state in the whole world. The devil said to him\, “I can make the world your oyster. I can give you the power to accomplish everything you want\, everywhere on earth. I’ve been given power over the whole lot\, and I can delegate it to whoever I like. All you have to do is worship me – just acknowledge me as number one – and it’s all yours.” \nBut Jesus was not taken in. He said\, “The scriptures leave no doubt about who we are to call number one: ‘Worship the Lord your God and no other. Give your whole-hearted service to the Lord your God and no other.’” \nWith that the devil decided to try quoting scripture too. Taking Jesus to Jerusalem and standing him on top of the Temple’s highest tower\, the devil said\, “If you are really the Son of God\, prove it to everyone. Throw yourself off the top of this tower so that God can fulfil the scriptures that say: \n‘God will instruct the angels to protect you from danger.’\n‘They will catch you as you fall\nand you won’t so much as stub your toe\non the rocks below.’” \nBut Jesus couldn’t be budged. He replied\, “The scriptures also say\, ‘Don’t go trying to test out the Lord your God.’” \nAfter trying everything to get through Jesus’s defences\, the devil backed off and laid low\, waiting for a weak moment to have another go. \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 put your saving word on our lips and in our hearts\nand strengthen us to endure in times of trial. \nYou created the world in all its glory\nand called forth crops from the ground.\nWhen your people were oppressed and enslaved\,\nyou reached out your hand to save them\,\nand gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. \nYou sent your son\, Jesus Christ\,\nas the first fruits of a harvest of righteousness.\nHe stood firm against the devil’s temptations\,\ntrusting instead in your saving word\,\nand offering his worship and service to you alone.\nWhen the forces of evil cast him into the grave\,\nyou raised him from the dead\nand made him Lord of all.\nNow you save all who trust him\,\nand confess him as Lord in word and deed. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you\, O God\, for your son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho strengthens us to stand firm against the devil’s temptations\,\ntrusting instead in your ever-present saving word\,\nand offering our worship and service to you alone. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you put your saving word on our lips and in our hearts\nand strengthen us to endure in times of trial. \nYou created the world in all its glory\nand called forth crops from the ground.\nWhen your people were oppressed and enslaved\,\nyou reached out your hand to save them\,\nand gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. \nYou sent your son\, Jesus Christ\,\nas the first fruits of a harvest of righteousness.\nHe stood firm against the devil’s temptations\,\ntrusting instead in your saving word\,\nand offering his worship and service to you alone.\nWhen the forces of evil cast him into the grave\,\nyou raised him from the dead\nand made him Lord of all.\nNow you save all who trust him\,\nand confess him as Lord in word and deed. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	No one who believes in Christ will be put to shame.\nTrust in the power of God that raised Christ from the dead\,\nand you will be set right with God;\nconfess Jesus Christ as Lord\,\nand you will be saved. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, confessing Christ as Lord\, in word and deed.\nWorship and serve the Lord your God and no other.\nStand firm in the time of trial;\ntell the story of God’s goodness\,\nand trust in the Lord whose saving word is always with you. \nAnd may God instruct angels to guard you wherever you go;\nMay Christ Jesus be your refuge and stronghold;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you\nand put God’s Word on your lips and in your hearts. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nWhat Does Discipleship Cost?A sermon on Luke 4: 1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDoes the Devil make us do it?A sermon on Luke 4: 1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Word is NearA sermon on Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4: 1-13 & Deuteronomy 26: 1-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nIf Only . .A sermon on Luke 4: 1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Systematised Salvation TemptationA sermon on Romans 10:8b-13 & Luke 4:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nConfronting post-modern devilsA sermon on Luke 4: 1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Baptismal DecisionA sermon on Luke 4:1-13 & Psalm 91:1-2\,9-16 by Sylvia Sandeman
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c18/2028-03-05/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/18.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280312T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280312T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20201104T043833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250413T002007Z
UID:10001716-1836432000-1836518399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:2nd Sunday in Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Genesis 15: 1-12\, 17-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD spoke to Abram in a vision\, saying\, “Abram\, don’t you worry about a thing. I am your armour-plated protection and you will be greatly rewarded for your loyalty to me.” \nBut Abram said\, “Thank you\, Lord GOD\, but the only thing I really want is the one thing you’ve never given me: children. I have longed for children of my own but you have not given me any. When I die\, there will be no one to carry on my family name\, and since the only person born in my house is Eliezer\, my Turkish servant; he will inherit everything I own. \nBut the LORD spoke to Abram again\, saying\, “Eliezer will not be your heir. You will be able to pass on your property to a child of your own.” \nThe LORD took Abram outside and said\, “Look at the night sky\, Abram. See if you can count how many stars there are. You can’t\, can you? Well\, your descendants will be as uncountable as the stars in the night sky.” \nAbram took the LORD’s word on trust\, and for that the LORD regarded him as a good man. \nThe LORD spoke to Abram further\, saying\, “It was me who brought you safely here when you emigrated from the Chaldean land of Ur. It was me who gave you this land.” \nBut Abram said\, “Lord GOD\, how can I know for sure that this land is mine to keep?” \nThe LORD replied\, “Okay\, I’ll go through the ritual of a binding promise. On pain of death\, you will have my word. You go and set up what is customary for the ceremony.” \nSo the next morning\, Abram slaughtered three animals: a heifer\, a ram\, and a female goat — each three years old. He cut them in half and laid the halves opposite each other in two lines. He also killed a turtledove and a pigeon and laid one in each line. For the rest of the day\, while he waited for the ceremony to commence\, he was kept busy protecting the carcasses from the birds of prey. \nWhen the sun went down\, Abram was surrounded by a dense and awesome darkness\, and he fell into a deep sleep. When the last glow was gone from the sky and everything was pitch black\, the presence of the LORD appeared as a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch\, and passed between the pieces of animal carcass. That completed the ritual\, and in that way\, the LORD made a binding promise to Abram\, saying\, “You have my word that I will give this land to your descendants\, all the way from the Egyptian border to the great Euphrates river.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 27			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Your light leads me to safety\, LORD;\nI’ve got nothing to fear.\nYou shelter me like a fortress\, LORD;\nI’m afraid of no one! \nVicious thugs can close in like sharks\,\nready to eat me alive;\nbut savage violence is no match for you;\nthey’ll fall flat on their faces. \nThey could give my name to a death squad\nand I’d still be at peace;\ntheir armies could lay siege to my house\,\nbut I’d still feel safe with you. \nOnly one thing I ask of you\, LORD\,\nthe one thing that really matters:\nlet me live out the whole of my life\nright here in your presence;\nlet me lose myself in your beauty\,\nand abandon myself to prayer. \nLet me hide here in safety with you\,\nwhen trouble gets too much;\nYou are as secure as a bomb shelter\,\na protected place to rest and recover. \nYou have lifted me beyond the reach\nof those who wanted to tear me down\,\nso I am here to express my thanks\,\nto offer you whatever I can give;\nto sing your praises till I raise the roof\,\nto put on a concert in your honour. \nDon’t ever stop being generous\, LORD;\nhear me and answer me when I call for help! \nMy heart tells me to search for you.\nPlease don’t stay hidden from me.\nMy desire is to know you\, face to face. \nDon’t slam the door on me in anger;\nHelp me again and I’ll go on serving you.\nDon’t give up on me now\,\ndon’t turn your back on me;\nYou alone can save me\, God! \nEven if my own parents kicked me out\,\nyou’d still be there for me\, LORD. \nGive me clear directions\, LORD;\nkeep me on the right track\nso I don’t stumble into the path of my enemies. \nDon’t let them get their claws into me.\nWith every breath they fill the air\nwith false allegations and violent threats. \nI know I can rely on you\, LORD\,\nI’ll see your goodness win out\nand live to tell about it. \nI wait patiently for you\, LORD;\nI’ll hang in there and keep my chin up;\nI’ll sit tight\, and trust in you! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Philippians 3:17 - 4:1			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	My friends\, follow my lead. Keep your eyes on those who are on the same track as us and are living out what we’ve taught you. There are plenty of people who push a different line. I know you’ve often heard me going on about this\, but you can tell by the way they live that they are dead-set against Christ — against the idea that the way of the cross might be God’s way. It brings tears to my eyes every time I bring this up\, but it has to be said. These people are living on borrowed time — racing headlong towards their own destruction. They boast about the depths of degradation they have wallowed in. If their stomach rumbles they drop everything to do its bidding\, as though it were a god. They never give a thought to anything beyond the mundane concerns their own little world. Our allegiance is to a quite different world — heaven itself — a world that will come to rescue and rule this world in the person of Jesus Christ. We are eagerly looking forward to his arrival\, because he has the power to bring absolutely everything back under control. We can hardly wait for him to use that power on us because when he does\, our human desires\, which have so often let us down\, will be brought up to the standard of his own. So hang in there\, friends. I love you greatly. You always make me so happy and proud\, and I can’t wait to see you again. Whatever you do\, dig your heels in and don’t let anyone pull you off God’s track. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 13: 31-35			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Some members of the Pharisee party came to Jesus and said\, “Clear off. Don’t show your face around here again or you’ll be killed. Herod wants your blood.” \nJesus replied\, “You can go and give that vicious dog this message from me: ‘Whether you like it or not\, I’m going to keep on booting out the demonic forces and healing the sick – today\, tomorrow and the third day\, until I’m finished.’ \n“I’ve got nothing to fear from Herod around here. Since when did prophets ever get killed any place other than Jerusalem? And that’s where I’m headed over the next three days. \n“Jerusalem\, Jerusalem\,\nyou shoot the messenger every time.\nYour streets are awash with blood\,\nthe blood of the prophets sent to warn you!\nSo often I have been filled with longing for you;\nyearning to gather your children into safety.\nLike a mother swan gathering her brood under her wing\,\nI have offered to protect you\,\nbut you refused my care!\nSo now the nest will be deserted.\nThere will be nothing left for you.\nYou won’t be seeing me again until the day when you shout\,\n‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 9:28-36 (alternative gospel if the last Sunday before Lent was not observed as Transfiguration)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus had spoken to his followers for the first time about his impending death in Jerusalem and the fact that following him meant putting their lives on the line. About a week later\, he took Peter\, John and James and went up to the top of a mountain to pray. As he was praying\, a visible change came over his face and his clothing became so white it was dazzling. Suddenly two more men could be seen in deep conversation with Jesus. They were Moses and Elijah\, and the glory of heaven could be seen in them. They spoke with Jesus about how he was about to escape to freedom through the waters of death in Jerusalem. \nPeter and his mates nearly missed all this because\, although they had come to pray too\, they were falling asleep. However\, they roused themselves in time to see Jesus in all his glory standing with the two men. As the two were finishing up with Jesus\, Peter – shooting his mouth off without thinking – said\, “Boss\, this is fantastic! What a moment! How about we knock up three huts\, so that you\, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” \nEven before he finished getting the words out\, an awesome cloud engulfed them all and they were quaking in their boots. Deep within the cloud\, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son\, my Chosen One. Listen to him!” \nWhen the voice finished\, everything suddenly looked normal again\, and Peter\, James and John saw no one there but Jesus. They were dumbfounded by what they had seen and in the coming days they didn’t breathe a word about it to anyone. \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 gather us safely under your wings\nand we have nothing to fear. \nYou created the earth and sky\nas a home where we can worship you and enjoy your beauty.\nYou made a lasting covenant with Abraham\nand with all who trust your promises. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, wept over the sins of your people\nand their failure to put their trust in you\,\nand even when his enemies were breathing violence.\nhe continued to cast out demons and heal the sick.\nLike many faithful prophets before him\,\nhe was killed in Jerusalem\,\nbut you raised him to resurrection life.\nNow he makes us citizens of heaven\,\nand we eagerly await his coming as Saviour and Lord\,\nfor then he will conform our bodies to his own glory\nand fulfil all things under his rule. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you for your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho weeps over the sins of your peoples\nand will come as Saviour and Lord\,\nto gathers us in safety under your mothering wings\nand make us citizens of heaven. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you gather us safely under your wings\nand we have nothing to fear. \nYou created the earth and sky\nas a home where we can worship you and enjoy your beauty.\nYou made a lasting covenant with Abraham\nand with all who trust your promises. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, wept over the sins of your people\nand their failure to put their trust in you\,\nand even when his enemies were breathing violence.\nhe continued to cast out demons and heal the sick.\nLike many faithful prophets before him\,\nhe was killed in Jerusalem\,\nbut you raised him to resurrection life.\nNow he makes us citizens of heaven\,\nand we eagerly await his coming as Saviour and Lord\,\nfor then he will conform our bodies to his own glory\nand fulfil all things under his rule.\n\nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Even if all others reject you\,\nGod will not shut you out in anger or abandon you.\nTrust in the Lord\, and it will be credited as righteousness.\nGod will save you - body\, mind and spirit\,\nand enfold you in the wings of mercy. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, trusting in God’s promises.\nSeek the presence of the Lord\nand abandon yourself to prayer.\nFollow those who are faithful to God\,\nstand firm against evil and seek healing for all. \nAnd may God be your saving light and fortress;\nMay Christ Jesus gather you into the safe wings of mercy;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit make you citizens of heaven. \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\n‘O Jerusalem\, Jerusalem’A sermon on Luke 13:31-35 by Colin Hunter\n\n\n\nAn Oath of AllegianceA sermon on Luke 13:31-35 & Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nOf Foxes and Fowls and Tae KwondoA sermon on Luke 13:31-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFoxes\, Chooks and the Path of TearsA sermon on Luke 13:31-35 & Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhen Terror StalksA sermon on Luke 13:31-35 & Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat do we do with Shiny Shiny Jesus?A sermon on Luke 9.28-36 by Katecia Taylor
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c19/2028-03-12/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/19.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280312T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280312T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20201104T043833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000530Z
UID:10002752-1836432000-1836518399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:2nd Sunday in Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Genesis 15: 1-12\, 17-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD spoke to Abram in a vision\, saying\, “Abram\, don’t you worry about a thing. I am your armour-plated protection and you will be greatly rewarded for your loyalty to me.” \nBut Abram said\, “Thank you\, Lord GOD\, but the only thing I really want is the one thing you’ve never given me: children. I have longed for children of my own but you have not given me any. When I die\, there will be no one to carry on my family name\, and since the only person born in my house is Eliezer\, my Turkish servant; he will inherit everything I own. \nBut the LORD spoke to Abram again\, saying\, “Eliezer will not be your heir. You will be able to pass on your property to a child of your own.” \nThe LORD took Abram outside and said\, “Look at the night sky\, Abram. See if you can count how many stars there are. You can’t\, can you? Well\, your descendants will be as uncountable as the stars in the night sky.” \nAbram took the LORD’s word on trust\, and for that the LORD regarded him as a good man. \nThe LORD spoke to Abram further\, saying\, “It was me who brought you safely here when you emigrated from the Chaldean land of Ur. It was me who gave you this land.” \nBut Abram said\, “Lord GOD\, how can I know for sure that this land is mine to keep?” \nThe LORD replied\, “Okay\, I’ll go through the ritual of a binding promise. On pain of death\, you will have my word. You go and set up what is customary for the ceremony.” \nSo the next morning\, Abram slaughtered three animals: a heifer\, a ram\, and a female goat — each three years old. He cut them in half and laid the halves opposite each other in two lines. He also killed a turtledove and a pigeon and laid one in each line. For the rest of the day\, while he waited for the ceremony to commence\, he was kept busy protecting the carcasses from the birds of prey. \nWhen the sun went down\, Abram was surrounded by a dense and awesome darkness\, and he fell into a deep sleep. When the last glow was gone from the sky and everything was pitch black\, the presence of the LORD appeared as a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch\, and passed between the pieces of animal carcass. That completed the ritual\, and in that way\, the LORD made a binding promise to Abram\, saying\, “You have my word that I will give this land to your descendants\, all the way from the Egyptian border to the great Euphrates river.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 27			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Your light leads me to safety\, LORD;\nI’ve got nothing to fear.\nYou shelter me like a fortress\, LORD;\nI’m afraid of no one! \nVicious thugs can close in like sharks\,\nready to eat me alive;\nbut savage violence is no match for you;\nthey’ll fall flat on their faces. \nThey could give my name to a death squad\nand I’d still be at peace;\ntheir armies could lay siege to my house\,\nbut I’d still feel safe with you. \nOnly one thing I ask of you\, LORD\,\nthe one thing that really matters:\nlet me live out the whole of my life\nright here in your presence;\nlet me lose myself in your beauty\,\nand abandon myself to prayer. \nLet me hide here in safety with you\,\nwhen trouble gets too much;\nYou are as secure as a bomb shelter\,\na protected place to rest and recover. \nYou have lifted me beyond the reach\nof those who wanted to tear me down\,\nso I am here to express my thanks\,\nto offer you whatever I can give;\nto sing your praises till I raise the roof\,\nto put on a concert in your honour. \nDon’t ever stop being generous\, LORD;\nhear me and answer me when I call for help! \nMy heart tells me to search for you.\nPlease don’t stay hidden from me.\nMy desire is to know you\, face to face. \nDon’t slam the door on me in anger;\nHelp me again and I’ll go on serving you.\nDon’t give up on me now\,\ndon’t turn your back on me;\nYou alone can save me\, God! \nEven if my own parents kicked me out\,\nyou’d still be there for me\, LORD. \nGive me clear directions\, LORD;\nkeep me on the right track\nso I don’t stumble into the path of my enemies. \nDon’t let them get their claws into me.\nWith every breath they fill the air\nwith false allegations and violent threats. \nI know I can rely on you\, LORD\,\nI’ll see your goodness win out\nand live to tell about it. \nI wait patiently for you\, LORD;\nI’ll hang in there and keep my chin up;\nI’ll sit tight\, and trust in you! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Philippians 3:17 - 4:1			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	My friends\, follow my lead. Keep your eyes on those who are on the same track as us and are living out what we’ve taught you. There are plenty of people who push a different line. I know you’ve often heard me going on about this\, but you can tell by the way they live that they are dead-set against Christ — against the idea that the way of the cross might be God’s way. It brings tears to my eyes every time I bring this up\, but it has to be said. These people are living on borrowed time — racing headlong towards their own destruction. They boast about the depths of degradation they have wallowed in. If their stomach rumbles they drop everything to do its bidding\, as though it were a god. They never give a thought to anything beyond the mundane concerns their own little world. Our allegiance is to a quite different world — heaven itself — a world that will come to rescue and rule this world in the person of Jesus Christ. We are eagerly looking forward to his arrival\, because he has the power to bring absolutely everything back under control. We can hardly wait for him to use that power on us because when he does\, our human desires\, which have so often let us down\, will be brought up to the standard of his own. So hang in there\, friends. I love you greatly. You always make me so happy and proud\, and I can’t wait to see you again. Whatever you do\, dig your heels in and don’t let anyone pull you off God’s track. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 13: 31-35			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Some members of the Pharisee party came to Jesus and said\, “Clear off. Don’t show your face around here again or you’ll be killed. Herod wants your blood.” \nJesus replied\, “You can go and give that vicious dog this message from me: ‘Whether you like it or not\, I’m going to keep on booting out the demonic forces and healing the sick – today\, tomorrow and the third day\, until I’m finished.’ \n“I’ve got nothing to fear from Herod around here. Since when did prophets ever get killed any place other than Jerusalem? And that’s where I’m headed over the next three days. \n“Jerusalem\, Jerusalem\,\nyou shoot the messenger every time.\nYour streets are awash with blood\,\nthe blood of the prophets sent to warn you!\nSo often I have been filled with longing for you;\nyearning to gather your children into safety.\nLike a mother swan gathering her brood under her wing\,\nI have offered to protect you\,\nbut you refused my care!\nSo now the nest will be deserted.\nThere will be nothing left for you.\nYou won’t be seeing me again until the day when you shout\,\n‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 9:28-36 (alternative gospel if the last Sunday before Lent was not observed as Transfiguration)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus had spoken to his followers for the first time about his impending death in Jerusalem and the fact that following him meant putting their lives on the line. About a week later\, he took Peter\, John and James and went up to the top of a mountain to pray. As he was praying\, a visible change came over his face and his clothing became so white it was dazzling. Suddenly two more men could be seen in deep conversation with Jesus. They were Moses and Elijah\, and the glory of heaven could be seen in them. They spoke with Jesus about how he was about to escape to freedom through the waters of death in Jerusalem. \nPeter and his mates nearly missed all this because\, although they had come to pray too\, they were falling asleep. However\, they roused themselves in time to see Jesus in all his glory standing with the two men. As the two were finishing up with Jesus\, Peter – shooting his mouth off without thinking – said\, “Boss\, this is fantastic! What a moment! How about we knock up three huts\, so that you\, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” \nEven before he finished getting the words out\, an awesome cloud engulfed them all and they were quaking in their boots. Deep within the cloud\, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son\, my Chosen One. Listen to him!” \nWhen the voice finished\, everything suddenly looked normal again\, and Peter\, James and John saw no one there but Jesus. They were dumbfounded by what they had seen and in the coming days they didn’t breathe a word about it to anyone. \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 gather us safely under your wings\nand we have nothing to fear. \nYou created the earth and sky\nas a home where we can worship you and enjoy your beauty.\nYou made a lasting covenant with Abraham\nand with all who trust your promises. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, wept over the sins of your people\nand their failure to put their trust in you\,\nand even when his enemies were breathing violence.\nhe continued to cast out demons and heal the sick.\nLike many faithful prophets before him\,\nhe was killed in Jerusalem\,\nbut you raised him to resurrection life.\nNow he makes us citizens of heaven\,\nand we eagerly await his coming as Saviour and Lord\,\nfor then he will conform our bodies to his own glory\nand fulfil all things under his rule. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you for your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho weeps over the sins of your peoples\nand will come as Saviour and Lord\,\nto gathers us in safety under your mothering wings\nand make us citizens of heaven. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you gather us safely under your wings\nand we have nothing to fear. \nYou created the earth and sky\nas a home where we can worship you and enjoy your beauty.\nYou made a lasting covenant with Abraham\nand with all who trust your promises. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, wept over the sins of your people\nand their failure to put their trust in you\,\nand even when his enemies were breathing violence.\nhe continued to cast out demons and heal the sick.\nLike many faithful prophets before him\,\nhe was killed in Jerusalem\,\nbut you raised him to resurrection life.\nNow he makes us citizens of heaven\,\nand we eagerly await his coming as Saviour and Lord\,\nfor then he will conform our bodies to his own glory\nand fulfil all things under his rule.\n\nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Even if all others reject you\,\nGod will not shut you out in anger or abandon you.\nTrust in the Lord\, and it will be credited as righteousness.\nGod will save you - body\, mind and spirit\,\nand enfold you in the wings of mercy. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, trusting in God’s promises.\nSeek the presence of the Lord\nand abandon yourself to prayer.\nFollow those who are faithful to God\,\nstand firm against evil and seek healing for all. \nAnd may God be your saving light and fortress;\nMay Christ Jesus gather you into the safe wings of mercy;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit make you citizens of heaven. \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\n‘O Jerusalem\, Jerusalem’A sermon on Luke 13:31-35 by Colin Hunter\n\n\n\nAn Oath of AllegianceA sermon on Luke 13:31-35 & Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nOf Foxes and Fowls and Tae KwondoA sermon on Luke 13:31-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFoxes\, Chooks and the Path of TearsA sermon on Luke 13:31-35 & Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhen Terror StalksA sermon on Luke 13:31-35 & Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat do we do with Shiny Shiny Jesus?A sermon on Luke 9.28-36 by Katecia Taylor
