LaughingBird

Proper 11 - Year C
2031-07-20 00:00 - 23:59 (Australia/Melbourne)
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Amos 8: 1-12

The Lord GOD showed me a basket of freshly picked quince and asked, “Amos, what do you see?”
I answered, “A basket of quince.”
Then the LORD said:
“I am calling it quits with my people Israel.
I will not turn a blind eye again.
I, the Lord GOD, say that on that day,
instead of singing in the temple
they will be sobbing and howling.
The city will be littered with bodies;
too many to bury.
So shut up and listen to me!
“Listen to me, you who wipe your feet on those in need;
you who destroy the poor for your own gain.
You resent religious holidays
because they interrupt your wheeling and dealing.
You demand twenty-four hour, seven-day trading,
so that you can rip people off without ceasing.
Your advertising is all deceit and delusion.
You rig the odds and the interest rates.
You lure the poor into crippling debt
until you own them – body and soul –
and then charge them again for owing you money.
“I, the LORD, swear on the Bible you so proudly wave,
that I will not forget a single one of your mongrel actions.
Think about it and mourn,
for it will pull the bottom out of your world.
It will devastate you like a flood,
sweeping everything away and leaving nothing but mud.
“I, the Lord GOD, say that on that day,
I will black out the sun in the middle of the day
and turn broad daylight into deepest darkness.
“I will make that day as bitter for you
as if your son and his bride had died at the altar.
Your parties will become wakes.
Your dance music will become a dirge.
Your suits and frocks will all be sombre grey
and you will tear your hair out.
“I, the Lord GOD, can assure you of this,
that the time is coming when everyone will be starving;
hungering and thirsting, not for bread and water,
but for a word from me, the LORD.
“They will wander in confusion across the land,
from coast to coast, from mountain to desert,
desperately seeking a place where I can be heard,
but they will find nothing but my silence.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 52

Why, God, do powerful people boast of evil
when your love can be trusted day after day?
They fill their time planning acts of destruction.
They wield words like weapons,
back-stabbing anyone who gets in their way.
They prize evil, and discredit good;
they reward cunning lies, and despise the truth.
They lust after dirt – fact or fiction —
that will give them the power to destroy someone.
Cut them down to size, God!
Tear them from their pedestals!
Uproot them and toss them out to die!
Those who trust your love and walk the straight and narrow
will watch in awe as you deal with them.
They will laugh and say:
“See what happens to those who back the wrong horse;
trusting their money and power
instead of finding their strength in God.”
We put our trust in your rock-solid love, God,
knowing it will last forever.
We sink our roots deeply into the soil of your presence
and flourish like a well tended tree.
We will never stop thanking you
for all you have done.
We will enjoy the company of those who are loyal to you,
and give due honour to your good name.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Colossians 1: 15-28

Jesus Christ is the spitting image
of the God we cannot see.
Christ is the genuine original;
the blueprint for all creation.
Everything else that exists had its origin in Christ:
physical things and spiritual things;
visible things and invisible things;
things that govern the universe;
things that regulate our lives;
forces, powers and energies.
Absolutely everything that exists
was founded in Christ
and has its purpose in Christ.
Christ preceded everything else,
and Christ is the glue that holds everything else together.
Christ is to the church
as the head is to the body.
Life itself began with Christ
and new life – born from the dead – began with Christ too.
Christ was, is, and will be Number One in everything.
God was fully present in Christ, and gladly so;
reconciling everything in creation with its creator;
bearing the cost personally in the blood shed on the cross,
to restore the peace between heaven and earth.
You yourselves are a good example of what this is all about. You used to be at odds with God. Your attitude to God was hostile and your conduct was corrupt. But Christ took action to reconcile you to God, even putting his own body on the line to see the job through. It cost him his life, but Christ succeeded in getting you back on side with God. Now you can stand before God with your heads held high as though you had never set a foot wrong in your lives and your every thought, word and deed had been above reproach. This is, of course, assuming that you stay firmly on track and rock-solid in the faith now, and that you don’t give up hope and turn your backs on all that you have been promised. These promises were contained in the message you heard; a message which has been announced to every creature in the universe; a message which I am dedicated to serving.
I wear my present suffering gladly, as a badge of honour, because I know that it is the price of getting the message out to you. For the sake of Christ’s body – the church – I’m happy to suffer in my own body anything that will contribute to the completion of the business left unfinished in Christ’s copping of abuse. For your benefit, God commissioned me to serve the church by making God’s message fully known for the first time. Throughout history, the world has been in the dark about this mystery, but now it has been made as clear as day to God’s people. God decided to let them in on the whole fabulous picture – the wondrous mystery of the means by which God’s love embraces everyone, regardless of race or religion. And what is revealed is simply that Christ is in you. And because Christ is in you, you can confidently expect to share in the glory of Christ’s future. It is Christ, and Christ alone, that we are on about all the time. We preach Christ to everyone, warning them and teaching them with all the wisdom we can muster, so as to help them grow to the fullness of their potential as people of maturity and integrity – the spitting image of Christ!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 10: 38-42

On their way to Jerusalem, Jesus and his followers passed through a certain village and accepted the invitation of a woman named Martha to share a meal in her home. Martha had a sister named Mary, who sat down on the floor the moment Jesus arrived and hung on every word he said. Martha, on the other hand, was trying to do everything and was getting more and more flustered about it. She came in and said to Jesus, “Lord, doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left all the work to me? Tell her to get off her butt and give me a hand.”
But the Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are letting so many things stress you out. There is really only one thing that everyone needs. Mary has made the right choice and it is not going to be taken away from her.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection

Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures, from which the first reading is usually chosen, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative.
The weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm.

Genesis 18: 1-10a

One blazing hot summer afternoon, Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent, when the LORD appeared to him. Looking up, Abraham saw three strangers approaching him. He immediately jumped up and hurried to welcome them as honoured guests. He said, “Please allow me the honour of sharing the hospitality of my home with you. Come in. Take a bath. Put your feet up for a bit. Let me serve you up a meal so that you can leave refreshed and strengthened. I would count it a favour to have the opportunity to serve you in this way.”
So they said, “Thank you, we accept.”
Abraham hurried into the tent and said, “Sarah. Quick! Knock up a batch of scones while I organise the barbecue.”
Then he ran out to his grazing herd and butchered a prime calf. He instructed one of his workers to prepare the best cuts for the barbecue. When it was all ready, he served it up for his guests with a yoghurt dip and plenty to drink, and waited on them while they ate.
During the meal, they said to him, “Where is your wife, Sarah?”
Abraham replied, “She’s inside; in the tent.”
Then one of the three said, “Mark my words! I’ll be back this way in about a year’s time, and by then your wife Sarah will have a son.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 15