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c19/2028-03-12/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/19.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280319T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280319T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20201104T052451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250420T105335Z
UID:10001718-1837036800-1837123199@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:3rd Sunday in Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 55: 1-9			\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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 63: 1-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You are my God and I crave you;\nall that I am thirsts for you;\nevery fibre of my being aches for you\,\nlike a parched and weary land longing for rain. \nLet me stay here in this sacred place\nand drink in the vision of your strength and glory. \nWith every breath I sing your praises\,\nbecause your rock-solid love\nis worth more to me than life itself. \nI will worship you till my dying day\,\nwith my hands reaching out to you\nand my voice calling your name. \nYou are like a rich banquet to my soul;\nlike a meal I can’t praise enough! \nEven in the dead of night\nI lie awake thinking of you\,\nand savouring each treasured thought. \nI snuggle under your wings and sing for joy\,\nfor you have been my help and support. \nWith all that I am I cling to you\,\nand your strong loving arms hold me safe. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 10: 1-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	My friends\, take a lesson from the history of our people. Our ancestors all started out on the same footing. They all shared a common baptism as they passed through the sea from their old life of slavery to new life as followers of Moses. They were all led in the desert by the same cloud and they all ate the same food — the food that God provided them each day. They all drank from the same fountain to quench their spiritual thirsts: the fountain that gushed from the rock that is Christ\, for he went with them as they travelled. But despite all that God did to nourish and strengthen them\, most of them rebelled and got God off-side. As a result they perished in the desert. \nTheir mistakes and the price they paid for them are clearly warnings to us not to fall into the same sort of traitorous behaviour ourselves. So don’t get sucked into celebrations that honour something else in place of God. The scriptures condemn the way our ancestors ate and drank and cavorted in celebrations dedicated to other so-called gods. Similarly we must not get drawn into a culture of sexual depravity as some of them were. Look at the price they paid: twenty-three thousand of them were wiped out in a single day. We also need to beware of trying to test Christ out by seeing how far his tolerance can be stretched. Some of our ancestors tried pushing their luck like that\, and the next thing they knew they were being killed by a plague of deadly snakes. And don’t go stirring up discontent the way they did either. Their whingeing unleashed a destructive spirit that decimated them. \nThe accounts of what happened to them are like flashing lights warning us of danger. We might be living at the other end of the world’s history\, but if we don’t learn from their mistakes\, we’ll be doomed to repeat them. So don’t go getting too sure of yourselves or you’ll let your guard down and be on the canvas in no time. No matter how tough the going gets\, you are not up against anything worse than what everyone else has to face. God never lets us down and will ensure that you don’t cop any pressure that you’re not capable of withstanding. There may be situations that will seem to be testing your limits — temptations that feel unbearable — but God will always make sure that there is a way out for you. It’s up to you to take it\, but God will make sure it is there for you. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 13: 1-9			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Some people came to Jesus bringing news of a massacre that had occurred in a place of worship. They said that a death squad\, sent by Pilate\, had butchered a group of Galileans while they were offering sacrifices. Jesus questioned the people about what they thought this meant: “Do you think there’s some kind of justice in this? Do you think that because these particular Galileans copped it\, they must therefore have been the worst sinners in Galilee? No\, they didn’t deserve it any more than anyone else. But all the same\, unless you turn your lives around\, you’ll end up just as dead as them. \n“What about the eighteen people who were crushed to death when the Tower of Siloam collapsed? Do you think that such a disaster proved that they had offended God more than the rest of the population of Jerusalem? If you do\, I can tell you that you’re wrong. But I can also tell you that unless you get your lives back on the right track\, your number will soon be up too.” \nThen he told a story to illustrate the point: “A bloke had a fruit tree planted on his property. One day\, after finding that the tree had still not produced any fruit\, he ran out of patience with it. He called his gardener and said\, ‘I’ve given up on this tree. It’s been here for three years and has produced nothing but leaves. Chop it down! It’s a waste of good soil.’ But the gardener replied\, ‘Boss\, let’s give it one more year. I’ll loosen up the soil and keep the fertiliser up to it and we’ll see if it gives us a crop next summer. If it does\, great. But if there’s still nothing\, we’ll take the axe to it then.’” \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 as high as the heavens are above the earth\,\nso high are your ways and thoughts above ours. \nYou spread out creation like a rich banquet\nand poured forth blessings like an ever-flowing stream.\nIn the days of Moses\, you rescued your people from slavery\, and nourished them in the wilderness. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nyou have met us in our suffering again.\nWhen he was killed\,\nhe opened the way through the deep waters of death\nto the promised land of resurrection life.\nRemembering this\, we cling to you\,\nsheltered beneath your wings\,\nthankful that though disaster may beset us\nand push us to the limits of our endurance\,\nyou will replenish our strength\, without cost\,\nfrom your overflowing table\,\nand so enable us to stand firm\nand rest trustingly in your abundant mercy. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you that even in the face of trial and disaster\nyou replenish our strength\, without cost\,\nfrom your overflowing table\,\nand so enable us to stand firm\nand rest trustingly in your abundant mercy. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor as high as the heavens are above the earth\,\nso high are your ways and thoughts above ours. \nYou spread out creation like a rich banquet\nand poured forth blessings like an ever-flowing stream.\nIn the days of Moses\, you rescued your people from slavery\, and nourished them in the wilderness. \nIn your child\, Jesus Christ\,\nyou have met us in our suffering again.\nWhen he was killed\,\nhe opened the way through the deep waters of death\nto the promised land of resurrection life.\nRemembering this\, we cling to you\,\nsheltered beneath your wings\,\nthankful that though disaster may beset us\nand push us to the limits of our endurance\,\nyou will replenish our strength\, without cost\,\nfrom your overflowing table\,\nand so enable us to stand firm\nand rest trustingly in your abundant mercy. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God is faithful and will have mercy on all\nwho give up doing and planning evil\nand return to the Lord.\nGod will abundantly pardon their sins. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now; turn to the Lord\, and let his thoughts fill your minds.\nDo not expend your resources on that which cannot satisfy\,\nand do not become overly sure of yourselves\,\nlest you fall into temptation.\nInstead seek the Lord while he may be found\,\nand take the path to freedom that opens before you. \nAnd may God’s love be better to you even than life;\nMay Christ Jesus be to you a rock and a life-giving spring;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit strengthen you\nand guide you in the ways of life. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nShit HappensA sermon on Luke 13:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nIs Repentance Good Insurance?A sermon on Luke 13:1-9\, Isaiah 55:1-9 & 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNo such thing as a free lunch?A sermon on Isaiah 55:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nSatisfying the Hunger WithinA sermon on Isaiah 55:1-9 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nInterpreting TragedyA sermon on Luke 13:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCraving GodA sermon on Psalm 63:1-8 & Isaiah 55:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c20/2028-03-19/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/20.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280319T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280319T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20201104T052451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000530Z
UID:10002750-1837036800-1837123199@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:3rd Sunday in Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 55: 1-9			\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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 63: 1-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You are my God and I crave you;\nall that I am thirsts for you;\nevery fibre of my being aches for you\,\nlike a parched and weary land longing for rain. \nLet me stay here in this sacred place\nand drink in the vision of your strength and glory. \nWith every breath I sing your praises\,\nbecause your rock-solid love\nis worth more to me than life itself. \nI will worship you till my dying day\,\nwith my hands reaching out to you\nand my voice calling your name. \nYou are like a rich banquet to my soul;\nlike a meal I can’t praise enough! \nEven in the dead of night\nI lie awake thinking of you\,\nand savouring each treasured thought. \nI snuggle under your wings and sing for joy\,\nfor you have been my help and support. \nWith all that I am I cling to you\,\nand your strong loving arms hold me safe. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 10: 1-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	My friends\, take a lesson from the history of our people. Our ancestors all started out on the same footing. They all shared a common baptism as they passed through the sea from their old life of slavery to new life as followers of Moses. They were all led in the desert by the same cloud and they all ate the same food — the food that God provided them each day. They all drank from the same fountain to quench their spiritual thirsts: the fountain that gushed from the rock that is Christ\, for he went with them as they travelled. But despite all that God did to nourish and strengthen them\, most of them rebelled and got God off-side. As a result they perished in the desert. \nTheir mistakes and the price they paid for them are clearly warnings to us not to fall into the same sort of traitorous behaviour ourselves. So don’t get sucked into celebrations that honour something else in place of God. The scriptures condemn the way our ancestors ate and drank and cavorted in celebrations dedicated to other so-called gods. Similarly we must not get drawn into a culture of sexual depravity as some of them were. Look at the price they paid: twenty-three thousand of them were wiped out in a single day. We also need to beware of trying to test Christ out by seeing how far his tolerance can be stretched. Some of our ancestors tried pushing their luck like that\, and the next thing they knew they were being killed by a plague of deadly snakes. And don’t go stirring up discontent the way they did either. Their whingeing unleashed a destructive spirit that decimated them. \nThe accounts of what happened to them are like flashing lights warning us of danger. We might be living at the other end of the world’s history\, but if we don’t learn from their mistakes\, we’ll be doomed to repeat them. So don’t go getting too sure of yourselves or you’ll let your guard down and be on the canvas in no time. No matter how tough the going gets\, you are not up against anything worse than what everyone else has to face. God never lets us down and will ensure that you don’t cop any pressure that you’re not capable of withstanding. There may be situations that will seem to be testing your limits — temptations that feel unbearable — but God will always make sure that there is a way out for you. It’s up to you to take it\, but God will make sure it is there for you. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 13: 1-9			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Some people came to Jesus bringing news of a massacre that had occurred in a place of worship. They said that a death squad\, sent by Pilate\, had butchered a group of Galileans while they were offering sacrifices. Jesus questioned the people about what they thought this meant: “Do you think there’s some kind of justice in this? Do you think that because these particular Galileans copped it\, they must therefore have been the worst sinners in Galilee? No\, they didn’t deserve it any more than anyone else. But all the same\, unless you turn your lives around\, you’ll end up just as dead as them. \n“What about the eighteen people who were crushed to death when the Tower of Siloam collapsed? Do you think that such a disaster proved that they had offended God more than the rest of the population of Jerusalem? If you do\, I can tell you that you’re wrong. But I can also tell you that unless you get your lives back on the right track\, your number will soon be up too.” \nThen he told a story to illustrate the point: “A bloke had a fruit tree planted on his property. One day\, after finding that the tree had still not produced any fruit\, he ran out of patience with it. He called his gardener and said\, ‘I’ve given up on this tree. It’s been here for three years and has produced nothing but leaves. Chop it down! It’s a waste of good soil.’ But the gardener replied\, ‘Boss\, let’s give it one more year. I’ll loosen up the soil and keep the fertiliser up to it and we’ll see if it gives us a crop next summer. If it does\, great. But if there’s still nothing\, we’ll take the axe to it then.’” \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 as high as the heavens are above the earth\,\nso high are your ways and thoughts above ours. \nYou spread out creation like a rich banquet\nand poured forth blessings like an ever-flowing stream.\nIn the days of Moses\, you rescued your people from slavery\, and nourished them in the wilderness. \nIn your child\, Jesus\,\nyou have met us in our suffering again.\nWhen he was killed\,\nhe opened the way through the deep waters of death\nto the promised land of resurrection life.\nRemembering this\, we cling to you\,\nsheltered beneath your wings\,\nthankful that though disaster may beset us\nand push us to the limits of our endurance\,\nyou will replenish our strength\, without cost\,\nfrom your overflowing table\,\nand so enable us to stand firm\nand rest trustingly in your abundant mercy. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you that even in the face of trial and disaster\nyou replenish our strength\, without cost\,\nfrom your overflowing table\,\nand so enable us to stand firm\nand rest trustingly in your abundant mercy. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor as high as the heavens are above the earth\,\nso high are your ways and thoughts above ours. \nYou spread out creation like a rich banquet\nand poured forth blessings like an ever-flowing stream.\nIn the days of Moses\, you rescued your people from slavery\, and nourished them in the wilderness. \nIn your child\, Jesus Christ\,\nyou have met us in our suffering again.\nWhen he was killed\,\nhe opened the way through the deep waters of death\nto the promised land of resurrection life.\nRemembering this\, we cling to you\,\nsheltered beneath your wings\,\nthankful that though disaster may beset us\nand push us to the limits of our endurance\,\nyou will replenish our strength\, without cost\,\nfrom your overflowing table\,\nand so enable us to stand firm\nand rest trustingly in your abundant mercy. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God is faithful and will have mercy on all\nwho give up doing and planning evil\nand return to the Lord.\nGod will abundantly pardon their sins. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now; turn to the Lord\, and let his thoughts fill your minds.\nDo not expend your resources on that which cannot satisfy\,\nand do not become overly sure of yourselves\,\nlest you fall into temptation.\nInstead seek the Lord while he may be found\,\nand take the path to freedom that opens before you. \nAnd may God’s love be better to you even than life;\nMay Christ Jesus be to you a rock and a life-giving spring;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit strengthen you\nand guide you in the ways of life. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nShit HappensA sermon on Luke 13:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nIs Repentance Good Insurance?A sermon on Luke 13:1-9\, Isaiah 55:1-9 & 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNo such thing as a free lunch?A sermon on Isaiah 55:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nSatisfying the Hunger WithinA sermon on Isaiah 55:1-9 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nInterpreting TragedyA sermon on Luke 13:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCraving GodA sermon on Psalm 63:1-8 & Isaiah 55:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c20/2028-03-19/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/20.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280320T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280320T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20250301T123358Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250323T045851Z
UID:10002190-1837123200-1837209599@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Transfiguration Sunday (Last Sunday before Lent) - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Churches that do not observe the last Sunday before Lent as Transfiguration Sunday may prefer to use the resources for the 8th Sunday between Epiphany and Lent. \n\n\n\nBelow you will find the Bible readings set for Transfiguration Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Exodus 34: 29-35			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two slabs of stone on which he had written the terms of the Alliance with God. Although he didn’t know it\, his face was lit up like a lantern because God had been speaking to him directly. When Aaron and all the Israelite people saw how his face was aglow\, they were too scared to even go near him. However\, Moses called together Aaron and the leaders of the people and spoke with them. After that\, he called together an assembly of all the Israelite people\, and spelled out for them the laws that came from what the LORD had told him on Mount Sinai. Once Moses had finished addressing the people\, he hid his face with a scarf. Whenever he entered the sacred place to speak with the LORD\, he would take off the scarf. When he came out again and told the Israelites whatever God had told him to tell them\, they could see that his face was aglow. Moses would then put the scarf back over his face and wear it until the next time he went in to speak with the LORD. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 99			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You\, LORD\, rule over everything!\nEnthroned in glory\, surrounded by awesome creatures\,\nyour presence sends shivers down our spines\nand makes even the earth tremble and quake! \nLORD\, your greatness is celebrated in Zion\,\nand in every nation you are number one.\nAt the mere mention of your name\,\npeople everywhere burst into praise\,\nfor your greatness and holiness are awesome! \nRuling in strength; loving justice with a passion;\nyou have seen to it that everyone gets a fair go.\nYou have laid down the law\nso that your people will do what is right. \nWe fall at your feet and sing your praises\, O LORD our God\,\nfor your greatness and holiness are awesome! \nMoses and Aaron served you as priests\,\nSamuel was another who reached out to you.\nThey cried out to you on the world’s behalf\,\nand from the awesome cloud you answered them. \nThey stuck to what you had told them\, LORD\,\nand did whatever you asked of them.\nWhen they did wrong you set them straight\,\nin no uncertain terms;\nbut you forgave them\, LORD\,\nand never failed to answer them. \nWe sing your praises\, O LORD our God.\nWe climb your holy mountain to worship you\,\nfor your greatness and holiness are awesome! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2 Corinthians 3:12 - 4:2			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The hope we have in the new life-giving ways of the Spirit fills us with confidence to live our faith openly — more openly even than Moses. His face was aglow with the glory of God after he received the written law\, but he put a scarf over his face so that the people wouldn’t see how quickly it faded. The people back then were as thick-headed as the people of our own day — they could hear the words of God’s law read out\, but it never seemed to penetrate their hearts and minds. It’s as though the scarf has stayed in place ever since to prevent anyone from catching sight of the glory revealed by the words. Only Christ can uncover what is hidden. It’s the same for anyone who reads the scriptures without opening themselves to the Lord for insight: it is as though the wool has been pulled over their eyes and nothing gets through but the bare words. It all changes when we turn to the Lord\, though\, because the Lord is a real eye-opener. The Lord and the Spirit are one and the same\, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is\, there is the freedom to see clearly. The wool is pulled away from our eyes and we come face to face with the glory of God. This experience is truly transfiguring! We are set ablaze by the Spirit — lit up like the Lord — so that more and more we become like mirrors reflecting the glory of God. \nWe have nothing to hide then\, and no reason to lose our nerve\, for God has been incredibly generous in trusting us with a share of this work. We have sworn off any methods that we’d be ashamed to have brought to light. We don’t hide behind masks; we don’t do anything shifty or manipulative; and we don’t twist God’s word to promote our own agendas. Instead\, we simply lay all our cards on the table and let our integrity speak for itself. By stating it plainly and living it openly in the sight of God\, we give everyone the opportunity to make up their own minds about the truth. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 9: 28-36 (37-43)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus had spoken to his followers for the first time about his impending death in Jerusalem and the fact that following him meant putting their lives on the line. About a week later\, he took Peter\, John and James and went up to the top of a mountain to pray. As he was praying\, a visible change came over his face and his clothing became so white it was dazzling. Suddenly two more men could be seen in deep conversation with Jesus. They were Moses and Elijah\, and the glory of heaven could be seen in them. They spoke with Jesus about how he was about to escape to freedom through the waters of death in Jerusalem. \nPeter and his mates nearly missed all this because\, although they had come to pray too\, they were falling asleep. However\, they roused themselves in time to see Jesus in all his glory standing with the two men. As the two were finishing up with Jesus\, Peter – shooting his mouth off without thinking – said\, “Boss\, this is fantastic! What a moment! How about we knock up three huts\, so that you\, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.” \nEven before he finished getting the words out\, an awesome cloud engulfed them all and they were quaking in their boots. Deep within the cloud\, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son\, my Chosen One. Listen to him!” \nWhen the voice finished\, everything suddenly looked normal again\, and Peter\, James and John saw no one there but Jesus. They were dumbfounded by what they had seen and in the coming days they didn’t breathe a word about it to anyone. \nThe next day\, as they came back down the mountain\, they ran into a large crowd who had gathered to meet them. The minute they arrived\, one of the men in the crowd shouted out to Jesus\, saying\, “Teacher\, please\, I beg you. Take a look at my son\, my one and only child. He gets these sudden fits all the time. Some horrible spirit seizes him and throws him screaming to the ground. It makes him foam at the mouth and thrash around until he’s black and blue. I pleaded with your followers to deal with it\, but nothing they could do made any difference.” \nJesus shook his head and said\, “Sometimes they are as godless and twisted as the rest of their generation. I don’t know why I put up with any of them. Bring your son here.” \nEven as they brought him over\, another demonic fit seized the boy\, crashing him to the ground\, convulsing wildly. This time\, though\, Jesus took charge and bawled out the toxic spirit. He healed the boy and returned him to the care of his father. Everyone was completely bowled over by this sign of God’s power and generosity. \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 remove the veil from our minds\nand transfigure us in the wondrous light of your glory. \nAt creation your word lit up the sun and stars\nand dispelled the chaos to form the earth.\nYou revealed your glory to your servant\, Moses\,\nand\, from the cloud\, made a covenant with your people. \nIn the timeless presence of Moses and Elijah\nyou transfigured your Son\, Jesus\,\nallowing his terrified followers to witness his glory\nand hear your voice from the awesome cloud.\nHe was killed by those whose minds were hardened\,\nbut\, by your mercy\, his exodus through the waters of death\nled to resurrection life and freedom.\nNow\, you have called us to listen to him\nand through your Holy Spirit\,\nyou are transforming us into his image\nand clothing us with honour and majesty. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give you thanks for your transfiguring love\nwhich shone from your servant Moses\,\nwas seen by terrified disciples in your Son\, Jesus Christ\,\nand is now removing the veil from our minds\nand clothing us with his honour and glory. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you remove the veil from our minds\nand transfigure us in the wondrous light of your glory. \nAt creation your word lit up the sun and stars\nand dispelled the chaos to form the earth.\nYou revealed your glory to your servant\, Moses\,\nand\, from the cloud\, made a covenant with your people. \nIn the timeless presence of Moses and Elijah\nyou transfigured your Son\, Jesus\,\nallowing his terrified followers to witness his glory\nand hear your voice from the awesome cloud.\nHe was killed by those whose minds were hardened\,\nbut\, by your mercy\, his exodus through the waters of death\nled to resurrection life and freedom.\nNow\, you have called us to listen to him\nand through your Holy Spirit\,\nyou are transforming us into his image\nand clothing us with honour and majesty. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We have renounced the shameful things that were kept hidden.\nIt is God’s freedom to punish\, but God’s delight to forgive sin.\nSo do not lose heart\, the Spirit of the Lord is here\,\nand where the Spirit is\, there is freedom and mercy. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now and live your faith boldly\nas an open statement of God’s truth.\nKeep nothing hidden\,\nand refuse anything deceitful or manipulative.\nBy God’s mercy\, engage in the ministry\nto which you have been called\,\nand let the light of God’s word shine brightly in you. \nAnd may God strengthen you and keep you safe;\nMay Christ Jesus unveil your minds;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit transform you from glory to glory. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Pilgrimage of Prayer – Luke’s Transfiguration StoryA sermon on Luke 9.28-36 & 2 Corinthians 3.12–4.2 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nGlorious PotentialA sermon on Luke 9.28-36 & 2 Corinthians 3.12–4.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWeighty MattersA sermon on Luke 9.28-36 & 2 Corinthians 3.12–4.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGlimpses of RealityA sermon on Luke 9.28-36 & 2 Corinthians 3.12–4.2 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat do we do with Shiny Shiny Jesus?A sermon on Luke 9.28-36 by Katecia Taylor
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c16/2028-03-20/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280325T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280325T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200807T012716Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260315T041951Z
UID:10002109-1837555200-1837641599@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Feast of the Annunciation
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 7: 10-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD sent word to King Ahaz of Judah\, saying: \nI\, the LORD your God\, will give you a sign so that you can be sure that it is really me who is sending you this promise of safety. What sign do you want? Something dramatic\, deep the earth or high in the sky? You name it\, and I’ll do it. \nBut Ahaz refused\, saying\, “I will ask no such thing. Far be it from me to demand guarantees from the LORD.” So Isaiah the prophet spoke on behalf of the LORD\, saying: \nThen get this into your head\, you who rule from David’s throne. Haven’t you made enough people sick and tired of your weak-as-water religious posturing? Do you have to try it on with God as well?! Well\, the Lord is going to go ahead and give you a sign anyway. Check this out: there is a girl who is pregnant. She will give birth to a baby boy and he will be given the name Emmanuel\, which means ‘God is with us.’ \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 45 (alternative)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	My heart overflows with words of delight;\na song of love bursts forth for the king;\nmy voice as charmed as the poet’s pen. \nYou\, my king\, are a man of unsurpassed beauty.\nEvery word that passes your lips is generous and inspiring.\nGod’s richest blessings are yours forever. \nWarrior\, present yourself armed and in uniform\,\nin all your splendour and majesty.\nRide forth in glory\, the pride of your people\,\nto defend the cause of truth and justice. \nMay your arm be strong and your skills razor sharp;\nmay every blow land with telling effect\,\npiercing the opposition to your righteous reign\,\nbringing to their knees the enemies of life. \nYour throne is God-given\, and will never be shaken.\nYour royal power is wielded for justice.\nYou have a passion for integrity\nand a loathing for corruption.\nTherefore God has chosen you above all others\,\ncrowned you with joy like no other has known. \nRich and exotic fragrances cascade from your royal robes\,\nand your palace is alive with music and dancing.\nThe daughters of kings wait on you\, hand and foot;\nand on your arm is your chosen bride in a gown of liquid gold. \nO chosen daughter\, bride of the king\, listen to my advice:\nleave your father’s home and don’t look back\nfor the king is wild with desire for you.\nWhat more could you want? Abandon yourself to him!\nWedding gifts will arrive from every nation\,\nthe wealthy outdo each other with their presents. \nThe inner beauty of your bride\, O king\,\noutshines even her wedding gown\,\nwoven with gold and sparkling with jewels.\nIn dazzling beauty she is brought to you\nwith her chosen bridesmaids at hand.\nJoy and laughter process in with her\,\nand the whole palace erupts with elation. \nSoon you will have children\, continuing your family line\,\nand the thrones of the earth will be theirs.\nNo one will ever forget you\,\nyour fame will inspire generation after generation\,\nand songs will be sung in praise of you forever and ever. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 40: 5-10 (alternative)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You are in a league of your own\, LORD God;\nnothing and no one comes within a bull’s roar of you!\nI can’t keep track of all the amazing things you’ve done\nor all the generous plans you’ve made for us.\nI could talk about them till the cows came home\nand still have barely scratched the surface. \nYou are not looking for gifts from us\, LORD;\nnothing we own is any use to you;\nYour generosity and mercy are not for sale;\nbut you have given us ears and asked us to listen. \nSo I am giving you my “Yes!”\nI’ll make your book my own and live by it.\nDoing what pleases you will be my greatest delight\,\nfor you are my God and I’m taking your ways to heart. \nWhen all your people gathered\,\nI spoke up about how you had bailed me out.\nI gave them the full story; I left nothing out;\nyou know this is true\, LORD. \nI have made no secret of the help you gave me;\nI have put it all out in the open.\nI have told everyone how you saved my life\nand how we can trust you completely.\nI have put it all on the public record\nand kept nothing to myself\nabout your rock-solid love or dependability. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Hebrews 10: 4-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The old system of dealing with sin just wasn’t up to the job. There is no way that the blood of sacrificed animals could fix the problem. Because of this\, Christ came into the world saying\, \n“God\, you don’t want more sacrifices and offerings.\nI know you get no pleasure from all that stuff\,\neven when it’s done sincerely and by the book.\nBut you have prepared a body for me\, God\,\nand I come now to do what you really want\,\nfor it is what I do that is really ‘by the book’. \nDo you see what he’s saying there? He’s saying that God gets neither satisfaction nor pleasure from all the different kinds of offerings that the law prescribed for sin and for various other things. And he’s going further than that because he’s saying that he’s here to do what God really wants. This is a total change over. He is abolishing the previous system and putting a new one in place. So now\, according to what God really wanted\, Jesus has dealt with sin once and for all\, at the cost of his own body\, and brought us all up to scratch for God. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 1: 26-38			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God sent the angel Gabriel to a town called Nazareth in the region of Galilee\, to speak to a young woman named Mary. Mary was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph\, whose family line went back to King David. The angel approached Mary and said\, “Hello there! You’ve got it made! The Lord is with you and has chosen you.” \nBut Mary was freaking out over this and didn’t know what to make of the angel’s words\, so he spoke to her again\, saying\, “There is no need to be frightened\, Mary. God is smiling on you. Look what God is about to do: a child will be conceived in your womb. You will give birth to a baby boy\, and you will name him Jesus. He will have a great future\, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will put him on the throne established by his ancestor David. He will lead God’s people forever\, establishing a culture that will never die out.” \nMary replied\, “How can this possibly happen? I am still a virgin.” \nThe angel said to her\, “The Holy Spirit will take hold of you\, and the life-force of the Most High will enfold you. Therefore the child that is born will belong to God\, and will be called God’s Son. Check it out: your wrinkly old relative Elizabeth is also carrying a baby boy in her womb. Even when she was young she was infertile\, but now she is six months pregnant. It just goes to show that when God gets involved\, nothing will ever be impossible.” \nSo Mary said\, “Okay. Count me in. I’m at the service of the Lord. Let these things happen to me just as you have said.” \nAnd with that\, the angel was gone. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nAnnunciationA sermon on Luke 1: 26-55\, 2 Samuel 7: 1-16 & Romans 16:25-27 by Marita Munro\n\n\n\nThe Conception of GodA sermon on Luke 1:26-38 & 2 Samuel 7: 1-11\, 16 by  Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nVirginA sermon on Luke 1:26-35\, 38 by Alison Sampson
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc44/2028-03-25/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280326T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280326T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20201104T074139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250427T044201Z
UID:10001720-1837641600-1837727999@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:4th Sunday in Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Joshua 5:9-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the people of Israel had set up their first camp after crossing the river into the promised land\, the LORD said to Joshua\, “You all lived with the disgrace of being slaves in Egypt\, but today I am wiping away your disgrace.” \nThe place where they were camped has been known as Gilgal ever since\, because it sounds like the Hebrew word meaning “wiped away”. \nThey were still camping there at Gilgal in the flat country near Jericho on the fourteenth day of the month — the time set for the celebration of the sacred feast of Passover. That evening\, they kept the feast for the first time in their new homeland. The very next day\, the manna\, which God had been giving them to eat\, stopped appearing from heaven each morning. From then on they ate food produced on the land\, there in Canaan. They began roasting grain and making flat-breads from the grain-crops growing in the land\, and the manna was never seen again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 32			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	What a blessing it is to be among those you have forgiven\, LORD\,\nthose whose record of wrongdoing you have wiped clean.  \nPeople who are honest about their lives\nhave everything going for them;\nthey never have to cover their tracks\nor worry that they’ll be in your bad books. \nI used to keep my sins to myself\, LORD\,\nbut they poisoned me from within;\nwasting my body\,\ntormenting my mind. \nDay and night I felt your eyes following me;\nI lived in fear that you’d see right through me.\nThe joy of living evaporated\nin the burning heat of my guilt. \nThen I decided to come clean with you\, LORD\,\nto own up to all I’d done and stop living a lie.\nI made a full confession to you\, LORD\,\nand you gave me a full pardon\, forgiving all my sin. \nNow\, like all your faithful people\, LORD\,\nI am always ready to open myself to you in prayer.\nWhen trouble breaks its banks\,\nyour faithful ones are on safe ground. \nYou are like a bomb shelter for us\, LORD;\nyou protect us from danger.\nThanks to you\, LORD\, we can still laugh;\nwe can dance around singing songs of freedom. \nYou have given us clear directions;\nyou have pointed out the path we should follow.\nYou have kept a watchful eye on us\nand made sure we understood. \nYou have encouraged us to follow willingly\,\nto understand and embrace your ways;\nnot to buck and snort like wild horses\,\nfighting the reins until our strength is broken. \nThose who refuse the straight and narrow\nwill suffer for it\, over and over;\nbut those who put their trust in you\, LORD\,\nwill find love and loyalty wherever they go. \nYou are celebrated by all right-minded people\, LORD;\nwith open hearts we shout for joy;\nwith clear minds we sing your praises. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2 Corinthians 5:16-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Because of what Christ has done for everyone\, we are careful not to assume that people are nothing more than what our eyes and ears tell us about them. In the past we made that mistake with Christ\, but we now know a lot more of him than our eyes or ears alone could detect. Whenever anyone unites themselves to Christ\, something new is created. What that person was becomes a thing of the past; they get a whole new start in life! This is all God’s doing! God wants to be at peace with us\, and so sent Christ to bring about reconciliation. Now God is sending us to continue this same work of reconciliation. To put it another way\, what God was doing in and through Christ\, was rebuilding the trust and love that are supposed to flow in both directions between the world and God. To achieve that\, God agreed not to hold against us anything we had done in the past. This\, then\, is the extraordinary message of reconciliation which we are now given the job of sharing. We are a bit like a negotiation team who is authorised to issue the appeal on God’s behalf. We represent Christ in the world\, and so on his behalf we beg you to hear this message and accept the generous peace deal that God is offering. The way of reconciliation is on the table before you: you’d be mad to turn your backs on it! Even though Christ had never been sucked into sin like us\, God lumped him in with us\, so as to make it possible to lump us in with him. United with him\, we can become examples of all that God considers to be right and true. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 15: 1-3\, 11b-32			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	For much of the time\, a crowd of people hung around Jesus\, listening to everything he had to say. The crowd was full of disreputable characters whose lifestyles were offensive to the more respectable members of society. The devoutly religious Pharisees and the experts in religious law got their noses out of joint over this\, and began denouncing Jesus. “He keeps company with people whose behaviour is beyond the pale\,” they said\, “and he doesn’t even draw the line at eating with them.” \nJesus responded to their objections by telling a story. He said\, “Once upon a time there was a man who had two sons. One day\, the younger of the two said to his father\, ‘Dad\, I don’t want to have to wait for you to die before I get my hands on your property. Divide it up and give me my share now.’ \n“So the man had all his assets divided up and transferred to his two sons. The younger son immediately sold his share and shot through with the money. The lifestyle of a cashed-up backpacker offered him a smorgasbord of parties and pleasures beyond his wildest dreams\, but they all came at a price. Before he knew it\, he’d blown the lot. He didn’t have a penny left to his name\, and the country where he was living was in the grip of a severe recession. Times were tough and work was hard to find. He managed to get some casual shifts cleaning out septic tanks\, but at times he was reduced to picking food out of rubbish bins just to survive. One day\, he woke up to himself: ‘My old man has three square meals a day served up for his farm labourers\, and here I am eating stuff his dogs wouldn’t touch! I’ll go home and apologise for turning my back on him and God. I’ll ask him to take me on as a hired hand\, since I’ve obviously blown any right to be treated as his son.’ \n“So he got up and thumbed his way home to his father’s property. Even as he was trudging down the road\, rehearsing his speech\, his father saw him coming. With emotion choking in his throat\, he leapt to his feet\, ran headlong down the road\, and threw his arms around his son. The son began his prepared speech\, saying\, “Dad\, my behaviour has been offensive to God and brought disgrace to you. It would not be right for you to ever treat me as your son again.’ \n“But before he could get all the words out\, his father began to say\, ‘My son\, welcome home! Come inside and we’ll pop a bottle of bubbly. I’ll run you a bath and get you a clean set of clothes.’ Then he began giving orders to one of his workers: ‘Go and round up all the hands. Tell them to take the rest of the day off and come and celebrate with us. Fire up the spit-roast and pick out a prime calf. The drinks are on me\, for this boy of mine was as good as dead\, but now he’s alive and well. He was lost forever\, but now he’s home again\, safe and sound.’ And the celebrations began. \n“Now the man’s elder son had been out at the time\, and when he pulled up out the front\, he heard the sounds of music\, dancing and laughter. He asked the first person he saw what was going on and was told\, ‘Your brother has turned up\, out of the blue\, and your dad’s so over the moon about it that he’s given everyone the day off and thrown a huge party. He’s even put one of the prime calves on the spit.’ \n“With that\, the older brother spat the dummy and locked himself in his room. His father came and pleaded with him to come and join the party\, but he yelled\, ‘All these years I’ve worked my guts out for you. I’ve never given you a moment of grief\, but not once have you ever given me so much as a pack of steaks to have a barbecue with my mates. But this scumbag son of yours has dragged your name through the mud and blown all your money on sex and drugs\, and yet the minute he turns up\, you put the prime calf on the spit for him!’ \n“But his father replied\, ‘Son\, you’ve got to be kidding! You’re always with me and I’ve signed everything I own over to you. Anytime you want a barbecue\, it’s all yours! But this is a day to celebrate. We had to have a party! Your brother was as good as dead\, but now he’s alive and well. He was lost forever\, but now he’s home again\, safe and sound.’” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are always seeking the lost\nand rescuing the enslaved. \nYou created the earth and called forth its crops.\nIn the days of your servant Joshua\,\nyou led your people into a rich new land\,\nand celebrated with them as they tasted its first fruits. \nIn Jesus Christ\, the old has gone and the new has come.\nIn him you have sought us out\,\nand welcomed us to your table.\nWhen those who resented your grace crucified him\,\nyou raised him to new life\nand through him you are reconciling the world to yourself.\nAt the first sign of repentance\, you run to us\nwith your arms open\nand your heart full of compassion.\nThough we squander our birthright\,\nyou lay the table with the richest food and wine\nto celebrate our restoration to your life. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you that in Jesus Christ\, the old has gone and the new has come.\nIn him you have sought us out and\,\nthough we had squandered our birthright\,\nyou have laden the table with the richest food and wine\nto celebrate our restoration to your life. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are always seeking the lost\nand rescuing the enslaved. \nYou created the earth and called forth its crops.\nIn the days of your servant Joshua\,\nyou led your people into a rich new land\,\nand celebrated with them as they tasted its first fruits. \nIn Jesus Christ\, the old has gone and the new has come.\nIn him you have sought us out\,\nand welcomed us to your table.\nWhen those who resented your grace crucified him\,\nyou raised him to new life\nand through him you are reconciling the world to yourself.\nAt the first sign of repentance\, you run to us\nwith your arms open\nand your heart full of compassion.\nThough we squander our birthright\,\nyou lay the table with the richest food and wine\nto celebrate our restoration to your life. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God was in Christ\, reconciling the world to himself.\nYou who confess your wrong to God are pardoned.\nThere is rejoicing in heaven over you\,\nfor you were lost but now are found\,\ndead\, but now you are alive in Christ. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now as ambassadors for Christ\nand proclaim God’s message of reconciliation.\nTrust in God\, rejoice in the Lord\,\nand celebrate God’s grace as it enfolds even the unworthy. \nAnd may God be your shelter and save you from ruin;\nMay Christ Jesus teach you and show you the path to walk;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit watch out for you\nand encircle you with songs of freedom. \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\nLook after your own\, God!A sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWho’s Jesus talking to?A sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nIs God’s Grace Fair?A sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat About Me? The Tale of the Two ProdigalsA sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nFamily BrokenA sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGetting in on the DealA sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 & Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c21/2028-03-26/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/21.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280326T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280326T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20201104T074139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000529Z