LORD, who is welcome at your table?
Who can stay in the place you call your own?
You have given us the answer, LORD.
It is those who walk with integrity
and do the right thing;
those who speak the honest truth
and do not use their words to wound;
those who do not exploit their friends
or put down their neighbours.
It is those who hate corruption
and look up to those who honour you, LORD;
those who give their word
and stand by it even if it costs them;
those who lend freely, without seeking a profit,
and cannot be bribed into shafting the innocent.
You honour such people, LORD,
and anchor them on unshakable ground.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you have revealed to us the mystery,
hidden throughout the ages,
which is Christ in us, the hope of glory.
In him, you created heaven and earth,
and in him, all things are held together.
Through your law and prophets you called us to your ways,
and when you saw the needy trampled and the poor ruined,
you punished us with a famine of hearing your word.
But in Christ — your image made visible —
you have reached out even to those who did evil,
calling us to sit at your feet
and listen to your words of peace.
When his blood was poured out in death on the cross,
you raised him as firstborn from the dead,
reconciling all things to yourself in him
and establishing us securely
in the faith and hope of the gospel.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for revealing to us
the mystery, hidden throughout the ages:
Christ in us, the hope of glory,
reconciling all things to you
and establishing us securely
in the faith and hope of the gospel.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you have revealed to us the mystery,
hidden throughout the ages,
which is Christ in us, the hope of glory.
In him, you created heaven and earth,
and in him, all things are held together.
Through your law and prophets you called us to your ways,
and when you saw the needy trampled and the poor ruined,
you punished us with a famine of hearing your word.
But in Christ — your image made visible —
you have reached out even to those who did evil,
calling us to sit at your feet
and listen to your words of peace.
When his blood was poured out in death on the cross,
you raised him as firstborn from the dead,
reconciling all things to yourself in him
and establishing us securely
in the faith and hope of the gospel.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Though we were once estranged from God,
Christ has now reconciled us in his own body,
so as to present us holy, blameless and irreproachable
into the presence God.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, trusting in God’s love forever
and always giving thanks.
Do not be worried or distracted,
nor shift from the hope promised in the gospel,
but choose the better way,
uprooting injustice
and proclaiming Christ with all wisdom.
And may God establish you securely in the faith;
May Christ Jesus make you holy and blameless before God;
And may the Holy Spirit raise you to maturity in Christ.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

When image-consciousness is okayA sermon on Colossians 1:15-28 by Nathan Nettleton

Reconciliation – Are the Bible and the News talking about the same thing?A sermon on Colossians 1:15-28 by Nathan Nettleton

The Body of Christ as PainbearerA sermon on Colossians 1:15-28 by Nathan Nettleton

Seething Silence and Furious LoveA sermon on Amos 8: 1-12 & Luke 10:38-42 by Nathan Nettleton

One Thing Is NeededA sermon on Luke 10:38-42 by Daniel Bullock

It’s all about WomenA sermon on Luke 10:38-42 by Sylvia Sandeman

Making Martha WholeA sermon on Luke 10:38-42 by Alison Sampson

Turned AroundA sermon on Luke 10:38-42 by Chris Anderson

Proper 10 - Year C
2031-07-13 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Amos 7: 7-17

God gave me a vision. I saw the Lord holding a plumb line against a wall to see whether it was straight. As I looked, the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”
I answered, “A plumb line.”
Then the LORD said:
“I am using this plumb line
to show how crooked my people Israel have become.
I will not turn a blind eye again.
The private shrines of Isaac’s descendant will be flattened.
Israel’s so-called sacred sites will be scorched earth.
I will declare war on the royal family of Jeroboam.”
Amos was getting into hot water over his preaching. Amaziah, the priest at the shrine in Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, the King of Israel, saying, “Amos is sowing the seeds of rebellion right in the heart of Israel. All his talk of doom and gloom will paralyse the nation. Have you heard what he is saying about you?
‘Jereboam will be killed,
and the people of Israel
will be marched off into exile in a far off land.’”
Amaziah also tried to send Amos away himself, saying, “Hey preacher-man, get out of town! Buzz off back to Judah where you came from and ply your trade there. Harangue them with your prophesies, but don’t open your mouth here in Bethel again. This is the royal chapel – the King’s worship place – and we don’t need your kind around here.”
But Amos answered back, “I am no professional preacher; nor was I raised to be a preacher. I was happy making my living droving cattle and cutting timber. But the LORD called me in from the bush and said, ‘Go and preach to my people Israel.’
“Now hear what the LORD has to say to you:
‘You are giving orders against preaching to Israel;
censoring the message meant for Isaac’s descendants.
This is how the LORD says you’ll pay when the land is invaded:
Your wife will be forced into prostitution in the city.
Your children will be slaughtered.
Your family land will be subdivided and sold.
You yourself will die in a filthy refugee camp,
and Israel will be marched across the border into exile.’”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 82

Take action, God!
Pass sentence on all those who judge and rule the earth.
Call them to account for their unjust decisions;
expose their links to corruption and crime.
Order them to hand down justice to the deprived and abused,
and to protect the rights of those seeking refuge.
Command them to represent the needy and the vulnerable,
and to side with them against those who exploit them.
These judges and rulers don’t understand or care, God;
they’ve got their heads in the sand
while the world falls apart around them.
You, God, elevated them to office,
and delegated your authority to them;
but they have betrayed your trust
and will die disgraced.
Take action, God!
Come and judge the earth!
Reassert your control over all your nations!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Colossians 1: 1-14

Dear Christians in Colossae — you who are united in faithfully following Christ. This letter comes to you from me, Paul, and from Timothy. I was chosen by God to be a special ambassador of Christ Jesus, and Timothy is one of my partners in this work. We greet you as God’s own children and wish you all the best — God’s love and peace.
We pray for you often, and whenever we do we find ourselves expressing our deep gratitude to God, the loving Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, we are so thrilled about all the good things we have been hearing about you. We have heard reports of your trust in Christ Jesus. We have heard of your active love for all God’s people. We recognise these things as evidence that you really have cottoned on to the nature of the wonderful future God has promised you. You first caught wind of this promised future when the great news about God’s love reached you and you recognised it as the truth. The moment you heard it, it dawned on you just how outrageously generous God is, and ever since then the truth has been taking root within you and growing out through every area of your life, bearing a rich harvest of good fruits, just as it has been all over the world. It was our good mate Epaphras who first taught you these things. We love him greatly and are proud to work for Christ alongside him. He has represented us faithfully in his work for Christ among you, and it was him who brought us such enthusiastic reports about the love being generated from your life in the Spirit.
From the moment we heard them, these reports have been inspiring us to pray for you all the time. We are praying that you will be given a full picture of what God wants, and that you will grow wise and perceptive — aware of what the Spirit is doing. Then you will get to know God better and better, and it will be reflected in you lives — giving credit to Christ — as you bear fruit in compassionate action for the benefit of others. We are also praying that your strength will be built up as you draw on God’s awesome resources, and that you will have the mental and emotional toughness to survive anything; not just to survive, in fact, but to keep on celebrating the good things you have received from God. You have much to be thankful for because, like a proud father, God has left a generous inheritance to the children of the light, and you’ve been written in for a share of it. We became children of the light when God broke the grip of the darkness that had overwhelmed us and placed us instead in the loving hands of Christ. All that we have ever done wrong has been forgiven and we have been put back where we belong, in the realm of God’s beloved Son.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 10: 25-37

One of the legal experts asked Jesus a question to test his knowledge of the religious law. “Teacher,” he asked, “what do I need to do to inherit life without limit from God?”
Jesus replied with a question of his own: “What answer does the religious law give? What do you see written there?”
The legal expert answered, “You must love the Lord your God with everything you are, with all your heart and soul and mind and strength; and love your neighbour as attentively as you love yourself.”
“Spot on!” said Jesus. “Do as it says and you will live.”
But the legal expert needed to push the issue in order to justify his question, so he asked, “But who would you define as a neighbour?”
Jesus replied with a story: “A man was travelling alone down the mountain road between Jerusalem and Jericho. He was mugged by a gang of thugs. They tore off all his clothes and possessions, bashed him senseless, and left him for dead. Some time later, a priest came down the road, but when he saw the man lying unconscious in the gutter, he crossed the road, pretended not to notice, and hurried on past. Another person from a religious order did exactly the same thing; took one look at him, crossed the road, and hurried past. The next traveller to come down the road was a man from a despised and distrusted minority group – the Samaritans. When he saw the half dead man lying in the gutter, he was deeply concerned and immediately stopped to help. He cleaned and disinfected his wounds, and bandaged him up to stop the bleeding. Then he gave him a lift to the next town. He checked him into the little bush hospital there and made sure he was okay. Before leaving he paid for the man’s bed and instructed them to care for him there until he was back up and about. He promised that on his return he would pick up the bill for any additional costs that might be incurred. Now, which of these three, in your estimation, was a neighbour to the man who was bashed on the road?
The legal expert, of course, replied, “The one who treated him with compassion.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and follow his example.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection

Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures, from which the first reading is usually chosen, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative.
The weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm.

Deuteronomy 30: 9-14

If you turn your lives around and commit yourselves completely — heart and soul — to the LORD your God, and live by all the instructions written in The Book of God’s Law, then the LORD your God will make sure that everything you do prospers. Everything you touch will turn to gold: your children will be many; your livestock will be healthy and multiplying; and your crop-lands will be fertile and productive. The LORD enjoyed blessing the endeavours of your ancestors and will take just as much pleasure in blessing everything you do.
Surely what the LORD is telling you today is not beyond you or too tough for you. It is not as though it is a bunch of secrets kept in heaven and you can excuse yourselves on the grounds that it is out of reach and no one can explain to you how to live by it. Neither is it bound up in some foreign language and culture; so you can’t excuse yourselves on the grounds that it can only be understood and practised by those who can travel overseas to study it. No, God’s Word is right here in your midst. You know it by heart and can speak it fluently. All you have to do is live by it!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 25:1-10

I gladly offer you everything I am, LORD .
I have put my trust in you, God;
please don’t let me down;
don’t give my enemies grounds to gloat.
Be there for those who hang in there for you, no matter what:
don’t leave them with egg on their faces.
Save that for the two-faced scabs who deserve it.
Let me in on your way of doing things, LORD;
teach me how to follow your tracks.
Steer me along your ways of truth, and teach me all about them.
Only you can save me from disaster, God,
so I’ll wait for you before setting out.
Your love and mercy have been as timeless and dependable as the rock;
please don’t change your mind about them now!
Don’t keep a record of everything I’ve done wrong in the past.
Let your unshakable love colour your view of me,
and keep your reputation for generosity intact!
You always do what is good and right, LORD,
and so you patiently retrain those who do wrong.
You pilot a safe course for those who are not too full of themselves;
you give lessons on your ways to the humble folk.
Every path you tread, LORD, is marked by solid love and loyalty
for the benefit of all who keep our end of the bargain with you.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you have come to us as a neighbour,
binding our wounds and carrying us to safety.
In the beginning, you created light from darkness
and the earth from chaos.
You sent prophets among your people
to hold up a plumbline
that we might see the error of our ways,
repent, and bring justice and freedom
for the dispossessed and the vulnerable.
You have sent us the Word of truth,
in your child, Jesus the Christ.
He was crucified, but you raised him to life
with the strength of your glorious power.
Now his words are bearing fruit among us,
filling us with all wisdom and understanding
and enabling us to love you with all our heart, soul and mind,
and to love our neighbour with the same love
that that you have shown us in Christ.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for coming to us as a neighbour,
binding our wounds and carrying us to safety,
so that we might love you with all our heart, soul and mind,
and love our neighbour as ourselves.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you have come to us as a neighbour,
binding our wounds and carrying us to safety.
In the beginning, you created light from darkness
and the earth from chaos.
You sent prophets among your people
to hold up a plumbline
that we might see the error of our ways,
repent, and bring justice and freedom
for the dispossessed and the vulnerable.
You have sent us the Word of truth,
in your child, Jesus the Christ.
He was crucified, but you raised him to life
with the strength of your glorious power.
Now his words are bearing fruit among us,
filling us with all wisdom and understanding
and enabling us to love you with all our heart, soul and mind,
and to love our neighbour with the same love
that that you have shown us in Christ.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

God has rescued us from the power of darkness
and brought us safe into the Kingdom of Christ Jesus.
In him, and through him we have redemption
and the forgiveness of sins.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now and live lives worthy of the Lord.
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength
and bear fruit in every good work,
putting love and mercy into action for others
just as you would for yourselves.
And may God’s glorious power make you strong;
May Christ Jesus fill you with wisdom and understanding;
And may the Holy Spirit prepare you for the hope
that is laid up for you in heaven.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Who is my neighbour?A sermon on Amos 7:10-15; Luke 10:25-37 & Colossians 1:13-14 by Nathan Nettleton

What do Jesus and a Plumbline have in Common?A sermon on Amos 7:10-15 & Luke 10:25-37 by Nathan Nettleton

Mysticism and Prophesy: the intimate connectionA sermon on Amos 7.7-17 & Luke 10. 25-37 by Garry Deverell

A New CitizenshipA sermon on Luke 10:25-37 & Colossians 1:13-14 by Nathan Nettleton

A Measure to Live ByA sermon on Amos 7:10-15; Luke 10:25-37 & Colossians 1:13-14 by Nathan Nettleton

It all depends how you look at itA sermon on Amos 7:10-15; Luke 10:25-37 & Colossians 1:13-14 by Sylvia Sandeman

Making and Unmaking NobodiesA sermon on Luke 10:25-37 by Nathan Nettleton

Schooled in Love and LimitsA sermon on Luke 10:25-37 by Nathan Nettleton

Not in my neighbourhood and other ways to avoid being a good SamaritanA sermon on Luke 10:25-37 by Sandra McLean

Proper 9 - Year C
2031-07-06 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