UID:10002748-1837641600-1837727999@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:4th Sunday in Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Joshua 5:9-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the people of Israel had set up their first camp after crossing the river into the promised land\, the LORD said to Joshua\, “You all lived with the disgrace of being slaves in Egypt\, but today I am wiping away your disgrace.” \nThe place where they were camped has been known as Gilgal ever since\, because it sounds like the Hebrew word meaning “wiped away”. \nThey were still camping there at Gilgal in the flat country near Jericho on the fourteenth day of the month — the time set for the celebration of the sacred feast of Passover. That evening\, they kept the feast for the first time in their new homeland. The very next day\, the manna\, which God had been giving them to eat\, stopped appearing from heaven each morning. From then on they ate food produced on the land\, there in Canaan. They began roasting grain and making flat-breads from the grain-crops growing in the land\, and the manna was never seen again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 32			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	What a blessing it is to be among those you have forgiven\, LORD\,\nthose whose record of wrongdoing you have wiped clean.  \nPeople who are honest about their lives\nhave everything going for them;\nthey never have to cover their tracks\nor worry that they’ll be in your bad books. \nI used to keep my sins to myself\, LORD\,\nbut they poisoned me from within;\nwasting my body\,\ntormenting my mind. \nDay and night I felt your eyes following me;\nI lived in fear that you’d see right through me.\nThe joy of living evaporated\nin the burning heat of my guilt. \nThen I decided to come clean with you\, LORD\,\nto own up to all I’d done and stop living a lie.\nI made a full confession to you\, LORD\,\nand you gave me a full pardon\, forgiving all my sin. \nNow\, like all your faithful people\, LORD\,\nI am always ready to open myself to you in prayer.\nWhen trouble breaks its banks\,\nyour faithful ones are on safe ground. \nYou are like a bomb shelter for us\, LORD;\nyou protect us from danger.\nThanks to you\, LORD\, we can still laugh;\nwe can dance around singing songs of freedom. \nYou have given us clear directions;\nyou have pointed out the path we should follow.\nYou have kept a watchful eye on us\nand made sure we understood. \nYou have encouraged us to follow willingly\,\nto understand and embrace your ways;\nnot to buck and snort like wild horses\,\nfighting the reins until our strength is broken. \nThose who refuse the straight and narrow\nwill suffer for it\, over and over;\nbut those who put their trust in you\, LORD\,\nwill find love and loyalty wherever they go. \nYou are celebrated by all right-minded people\, LORD;\nwith open hearts we shout for joy;\nwith clear minds we sing your praises. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2 Corinthians 5:16-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Because of what Christ has done for everyone\, we are careful not to assume that people are nothing more than what our eyes and ears tell us about them. In the past we made that mistake with Christ\, but we now know a lot more of him than our eyes or ears alone could detect. Whenever anyone unites themselves to Christ\, something new is created. What that person was becomes a thing of the past; they get a whole new start in life! This is all God’s doing! God wants to be at peace with us\, and so sent Christ to bring about reconciliation. Now God is sending us to continue this same work of reconciliation. To put it another way\, what God was doing in and through Christ\, was rebuilding the trust and love that are supposed to flow in both directions between the world and God. To achieve that\, God agreed not to hold against us anything we had done in the past. This\, then\, is the extraordinary message of reconciliation which we are now given the job of sharing. We are a bit like a negotiation team who is authorised to issue the appeal on God’s behalf. We represent Christ in the world\, and so on his behalf we beg you to hear this message and accept the generous peace deal that God is offering. The way of reconciliation is on the table before you: you’d be mad to turn your backs on it! Even though Christ had never been sucked into sin like us\, God lumped him in with us\, so as to make it possible to lump us in with him. United with him\, we can become examples of all that God considers to be right and true. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 15: 1-3\, 11b-32			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	For much of the time\, a crowd of people hung around Jesus\, listening to everything he had to say. The crowd was full of disreputable characters whose lifestyles were offensive to the more respectable members of society. The devoutly religious Pharisees and the experts in religious law got their noses out of joint over this\, and began denouncing Jesus. “He keeps company with people whose behaviour is beyond the pale\,” they said\, “and he doesn’t even draw the line at eating with them.” \nJesus responded to their objections by telling a story. He said\, “Once upon a time there was a man who had two sons. One day\, the younger of the two said to his father\, ‘Dad\, I don’t want to have to wait for you to die before I get my hands on your property. Divide it up and give me my share now.’ \n“So the man had all his assets divided up and transferred to his two sons. The younger son immediately sold his share and shot through with the money. The lifestyle of a cashed-up backpacker offered him a smorgasbord of parties and pleasures beyond his wildest dreams\, but they all came at a price. Before he knew it\, he’d blown the lot. He didn’t have a penny left to his name\, and the country where he was living was in the grip of a severe recession. Times were tough and work was hard to find. He managed to get some casual shifts cleaning out septic tanks\, but at times he was reduced to picking food out of rubbish bins just to survive. One day\, he woke up to himself: ‘My old man has three square meals a day served up for his farm labourers\, and here I am eating stuff his dogs wouldn’t touch! I’ll go home and apologise for turning my back on him and God. I’ll ask him to take me on as a hired hand\, since I’ve obviously blown any right to be treated as his son.’ \n“So he got up and thumbed his way home to his father’s property. Even as he was trudging down the road\, rehearsing his speech\, his father saw him coming. With emotion choking in his throat\, he leapt to his feet\, ran headlong down the road\, and threw his arms around his son. The son began his prepared speech\, saying\, “Dad\, my behaviour has been offensive to God and brought disgrace to you. It would not be right for you to ever treat me as your son again.’ \n“But before he could get all the words out\, his father began to say\, ‘My son\, welcome home! Come inside and we’ll pop a bottle of bubbly. I’ll run you a bath and get you a clean set of clothes.’ Then he began giving orders to one of his workers: ‘Go and round up all the hands. Tell them to take the rest of the day off and come and celebrate with us. Fire up the spit-roast and pick out a prime calf. The drinks are on me\, for this boy of mine was as good as dead\, but now he’s alive and well. He was lost forever\, but now he’s home again\, safe and sound.’ And the celebrations began. \n“Now the man’s elder son had been out at the time\, and when he pulled up out the front\, he heard the sounds of music\, dancing and laughter. He asked the first person he saw what was going on and was told\, ‘Your brother has turned up\, out of the blue\, and your dad’s so over the moon about it that he’s given everyone the day off and thrown a huge party. He’s even put one of the prime calves on the spit.’ \n“With that\, the older brother spat the dummy and locked himself in his room. His father came and pleaded with him to come and join the party\, but he yelled\, ‘All these years I’ve worked my guts out for you. I’ve never given you a moment of grief\, but not once have you ever given me so much as a pack of steaks to have a barbecue with my mates. But this scumbag son of yours has dragged your name through the mud and blown all your money on sex and drugs\, and yet the minute he turns up\, you put the prime calf on the spit for him!’ \n“But his father replied\, ‘Son\, you’ve got to be kidding! You’re always with me and I’ve signed everything I own over to you. Anytime you want a barbecue\, it’s all yours! But this is a day to celebrate. We had to have a party! Your brother was as good as dead\, but now he’s alive and well. He was lost forever\, but now he’s home again\, safe and sound.’” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are always seeking the lost\nand rescuing the enslaved. \nYou created the earth and called forth its crops.\nIn the days of your servant Joshua\,\nyou led your people into a rich new land\,\nand celebrated with them as they tasted its first fruits. \nIn Jesus Christ\, the old has gone and the new has come.\nIn him you have sought us out\,\nand welcomed us to your table.\nWhen those who resented your grace crucified him\,\nyou raised him to new life\nand through him you are reconciling the world to yourself.\nAt the first sign of repentance\, you run to us\nwith your arms open\nand your heart full of compassion.\nThough we squander our birthright\,\nyou lay the table with the richest food and wine\nto celebrate our restoration to your life. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you that in Jesus Christ\, the old has gone and the new has come.\nIn him you have sought us out and\,\nthough we had squandered our birthright\,\nyou have laden the table with the richest food and wine\nto celebrate our restoration to your life. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you are always seeking the lost\nand rescuing the enslaved. \nYou created the earth and called forth its crops.\nIn the days of your servant Joshua\,\nyou led your people into a rich new land\,\nand celebrated with them as they tasted its first fruits. \nIn Jesus Christ\, the old has gone and the new has come.\nIn him you have sought us out\,\nand welcomed us to your table.\nWhen those who resented your grace crucified him\,\nyou raised him to new life\nand through him you are reconciling the world to yourself.\nAt the first sign of repentance\, you run to us\nwith your arms open\nand your heart full of compassion.\nThough we squander our birthright\,\nyou lay the table with the richest food and wine\nto celebrate our restoration to your life. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God was in Christ\, reconciling the world to himself.\nYou who confess your wrong to God are pardoned.\nThere is rejoicing in heaven over you\,\nfor you were lost but now are found\,\ndead\, but now you are alive in Christ. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now as ambassadors for Christ\nand proclaim God’s message of reconciliation.\nTrust in God\, rejoice in the Lord\,\nand celebrate God’s grace as it enfolds even the unworthy. \nAnd may God be your shelter and save you from ruin;\nMay Christ Jesus teach you and show you the path to walk;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit watch out for you\nand encircle you with songs of freedom. \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\nLook after your own\, God!A sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWho’s Jesus talking to?A sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nIs God’s Grace Fair?A sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhat About Me? The Tale of the Two ProdigalsA sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nFamily BrokenA sermon on Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGetting in on the DealA sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 & Luke 15:1-3\, 11b-32 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c21/2028-03-26/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/21.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280402T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280402T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20201104T095745Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000529Z
UID:10002746-1838246400-1838332799@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:5th Sunday in Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 43: 16-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is what the LORD has to say: \nI am the one who cut a path through the ocean for you\,\nan escape route through the raging waters.\nI am the one who dealt with the army that pursued you:\nthe soldiers and all their weapons of war.\nWhere are they now? Lying dead\, never to rise again;\nsnuffed out like a drenched candle. \nNow I say to you: Don’t dwell on the things of the past;\ndon’t get bogged down in nostalgia.\nI am about to do something completely new;\ncan’t you see it taking shape before your eyes? \nI will make a safe path through the hostile wilderness.\nI will make the desert rivers flow again.\nUntamed animals will applaud what I do\n– dingoes\, emus\, goannas –\nbecause the desert bursts into life\nas I send rains\, filling the inland lakes. \nNow the people I have chosen can drink their fill;\nI created them to be my people\,\nto enjoy and celebrate the things I do. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 126			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When you brought us home to Zion from exile\, LORD\,\n    we had to pinch ourselves to be sure it wasn’t a dream. \nLaughter and singing kept bubbling up in us;\n    we were just over the moon! \nEven the nations around us had to admit\n    that you must have taken our side\, LORD.\nIndeed\, we could only celebrate and thank you\n.    for the wonderful things you had done for us. \nLORD\, we need your help again;\n    we are like dry creek-beds in need of rain. \nWe have worked with sweat and tears;\n    let us reap the rewards with celebration. \nLet those who laboured with heavy hearts\,\n    expecting nothing but despair\,\ncome home with pride renewed\,\n    celebrating unimaginable success. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Philippians 3: 4b-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	If anyone starts bragging about their breeding and background to win an audience\, I could trump them every time. I’ve got a pedigree to die for! I’m a pure blooded Israelite\, born into the noble tribe of Benjamin. I was circumcised when I was eight days old\, exactly as the law prescribes. I was educated by the Pharisees at the best school\, so I know the scriptures inside out\, and discipline and obedience are second nature to me. I was so pumped up with passion for the purity of religion that I led violent campaigns against declared heretics\, including the church. You could measure me against the strictest interpretations of the law and I’d come out with a perfect record every time. \nMost people would count all this as the perfect start in life\, but I have come to see it as more of a disadvantage. Why? Because of the Messiah. You see\, the one and only thing that is of real and lasting value is knowing the Messiah Jesus\, my Lord\, and I now realise that just about everything else gets in the way of that. This is why I’ve stopped counting my so-called blessings. I used to think that such things gave me the inside running with God\, but I now regard such thinking as a lot of crap. I have given up clinging to such crappy ideas\, so that I can give myself totally to the Messiah and be embraced fully by him. I’m no longer interested in how I measure up to any checklist of religious laws\, however worthy it may be. God’s checklist is the only one that matters to me now and it only has one item on it. All those who trust Christ get the big tick from God. What I really want now is to know Christ intimately and to experience in my own life the power that raised him from the dead. I’ll do whatever it takes — I’ll take my share of his sufferings\, I’ll follow him on the road to death if need be — because the only thing that matters to me is to be united with him in his resurrection life. \nI’m not claiming for a moment that I’ve made it\, or that I’ve now got it all together. There’s a long way to go\, but at least I’m now on the right track and I’m not giving up. I know I’ll make it because the Messiah is backing me all the way. My friends\, I don’t see myself as the expert in these things\, but I know enough to be sure of which way to go. I’m taking no further interest in the successes or failures of the past. I’ve got my eyes firmly fixed on what God has called me to become\, and I won’t let anything stop me until I cross the line and fall into the waiting arms of Christ. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 1-8			\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.” \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 there is nothing else in life that can compare\nwith the surpassing value of knowing you. \nThe newborn earth sprang forth at your touch\nand life burst free as you lavished your love upon it.\nYou formed a people to declare your glory\nand led them to freedom on a road through the sea. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, honoured our outpoured devotion\,\nbut was betrayed and killed by those\nwho profit from corruption.\nYou raised him to life\nand called us leave the past\nand look to the new wonders you are doing:\nopening pathways through inhospitable places\nand pouring forth springs where all was dry and lifeless\,\nso that we\, and all who have laboured in sorrow\,\nmight joyously bring forth a harvest of righteousness\nand join Christ in the glory of his 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 thank you for your love in Christ\nwhich opens pathways through inhospitable places\,\nso that we might press on through suffering and death\nto the prize of resurrection life in Christ. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor there is nothing else in life that can compare\nwith the surpassing value of knowing you. \nThe newborn earth sprang forth at your touch\nand life burst free as you lavished your love upon it.\nYou formed a people to declare your glory\nand led them to freedom on a road through the sea. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, honoured our outpoured devotion\,\nbut was betrayed and killed by those\nwho profit from corruption.\nYou raised him to life\nand called us leave the past\nand look to the new wonders you are doing:\nopening pathways through inhospitable places\nand pouring forth springs where all was dry and lifeless\,\nso that we\, and all who have laboured in sorrow\,\nmight joyously bring forth a harvest of righteousness\nand join Christ in the glory of his resurrection life. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The righteousness that comes from God\nis given to all who turn from their past\nand put their faith in Christ.\nSisters and brothers\, God has heard your confession;\nChrist Jesus has made you his own. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, and press on in the path to which God has called you.\nDo not get caught up in the things of the past\,\nor in the things that the world prizes\,\nbut welcome the new things God is doing\,\nand take the new paths that open through the places of death. \nAnd may God pour life-giving waters into your wilderness;\nMay Christ Jesus make you his own;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit strengthen you\nfor the race that lies before you. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nWhat are we striving for?A sermon on Philippians 3:4b-14 and John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBuilding FortressesA sermon on Isaiah 43:16-21\, Philippians 3:4b-14 and John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRenouncing Gifts and Wasting ResourcesA sermon on Philippians 3:4b-14 and John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGetting Jesus RightA sermon on John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDealing with the PastA sermon on Isaiah 43:16-21 & Philippians 3:4b-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nScandalous ExtravaganceA sermon on John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Gift Far Too SmallA sermon on John 12:1-8 & Philippians 3:4b-14 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nScandal\, Personal Space\, and Passing the PeaceA sermon on John 12:1-8 & Luke 7:36-50 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhere To From Here?A sermon on Isaiah 43:16-21 & Philippians 3:4b-14 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c22/2028-04-02/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/22.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280402T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280402T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20201104T095745Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250504T113544Z
UID:10001722-1838246400-1838332799@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:5th Sunday in Lent - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 43: 16-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is what the LORD has to say: \nI am the one who cut a path through the ocean for you\,\nan escape route through the raging waters.\nI am the one who dealt with the army that pursued you:\nthe soldiers and all their weapons of war.\nWhere are they now? Lying dead\, never to rise again;\nsnuffed out like a drenched candle. \nNow I say to you: Don’t dwell on the things of the past;\ndon’t get bogged down in nostalgia.\nI am about to do something completely new;\ncan’t you see it taking shape before your eyes? \nI will make a safe path through the hostile wilderness.\nI will make the desert rivers flow again.\nUntamed animals will applaud what I do\n– dingoes\, emus\, goannas –\nbecause the desert bursts into life\nas I send rains\, filling the inland lakes. \nNow the people I have chosen can drink their fill;\nI created them to be my people\,\nto enjoy and celebrate the things I do. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 126			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When you brought us home to Zion from exile\, LORD\,\n    we had to pinch ourselves to be sure it wasn’t a dream. \nLaughter and singing kept bubbling up in us;\n    we were just over the moon! \nEven the nations around us had to admit\n    that you must have taken our side\, LORD.\nIndeed\, we could only celebrate and thank you\n.    for the wonderful things you had done for us. \nLORD\, we need your help again;\n    we are like dry creek-beds in need of rain. \nWe have worked with sweat and tears;\n    let us reap the rewards with celebration. \nLet those who laboured with heavy hearts\,\n    expecting nothing but despair\,\ncome home with pride renewed\,\n    celebrating unimaginable success. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Philippians 3: 4b-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	If anyone starts bragging about their breeding and background to win an audience\, I could trump them every time. I’ve got a pedigree to die for! I’m a pure blooded Israelite\, born into the noble tribe of Benjamin. I was circumcised when I was eight days old\, exactly as the law prescribes. I was educated by the Pharisees at the best school\, so I know the scriptures inside out\, and discipline and obedience are second nature to me. I was so pumped up with passion for the purity of religion that I led violent campaigns against declared heretics\, including the church. You could measure me against the strictest interpretations of the law and I’d come out with a perfect record every time. \nMost people would count all this as the perfect start in life\, but I have come to see it as more of a disadvantage. Why? Because of the Messiah. You see\, the one and only thing that is of real and lasting value is knowing the Messiah Jesus\, my Lord\, and I now realise that just about everything else gets in the way of that. This is why I’ve stopped counting my so-called blessings. I used to think that such things gave me the inside running with God\, but I now regard such thinking as a lot of crap. I have given up clinging to such crappy ideas\, so that I can give myself totally to the Messiah and be embraced fully by him. I’m no longer interested in how I measure up to any checklist of religious laws\, however worthy it may be. God’s checklist is the only one that matters to me now and it only has one item on it. All those who trust Christ get the big tick from God. What I really want now is to know Christ intimately and to experience in my own life the power that raised him from the dead. I’ll do whatever it takes — I’ll take my share of his sufferings\, I’ll follow him on the road to death if need be — because the only thing that matters to me is to be united with him in his resurrection life. \nI’m not claiming for a moment that I’ve made it\, or that I’ve now got it all together. There’s a long way to go\, but at least I’m now on the right track and I’m not giving up. I know I’ll make it because the Messiah is backing me all the way. My friends\, I don’t see myself as the expert in these things\, but I know enough to be sure of which way to go. I’m taking no further interest in the successes or failures of the past. I’ve got my eyes firmly fixed on what God has called me to become\, and I won’t let anything stop me until I cross the line and fall into the waiting arms of Christ. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 12: 1-8			\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.” \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 there is nothing else in life that can compare\nwith the surpassing value of knowing you. \nThe newborn earth sprang forth at your touch\nand life burst free as you lavished your love upon it.\nYou formed a people to declare your glory\nand led them to freedom on a road through the sea. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, honoured our outpoured devotion\,\nbut was betrayed and killed by those\nwho profit from corruption.\nYou raised him to life\nand called us leave the past\nand look to the new wonders you are doing:\nopening pathways through inhospitable places\nand pouring forth springs where all was dry and lifeless\,\nso that we\, and all who have laboured in sorrow\,\nmight joyously bring forth a harvest of righteousness\nand join Christ in the glory of his 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 thank you for your love in Christ\nwhich opens pathways through inhospitable places\,\nso that we might press on through suffering and death\nto the prize of resurrection life in Christ. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor there is nothing else in life that can compare\nwith the surpassing value of knowing you. \nThe newborn earth sprang forth at your touch\nand life burst free as you lavished your love upon it.\nYou formed a people to declare your glory\nand led them to freedom on a road through the sea. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, honoured our outpoured devotion\,\nbut was betrayed and killed by those\nwho profit from corruption.\nYou raised him to life\nand called us leave the past\nand look to the new wonders you are doing:\nopening pathways through inhospitable places\nand pouring forth springs where all was dry and lifeless\,\nso that we\, and all who have laboured in sorrow\,\nmight joyously bring forth a harvest of righteousness\nand join Christ in the glory of his resurrection life. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The righteousness that comes from God\nis given to all who turn from their past\nand put their faith in Christ.\nSisters and brothers\, God has heard your confession;\nChrist Jesus has made you his own. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, and press on in the path to which God has called you.\nDo not get caught up in the things of the past\,\nor in the things that the world prizes\,\nbut welcome the new things God is doing\,\nand take the new paths that open through the places of death. \nAnd may God pour life-giving waters into your wilderness;\nMay Christ Jesus make you his own;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit strengthen you\nfor the race that lies before you. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nWhat are we striving for?A sermon on Philippians 3:4b-14 and John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBuilding FortressesA sermon on Isaiah 43:16-21\, Philippians 3:4b-14 and John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRenouncing Gifts and Wasting ResourcesA sermon on Philippians 3:4b-14 and John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGetting Jesus RightA sermon on John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDealing with the PastA sermon on Isaiah 43:16-21 & Philippians 3:4b-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nScandalous ExtravaganceA sermon on John 12:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Gift Far Too SmallA sermon on John 12:1-8 & Philippians 3:4b-14 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nScandal\, Personal Space\, and Passing the PeaceA sermon on John 12:1-8 & Luke 7:36-50 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWhere To From Here?A sermon on Isaiah 43:16-21 & Philippians 3:4b-14 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c22/2028-04-02/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280409T000000
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DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
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LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T054413Z
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SUMMARY:6th Sunday in Lent (Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday) - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 19: 28-40 (Gospel for the Liturgy of the Palms)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus and his followers pushed on\, heading up towards Jerusalem. Their last stop was just outside the twin townships of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his followers into the township\, saying\, “Just as you get into the main street you’ll see a young donkey tied up to a fence. It is an awkward looking thing and has not yet even been ridden. Collect it and bring it to me\, and if anyone asks you what you think you’re doing with it\, just tell them the boss needs it.”