2 Kings 5: 1-14

The commander of the Syrian army was a man named Naaman. Naaman was very popular with his king, because under his command, the LORD had given Syria a string of military victories. Although he was a great soldier and a highly decorated commander, Naaman suffered from leprosy. Naaman’s wife had a young Israelite girl among her servants who had come to Syria as a prisoner of war after a military raid. One day the girl said to her mistress, “If only your husband could meet the prophet who lives in Samaria. I’m sure he would cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman spoke to the king about what the girl had said, and the king gladly gave him leave to go. He also provided him with a letter of referral, addressed to the king of Israel.
Naaman headed off, loaded up with money and expensive gifts of jewellery and fine clothing. Arriving in Israel, he delivered the letter to the king. It read, “The bearer of this letter is my trusted servant, Naaman. I have sent him to you to have his leprosy cured.”
When the king of Israel read the letter, he was beside himself with fear; tearing his hair out over what to do. “What does the king of Syria think he’s doing?” he shouted. “Does he think I’m God or something, that I can cure lepers at his request? It looks like he’s trying to pick a fight with me.”
News of this got to Elisha, the prophet of God in Samaria. He sent a message to the king saying, “Why are you tearing your hair out? Get a grip on yourself and send the man to me so that he can find out for himself that there is a real prophet in Israel.”
So Naaman and his whole entourage pulled up in the street outside Elisha’s house. Elisha sent an errand boy out to Naaman with a message, saying, “Go down to the Jordan River and wash yourself in it seven times. That will cure you and your skin will be as clean and clear as a child’s.”
Naaman felt deeply insulted and drove off in a huff, saying, “You’d think that for a man of my standing he could have come out and talked to me himself. I thought that he would at least stand and call on the LORD his God, and wave his hand over my skin to bring about the cure! What’s so special about their scummy Israelite river? Aren’t the two great rivers of Damascus much bigger and better? Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?”
So he stormed off, seething with rage. But his servants spoke up and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something really difficult, you would have done it, wouldn’t you? So surely you have got nothing to lose but your disease if you do what he said and wash yourself in the river.”
So Naaman relented and, wading out into the Jordan River, he immersed himself seven times in the water, just as the prophet of God had instructed him. Sure enough, he was cured instantly, and his skin became as clear and healthy as a child’s.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 30

I’ll be singing your praises, every chance I get, LORD,
because you got me out of deep trouble
and spared me the gloating of my enemies.
I pleaded for help, LORD God,
and you stepped in and healed me.
They were nearly ready to pronounce me dead
but your brought me back, LORD;
you put me back on my feet
when I was about to be carried to the morgue.
So I’m singing your praises,
and I’m encouraging everyone to do the same;
to name you with joyful thanks.
We manage to get you angry at times,
but it blows over in a moment
because your mercy keeps on keeping on.
We may have an evening of bitter tears,
but by morning your mercy has us smiling again.
I was guilty of taking your goodness for granted;
I thought I had it made.
You had put me on top of the world
but I got all too full of myself.
You stepped aside – made me stand alone —
and I turned to jelly!
I realised how much I needed you, LORD,
and in my panic I begged you for mercy.
“What good is my blood to you?” I cried.
“How will it help if I’m in the grave?
Can a corpse sing your praises?
Will a gravestone publicise your goodness?
Give me another chance, LORD.
Please, LORD, bail me out one more time.”
And sure enough, you did, LORD.
You turned my tears to laughter;
you set my dragging feet dancing;
you dusted me off and dressed me up for a party.
So now I’m singing your praises
from the bottom of my heart,
and no one can shut me up!
You are my God, LORD,
and I’m eternally grateful.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Galatians 6: (1-6), 7-16

My friends, by God’s gift you are spiritual people, so if there are any among you who have fallen into some sin, the rest of you should gently help them to get back on the right track. Guard yourselves against being sucked into the same mistakes, because no one is immune to sin. If others are struggling, don’t be slow to get your hands dirty and help out. Pitching in to help is the only thing that measures up to the instructions and example that Christ left us. If you think it’s beneath you, you’ve fallen for your own publicity. Make a proper assessment of the value of your own contribution by taking a good hard look at yourself and asking how your work compares to your actual potential. Don’t go getting full of yourself simply because your efforts look more impressive than someone else’s. Everyone is responsible for pulling their weight according to their own ability, not according to someone else’s ability. Those of you who have been well trained in God’s ways are therefore expected to contribute generously to the common life of the community that has taught you, sharing all the good things that have been formed within you.
Don’t be conned into thinking you can play God for a sucker. What you put into life determines what you’ll get back. If your investments are all in your own selfish impulses, they’ll pay out a dividend of degradation and misery. But if you invest yourself in the ways of the Spirit, your investment will yield rich dividends of life without limit, guaranteed forever by the Spirit. So let’s see that we never get tired of doing the right thing. If we don’t lose patience, but stay in for the long term, we will be richly rewarded. Let’s take every opportunity, then, to contribute our energies to making the world a better place for everybody. And as a starting point, let’s especially care for our co-workers in the community of faith.
Take note: I am writing here in large letters with my own hand. Those who are trying to force you into adopting their customs of circumcision and the like are only after an easy way to impress everyone with their own importance. They haven’t got the guts to risk the consequences of standing firm and saying that the cross of Christ is the be all and end all. They talk big about the circumcision law, but they don’t obey the whole law any more than we do. They are concerned only about those laws that they will be noticed for. They want you to accept circumcision so that they can boast of you as proof of their superior convert rate. God help me if I ever boast of anything other than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of the cross, the world is a dead thing to me, and I’ve died to it and become completely unresponsive to its attempts to lure me into going along with its self-serving ways. The fact is that it doesn’t make the least bit of difference whether you are circumcised or not. The one thing that is of ultimate importance is the new creation that God is making of us! For all of you who accept this and live by it, you are the the true chosen people of God, and I pray that the riches of God’s peace and mercy will be yours.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20

Taking charge, Jesus selected a large group of his followers – as many of them as there were nations in the world – and sent them off in pairs as advance parties into all the towns and districts he was planning to pass through.
He gave them the following instructions: “The world is an orchard, groaning under a bumper crop, ripe and ready for picking; but there are hardly any workers ready to bring it in. So get in touch with the Lord of the crop, and put in an urgent request for more workers to be sent out to do the picking. Now, on your bikes! And keep your eyes open, because on this job you will be like children swimming among the sharks. Travel light and live simply – no carting luggage around and no wasting time swapping travel stories with everyone you bump into on the road. If anyone invites you to stay in their home, pray openly for God to bless their household with peace. If they are peace-loving people, they will benefit from your prayer. If they are not, you haven’t lost anything. Stay in the same house until it’s time to move on. As workers, you’ve earned your keep, so eat and drink whatever your hosts provide, and don’t go fussing about dietary customs. No shopping around for a better place!
“If you arrive in a town and the locals welcome you, be gracious guests and accept their hospitality, whether their food appeals to you or not. Heal anyone in the town who is sick, and announce that the culture of God is close at hand among them. If you arrive in a town and the locals refuse to welcome you, then stand in the main street and say, ‘We are scratching your name off our map because of what you have done. The culture of God has come within reach right here, but you’ve shut it out.’
“Whoever listens to what you have to say is listening to me. Those who give you the cold shoulder are giving me the cold shoulder, and if they’re giving me the cold shoulder they are doing the same to the One who sent me.”
So off they went in pairs, the whole group of them, and when they returned they were ecstatic. “Lord,” they said, “when we called the shots on your authority, even the demons fell into line!”
Jesus replied, “Yes, I was watching, and I saw the satan knocked off his perch and fall out of the sky like a bolt of lightning. You see, the world is full of snakes and sharks, but I have given you the ability to stand against them, and against all the power of the enemy, and they can do you no real harm. All the same, the most exciting news for you is not that evil will give way to you, but that your names are on the books in the pay office of heaven.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection

Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures, from which the first reading is usually chosen, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative.
The weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm.

Isaiah 66: 10-14

Celebrate! Shout with joy
all you who love Jerusalem.
All you who have shed tears over her,
it is time to share her joy.
Now you can snuggle in close to her,
and be nourished at her comforting bosom.
You can drink deeply
from her wonderful breasts.
This is what the LORD says:
I will make Jerusalem prosper like river in flood.
The world’s riches will overflow their banks
and pour into her.
Jerusalem shall nurse you like a newborn;
hold you in her arms and bounce you on her knee.
I will comfort you there
like a mother comforting her own child.
When you see all this, your hearts will burst with joy.
Even your bodies will feel rejuvenated,
like grass springing up in the Autumn rains.
It will be clear to all that I, the LORD, am taking sides;
favouring those who serve me
over those who oppose me.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 66: 1-9

All the earth should shout joyfully to you, God;
singing your praises;
giving you the glory you deserve.
The things you have done are awesome, God!
When you take action,
your enemies cringe in fear.
You are worshipped all over the earth;
everywhere people sing your praises
and speak your name with honour.
We want to publicise everything you have done, God,
for what you have done among us is awesome.
You made a dry path through the middle of the sea;
you took us safely through the river on foot.
There on the other side, we celebrated your goodness
and declared you to be our mighty ruler forever.
Your eyes are always open, watching the nations;
let pretentious rebels be warned!
If only everyone would honour you, God,
and fill the world with the sound of your praises.
You are the one who sustains our life
and keeps our feet on the right track.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you have raised us up as a new creation
and written our names in the book of life.
You created the earth in your goodness
and its plentiful harvest feeds your creatures.
Through the law and prophets you revealed yourself
as the God who heals us and makes us whole.
When we had sown the seeds of destruction,
you sent your child, Jesus, among us
to sow seeds of peace,
bearing our burdens
and immersing us in your healing waters.
When he was rejected and nailed to the cross,
the world was crucified to us,
and us to the world.
You pulled him back from the place of the dead
and robed him in glory.
Now you send us as labourers into the harvest,
to proclaim your nearness,
and to reap eternal life in your Spirit.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you that you have raised us up as a new creation,
written our names in the book of life,
and sent us as labourers into the harvest,
to proclaim your nearness,
to immerse people into your healing waters,
and to reap eternal life in your Spirit.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you have raised us up as a new creation
and written our names in the book of life.
You created the earth in your goodness
and its plentiful harvest feeds your creatures.
Through the law and prophets you revealed yourself
as the God who heals us and makes us whole.
When we had sown the seeds of destruction,
you sent your child, Jesus, among us
to sow seeds of peace,
bearing our burdens
and immersing us in your healing waters.
When he was rejected and nailed to the cross,
the world was crucified to us,
and us to the world.
You pulled him back from the place of the dead
and robed him in glory.
Now you send us as labourers into the harvest,
to proclaim your nearness,
and to reap eternal life in your Spirit.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Our God is an awesome God,
whose anger passes quickly
and whose mercy lasts a lifetime.
Rejoice then, for your names are written in heaven.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, and proclaim that the reign of God is near.
Travel lightly, but bear one another’s burdens,
and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Work for the good of all,
avoid temptation,
and pray that God will send more labourers into the harvest.
And may God give you mercy and peace;
May Christ Jesus give you power over all that would harm you;
And may the Holy Spirit produce within you
a rich harvest of joy and life.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Mission Insignificant?A sermon on Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20 by Nathan Nettleton

Keep it simple, StupidA sermon on 2 Kings 5: 1-14 by Nathan Nettleton

Too Simple to BotherA sermon on 2 Kings 5: 1-14 by Nathan Nettleton

Crucifying the Domesticated GospelA sermon on Galatians 6:1-16 by Nathan Nettleton

God’s DreamA sermon on Galatians 6:1-16 by Paul Dekar

Go in PeaceA sermon on 2 Kings 5: 1-14 & Galatians 6: 1-16 by Ian Cook

Taking Pride in the Cross of Jesus ChristA sermon on Galatians 6:1-16 by Garry Deverell

Bringing Satan Crashing DownA sermon on Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20 by Nathan Nettleton

Questions on MissionA sermon on Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20 by Michael Wood

Proper 8 - Year C
2031-06-29 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

2 Kings 2: 1-2, 6-14

Shortly before the LORD sent a whirlwind to take Elijah into heaven, Elijah and Elisha headed off on a journey from Gilgal. Elijah had tried to talk Elisha out of coming, saying, “The LORD wants me to go to Bethel, but there is no need for you to come. You can stay here.”
But Elisha said, “I’m sticking with you, come hell or high water!”
So they travelled together down to Bethel. Elijah said, “Elisha, you stay put. The LORD wants me to go across the Jordan River, but there is no need for you to come.”
But Elisha said, “I’m sticking with you, come hell or high water!”
So the two of them continued on together. A group of fifty prophets followed them, keeping their distance but not letting them out of their sight. When they arrived at the Jordan River, Elijah took off his coat, rolled it up, and slapped the water with it. The water immediately parted to form a dry path through the middle of the river and the two of them crossed over. When they reached the other side, Elijah said, “Elisha, our time together is almost up. What would you most like me to do for you before I am taken away?”
Elisha replied, “Please make me your successor by leaving to me the largest share of the spirit that empowers you.”
Elijah responded, “That’s a tough ask! But if you actually see me being taken away from you, then you’ll get your wish. If you don’t, you’ll miss out.”
The two of them continued to walk along, deep in conversation, when suddenly a chariot of fire drawn by two blazing horses charged between them and Elijah was sucked up in a whirlwind and taken into heaven. Elisha saw the whole thing and kept crying out, “Father! Father! You are gone with the defenders of Israel, God’s mounted warriors!”
When Elijah disappeared from sight, Elisha was torn apart with grief. When he had pulled himself back together, he picked up the prophet’s coat which Elijah had dropped, and headed back to the river bank. He rolled up Elijah’s coat and, slapping the water with it as Elijah had, called out, “Are you with me now LORD, God of Elijah?”
Sure enough, when he struck the water, a dry path opened up through the Jordan River again, and Elisha crossed over to the Jericho side again.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 77: 1-2, 11-20