    So the two of them headed into the township\, and sure enough\, there was the donkey tied to the fence\, just as Jesus had said. As they began to lead it off\, its owner appeared and said\, “Hey\, what do you think you’re doing with my donkey?” \nThey replied\, “The boss needs it.” \nThey brought it to Jesus and made an improvised saddle from items of spare clothing. Jesus got on and began riding slowly up the road to Jerusalem. As he approached\, people began giving him the red-carpet treatment\, spreading their coats on the road before him and cheering as he passed. As he rode the final stretch from the Mount of Olives\, the swelling crowd of his followers were shouting and singing at the top of their voices\, praising God for all the remarkable actions they had witnessed in Jesus’s company. A loud chant began: \nGod’s blessing is on the king\nwho comes in the name of the Lord!\nGod is on the throne\nand all is well in heaven! \nSome religious teachers from the Pharisee party witnessed this from the crowd and confronted Jesus\, saying\, “Teacher\, get your followers back under control!” \nBut Jesus answered\, “The fact is\, if I shut them up\, the stones on the roadside would take up the chant!” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 118: 1-2\, 19-29 (Psalm for the Liturgy of the Palms)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless!\nMay all your people recognise\nthat your love and loyalty last forever. \nThe minute they open the city gates\n— the gates of justice —\nwe’ll be the first through\, LORD;\neager to tell you how thankful we are. \nThese gates belong to you\, LORD\,\nthose you have put right can come on through. \nThank you for answering our prayers\, LORD;\nfor coming to our rescue and putting us right. \nFrom a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile\nyou cut and polished a priceless jewel.\nThis is obviously your work\, LORD\,\nand we can hardly believe our eyes! \nToday is your day\, LORD\, a day to honour you;\nwe will celebrate with joy and laughter. \nGet us through safely\, LORD!\nIn the tasks ahead\, give us success! \nThe one who comes in your name\, LORD\,\nis the one who is truly blessed.\nGathered here in your house\,\nwe praise you for sending him. \nYou\, LORD\, are our only God\,\nand you light up our lives.\nIn a great procession\,\nwe march to the sacred place\,\nwaving branches and banners;\ntossing flowers in the air. \nYou are our God\nand we give you thanks.\nYou are our God\nand we give you our highest acclaim. \nThank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 50: 4-9a			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD God has given me the gift of the gab\nso that my words can teach others\nand put a spring in the step of the weary. \nAs I wake up each new day\,\nGod makes me hungry for learning.\nThe LORD cleaned out my ears\nso that I could hear every word.\nI learned eagerly;\nI never rebelled or quit. \nI was opposed by others\,\nbut I gritted my teeth and stood my ground.\nI looked them in the eye\nwhen they insulted me and spat in my face.\nI took it on the chin and did not fight back\,\nwhen they gave me a belting and tore out my hair. \nThe Lord GOD is always there for me\,\nso no disgrace ever gets to me.\nI have steeled my jaw and dug in my heels\,\nand I’m sure I’ll never be ashamed of my stand\nbecause I can trust God to back me up. \nSo\, who thinks they can take me on?\nLet them stand up and face me!\nWho are my opponents?\nLet’s see what they’re made of! \nThe Lord GOD is backing me;\nso who is going to accuse me of doing wrong? \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 31: 9-16			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Be kind to me\, LORD\,\nI’m a mess.\nMy eyes are bloodshot from crying;\nMy heart is breaking\nand my whole body aches. \nGrief gnaws away at my life\,\nsorrows piles up\, year after year.\nMisery is draining my strength\nand destroying my health. \nI get no respect from my opponents;\nnothing but ridicule.\nThose who know me can’t bear to look at me;\neven strangers cross the street to avoid me. \nEveryone wants to purge me from their thoughts;\nthey’ve given me up for dead;\nabandoned me like a burned out car. \nEveryone is out to get me;\nthey’re whispering behind my back.\nThey’ve portrayed me as a monster\nand put a price on my head. \nBut I still put my trust in you\, LORD;\nyou are my God and you’re all I’ve got left.\nMy future is in your hands;\nsnatch me from the grasp\nof those who are hunting me down. \nI’m working for you; look on me with love.\nStand by me and save me. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Philippians 2: 5-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Model your attitude on the attitude of the Messiah\, Jesus. \nAlthough Jesus was the same as God in every way\,\nhe did not think of his God-like privileges\nas something to be milked for all they were worth. \nInstead\, he laid it all aside\nand\, with no more privileges than a slave\,\nwas born as a human being. \nHaving become a human being\,\nhe was the model of humility.\nHe didn’t demand his own way\nbut let God set the agenda;\neven when it included his own death\,\nand a gruesome public death at that. \nBecause of all this\,\nGod has raised him to the status of number one\nand honoured him more highly\nthan anyone else in the universe. \nSo now\, just the mention of the name ‘Jesus’\nshould bring everyone to their knees;\neveryone who has ever lived or ever will. \nEveryone\, everywhere will honour God\nby openly acknowledging\nthat Jesus the Messiah is Lord of all! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 22:14 - 23:56			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the hour came\, Jesus took his seat at the dining table\, along with his closest followers. He said to them\, “I’ve been hanging-out to eat this sacred Passover meal with you before I am put through the wringer. You can take it from me; I will not get to eat it until it is done to perfection in the culture of God.” \nThen he picked up a cup of wine\, and after giving thanks to God he said\, “Take this\, and share it among yourselves. I kid you not; from now on\, not another drop of wine will pass my lips until the culture of God has broken through.” \nHe took a loaf of bread in his hands\, and when he had given thanks to God\, he broke the loaf and gave it to them\, saying: “This is my body. It is given for you. Do this so that I will be remembered.” \nHe did the same thing with the cup at the end of the meal\, saying: “This cup\, which is poured out for you\, is God’s new alliance with you – an alliance sealed with my blood. But get this; the one who will betray me is here passing food around the table with us. And while the New Human will go to his fate according to the script\, the writing is on the wall for the one who stabs him in the back.” \nThat set them questioning one another\, trying to work out which one of them could possibly be going to do such a thing. \nBefore long an argument had broken out among them over which of them would be seen as the greatest. But Jesus broke it up\, saying\, “Outside of the people of God\, those in power love to strut around\, flaunting their authority. They describe themselves as the benefactors of the nation\, but before you know it they’ve set themselves up as dictators\, above the law. Don’t go taking that as your model. Instead\, the greatest among you must become as unassuming as a junior recruit\, and the one who is your leader must be like one who is at everyone else’s service. Who do people think of as most important – the one seated at the table\, or the one waiting on the table? The one seated at the table of course. But I am at your service when I am among you.\n“You are the ones who have hung in there with me when I’ve been under the pump. Now I am doing for you what my Father has done for me – promoting you to the status of royalty\, so that you can eat and drink at my royal table when my culture is established. You will share my authority\, sitting on thrones and ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel.” \nJesus turned to Simon Peter and said\, “Listen here\, Simon. The satan has demanded the opportunity to take you lot apart and see what you are really made of. But I have prayed for you\, Simon\, that you will have what it takes. Once you are back on track yourself\, you are to help these others get back to full strength.” \nSimon Peter said\, “Lord\, I am ready to be locked up with you; to face death with you. Whatever it takes\, I’ve got it.” \nJesus said to him\, “You can take it from me\, Peter; The rooster won’t get a chance to crow tonight before you have sworn three times that you don’t even know me.” \nSpeaking to all of them again\, Jesus said\, “Remember when I sent you out and told you to travel light – no luggage and not even your wallets. Did you find yourselves having to do without?” \n“Not at all\,” they replied. \n“Well\, this is a whole new ball game\,” Jesus said. “You will be on your own and you will need all the resources you’ve got. If there is anything in your wallet\, you will need it. There will be no one to defend you\, so those who can’t defend themselves might as well flog off their coats and buy swords instead. You can take my word for it; what the scriptures said is about to take on a whole new meaning here: ‘He was lumped in with the crooks and low-life.’ Indeed\, everything that was written about me is proving itself true.” \nThey said\, “Look\, Lord\, we’ve got a couple of swords already.” \nJesus replied\, “You won’t need any more than that!” \nJesus went outside and as usual headed off to the Mount of Olives with his followers. When they reached their usual spot\, he said to them\, “Pray that you will not have to face anything that’s too tough for you to handle.” \nThen he moved off by himself\, about a stone’s throw away from them\, and fell to his knees in prayer\, saying\, “Father\, if it’s okay with you\, get me out of this without having to drink this bitter cup! But still\, the bottom line is that I’ll go along with whatever you have decided.” \nAt that point a messenger from heaven appeared and gave him the strength to go on. Barely able to hold himself together\, he prayed all the more desperately until the sweat was pouring off him like blood. When he got up and returned to his followers\, he found that the grief had got the better of them and they had fallen asleep. He said to them\, “What are you doing sleeping? Pray that you will not have to face anything that’s too tough for you to handle.” \nEven before Jesus finished getting the words out\, a mob arrived on the scene\, led by Judas\, who was one of the twelve. Judas walked straight up to Jesus and was about to kiss him\, but Jesus said\, “Judas\, are you going to double-cross the New Human with a kiss?” \nWhen those who were with Jesus realised what was going on\, they called out\, “Lord\, do you want us to put up a fight?” and without waiting for an answer one of them began lashing out with a knife\, slashing a personal attendant of the High Priest and cutting off his ear. But Jesus yelled\, “Stop! Put that down.” \nAnd he touched the injured man’s ear and healed him. Then he turned to the chief priests\, the temple security guards\, and political heavies who had come for him\, and said\, “Do you think I am some sort of dangerous thug\, that you need your weapons drawn and your batons ready when you come for me? I have been sitting in the temple with you nearly every day\, and you never laid a finger on me. But this is your way\, isn’t it? Deeds of darkness in the darkest hour!” \nThe mob arrested Jesus and dragged him off to the High Priest’s house. Peter followed at a safe distance. Some of the security guards lit themselves a fire in the middle of the High Priest’s central courtyard\, and when they sat down to warm themselves around it\, Peter slipped in among them. A girl from the High Priest’s domestic staff saw him there in the light of the fire. She took a good hard look at him and said\, “This bloke was with him too.” \nBut he denied it\, saying\, “Sorry\, lady. You’ve got the wrong man. I don’t know him.” \nA little bit later\, someone else recognised him and said\, “You are one of them.” \nBut Peter said\, “Not me\, mate. No way!” \nAbout an hour later\, someone else became more insistent\, saying\, “This bloke was with him\, for sure. He’s a Galilean – it’s a dead give away.” \nBut Peter held his line: “Mister\, I’ve got no idea what you are talking about.” \nBut the words were hardly out of his mouth when a rooster began to crow\, and the Lord turned around and looked straight at Peter. Peter heard the words the Lord had spoken come flooding back – “Before the rooster crows tonight\, you will have sworn three times that you don’t even know me” – and he ran out into the street\, bawling his eyes out; a broken man. \nThe men who were holding Jesus in custody began to taunt him and rough him up. They blindfolded him and kept saying\, “Come on\, prophesy for us! Tell us who bashed you that time!” \nThe insults and abuse were flowing thick and fast. \nFirst thing the next morning\, Jesus was brought before a meeting of the whole Ruling Council\, including the chief priests and the religious lawyers. They said to him\, “If you are the Messiah\, tell us.” \nBut Jesus replied\, “If I tell you\, you won’t believe me anyway\, and if I question you\, you won’t give me an answer. But from now on the New Human will take his seat as God’s right hand man.” \nThey all jumped at that and asked\, “So then\, are you saying that you are the Son of God?” \nHe said to them\, “You yourselves are saying that I am.” \nAt that\, they all said\, “What further evidence do we need? We have all heard him condemn himself with his own words.” \nThe Ruling Council rose as one\, marched Jesus off\, and brought him before Pilate\, the Roman governor. They began reeling off all sorts of charges against him\, saying\, “This bloke has been stirring up trouble on a national scale. He tells people to stop paying their taxes\, and he is setting himself up as the Messiah in opposition to the Emperor.” \nSo Pilate began his interrogation by asking Jesus\, “Are you the King of the Jews?” \n“They are your words\,” answered Jesus. \nPilate turned back to the chief priests and the mob\, and said\, “I can’t see that he has broken any laws. You have got nothing on him that will stick.” \nBut they dug their heels in and kept insisting\, “He is trouble. He stirs up the people with his teaching\, and not just around here. He started up in Galilee. He has worked his way all around Judea\, and now he is at it here.” \nWhen Pilate heard this\, he asked whether Jesus was a Galilean\, and when this was confirmed\, he figured he could pass the buck to Herod\, since Galileans came under Herod’s jurisdiction. Herod was in Jerusalem at the time anyway\, so it was easy to palm Jesus off onto him. Herod was only too happy to see Jesus. He had been wanting to see him for some time\, because he had heard plenty of stories about him and was hoping that he might get to see Jesus perform some miraculous sign. So Herod interrogated him at length\, but Jesus remained silent and answered nothing. The chief priests and religious lawyers stood there\, making all sorts of vicious allegations against him. The silent treatment got up Herod’s nose and he and his soldiers began to treat Jesus like dirt\, and bad-mouth him. They made a joke of him\, dressing him up like royalty\, and then sending him back to Governor Pilate. Herod and Pilate had never had any time for each other before\, but from that day on\, they got on like a house on fire. \nGovernor Pilate then called together the chief priests\, the political leaders\, and the representatives of the people\, and said to them\, “You dragged this man in here and alleged that he was stirring up trouble among the people. But I have interrogated him here in your presence and I can’t find any basis to your allegations. None of your charges seem to stick. Herod obviously hasn’t found anything to pin on him either\, because he has sent him back without recording any convictions. Quite clearly the man has done nothing to warrant the death penalty. So I will get my men to give him a flogging as a warning\, and then release him.” \nBut the crowd went berserk\, shouting together\, “Rid the earth of this man! Free Barabbas for us!”  \nBarabbas had taken part in a violent uprising in the city\, and was being held in prison on charges of terrorism and murder. Pilate wanted to release Jesus\, and spoke to the crowd again\, but they just kept up a loud chant of\, “String him up! String him up!” \nPilate tried a third time\, asking\, “Why? What evil has he done? I can’t find any evidence of anything that would warrant a death sentence. I will have him flogged as a warning\, and then release him.” \nBut the mob was in a frenzy\, shouting louder and louder\, and demanding that Jesus be executed. In the end they got their way. Pilate caved in and signed the order granting the people their demand. He set free the prisoner they asked for – the one who had been locked up for terrorism and murder – and handed Jesus over to them to do as they wished. \nAs they marched Jesus off to be executed\, they grabbed a man called Simon of Cyrene\, who was just arriving in town from the bush. They made him lift the large wooden cross on which Jesus was to be strung up\, and carry it behind him. A huge crowd of people followed him out\, and among them were many women who were weeping and wailing and carrying on loudly. But Jesus turned to them and said\, “Daughters of Jerusalem\, it is no use crying for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. You can bet the days are coming when people will say that the fortunate women are the ones who couldn’t have children. They’ll say ‘How lucky are the women who never conceived! How lucky are those who never held babies to their breasts!’ People will cry out to the mountains saying ‘Fall on us now!’ They will wish the hills would collapse and bury them. For if this is what is done to a healthy green tree\, imagine what will happen to all the old dead wood.” \nTwo convicted criminals were dragged off with him to be executed at the same time. The place where the executions were carried out was called Skull Hill. When they got there\, they strung Jesus up on the cross by driving nails through his flesh. They executed the two convicted criminals in the same way on crosses on each side of him. As he hung there\, Jesus prayed out loud\, saying\, “Father\, forgive these people. They’ve got no idea what they are doing.” \nThe executioners divided up his clothes among themselves\, tossing a coin to see who should get what. The people stood around staring\, but the community leaders were hurling insults and ridicule at him and making a huge joke of it\, saying\, “He reckoned he could save everyone else. Let’s see him get himself out of this if he’s really the Messiah\, God’s chosen one!” \nThe soldiers were sticking the boots in too\, offering him drinks of wine that had turned to vinegar\, and saying\, “Come on. If you’re the king of the Jews\, pull rank and get yourself out of this trouble!” \nThey also hung a sign above his head saying\, “This is the King of the Jews.” \nOne of the criminals who was strung up alongside him joined in the insults\, shouting\, “What sort of Messiah are you?! Get your act together and save yourself\, and save us while you’re at it!” \nBut the other criminal pulled his mate up short\, saying\, “Put a sock in it! Don’t you care what God could do to us? We are about to meet our maker\, the same as he is\, but you and I have done the crime and we are copping what we had coming. There was no miscarriage of justice over us. But what has this bloke ever done wrong? Nothing!” And then he said\, “Jesus\, remember me when you come to take charge of everything.” \nJesus replied\, “You have my word for it; today you will join me in Paradise.” \nIt was now about midday\, but darkness fell over the whole land for three hours. The sun was blacked out\, and the curtain that closed off the most holy place in the Temple tore in two. Then\, with a loud cry\, Jesus said\, “Father\, I lay down my life\, and place it in your hands.”\nThat said\, he breathed his last. When the commanding officer saw what had happened\, he spoke highly of God and said\, “This bloke was innocent. I’d bet my life on it!” \nCrowds of spectators had gathered to witness the gruesome show\, but when they saw what really took place\, they were completely gutted and headed back to their homes sobbing.  \nThose who knew Jesus\, including the women who had been among his followers since the days in Galilee\, stood at a safe distance and kept watch over all that happened. \nThere was a man named Joseph who came from the Jewish town of Arimethea. He was a man of integrity who always did what was right\, and who was genuinely looking forward to the culture of God. So although he was a respected member of the Ruling Council\, he had opposed their plot and the action they had taken.  \nJoseph went to Pilate and got permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. He took the body down from the cross\, wrapped it in a linen shroud\, and buried it in a tomb which had been cut into a rock wall\, but had never been used. It was the day of Preparation\, and the Sabbath was about to begin at sundown. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed along and saw where the tomb was and how his body was laid out. Then they left\, and prepared the spices and lotions required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. On the Sabbath\, they took the day off\, as the law required. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 23: 1-49 (Alternative shorter gospel reading)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Ruling Council rose as one\, marched Jesus off\, and brought him before Pilate\, the Roman governor. They began reeling off all sorts of charges against him\, saying\, “This bloke has been stirring up trouble on a national scale. He tells people to stop paying their taxes\, and he is setting himself up as the Messiah in opposition to the Emperor.” \nSo Pilate began his interrogation by asking Jesus\, “Are you the King of the Jews?” \n“They are your words\,” answered Jesus. \nPilate turned back to the chief priests and the mob\, and said\, “I can’t see that he has broken any laws. You have got nothing on him that will stick.” \nBut they dug their heels in and kept insisting\, “He is trouble. He stirs up the people with his teaching\, and not just around here. He started up in Galilee. He has worked his way all around Judea\, and now he is at it here.” \nWhen Pilate heard this\, he asked whether Jesus was a Galilean\, and when this was confirmed\, he figured he could pass the buck to Herod\, since Galileans came under Herod’s jurisdiction. Herod was in Jerusalem at the time anyway\, so it was easy to palm Jesus off onto him. Herod was only too happy to see Jesus. He had been wanting to see him for some time\, because he had heard plenty of stories about him and was hoping that he might get to see Jesus perform some miraculous sign. So Herod interrogated him at length\, but Jesus remained silent and answered nothing. The chief priests and religious lawyers stood there\, making all sorts of vicious allegations against him. The silent treatment got up Herod’s nose and he and his soldiers began to treat Jesus like dirt\, and bad-mouth him. They made a joke of him\, dressing him up like royalty\, and then sending him back to Governor Pilate. Herod and Pilate had never had any time for each other before\, but from that day on\, they got on like a house on fire. \nGovernor Pilate then called together the chief priests\, the political leaders\, and the representatives of the people\, and said to them\, “You dragged this man in here and alleged that he was stirring up trouble among the people. But I have interrogated him here in your presence and I can’t find any basis to your allegations. None of your charges seem to stick. Herod obviously hasn’t found anything to pin on him either\, because he has sent him back without recording any convictions. Quite clearly the man has done nothing to warrant the death penalty. So I will get my men to give him a flogging as a warning\, and then release him.” \nBut the crowd went berserk\, shouting together\, “Rid the earth of this man! Free Barabbas for us!”  \nBarabbas had taken part in a violent uprising in the city\, and was being held in prison on charges of terrorism and murder. Pilate wanted to release Jesus\, and spoke to the crowd again\, but they just kept up a loud chant of\, “String him up! String him up!” \nPilate tried a third time\, asking\, “Why? What evil has he done? I can’t find any evidence of anything that would warrant a death sentence. I will have him flogged as a warning\, and then release him.” \nBut the mob was in a frenzy\, shouting louder and louder\, and demanding that Jesus be executed. In the end they got their way. Pilate caved in and signed the order granting the people their demand. He set free the prisoner they asked for – the one who had been locked up for terrorism and murder – and handed Jesus over to them to do as they wished. \nAs they marched Jesus off to be executed\, they grabbed a man called Simon of Cyrene\, who was just arriving in town from the bush. They made him lift the large wooden cross on which Jesus was to be strung up\, and carry it behind him. A huge crowd of people followed him out\, and among them were many women who were weeping and wailing and carrying on loudly. But Jesus turned to them and said\, “Daughters of Jerusalem\, it is no use crying for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. You can bet the days are coming when people will say that the fortunate women are the ones who couldn’t have children. They’ll say ‘How lucky are the women who never conceived! How lucky are those who never held babies to their breasts!’ People will cry out to the mountains saying ‘Fall on us now!’ They will wish the hills would collapse and bury them. For if this is what is done to a healthy green tree\, imagine what will happen to all the old dead wood.” \nTwo convicted criminals were dragged off with him to be executed at the same time. The place where the executions were carried out was called Skull Hill. When they got there\, they strung Jesus up on the cross by driving nails through his flesh. They executed the two convicted criminals in the same way on crosses on each side of him. As he hung there\, Jesus prayed out loud\, saying\, “Father\, forgive these people. They’ve got no idea what they are doing.” \nThe executioners divided up his clothes among themselves\, tossing a coin to see who should get what. The people stood around staring\, but the community leaders were hurling insults and ridicule at him and making a huge joke of it\, saying\, “He reckoned he could save everyone else. Let’s see him get himself out of this if he’s really the Messiah\, God’s chosen one!” \nThe soldiers were sticking the boots in too\, offering him drinks of wine that had turned to vinegar\, and saying\, “Come on. If you’re the king of the Jews\, pull rank and get yourself out of this trouble!” \nThey also hung a sign above his head saying\, “This is the King of the Jews.” \nOne of the criminals who was strung up alongside him joined in the insults\, shouting\, “What sort of Messiah are you?! Get your act together and save yourself\, and save us while you’re at it!” \nBut the other criminal pulled his mate up short\, saying\, “Put a sock in it! Don’t you care what God could do to us? We are about to meet our maker\, the same as he is\, but you and I have done the crime and we are copping what we had coming. There was no miscarriage of justice over us. But what has this bloke ever done wrong? Nothing!” And then he said\, “Jesus\, remember me when you come to take charge of everything.” \nJesus replied\, “You have my word for it; today you will join me in Paradise.” \nIt was now about midday\, but darkness fell over the whole land for three hours. The sun was blacked out\, and the curtain that closed off the most holy place in the Temple tore in two. Then\, with a loud cry\, Jesus said\, “Father\, I lay down my life\, and place it in your hands.”\nThat said\, he breathed his last. When the commanding officer saw what had happened\, he spoke highly of God and said\, “This bloke was innocent. I’d bet my life on it!” \nCrowds of spectators had gathered to witness the gruesome show\, but when they saw what really took place\, they were completely gutted and headed back to their homes sobbing.  \nThose who knew Jesus\, including the women who had been among his followers since the days in Galilee\, stood at a safe distance and kept watch over all that happened. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you alone are good and your steadfast love is forever. \nThe creation of the world was your doing\nand is marvellous to our eyes.\nYour prophets told us of the coming one\nwho would teach your ways\nand sustain us with your word. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, though one with you\ngave up all he had\,\ntaking on human flesh\nand walking the path of obedience\nall the way to insult\, betrayal and death\,\ntrusting only in your vindication.\nThough he was rejected by those who had cheered him\,\nyou made him the cornerstone of new life\nand raised him to the highest place of honour.\nHe has opened the gates of justice\nand become our salvation\,\nso with shouts of joy we greet his appearing\,\nand proclaim that Christ is Lord\nto your glory forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you for your son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho\, giving up all he had\nand walking the path of obedience\nall the way to insult\, betrayal and death\,\nopened the gates of justice\nand become our salvation. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you alone are good and your steadfast love is forever. \nThe creation of the world was your doing\nand is marvellous to our eyes.\nYour prophets told us of the coming one\nwho would teach your ways\nand sustain us with your word. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, though one with you\ngave up all he had\,\ntaking on human flesh\nand walking the path of obedience\nall the way to insult\, betrayal and death\,\ntrusting only in your vindication.\nThough he was rejected by those who had cheered him\,\nyou made him the cornerstone of new life\nand raised him to the highest place of honour.\nHe has opened the gates of justice\nand become our salvation\,\nso with shouts of joy we greet his appearing\,\nand proclaim that Christ is Lord\nto your glory forever. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Lord who vindicates you is near.\nGod has heard your confession\nand you will not be put to shame.\nWith the Lord God as your help\nno one can declare you guilty. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now and follow Christ in obedience.\nHave the same mind as was in Christ Jesus;\nKeep your ears open to God’s teaching;\nBe humble\, even in the face of hostility\nand do not turn back. \nAnd may God help you and keep you from disgrace;\nMay Christ Jesus lead you through the gates of justice;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit keep you in God’s steadfast love\n    and fill your mouths with praise to the glory of God. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©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\nJesus and the Opinion PollsA sermon for Palm Sunday by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c23/2028-04-09/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280409T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280409T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
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LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T000529Z
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SUMMARY:6th Sunday in Lent (Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday) - Year C
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 19: 28-40 (Gospel for the Liturgy of the Palms)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Jesus and his followers pushed on\, heading up towards Jerusalem. Their last stop was just outside the twin townships of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his followers into the township\, saying\, “Just as you get into the main street you’ll see a young donkey tied up to a fence. It is an awkward looking thing and has not yet even been ridden. Collect it and bring it to me\, and if anyone asks you what you think you’re doing with it\, just tell them the boss needs it.”