Please God, hear me!
I’m crying out as loud as I can.
I search for you in desperation, Lord.
Day and night I never stop reaching out for you;
I refuse to be comforted by anyone else.
I think back on what you’ve done in the past, LORD;
I remember the amazing things you did.
I will keep these things in my mind,
and meditate on all your works.
You are in a class of your own, God;
No other god even comes close.
You are the God who does awesome things;
you have come out in the open
and shown everyone what you’re made of.
You rolled your sleeves up and pulled your people out of trouble,
coming to our rescue like you did for our forebears,
Jacob and Joseph.
When the waters stood between us and freedom,
they took one look at you, God, and panicked;
the depths shuddered with fear.
Everything went berserk;
the clouds burst their seams,
thunder shook the skies
and lightning bolts flashed in all directions.
Your whirlwind came with a crash of thunder;
your lightning lit up the sky;
the earth shuddered and shook.
You cut a path through the raging waters;
blazed a trail through the roaring waves;
not a footprint was left to show where you’d been.
Like sheep through a gate you led your people,
with Moses and Aaron showing the way.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Galatians 5: 1, 13-25

Christ has set us free – really free. So stand your ground on that freedom, and don’t let anyone or anything else start dictating the limits of your life. The life of freedom into which Christ has liberated us is a wonderful thing, but don’t make the mistake of using it as an excuse to give in to every selfish impulse. That would only lure you into an even worse slavery. Instead use your freedom to serve one another in uninhibited love. If you live by just one law – “love others as fully as you love yourself” – you won’t need to slavishly study the rest in order to comply with its requirements. The rest is just commentary. If, on the other hand, you use your freedom to pursue selfish ends, you’ll become increasingly nasty and competitive with one another and end up just destroying each other. And a fat lot of good your freedom will do you then!
How then should you live? Dance to the Spirit’s tune, and don’t go feeding every selfish impulse that surfaces within you, or they’ll grow into monsters and take over your life. You see, the problem is that a wedge has been driven between our bodily appetites and the Spirit’s desires. They now strive for quite different things and have become opponents in a struggle for your allegiance. The conflict means that you can no longer simply assume that your body will reliably tell you what’s best for you. But that doesn’t mean that you have to live your lives in slavish compliance with the law, because there is another alternative – following the leadings of the Spirit.
It is quite obvious what sort of things characterise those whose lives are dictated by their bodily impulses:

loveless, trivialised sex;
polluted minds and hearts;
desperate pleasure seeking;
the worship of possessions and power;
personality cults;
vindictiveness;
muck-raking;
resenting the success of others;
seething bitterness;
vicious bickering;
venomous feuding;
paranoid sectarianism;
toxic rivalry;
chronic substance abuse;
desperate and deluded partying;

I could go on, but you get the picture! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: those who squander their freedom on such things can kiss the realm of God goodbye.
What a contrast is the life danced to the Spirit’s tune! Like a lush tropical orchard its fruits are constantly ripening:

active, unconditional love;
delight at the wonder of life;
a deep inner peace that shapes all our relating;
the ability to persevere when results are slow;
open-handed compassion;
unfeigned generosity;
unshakable loyalty;
unassuming consideration of others;
the strength to direct our energies wisely.

There is no law against such things, and no law that could ever produce them. Everyone who belongs to Christ Jesus has handed over their selfish impulses and corrupted bodily appetites to be executed on the cross. Since we now live a new life – drawn from the Spirit – let’s see to it that we live it to the full, by allowing the Spirit to set the agenda in every area of our lives. Let’s not go getting all up ourselves, resentfully obsessing over the success of others and trying to get the better of one another.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 9: 51-62

When Jesus’s time on earth was running out, he gritted his teeth and set out for Jerusalem. He sent some messengers on ahead to book accommodation in the towns where he would be stopping on the way. In one Samaritan town, the locals were so hostile towards Jerusalem that when they heard that Jesus was heading there, no one was willing to offer him a room or even a meal. Two of his followers, James and John, were so incensed by this that they said, “Lord, do you want us to call down a thunderbolt from heaven to wipe them off the map?”
But Jesus put the two of them back in their place in no uncertain terms and then continued on down the track to another town.
As they travelled, someone approached Jesus and said, “I will follow you, wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Do you know what you’d be letting yourself in for? Dogs have their kennels and chooks have sheds, but the New Human can’t even find a room for the night.”
To someone else, Jesus made the call: “Follow me.”
But the man said, “Give me time. I can’t come until my father has been buried.”
But Jesus dismissed his excuses, saying, “Get your priorities straight. You can leave the lifeless to sort out the affairs of the dead. Your business is life. Hit the road and get the message out about the culture of God.”
Someone else came saying, “I’m definitely with you, Lord, but I just need to say my goodbyes and sort things out at home before I can join you on the road.”
Jesus replied, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too! Either you’re with us or you’re not. You’ll be of no use to God’s bandwagon if you’re going to keep jumping off to check on things at home.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection

Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures, from which the first reading is usually chosen, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative.
The weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm.

1 Kings 19: 15-16, 19-21

On Mount Sinai, the LORD spoke to Elijah, saying, “Off you go. Head back down to the desert near Damascus. When you get there, you are to crown Hazael as the new king of Syria. Then you are to crown Jehu, the son of Nimshi, as the new king of Israel. Finally, you are to appoint Elisha, the son of Shaphat, to be your successor as my prophet.”
So Elijah set out as he had been told, and found Elisha, the son of Shaphat. Elisha was working a paddock with a plow pulled by a pair of bullocks. He was the twelfth in a line of men, each plowing with a pair of bullocks. Elijah picked him out and as he walked past he threw his own prophet’s coat over him. Elisha dropped what he was doing and ran after Elijah, saying, “Let me just go and kiss my parents goodbye, and then I’ll come with you.”
Elijah replied, “Off you go. Have I done anything to stop you?”
Elisha went home and severed all his ties. Burning his plow and slaughtering his bullocks, he gave a farewell barbecue for the people he had lived and worked with. Then, putting his old life behind him, he hit the road with Elijah and became his apprentice.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 16