    So the two of them headed into the township\, and sure enough\, there was the donkey tied to the fence\, just as Jesus had said. As they began to lead it off\, its owner appeared and said\, “Hey\, what do you think you’re doing with my donkey?” \nThey replied\, “The boss needs it.” \nThey brought it to Jesus and made an improvised saddle from items of spare clothing. Jesus got on and began riding slowly up the road to Jerusalem. As he approached\, people began giving him the red-carpet treatment\, spreading their coats on the road before him and cheering as he passed. As he rode the final stretch from the Mount of Olives\, the swelling crowd of his followers were shouting and singing at the top of their voices\, praising God for all the remarkable actions they had witnessed in Jesus’s company. A loud chant began: \nGod’s blessing is on the king\nwho comes in the name of the Lord!\nGod is on the throne\nand all is well in heaven! \nSome religious teachers from the Pharisee party witnessed this from the crowd and confronted Jesus\, saying\, “Teacher\, get your followers back under control!” \nBut Jesus answered\, “The fact is\, if I shut them up\, the stones on the roadside would take up the chant!” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 118: 1-2\, 19-29 (Psalm for the Liturgy of the Palms)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless!\nMay all your people recognise\nthat your love and loyalty last forever. \nThe minute they open the city gates\n— the gates of justice —\nwe’ll be the first through\, LORD;\neager to tell you how thankful we are. \nThese gates belong to you\, LORD\,\nthose you have put right can come on through. \nThank you for answering our prayers\, LORD;\nfor coming to our rescue and putting us right. \nFrom a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile\nyou cut and polished a priceless jewel.\nThis is obviously your work\, LORD\,\nand we can hardly believe our eyes! \nToday is your day\, LORD\, a day to honour you;\nwe will celebrate with joy and laughter. \nGet us through safely\, LORD!\nIn the tasks ahead\, give us success! \nThe one who comes in your name\, LORD\,\nis the one who is truly blessed.\nGathered here in your house\,\nwe praise you for sending him. \nYou\, LORD\, are our only God\,\nand you light up our lives.\nIn a great procession\,\nwe march to the sacred place\,\nwaving branches and banners;\ntossing flowers in the air. \nYou are our God\nand we give you thanks.\nYou are our God\nand we give you our highest acclaim. \nThank you\, LORD\, thank you!\nThank you for your goodness!\nThank you for your love —\nrock solid and timeless! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 50: 4-9a			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD God has given me the gift of the gab\nso that my words can teach others\nand put a spring in the step of the weary. \nAs I wake up each new day\,\nGod makes me hungry for learning.\nThe LORD cleaned out my ears\nso that I could hear every word.\nI learned eagerly;\nI never rebelled or quit. \nI was opposed by others\,\nbut I gritted my teeth and stood my ground.\nI looked them in the eye\nwhen they insulted me and spat in my face.\nI took it on the chin and did not fight back\,\nwhen they gave me a belting and tore out my hair. \nThe Lord GOD is always there for me\,\nso no disgrace ever gets to me.\nI have steeled my jaw and dug in my heels\,\nand I’m sure I’ll never be ashamed of my stand\nbecause I can trust God to back me up. \nSo\, who thinks they can take me on?\nLet them stand up and face me!\nWho are my opponents?\nLet’s see what they’re made of! \nThe Lord GOD is backing me;\nso who is going to accuse me of doing wrong? \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 31: 9-16			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Be kind to me\, LORD\,\nI’m a mess.\nMy eyes are bloodshot from crying;\nMy heart is breaking\nand my whole body aches. \nGrief gnaws away at my life\,\nsorrows piles up\, year after year.\nMisery is draining my strength\nand destroying my health. \nI get no respect from my opponents;\nnothing but ridicule.\nThose who know me can’t bear to look at me;\neven strangers cross the street to avoid me. \nEveryone wants to purge me from their thoughts;\nthey’ve given me up for dead;\nabandoned me like a burned out car. \nEveryone is out to get me;\nthey’re whispering behind my back.\nThey’ve portrayed me as a monster\nand put a price on my head. \nBut I still put my trust in you\, LORD;\nyou are my God and you’re all I’ve got left.\nMy future is in your hands;\nsnatch me from the grasp\nof those who are hunting me down. \nI’m working for you; look on me with love.\nStand by me and save me. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Philippians 2: 5-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Model your attitude on the attitude of the Messiah\, Jesus. \nAlthough Jesus was the same as God in every way\,\nhe did not think of his God-like privileges\nas something to be milked for all they were worth. \nInstead\, he laid it all aside\nand\, with no more privileges than a slave\,\nwas born as a human being. \nHaving become a human being\,\nhe was the model of humility.\nHe didn’t demand his own way\nbut let God set the agenda;\neven when it included his own death\,\nand a gruesome public death at that. \nBecause of all this\,\nGod has raised him to the status of number one\nand honoured him more highly\nthan anyone else in the universe. \nSo now\, just the mention of the name ‘Jesus’\nshould bring everyone to their knees;\neveryone who has ever lived or ever will. \nEveryone\, everywhere will honour God\nby openly acknowledging\nthat Jesus the Messiah is Lord of all! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 22:14 - 23:56			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the hour came\, Jesus took his seat at the dining table\, along with his closest followers. He said to them\, “I’ve been hanging-out to eat this sacred Passover meal with you before I am put through the wringer. You can take it from me; I will not get to eat it until it is done to perfection in the culture of God.” \nThen he picked up a cup of wine\, and after giving thanks to God he said\, “Take this\, and share it among yourselves. I kid you not; from now on\, not another drop of wine will pass my lips until the culture of God has broken through.” \nHe took a loaf of bread in his hands\, and when he had given thanks to God\, he broke the loaf and gave it to them\, saying: “This is my body. It is given for you. Do this so that I will be remembered.” \nHe did the same thing with the cup at the end of the meal\, saying: “This cup\, which is poured out for you\, is God’s new alliance with you – an alliance sealed with my blood. But get this; the one who will betray me is here passing food around the table with us. And while the New Human will go to his fate according to the script\, the writing is on the wall for the one who stabs him in the back.” \nThat set them questioning one another\, trying to work out which one of them could possibly be going to do such a thing. \nBefore long an argument had broken out among them over which of them would be seen as the greatest. But Jesus broke it up\, saying\, “Outside of the people of God\, those in power love to strut around\, flaunting their authority. They describe themselves as the benefactors of the nation\, but before you know it they’ve set themselves up as dictators\, above the law. Don’t go taking that as your model. Instead\, the greatest among you must become as unassuming as a junior recruit\, and the one who is your leader must be like one who is at everyone else’s service. Who do people think of as most important – the one seated at the table\, or the one waiting on the table? The one seated at the table of course. But I am at your service when I am among you.\n“You are the ones who have hung in there with me when I’ve been under the pump. Now I am doing for you what my Father has done for me – promoting you to the status of royalty\, so that you can eat and drink at my royal table when my culture is established. You will share my authority\, sitting on thrones and ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel.” \nJesus turned to Simon Peter and said\, “Listen here\, Simon. The satan has demanded the opportunity to take you lot apart and see what you are really made of. But I have prayed for you\, Simon\, that you will have what it takes. Once you are back on track yourself\, you are to help these others get back to full strength.” \nSimon Peter said\, “Lord\, I am ready to be locked up with you; to face death with you. Whatever it takes\, I’ve got it.” \nJesus said to him\, “You can take it from me\, Peter; The rooster won’t get a chance to crow tonight before you have sworn three times that you don’t even know me.” \nSpeaking to all of them again\, Jesus said\, “Remember when I sent you out and told you to travel light – no luggage and not even your wallets. Did you find yourselves having to do without?” \n“Not at all\,” they replied. \n“Well\, this is a whole new ball game\,” Jesus said. “You will be on your own and you will need all the resources you’ve got. If there is anything in your wallet\, you will need it. There will be no one to defend you\, so those who can’t defend themselves might as well flog off their coats and buy swords instead. You can take my word for it; what the scriptures said is about to take on a whole new meaning here: ‘He was lumped in with the crooks and low-life.’ Indeed\, everything that was written about me is proving itself true.” \nThey said\, “Look\, Lord\, we’ve got a couple of swords already.” \nJesus replied\, “You won’t need any more than that!” \nJesus went outside and as usual headed off to the Mount of Olives with his followers. When they reached their usual spot\, he said to them\, “Pray that you will not have to face anything that’s too tough for you to handle.” \nThen he moved off by himself\, about a stone’s throw away from them\, and fell to his knees in prayer\, saying\, “Father\, if it’s okay with you\, get me out of this without having to drink this bitter cup! But still\, the bottom line is that I’ll go along with whatever you have decided.” \nAt that point a messenger from heaven appeared and gave him the strength to go on. Barely able to hold himself together\, he prayed all the more desperately until the sweat was pouring off him like blood. When he got up and returned to his followers\, he found that the grief had got the better of them and they had fallen asleep. He said to them\, “What are you doing sleeping? Pray that you will not have to face anything that’s too tough for you to handle.” \nEven before Jesus finished getting the words out\, a mob arrived on the scene\, led by Judas\, who was one of the twelve. Judas walked straight up to Jesus and was about to kiss him\, but Jesus said\, “Judas\, are you going to double-cross the New Human with a kiss?” \nWhen those who were with Jesus realised what was going on\, they called out\, “Lord\, do you want us to put up a fight?” and without waiting for an answer one of them began lashing out with a knife\, slashing a personal attendant of the High Priest and cutting off his ear. But Jesus yelled\, “Stop! Put that down.” \nAnd he touched the injured man’s ear and healed him. Then he turned to the chief priests\, the temple security guards\, and political heavies who had come for him\, and said\, “Do you think I am some sort of dangerous thug\, that you need your weapons drawn and your batons ready when you come for me? I have been sitting in the temple with you nearly every day\, and you never laid a finger on me. But this is your way\, isn’t it? Deeds of darkness in the darkest hour!” \nThe mob arrested Jesus and dragged him off to the High Priest’s house. Peter followed at a safe distance. Some of the security guards lit themselves a fire in the middle of the High Priest’s central courtyard\, and when they sat down to warm themselves around it\, Peter slipped in among them. A girl from the High Priest’s domestic staff saw him there in the light of the fire. She took a good hard look at him and said\, “This bloke was with him too.” \nBut he denied it\, saying\, “Sorry\, lady. You’ve got the wrong man. I don’t know him.” \nA little bit later\, someone else recognised him and said\, “You are one of them.” \nBut Peter said\, “Not me\, mate. No way!” \nAbout an hour later\, someone else became more insistent\, saying\, “This bloke was with him\, for sure. He’s a Galilean – it’s a dead give away.” \nBut Peter held his line: “Mister\, I’ve got no idea what you are talking about.” \nBut the words were hardly out of his mouth when a rooster began to crow\, and the Lord turned around and looked straight at Peter. Peter heard the words the Lord had spoken come flooding back – “Before the rooster crows tonight\, you will have sworn three times that you don’t even know me” – and he ran out into the street\, bawling his eyes out; a broken man. \nThe men who were holding Jesus in custody began to taunt him and rough him up. They blindfolded him and kept saying\, “Come on\, prophesy for us! Tell us who bashed you that time!” \nThe insults and abuse were flowing thick and fast. \nFirst thing the next morning\, Jesus was brought before a meeting of the whole Ruling Council\, including the chief priests and the religious lawyers. They said to him\, “If you are the Messiah\, tell us.” \nBut Jesus replied\, “If I tell you\, you won’t believe me anyway\, and if I question you\, you won’t give me an answer. But from now on the New Human will take his seat as God’s right hand man.” \nThey all jumped at that and asked\, “So then\, are you saying that you are the Son of God?” \nHe said to them\, “You yourselves are saying that I am.” \nAt that\, they all said\, “What further evidence do we need? We have all heard him condemn himself with his own words.” \nThe Ruling Council rose as one\, marched Jesus off\, and brought him before Pilate\, the Roman governor. They began reeling off all sorts of charges against him\, saying\, “This bloke has been stirring up trouble on a national scale. He tells people to stop paying their taxes\, and he is setting himself up as the Messiah in opposition to the Emperor.” \nSo Pilate began his interrogation by asking Jesus\, “Are you the King of the Jews?” \n“They are your words\,” answered Jesus. \nPilate turned back to the chief priests and the mob\, and said\, “I can’t see that he has broken any laws. You have got nothing on him that will stick.” \nBut they dug their heels in and kept insisting\, “He is trouble. He stirs up the people with his teaching\, and not just around here. He started up in Galilee. He has worked his way all around Judea\, and now he is at it here.” \nWhen Pilate heard this\, he asked whether Jesus was a Galilean\, and when this was confirmed\, he figured he could pass the buck to Herod\, since Galileans came under Herod’s jurisdiction. Herod was in Jerusalem at the time anyway\, so it was easy to palm Jesus off onto him. Herod was only too happy to see Jesus. He had been wanting to see him for some time\, because he had heard plenty of stories about him and was hoping that he might get to see Jesus perform some miraculous sign. So Herod interrogated him at length\, but Jesus remained silent and answered nothing. The chief priests and religious lawyers stood there\, making all sorts of vicious allegations against him. The silent treatment got up Herod’s nose and he and his soldiers began to treat Jesus like dirt\, and bad-mouth him. They made a joke of him\, dressing him up like royalty\, and then sending him back to Governor Pilate. Herod and Pilate had never had any time for each other before\, but from that day on\, they got on like a house on fire. \nGovernor Pilate then called together the chief priests\, the political leaders\, and the representatives of the people\, and said to them\, “You dragged this man in here and alleged that he was stirring up trouble among the people. But I have interrogated him here in your presence and I can’t find any basis to your allegations. None of your charges seem to stick. Herod obviously hasn’t found anything to pin on him either\, because he has sent him back without recording any convictions. Quite clearly the man has done nothing to warrant the death penalty. So I will get my men to give him a flogging as a warning\, and then release him.” \nBut the crowd went berserk\, shouting together\, “Rid the earth of this man! Free Barabbas for us!”  \nBarabbas had taken part in a violent uprising in the city\, and was being held in prison on charges of terrorism and murder. Pilate wanted to release Jesus\, and spoke to the crowd again\, but they just kept up a loud chant of\, “String him up! String him up!” \nPilate tried a third time\, asking\, “Why? What evil has he done? I can’t find any evidence of anything that would warrant a death sentence. I will have him flogged as a warning\, and then release him.” \nBut the mob was in a frenzy\, shouting louder and louder\, and demanding that Jesus be executed. In the end they got their way. Pilate caved in and signed the order granting the people their demand. He set free the prisoner they asked for – the one who had been locked up for terrorism and murder – and handed Jesus over to them to do as they wished. \nAs they marched Jesus off to be executed\, they grabbed a man called Simon of Cyrene\, who was just arriving in town from the bush. They made him lift the large wooden cross on which Jesus was to be strung up\, and carry it behind him. A huge crowd of people followed him out\, and among them were many women who were weeping and wailing and carrying on loudly. But Jesus turned to them and said\, “Daughters of Jerusalem\, it is no use crying for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. You can bet the days are coming when people will say that the fortunate women are the ones who couldn’t have children. They’ll say ‘How lucky are the women who never conceived! How lucky are those who never held babies to their breasts!’ People will cry out to the mountains saying ‘Fall on us now!’ They will wish the hills would collapse and bury them. For if this is what is done to a healthy green tree\, imagine what will happen to all the old dead wood.” \nTwo convicted criminals were dragged off with him to be executed at the same time. The place where the executions were carried out was called Skull Hill. When they got there\, they strung Jesus up on the cross by driving nails through his flesh. They executed the two convicted criminals in the same way on crosses on each side of him. As he hung there\, Jesus prayed out loud\, saying\, “Father\, forgive these people. They’ve got no idea what they are doing.” \nThe executioners divided up his clothes among themselves\, tossing a coin to see who should get what. The people stood around staring\, but the community leaders were hurling insults and ridicule at him and making a huge joke of it\, saying\, “He reckoned he could save everyone else. Let’s see him get himself out of this if he’s really the Messiah\, God’s chosen one!” \nThe soldiers were sticking the boots in too\, offering him drinks of wine that had turned to vinegar\, and saying\, “Come on. If you’re the king of the Jews\, pull rank and get yourself out of this trouble!” \nThey also hung a sign above his head saying\, “This is the King of the Jews.” \nOne of the criminals who was strung up alongside him joined in the insults\, shouting\, “What sort of Messiah are you?! Get your act together and save yourself\, and save us while you’re at it!” \nBut the other criminal pulled his mate up short\, saying\, “Put a sock in it! Don’t you care what God could do to us? We are about to meet our maker\, the same as he is\, but you and I have done the crime and we are copping what we had coming. There was no miscarriage of justice over us. But what has this bloke ever done wrong? Nothing!” And then he said\, “Jesus\, remember me when you come to take charge of everything.” \nJesus replied\, “You have my word for it; today you will join me in Paradise.” \nIt was now about midday\, but darkness fell over the whole land for three hours. The sun was blacked out\, and the curtain that closed off the most holy place in the Temple tore in two. Then\, with a loud cry\, Jesus said\, “Father\, I lay down my life\, and place it in your hands.”\nThat said\, he breathed his last. When the commanding officer saw what had happened\, he spoke highly of God and said\, “This bloke was innocent. I’d bet my life on it!” \nCrowds of spectators had gathered to witness the gruesome show\, but when they saw what really took place\, they were completely gutted and headed back to their homes sobbing.  \nThose who knew Jesus\, including the women who had been among his followers since the days in Galilee\, stood at a safe distance and kept watch over all that happened. \nThere was a man named Joseph who came from the Jewish town of Arimethea. He was a man of integrity who always did what was right\, and who was genuinely looking forward to the culture of God. So although he was a respected member of the Ruling Council\, he had opposed their plot and the action they had taken.  \nJoseph went to Pilate and got permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. He took the body down from the cross\, wrapped it in a linen shroud\, and buried it in a tomb which had been cut into a rock wall\, but had never been used. It was the day of Preparation\, and the Sabbath was about to begin at sundown. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed along and saw where the tomb was and how his body was laid out. Then they left\, and prepared the spices and lotions required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. On the Sabbath\, they took the day off\, as the law required. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 23: 1-49 (Alternative shorter gospel reading)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Ruling Council rose as one\, marched Jesus off\, and brought him before Pilate\, the Roman governor. They began reeling off all sorts of charges against him\, saying\, “This bloke has been stirring up trouble on a national scale. He tells people to stop paying their taxes\, and he is setting himself up as the Messiah in opposition to the Emperor.” \nSo Pilate began his interrogation by asking Jesus\, “Are you the King of the Jews?” \n“They are your words\,” answered Jesus. \nPilate turned back to the chief priests and the mob\, and said\, “I can’t see that he has broken any laws. You have got nothing on him that will stick.” \nBut they dug their heels in and kept insisting\, “He is trouble. He stirs up the people with his teaching\, and not just around here. He started up in Galilee. He has worked his way all around Judea\, and now he is at it here.” \nWhen Pilate heard this\, he asked whether Jesus was a Galilean\, and when this was confirmed\, he figured he could pass the buck to Herod\, since Galileans came under Herod’s jurisdiction. Herod was in Jerusalem at the time anyway\, so it was easy to palm Jesus off onto him. Herod was only too happy to see Jesus. He had been wanting to see him for some time\, because he had heard plenty of stories about him and was hoping that he might get to see Jesus perform some miraculous sign. So Herod interrogated him at length\, but Jesus remained silent and answered nothing. The chief priests and religious lawyers stood there\, making all sorts of vicious allegations against him. The silent treatment got up Herod’s nose and he and his soldiers began to treat Jesus like dirt\, and bad-mouth him. They made a joke of him\, dressing him up like royalty\, and then sending him back to Governor Pilate. Herod and Pilate had never had any time for each other before\, but from that day on\, they got on like a house on fire. \nGovernor Pilate then called together the chief priests\, the political leaders\, and the representatives of the people\, and said to them\, “You dragged this man in here and alleged that he was stirring up trouble among the people. But I have interrogated him here in your presence and I can’t find any basis to your allegations. None of your charges seem to stick. Herod obviously hasn’t found anything to pin on him either\, because he has sent him back without recording any convictions. Quite clearly the man has done nothing to warrant the death penalty. So I will get my men to give him a flogging as a warning\, and then release him.” \nBut the crowd went berserk\, shouting together\, “Rid the earth of this man! Free Barabbas for us!”  \nBarabbas had taken part in a violent uprising in the city\, and was being held in prison on charges of terrorism and murder. Pilate wanted to release Jesus\, and spoke to the crowd again\, but they just kept up a loud chant of\, “String him up! String him up!” \nPilate tried a third time\, asking\, “Why? What evil has he done? I can’t find any evidence of anything that would warrant a death sentence. I will have him flogged as a warning\, and then release him.” \nBut the mob was in a frenzy\, shouting louder and louder\, and demanding that Jesus be executed. In the end they got their way. Pilate caved in and signed the order granting the people their demand. He set free the prisoner they asked for – the one who had been locked up for terrorism and murder – and handed Jesus over to them to do as they wished. \nAs they marched Jesus off to be executed\, they grabbed a man called Simon of Cyrene\, who was just arriving in town from the bush. They made him lift the large wooden cross on which Jesus was to be strung up\, and carry it behind him. A huge crowd of people followed him out\, and among them were many women who were weeping and wailing and carrying on loudly. But Jesus turned to them and said\, “Daughters of Jerusalem\, it is no use crying for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. You can bet the days are coming when people will say that the fortunate women are the ones who couldn’t have children. They’ll say ‘How lucky are the women who never conceived! How lucky are those who never held babies to their breasts!’ People will cry out to the mountains saying ‘Fall on us now!’ They will wish the hills would collapse and bury them. For if this is what is done to a healthy green tree\, imagine what will happen to all the old dead wood.” \nTwo convicted criminals were dragged off with him to be executed at the same time. The place where the executions were carried out was called Skull Hill. When they got there\, they strung Jesus up on the cross by driving nails through his flesh. They executed the two convicted criminals in the same way on crosses on each side of him. As he hung there\, Jesus prayed out loud\, saying\, “Father\, forgive these people. They’ve got no idea what they are doing.” \nThe executioners divided up his clothes among themselves\, tossing a coin to see who should get what. The people stood around staring\, but the community leaders were hurling insults and ridicule at him and making a huge joke of it\, saying\, “He reckoned he could save everyone else. Let’s see him get himself out of this if he’s really the Messiah\, God’s chosen one!” \nThe soldiers were sticking the boots in too\, offering him drinks of wine that had turned to vinegar\, and saying\, “Come on. If you’re the king of the Jews\, pull rank and get yourself out of this trouble!” \nThey also hung a sign above his head saying\, “This is the King of the Jews.” \nOne of the criminals who was strung up alongside him joined in the insults\, shouting\, “What sort of Messiah are you?! Get your act together and save yourself\, and save us while you’re at it!” \nBut the other criminal pulled his mate up short\, saying\, “Put a sock in it! Don’t you care what God could do to us? We are about to meet our maker\, the same as he is\, but you and I have done the crime and we are copping what we had coming. There was no miscarriage of justice over us. But what has this bloke ever done wrong? Nothing!” And then he said\, “Jesus\, remember me when you come to take charge of everything.” \nJesus replied\, “You have my word for it; today you will join me in Paradise.” \nIt was now about midday\, but darkness fell over the whole land for three hours. The sun was blacked out\, and the curtain that closed off the most holy place in the Temple tore in two. Then\, with a loud cry\, Jesus said\, “Father\, I lay down my life\, and place it in your hands.”\nThat said\, he breathed his last. When the commanding officer saw what had happened\, he spoke highly of God and said\, “This bloke was innocent. I’d bet my life on it!” \nCrowds of spectators had gathered to witness the gruesome show\, but when they saw what really took place\, they were completely gutted and headed back to their homes sobbing.  \nThose who knew Jesus\, including the women who had been among his followers since the days in Galilee\, stood at a safe distance and kept watch over all that happened. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you alone are good and your steadfast love is forever. \nThe creation of the world was your doing\nand is marvellous to our eyes.\nYour prophets told us of the coming one\nwho would teach your ways\nand sustain us with your word. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, though one with you\ngave up all he had\,\ntaking on human flesh\nand walking the path of obedience\nall the way to insult\, betrayal and death\,\ntrusting only in your vindication.\nThough he was rejected by those who had cheered him\,\nyou made him the cornerstone of new life\nand raised him to the highest place of honour.\nHe has opened the gates of justice\nand become our salvation\,\nso with shouts of joy we greet his appearing\,\nand proclaim that Christ is Lord\nto your glory forever. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We thank you for your son\, Jesus Christ\,\nwho\, giving up all he had\nand walking the path of obedience\nall the way to insult\, betrayal and death\,\nopened the gates of justice\nand become our salvation. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you alone are good and your steadfast love is forever. \nThe creation of the world was your doing\nand is marvellous to our eyes.\nYour prophets told us of the coming one\nwho would teach your ways\nand sustain us with your word. \nYour child\, Jesus Christ\, though one with you\ngave up all he had\,\ntaking on human flesh\nand walking the path of obedience\nall the way to insult\, betrayal and death\,\ntrusting only in your vindication.\nThough he was rejected by those who had cheered him\,\nyou made him the cornerstone of new life\nand raised him to the highest place of honour.\nHe has opened the gates of justice\nand become our salvation\,\nso with shouts of joy we greet his appearing\,\nand proclaim that Christ is Lord\nto your glory forever. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Lord who vindicates you is near.\nGod has heard your confession\nand you will not be put to shame.\nWith the Lord God as your help\nno one can declare you guilty. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now and follow Christ in obedience.\nHave the same mind as was in Christ Jesus;\nKeep your ears open to God’s teaching;\nBe humble\, even in the face of hostility\nand do not turn back. \nAnd may God help you and keep you from disgrace;\nMay Christ Jesus lead you through the gates of justice;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit keep you in God’s steadfast love\n    and fill your mouths with praise to the glory of God. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©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\nJesus and the Opinion PollsA sermon for Palm Sunday by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/c23/2028-04-09/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002914-1838937600-1839023999@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/abc24/2028-04-10/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002931-1838937600-1839023999@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/abc24/2028-04-10/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002926-1838937600-1839023999@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/abc24/2028-04-10/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T054759Z
UID:10001526-1838937600-1839023999@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/abc24/2028-04-10/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002920-1838937600-1839023999@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/abc24/2028-04-10/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280410T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002936-1838937600-1839023999@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/abc24/2028-04-10/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/24.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z
UID:10002898-1839024000-1839110399@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/abc25/2028-04-11/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z
UID:10002892-1839024000-1839110399@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/abc25/2028-04-11/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002908-1839024000-1839110399@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/abc25/2028-04-11/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055641Z
UID:10001532-1839024000-1839110399@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/abc25/2028-04-11/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003407Z
UID:10002886-1839024000-1839110399@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/abc25/2028-04-11/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280411T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T122852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003408Z
UID:10002903-1839024000-1839110399@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/abc25/2028-04-11/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280412T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280412T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T123026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055725Z
UID:10001538-1839110400-1839196799@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/abc26/2028-04-12/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/26.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280413T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280413T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T123825Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T055538Z
UID:10001544-1839196800-1839283199@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Thursday of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday)
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Exodus 12: 1-4\, (5-10)\, 11-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After the King of Egypt had refused to listen to all the warnings\, the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron again\, saying: \n“Rewrite your calendars — from now on\, this month is to be the beginning of the new year. Put the word out among all the Israelite people that on the tenth day of the month\, each household is to obtain a lamb or a young goat to be eaten. Small households can combine with their neighbours to share one\, dividing it up so that there is enough for everyone to have some. The lamb must be a healthy male yearling with no deformities — not a runt. Having obtained the lamb\, the household is to keep it at home for four days. Just after sunset on the fourteenth\, all the Israelites are to slaughter the lambs ready for cooking. Take some of the blood and paint it on the frame of the front door of the house where you are eating the lamb. Cook and eat it that night. Don’t serve it raw or boiled. Don’t even cut it up or gut it. Spit-roast it whole over the fire and serve it with unleavened flat-breads and bitter herbs. Eat it all that night. If there is any left over in the morning you are to burn it. When you eat it\, you are to eat as though you were in a hurry and about to leave on a journey. You should be dressed and packed\, with your walking boots on and your stick at hand. In this way you are to keep the feast of Passover in honour of me\, the LORD. \nThat night\, I will pass through Egypt\, killing the firstborn sons of every family and the firstborn male animals. I am the LORD\, and I will carry out the sentence I have passed on the gods of Egypt this night. The lamb’s blood painted on your door frames will be the sign that your households are to be exempted. I will pass over every house that I see marked with the blood\, and you will not be touched by the plague that will strike down the Egyptians. \nRemember this day and\, in every generation to come\, celebrate it as an annual festival to honour me\, the LORD.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 116: 1-2\, 12-19			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I love you\, LORD!\nHow could I not love you\nwhen you always respond to my cries? \nYou are always ready to listen to me\,\nso I will bring my needs to you as long as I live. \nHow can I ever repay you\, LORD?\nWhat gift could ever express my gratitude? \nI will raise my glass in your honour\,\nI will name you as the one who saved me. \nI will make good on all I promised you\, LORD\,\nand I’ll let everyone know its for you. \nWhenever one of your faithful people dies\nit affects you deeply. \nLORD\, you have released me from my chains.\nI will serve you forever\,\njust as my forebears have done. \nI will bring a gift to say thanks;\nI will pray to you\, and you alone. \nI will be true to the vows I’ve made;\nand I won’t keep it hidden.\nIn full view of all your people\,\nin the public place of worship\,\nI’ll do all I promised you\, LORD. \nAll the praise and all the credit are your\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Corinthians 11: 23-26			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The teaching I gave you about the Lord’s Supper is worth repeating. I gave it to you exactly as I received it from the Lord himself. On the very night that he was betrayed\, Jesus was sharing a meal. He took a loaf of bread in his hands\, gave thanks to God and then broke the loaf\, saying: \n“This is my body. It is for you.\nDo this so that I will be remembered.” \nAt the end of the meal he did the same thing with the cup\, saying: \n“This cup is God’s new alliance with you —\nan alliance sealed with my blood.\nDo this\, every time you drink it\,\nso that I will be remembered.” \nThe meaning of this is clear: whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you are announcing the truth about the Lord’s death. This truth will continue to be broadcast in this way until the Lord returns. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 13: 1-17\, 31b-35			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Even before the sacred Passover festival began\, Jesus knew that his time was running out. He knew that he had come from God\, and he knew that it was time to leave this world and return to God. He had consistently loved his followers in this world\, and he continued to demonstrate his love for them right up to the end. A seed sown by the devil had taken root in the mind of Judas\, the son of Simon Iscariot\, and by the time they gathered for supper\, he was planning to double-cross Jesus. \nJesus knew that everything was up to him\, because God had put everything in his hands. During the supper\, he got up from the table\, took off his jacket and tied a towel around his waist. Filling a large bowl with water\, he began to wash the feet of each of the disciples in turn and to dry them with the towel tied around his waist. When it was his turn\, Simon Peter objected saying\, “Surely it’s not your job to wash my feet\, Lord?” \nJesus answered\, “I know you don’t yet understand why I’m doing this\, but in time it will make sense to you.”\nBut Peter said\, “No way! I’ll never let you wash my feet.”\nJesus answered\, “If I don’t wash you\, then it’s all over between us. You’ll have nothing further to do with me.” \n“In that case\,” Simon Peter replied\, “don’t just wash my feet! Wash my hands; wash my head!”\nJesus said to him\, “You had a bath before you came! Once someone’s had a bath\, they don’t need to wash anything on arrival other than their feet and they’ll be completely clean. You lot are clean.” But then\, because he knew who was going to double-cross him\, he added\, “Well\, most of you are clean anyway.” \nWhen he had finished washing their feet\, he put his jacket back on and sat back down at the table. He said to them: \n“Do you understand what I have just done to you? You lot call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’\, and that’s fair enough\, because that’s exactly what I am. So if I’m your Teacher and Lord\, and I’ve just been down on my knees washing your feet\, then you too ought to serve one another in the same way. I’m modelling the way I want you to live. Do as I have done. You can take it from me: servants do not outrank their boss\, and the postie who brings the letter does not rank as importantly as the one who wrote it. When you get these things sorted out for yourselves\, you’ll discover just how good life can really be. \n“Now the moment of glory has arrived for the New Human\, and it is God’s glory too. If God’s glory is made known in him\, then God will pour out his own glory on him. It’s all happening right now.  \n“You are my children\, but you’re about to be on your own because our time together is almost up. You’ll keep looking for me\, but as I said to the people before\, where I am going\, there is no way you can come. \n“I’ve got one new instruction for you – in fact take it as an order – love one another. I want you to love one another in the same way that I have loved you. If you do that – if you really have love for one another – then it will be apparent to everyone that you are following in my footsteps.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nWe do indeed bring you a gift of thanks\, O God\,\nas we raise the cup of freedom in your name\,\nfor you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ\nand broken us free from the grip of death. \nIn your creative love\, you brought the world to birth\,\nand from the first you loved all who live in it.\nYou heard the cries of your suffering people\nand protected them with the blood of the Passover lamb\nas you struck down those who oppressed them. \nYou sent your Son\, Jesus\, as our Teacher and Lord\nand gave all things into his hands.\nLaying aside his power\,\nhe gave himself to us in humble service\nand taught us to love one another\nas he had loved us.\nWhen the hour for his departure came\,\nhe was betrayed by a friend\nand his body broken on the cross.\nWith his outpoured blood you marked out those\nwho will follow where he has gone\,\ninto the promised land of resurrection life. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We raise the cup of freedom in thanks to you\, O God\,\nfor you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ\,\nwho gave himself to us in humble service\nand taught us to love one another as he had loved us. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The blood of Christ\, the true lamb\,\nseals God’s new covenant with us\nand marks us out for salvation.\nThe Lord has forgiven your sins\,\nwashed you clean\,\nand freed you from death’s grip. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now and fulfil your vows to the Lord.\nLove one another as Christ has loved you\nand give yourselves to one another in humble service\,\njust as Christ has given himself to you.\nCelebrate these holy days as a perpetual ordinance\,\nfor no gift could ever repay God’s goodness to us. \nAnd may God hear you whenever you call;\nMay Christ Jesus keep you safe through his blood;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit lead you further\ninto the depths of God’s saving mysteries. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nDiscerning the Body at the TableA sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 by Nathan Nettleton (This sermon was not intended for Maundy Thursday\, but may provide some applicable ideas)
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc27/2028-04-13/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280414T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280414T235959
DTSTAMP:20260404T100705
CREATED:20200810T124845Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T060734Z
UID:10001550-1839283200-1839369599@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Good Friday