Protect me, God,
you are my place of refuge.
I’m acknowledging you as the one in charge, LORD;
you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I delight in the company of those
who dedicate themselves to you;
they are the salt of the earth.
Those who worship other things
will have nothing but grief.
I will not buy into their futile devotions;
I will not utter the names they revere.
You are all I want, LORD, and all I need;
you hold my future in your hands.
You mark out the best of everything for me;
you’ve set me up with a bright future.
I heap accolades on you, LORD,
for you always give me wise advice;
even in the dead of night
you fill my heart with your teachings.
I’ll always stick close behind you, LORD;
with you near by,
I’ll never be pushed off track.
You fill me with delight, LORD;
joy erupts from deep in my bones;
my body relaxes, safe in your care.
You’ll never let the grave drag me down;
your faithful servants are never left for dead.
You set my feet on a life-giving track, LORD.
To be in your presence is absolute bliss.
All I could dream of comes from your hand.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you alone are holy,
and there are no other gods that compare with you.
With thanksgiving we recall your awesome deeds,
your wonders of old,
when you brought forth the earth from the churning chaos;
when you parted the waters and led your people to freedom;
when your chariot of fire carried your prophet to glory.
And especially we recall
how you sent your child, Jesus Christ,
who proclaimed your reign among us.
When he was crucified by those who refused to accept him,
you raised him to life,
and through him,
gave us a double portion of your Spirit.
He has rescued us from slavery,
called us to follow in his ways,
and set us free to bear the fruit of your Holy Spirit,
in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for your awesome deeds of old,
and for all you are doing now through your son, Jesus Christ:
rescuing us from slavery;
guiding us in his ways by your Holy Spirit;
and bearing within us fruits of love, joy and peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you alone are holy,
and there are no other gods that compare with you.
With thanksgiving we recall your awesome deeds,
your wonders of old,
when you brought forth the earth from the churning chaos;
when you parted the waters and led your people to freedom;
when your chariot of fire carried your prophet to glory.
And especially we recall
how you sent your child, Jesus Christ,
who proclaimed your reign among us.
When he was crucified by those who refused to accept him,
you raised him to life,
and through him,
gave us a double portion of your Spirit.
He has rescued us from slavery,
called us to follow in his ways,
and set us free to bear the fruit of your Holy Spirit,
in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Christ Jesus has set you free.
Stand then as free people,
and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again.
You are set free to live by the Spirit.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, and proclaim the reign of God.
Do not let bodily desires enslave you,
but live by the Spirit.
Use your freedom to grow in love for one another.
And may God reach out to you and save you;
May Christ Jesus give you a double portion of his Spirit;
And may the Holy Spirit bear fruit within you
and guide you in all your ways.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Losing your grip or loosing your gripA sermon on Luke 9: 51-62 by Nathan Nettleton

What does Christ think of your body?A sermon on Galatians 5: 1, 13-25 by Nathan Nettleton

Making the Most of FreedomA sermon on Galatians 5: 1, 13-25 by Nathan Nettleton

Plowing Ahead in an Age of ViolenceA sermon on Luke 9:51-62 & Galatians 5:1, 13-25 by Nathan Nettleton

Calling Down FireA sermon on Luke 9:51-62 & Galatians 5:1, 13-25 by Nathan Nettleton

Proper 7 - Year C
2031-06-22 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

1 Kings 19: 1-4, (5-7), 8-15a

King Ahab told his wife Jezebel how Elijah had made a mockery of the prophets of Baal and then killed them all. Jezebel was outraged and sent a message to Elijah, saying, “I’ll see that by this time tomorrow you suffer the same fate as the prophets you killed. May the gods strike me down if I don’t.”
Elijah was terrified and hit the road – running for his life. He made it to the Judean town of Beersheba where he parted company with his servant. He then went off-road and pushed on alone into the scrub. After a day of that, he was in utter despair. He collapsed under the only tree for miles that offered any shade and spilled his guts, saying, “I can’t take any more, LORD. Just kill me now! I’m as good as dead anyway.”
Exhausted, he fell asleep where he lay. Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder, saying, “Get up and eat.”
Elijah looked around and there, just near his head, was a cake of damper bread and a full water bottle. He ate and drank and then went back to sleep. The messenger of the LORD came to him again, tapping him on the shoulder and saying, “Get up and eat, or you’ll never survive the journey ahead.”
So Elijah got up and ate and drank his fill. That meal gave him the strength to push on for forty days and nights until he reached Mount Sinai – God’s own mountain. When he got there, he spent the night in a cave.
The next morning, the LORD spoke to him, saying, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
Elijah answered, “I’ve given my all for you, LORD God, ruler of everything. The people of Israel have turned their backs on their alliance with you. They have demolished the places of worship and massacred your prophets. I am the only one left and now they are hunting me down to kill me too.”
The LORD said, “Go outside and stand to attention on the mountain, because I am about to pass in front of you.”
As Elijah stood there, a cyclone hit the mountain, shattering the rocks and splintering the trees; but the LORD was not in the cyclone. After the cyclone, the mountain was shaken by an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a raging bushfire; but the LORD was not in the bushfire. Then, after all that, there came a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his coat over his face and stood stock still outside the entrance of the cave. Then, from the silence, came a voice, saying, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
Elijah answered, “I’ve given my all for you, LORD God, ruler of everything. The people of Israel have turned their backs on their alliance with you. They have demolished the places of worship and massacred your prophets. I am the only one left and now they are hunting me down to kill me too.”
Then the LORD said to him, “Off you go. Head back down to the desert near Damascus.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 42 & 43

Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole,
I crave you, God, with every fibre of my being.
Everything inside me thirsts for you, God,
for you, the Living God.
When will the drought break
so I can be with you, face to face.
I’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;
day and night it’s been the same;
I can’t shut out the jeers and taunts,
“Where is this God of yours?”
Cherished memories flood my mind,
rubbing salt in the wound;
memories of past celebrations
when I led the worship in your house.
I can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;
the crowds celebrating your goodness.
Why do I feel so defeated?
Why am I so anxious and agitated?
I tell myself not to give up hope,
for you are my God and my help
and I’ll be glad of that again.
I feel so defeated inside;
I try to remind myself of your goodness
as I walk along the beach to the river mouth
and look towards the mountains.
But all I hear is the roar of waves
and churning waters;
I feel like chaos is breaking over me
and sucking me down, deeper and deeper.
Every day I read of your rock-solid love, LORD;
and every night I sing your songs
and pray to you as the God of my life.
But still I find myself asking the question:
“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?
Why are so many out to get me,
making my life such a misery?”
My wounds are deep and painful
but the torture goes on;
over and over I hear the taunts,
“Where is this God of yours?”
Why do I feel so defeated?
Why am I so anxious and agitated?
I tell myself not to give up hope,
for you are my God and my help
and I’ll be glad of that again.
Clear my name, God;
side with me against these godless tormentors.
Rescue me from their lies and abuse.
I trusted you to look after me, God;
why have you pushed me aside?
Why are so many out to get me,
making my life such a misery?
Let your truth blaze like a beacon
so I can see the way to go;
let it light up the path and lead me
to your home on the sacred mountain.
Then I will offer myself to you in worship, God;
offer myself with uninhibited joy.
I will praise you with music and song,
O God, my God!
Why do I feel so defeated?
Why am I so anxious and agitated?
I tell myself not to give up hope,
for you are my God and my help
and I’ll be glad of that again.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Galatians 3: 23-29

Before we had put our faith in Christ and allowed that faith to begin reshaping our lives, we needed a rigid legal code to keep us in line. The law was like a zealous parole officer, keeping us on the straight and narrow, under duress. When Christ came, the law was no longer necessary, because we can be put on track with God by entrusting ourselves to Christ. Now that this opportunity is available to us, we no longer need the parole officer watching over our shoulders. Having entrusted ourselves to Christ, we have been transferred with him into the direct care of God, and God treats us as beloved children, not as prisoners. When we were baptised, we handed in our prison clothes and were given a make-over in the image of Christ. All of you who have been baptised, therefore, are on an equal footing — your new Christ-like clothing covers any previous distinction. There is no longer any preferential treatment on the basis of your ethnic or religious background, your education or employment status, or even your sex. All of you are related to Christ Jesus in exactly the same way and are regarded by him as equals. If you belong to Christ, then through him you are descendants of Abraham, and you therefore stand to inherit all that God promised to Abraham’s children.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 8: 26-39