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD says:\n“This one who serves on my behalf will succeed.\nHe will come out on top\nand be honoured by everyone. \nMany people were shocked by what happened to him;\nhis appearance was enough to make them throw up.\nTorture had disfigured him beyond recognition;\nat first sight he no longer looked human. \nThe next time he’s seen will be an even greater shock;\nnations and their kings will fall to their knees\, speechless.\nAll of a sudden\, what they had never seen or understood\nwill be as plain as day\, and all they can think about.” \nThe people reply to this news\, saying:\n“Who could have believed what we now know to be true?\nWho would have recognised what the LORD was doing? \nThis one who serves on the LORD’s behalf\ngrew up hard like a plant taking root in the stony desert.\nTo look at him\, you wouldn’t think he’d amount to much;\nnothing about his appearance would make you look twice. \nOthers wrote him off\, and treated him as scum;\npain and suffering were his constant companions.\nHe was despised and abused\, but we looked away;\nwe didn’t consider him worth caring about. \nThe sickness and brokenness he endured turned out to be ours;\nif it wasn’t for him\, it would have wiped us out.\nBut back then we thought it was his own fault\nand that God was punishing him for what he had done. \nIn reality\, it was what we had done that was to blame.\nIt was us who deserved to be punished\,\nbut him who copped the flak.\nWhen he was left battered\, broken and bleeding\,\nwe were off the hook;\nfree to enjoy the fruits of health and wholeness. \nWe were all doing our own thing in our own way;\nas far off-track as a penguin in the desert;\nas far off-key as a mob of galahs.\nAnd yet the LORD accepted his offer to take the rap\nfor the actions of each and every one of us. \nHe was ripped off and kicked around\,\nbut he took it on the chin.\nNot once did he ever whinge or protest;\nhe was as silent as a lamb that trots to its fate\,\nknowing neither shearer nor slaughterer. \nHis arrest and trial made a mockery of justice.\nNo one knew or cared what he was up against.\nHe was dragged off in the midst of life;\nput to death for crimes committed by our people. \nAlthough he had never breathed a lie\nor done anything to hurt anyone\,\nthey buried him alongside the callous and corrupt\n– thoughtless profiteers who died rich.” \nThe LORD says\,\n“It was me who decided to allow this tragedy\nto befall the one who serves on my behalf.\nHe made the ultimate sacrifice at your hands\,\nand won forgiveness for you in the process.\nSo now he will be rewarded with life;\nhe will live to see his children and their children.\nThrough his actions\,\nmy plans are able to succeed. \nIn the depths of agony and despair he discovered the truth\,\nand with the truth he found true peace.\nThe one who serves on my behalf was beyond reproach\,\nbut he took the rap for what others did\,\nand left their record as spotless as his own. \nBecause of all that he has done\,\nI\, the LORD\, elevate him to the hall of fame\nand give him the rewards of true greatness.\nHe deserves the best\, for he made the ultimate sacrifice\,\naccepting the death of common criminal\nso that through his suffering and prayers\nothers might be cut free from their sin.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 22			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God\, my God\, why the hell have you turned your back on me?\nHow come in my most desperate hour\,\nyou are nowhere to be found?  \nI called you all day\, God\, over and over;\nI tossed and turned all night\,\nbut I still didn’t hear back from you. \nAren’t you supposed to be our one and only?\nAren’t you the one we’ve always voted for?\nOur ancestors put their trust in you\nand you never let them down.\nThey cried out for help and you stepped in;\nyou saved them from disaster and shame. \nSo what about me?\nShouldn’t I still be treated as a human being\,\neven if I feel like a worm –\nlooked down on\, loathed\, stomped on? \nEveryone who sees me sticks the boots in;\nthey turn up their noses and dismiss me with a sneering joke;\n“Why don’t you see if God’s on your side?\nSurely if you’re a mate of God’s then God will help you out!” \nWhat’s the story God?\nYour hands eased me from my mother’s womb;\nYou kept me from harm as I suckled at her breast.\nAs a baby\, I rested trustingly in your arms;\nYou’ve been my God since the day I was born. \nDon’t quit on me now.\nAll hell is about to break loose\nand there is no one else I can turn to. \nI’m surrounded by enemies\nlike a mob of wild bulls.\nAngry\, snorting\, stampeding beasts;\nthey charge at me\, all horns and pounding hoofs. \nI’m chucked out like a bucket of dirty water\,\nand I’m so smashed up I can barely move a muscle.\nMy heart has gone to jelly\,\na quivering useless blob.\nMy throat is as dry as a salt pan\,\nand my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.\nAnd you? You have left me for dead\ncovered in dust and flies. \nLike a pack of hungry dingoes they sniff around me;\nevil mongrels\, every one of them.\nI’m so wasted my hands and feet feel like they could snap off;\nMy ribs stick out like a picket fence. \nThey hang me up for a public viewing\,\nboasting over how they finished me off.\nThey empty my pockets\nand toss a coin to see who gets my clothes. \nWhat are you doing\, LORD? Don’t quit on me now!\nGet your act together and come to my rescue!\nSave me before I get my throat cut\,\nbefore my body is dog meat!\nPull me out before they get their teeth into me! \nAt last! Just before the bulls ran me down\, you have rescued me.\nI won’t forget this – I’ll let everyone know.\nWhenever people gather\, I’ll be singing your praise. \nI’ll call on all who honour you\, LORD\, to stand up and say so!\nAll who trace their roots to Jacob will give you the glory!\nAll who share the heritage of Israel will stand in awe of you! \nLORD\, you did not rubbish anyone\nor blame the victims for their suffering.\nYou did not turn away or slip off quietly;\nwhen I cried for help\, you responded. \nWhenever people gather to worship\,\nmy heart overflows and I sing your praises.\nOut in the open for all to see\nI’ll do all that I promised. \nAt your table\, God\, the needy will feast;\nthose who hunger for you will be fed till they burst with praise!\nThey will be able to live it up\, now and forever! \nIn every corner of the earth people will wake up to themselves\nand turn back to you\, LORD.\nEvery race\, nation\, tribe and family\nwill offer themselves to you in worship\,\nfor you have the last word on everything;\nwhat you say goes. \nEven the dead will bow down to you\, LORD;\nthose who are trampled in the dust will look to you in hope\,\nand I will live for you and you alone. \nOur kids and their kids will serve you\, LORD;\nas we pass the message down from one generation to the next.\nPeople not even born yet will hear the story;\nthey will be told of what you have done to set us free. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Hebrews 10: 16-25			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The Holy Spirit says to us in the scriptures: \n“The new alliance I will make with the people\nwill be different\, says the Lord:\nNo more writing down the rules for people to read;\nthis time I’ll write them into their hearts and minds.”\n“I’ll wipe the record of their failings and their perverse behaviour;\nnone of it will ever again even enter my mind.”  \nSo if that’s done – if the slate has been wiped clean – then there is no longer any need to come offering sacrifices to try to make up for what we’ve done wrong. \nSo\, my friends\, now it’s a whole new ball game. Now we can confidently walk straight into the sacred place because Jesus won us that right\, spilling his own blood in the process. We walk in via a new route. The old way had a big curtain between us and the sacred place – on the new route the only thing between us and the sacred place is Jesus\, and he invites us to become part of his own body and go in that way. Add all that to the fact that Jesus himself is now our great priest who says what goes in the house of God\, and you’ll understand what is now open to us. So let’s go! Let’s approach God with integrity and with deep trust. Let us stand before God knowing for sure that not only have our bodies been washed clean in pure water\, but so to have our hearts\, our minds\, our conscience.  \nIn light of all this\, let’s hold on tight to the hope that we’ve put our hands up to. None of this on-again off-again stuff! You can’t get more dependable than the one who has made these promises. So let’s put on our thinking caps and come up with some good strategies for stirring one another up to greater and greater love and more and more ways to put it into action. Some people have got out of the habit of gathering together as a congregation – let’s not go down that path. Gather often\, support and encourage one another. It becomes more and more important the closer we get to that final day. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9 (alternative)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let’s see to it that we stand firm in the faith we’ve already put our hands up to. After all\, the one who will present us to God and speak on our behalf — our great high priest — is Jesus\, and as God’s own Son we can be sure he has God’s ear. We can also be sure that he can relate to the realities we have to live with\, because he has already been through everything we have to go through — weakness\, doubts and torments — and all without selling out to sin. What more could we want in a high priest?! So let’s not be timid. Whenever we’re in need of help\, let’s walk right up to the throne of God and ask\, for our God is extravagantly welcoming and generous — only too happy to wipe our debts and help us out. \nWhen Jesus was among us and the threat of death was closing in on him\, it was with agonized cries and tears that he did his priestly work of offering up prayers and appeals to the God who has the power to save us from death. His pleas were heard because of his prayerful acceptance of God’s will. He was given no special privileges as a Son — he got his lessons in obedience in the same school of suffering as the rest of us. Once he had made the grade\, perfecting all that he had to learn\, he became the one who sets free all who trust and follow him. For them he is the source of life without limit. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  John 18:1 - 19:42			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After the supper\, and after Jesus had prayed for his followers\, they went outside and headed across town to the Kidron Valley gardens where they had often met together before. Judas had now betrayed Jesus\, and of course\, he knew they would be heading for the gardens. Judas showed the way to those sent to arrest Jesus – a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple security guards sent by the chief priests and the hard-line Pharisee party. It was now late\, and so the heavily armed group carried torches and flood lights. Jesus knew what he had coming to him and so when they arrived he just stepped out in the open and asked\, “Who are you looking for?” \nThey answered\, “We’ve been sent to find Jesus of Nazareth.” \n“Well you’ve found him\,” he replied\, “I’m Jesus.” \nWhen he said that\, they were so taken aback you could have knocked them over with a feather. Judas\, the back-stabber\, was still with them. Because they were looking so uncertain\, Jesus asked them again\, “Who are you looking for?” \nAnd again they replied\, “Jesus of Nazareth.” \nJesus answered\, “Like I said\, I’m Jesus. And since I am the man you’re looking for\, you can let these others go in peace.” \nIn so saying\, he backed up the promise he had made in his earlier prayer when he had said\, “I didn’t lose a single one of those you entrusted to me.” \nSuddenly Simon Peter pulled a knife and began slashing wildly. He struck a man named Malchus – a servant of the high priest – and cut off his ear. Jesus yelled at his\, saying\, “Peter\, put that thing away. Do you think I’m going to back out now and refuse to drink the cup that God has poured for me?” \nAt that point\, the soldiers and the Temple security guards surrounded Jesus and made the arrest. They handcuffed him\, and dragged him off to see Annas\, who had issued the arrest warrant. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphus\, who was the high priest that year; and Caiaphus was the one who had persuaded the authorities that\, for the sake of the rest of the population\, it would be best if this one person died. \nSimon Peter and one of the other disciples followed as Jesus was dragged off. When the arrived at the high priest’s residence\, Peter was refused entry at the gate\, but the other disciple knew the high priest and got in. Having got in\, he spoke to the woman in charge of the security gate and had Peter let in too. As he came in\, the woman looked at Peter and said\, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples are you?” \nHe replied\, “No\, I’m not.” \nThe soldiers and guards were standing around an open fire in the middle of the courtyard warming themselves\, because it was a cold night. Not knowing what else to do\, Peter joined them. \nInside\, the high priest was interrogating Jesus about his followers and about the things he had been teaching the people. Jesus answered him\, saying\, “Everything I’ve said has been out in the open. I have always done my teaching in the public places where the people gather – in the synagogues and in the temple. I’ve kept nothing behind closed doors\, so what are you asking me for? Why don’t you ask the people who heard what I said. They can tell you what it was all about.” \nWhen he said this\, one of the security guards gave Jesus a whack in the face\, saying\, “You think you can get away with back-chatting the high priest\, do you?” \nBut Jesus stood his ground\, saying\, “If you think there’s something wrong with what I’ve been saying\, then put your evidence on the table. But if what I’m saying is correct\, what are you smacking me around for?” \nWhile this was happening\, Simon Peter was still keeping warm by the fire with the guards. They asked him\, “Aren’t you one of his disciples?” \n“Not me\,” said Peter\, denying everything. \nOne of the Temple guards there was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off when he’d pulled the knife in the garden. He said\, “Come on mate\, you’ve got to be one of them. Didn’t I just see you with him in the garden when we picked him up?” \nBut Peter denied it again\, and the words were barely out of his mouth when he heard the sound of the rooster crowing. \nShortly after that\, in the early hours of the morning\, Jesus was transferred from the residence of Caiaphus to the headquarters of Pilate\, the Roman governor. The Jewish officers themselves did not go inside the headquarters\, because it was nearly time for the sacred Passover festival\, and going into a gentile home would have ruled them out of participating. Pilate agreed to come out and meet their delegation\, and asked them\, “So\, what have you charged this bloke with?” \nThey answered\, “You can take it for granted that he’s a dangerous criminal – otherwise we wouldn’t have bothered you with his case.” \nPilate replied\, “I’m sure you are quite capable of dealing with him yourselves. Get him out of here and deal with him according to your own local laws.”  \nBut the Jewish officers said\, “We don’t have the power to authorise an execution.” \nClearly the things Jesus had previously said about the sort of death he would die were coming true. \nPilate went back into his headquarters and had Jesus brought inside so he could interrogate him. “Do you see yourself as the King of the Jews?” he asked. \nJesus replied\, saying\, “Is that your own question or has someone else been wording you up?” \n“Give me a break\,” Pilate retorted\, “I’m obviously not one of the Jews\, am I? It wasn’t my people who had you dragged in here. It was your mob\, your own race\, your own religious leaders. What in the world have you done?” \nJesus answered\, “My reign is not tied to this world. If my power base depended on this world\, those who have given their allegiance to me would be fighting tooth and nail to keep me out of the hands of that mob. But it’s not like that. My reign is not tied to this world.” \nPilate latched on to that: “So you are claiming to be a king then?” \n“You’re the one who’s putting the ‘king’ label on me\,” Jesus replied. “If you want to know what I’m on about\, what I was born into the world for\, it’s this: I’m the key witness whose job it is to speak the truth\, the whole truth\, and nothing but the truth. Everyone who has given their allegiance to the truth responds to my voice.” \n“Truth\,” Pilate sneered. “What is truth?” \nThen he went back outside to the delegation from the Temple and told them\, “I can’t find any basis for a case against this prisoner. It is customary for me to release a political prisoner for you at Passover time. How about I release this ‘king of the Jews’ for you? He seems harmless enough to me.” \nBut they shouted back\, “No way! Not this man. Release Barabbas!” Barabbas was a convicted terrorist. \nAt that point\, Pilate handed Jesus over to some of his own soldiers and told them to give him a flogging. The soldiers thought it was huge joke. They hung a purple robe on him and wove a crown out of barbed wire and jammed it on his head. They took turns at coming up to him\, saying\, “Heil\, King of the Jews!” as they saluted him\, and then smashed their fists into his face. When they’d finished their brutal sport\, Pilate went back out to the Temple delegation and said\, “Look\, I’m handing him back over to you and telling you that I can’t find any basis for a case against him.” \nJesus was dragged back out\, still wearing the barbed wire crown and the purple robe. Pilate said “Here he is: the man!” \nBut the minute the chief priests and the Temple security guards saw him\, they began screaming\, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” \nPilate replied\, “You take him and crucify him yourselves. I can’t see that he’s done anything wrong.” \nThe delegation replied\, “The case against him is clear in our law. He claimed to be the Son of God and our law makes the death penalty mandatory for that.” \nWhen Pilate heard this\, he began to really worry\, and went back inside his headquarters to interview Jesus again. “Where have you come from?” he asked him\, but Jesus didn’t answer. Pilate said to him\, “It’s no use claiming the right to silence. Don’t you understand that I can say the word to have you released or to have you tortured to death?” \nJesus replied\, “You wouldn’t have any authority over me at all unless it had been given to you from a higher power. It is the one who handed me over to you who is going to have to answer for the greatest wrongdoing.” \nAfter that\, Pilate tried to have Jesus released\, but the Temple crowd would have none of it. They insisted\, “If you release this man you are no friend of the emperor\, and we’ll see that he hears about it. Anyone who claims to be a king is setting himself up in opposition to the emperor.” \nWith that\, Pilate capitulated to their demands. At noon on the day of Preparation for the Passover festival\, Pilate sat down at the judge’s bench at the Stone Pavement Court – known in Hebrew as Gabbatha – and had Jesus stood in the dock. He said to the Temple delegation\, “Here is your king!” \nThey shouted in chorus\, “Get rid of him! Kill him! Crucify him!” \n“Crucify him?” Pilate replied. “You want me to crucify your king?” \n“We have no king but the emperor!” they shouted. \nWith that\, Pilate passed sentence and handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. \nSo they took Jesus out to the place called Skull Hill\, or in Hebrew\, Golgotha. Jesus was made to carry his own cross on the way out there. When they got there\, they hung him on the cross by nails driven through his flesh. They crucified a couple of other convicted men at the same time – the three of them in a row with Jesus in the middle. On Pilate’s orders\, a sign was hung on the cross Jesus was on\, saying\, “Jesus of Nazareth\, the King of the Jews.” Many people read the sign because the crucifixion occurred in a public place on the main road into the city and the sign was written in three languages – Hebrew\, Latin and Greek. The chief priests from the Temple went to Pilate objecting to the sign. They wanted the sign changed from “The King of the Jews” to “This man claimed to be the King of the Jews” but Pilate told them that what was written was written and that was the end of the story. \nWhen the soldiers had hung Jesus up on the nails\, they divided up his clothes between the four of them. His robe was left over\, and when they saw that it was woven from a single piece of fabric\, with no seams\, they decided that rather than tear it\, they’d have a round of two-up\, and award it to the winner. This backed up what the scriptures had said long ago: \n“They divided up my clothes\,\nand tossed for my coat.”  \nWhile the soldiers tossed coins\, a group of women stood near Jesus’ cross. They were his mother\, his mother’s sister\, Mary the wife of Clopas\, and Mary of Magdala. Jesus saw that his mother was standing with the disciple with whom he was most intimate\, and so he said to his mother\, “Woman\, this man is your son.” And then he said to the disciple\, “This woman is your mother.” From that day on\, Mary moved into the home of that disciple. \nAfter that\, Jesus knew it was all over. He did one more thing that the scriptures had spoken about. He said\, “I’m thirsty.”  \nSomeone had half a bottle of wine that had turned to vinegar\, so they poured some into a sponge and held it up to his mouth. He drank it and then said\, “Everything is finished.” \nWith that\, his head dropped and he gave up his spirit. \nBecause it was the day of Preparation for the Passover\, the Temple authorities wanted to make sure the bodies were not left hanging up on the sacred festival day. They went to Pilate and got him to authorise the soldiers to break the legs of the three crucified men\, so that they’d die quicker. The soldiers broke the legs of the other two crucified men\, but when they came to Jesus\, they saw that there was no need – he was already dead. Just to make sure\, one of the soldiers drove a spear into his side\, and blood and water gushed out.  \nThe eyewitness to these things has given a sworn account of it all. His report is true and can be trusted. Scripture was again shown to be true\, because it was written that not one of his bones would be broken. Similarly in another place the scriptures said\, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” \nWhen it was all over\, a man went to Pilate and got permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. His name was Joseph of Arimethea\, and he had been a closet follower of Jesus\, because he was afraid for his reputation with the Temple hierarchy. He and Nicodemus\, who had first spoken to Jesus in the quiet of night\, removed the body. Nicodemus supplied the embalming spices\, and as was the Jewish custom\, they wrapped the body with the spices in linen cloth. There was a memorial garden not far from the place where Jesus was crucified\, and there was a tomb there which had not yet been used. Because it was the day of preparation and there was little time\, they buried Jesus in that tomb. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Opening Prayer			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is the day when life is raw\,\nquivering\, terrifying:\nThe day of numbed emotions\,\nthe day of blunt nails\nand splintered wood\,\nof bruised flesh\nand red blood.\nThe day we loathe\,\nwhen hopes are crushed.\nThe day we long for\,\nwhen pretences fall away—\nBecause the worst that we can do\ncannot kill the love of God.\n\nGracious God\,\nyour love is a light in our darkness\,\nvulnerable\, yet unquenchable.\nWe would stand with Christ\,\nin the midst of the horrors of this world\nwhere betrayal and death\nconstantly threaten your love and peace. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Prayer at the Arrest of Christ (responding to the reading of John 18: 1-12)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Again and again\nwe have bound you\nand taken you captive\, O Lord\, \nBecause it's easier\,\neasier than facing the reality\nof what you ask of us. \nAgain and again\nyou have been taken captive\nand your voice silenced. \nAgain and again\nyou have been dragged out\nwhenever it seems\nthat quoting your name will justify\nour attempts to gain what we want\nat the expense of others. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Prayer at the Death of Christ (responding to the reading of John 19:25-30)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	God\, why did you let this happen\,\nwhy do our greatest hopes\nseem to flicker out and die? \nWe search for meaning in life\nand before we find it\, it is gone.\nWe search for meaning in death\nbut its horrible reality drives us back\nand we are afraid to look. \nGod\, we shudder at the way this life ended:\nsurrounded by cold brutality\,\nrejected and betrayed by a friend\,\ndeprived of justice\,\nand loved by only a frightened few\nwho watched in fear. \nInside we are afraid that this is all there is\,\na flickering light snuffed out\, no meaning\,\nno future\, no love.\nEvil triumphs yet again. \nEvil triumphs so often.\nYours was one of thousands of deaths.\nFrom those times to now\nthousands die in loneliness and fear\,\nvictims of the cruelty and oppression of this world. \nRemind us with every death\,\nthat there is still so much to be done\,\nbefore love reigns\nand fear is driven away. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  The Request for the Disposal of the Body (responding to the reading of John 19:31-37)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Once again we don't want to face up\nto what we have done. \nWe quickly seek to clean up the mess\,\nto hide the evidence\,\nto get life normal again. \nWe want it finished\nand the body put out of sight. \nAnd yet that broken body\,\nif we would only face it\nis the evidence of the love we crave\nand the source of\nthe healing we cry for. \nGive us courage\nto see beyond the blood and the horror. \nGive us the hope that in this death\nwe may find our own life. \n©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nJoanna’s StoryA reflection for Good Friday by Margie Dahl\n\n\n\nMoving on from CrucifyingA sermon by Nathan Nettleton (This sermon was written for the Paschal Vigil\, but the first half or more would also be useful in reflecting on Good Friday)
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