Jesus and his followers sailed across Lake Galilee and landed near the town of Gerasa. As they stepped ashore, they were confronted by one of the locals – a dangerous madman who was tormented by demons. For years he had wandered around naked and dirty, and made his home in the graveyard and the rubbish dump outside the town. He had a long history of violent outbursts. On many occasions he had been locked up and straight-jacketed, but each time the demonic torment would drive him into a crazed frenzy and he would smash his way out and flee back into the bush.
When the man saw that Jesus was ordering the vile spirit out of him, he threw himself down on the ground, screaming. “What gives you the right to interfere with my life? You’re Jesus, the Son of the Supreme God. You don’t belong here. Leave me alone. I’ve been tortured enough already.”
“What’s your name,” Jesus asked him.
“They call me ‘the Mob’,” he replied.
He had been given that name because there were so many demons raging within him. The demons began pleading with Jesus not to wipe them off the face of the earth. They begged him to send them only as far as the herd of pigs foraging in a nearby paddock. Jesus agreed, and ordered them out of the man. No sooner was the man free of the torment, than the pigs went berserk, stampeding off the edge of the cliff and drowning in the lake below.
When the farm hands who were in charge of the pigs saw what had happened, they dropped their bundles and bolted. They reported the incident in town, and word of it was soon all over the district. A delegation came out to investigate, and they found the man who had for so long been out of his mind sitting with Jesus and hanging on his every word. It was the first time they’d ever seen him clothed and clear-headed, and the change was so dramatic that it unnerved them. The eye-witnesses filled them in on how the demon-crazed man had come to be healed.
All this was too freaky for the people of the Gerasa district. They were completely spooked by it and asked Jesus to clear off. So he and his followers piled back into the boat and headed for home. The man who had been freed from the demonic torment pleaded with Jesus to let him go with them, but Jesus sent him home, saying, “Move back into town and tell everyone what God has done for you.”
So the man went on his way and never let the townsfolk forget the wonderful things Jesus had done for him.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection

Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures, from which the first reading is usually chosen, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative.
The weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm.

Isaiah 65: 1-9

I, the LORD, have made myself available
even to those who didn’t bother to ask.
I put myself on call, ready and waiting,
even for those who were too lazy to look for me.
I kept waving and shouting, “Here I am!”
to a nation who kept ignoring me.
I kept offering the hand of friendship, round the clock,
to a people who kept spitting in my face.
Their behaviour has gone completely off the rails,
and they don’t care about anything but themselves.
They are constantly in my face,
needling me, stirring me up.
They play mix-and-match religion to spite me:
an idol from here, a ritual from there;
a sacrifice to this, some incense for that;
a seance in the cemetery to summon the dead.
If I say don’t eat something, they eat it.
They’d cook and serve sewerage if they thought I’d react.
They promote themselves as the spiritual elite;
too holy by far to mix with those they see as beneath them.
These people are a noxious stench.
They get right up my nose.
Look, I’ve kept a record of what they’ve done.
I’ll publish the lot and make them pay.
They’ll get all they deserve with interest,
and an added bonus for the sins of their parents.
I, the LORD, guarantee all this,
because they worship only what gives them a high
and they spurn me to pursue their next hit.
I will see that they cop the full consequences
of each and every despicable act.
But hear this from me, the LORD:
there is still some good wine in the cellar.
And just as people say,
“Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”,
so for the sake of those who still serve me,
I will not just wipe out the entire nation.
From among Jacob’s descendants
I will raise my true children;
from the tribe of Judah
I will raise people worthy of receiving my land.
Those I have chosen will inherit it;
those who truly serve me will make their home there.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 22: 19-28

What are you doing, LORD? Don’t quit on me now!
Get your act together and come to my rescue!
Save me before I get my throat cut,
before my body is dog meat!
Pull me out before they get their teeth into me!
At last! Just before the bulls ran me down, you have rescued me.
I won’t forget this – I’ll let everyone know.
Whenever people gather, I’ll be singing your praise.
I’ll call on all who honour you, LORD, to stand up and say so!
All who trace their roots to Jacob will give you the glory!
All who share the heritage of Israel will stand in awe of you!
LORD, you did not rubbish anyone
or blame the victims for their suffering.
You did not turn away or slip off quietly;
when I cried for help, you responded.
Whenever people gather to worship,
my heart overflows and I sing your praises.
Out in the open for all to see
I’ll do all that I promised.
At your table, God, the needy will feast;
those who hunger for you will be fed till they burst with praise!
They will be able to live it up, now and forever!
In every corner of the earth people will wake up to themselves
and turn back to you, LORD.
Every race, nation, tribe and family
will offer themselves to you in worship,
for you have the last word on everything;
what you say goes.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
and declare to all how much you have done for us.
Since the day you brought the earth to birth,
you have been present in the sounds of sheer silence,
where deep roars to deep;
and through your law and prophets
you guarded us and kept us from destruction.
When we were imprisoned in condemnation,
chained and shackled by demons too many to name,
you sent your light and truth
in your child, Jesus the Christ.
He drove our tormentors into the abyss
and reconciled us to ourselves and to one another.
When he was crucified,
you raised him to new life
and plunged us into his death, burial and resurrection.
Now you feed us with bread and wine
so that we might have strength for the journey
to the holy mountain where you make your home.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ,
who drives our tormentors into the abyss,
reconciles us to ourselves and to one another,
and feeds us with bread and wine
so that we might have strength for the journey.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
and openly declare how much you have done for us.
Since the day you brought the earth to birth,
you have been present in the sounds of sheer silence,
where deep roars to deep;
and through your law and prophets
you guarded us and kept us from destruction.
When we were imprisoned in condemnation,
chained and shackled by demons too many to name,
you sent your light and truth
in your child, Jesus the Christ.
He drove our tormentors into the abyss
and reconciled us to ourselves and to one another.
When he was crucified,
you raised him to new life
and plunged us into his death, burial and resurrection.
Now you feed us with bread and wine
so that we might have strength for the journey
to the holy mountain where you make your home.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

You are no longer judged and condemned by the law,
for in Christ Jesus, you are children of God through faith.
You are clothed with Christ.
You are heirs of the promises of God.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, proclaiming to all how much Jesus has done for you.
Be as one with each other in Christ.
Wait for the Lord, and be ready to hear God’s voice,
even in the sounds of sheer silence.
And may God be your fortress;
May Christ Jesus release you from all that torments you;
And may the Holy Spirit give you light and truth
to sustain you day and night.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

The Sounds of SilenceA sermon on 1 Kings 19: 1-18 by Nathan Nettleton

Getting a Make-Over for JesusA sermon on Galatians 3: 23-29 by Nathan Nettleton

Anniversaries, Covenants and Driving Off DemonsA sermon on Luke 8: 26-39 & Galatians 3:23-29 by Nathan Nettleton

Don’t Try This AloneA sermon on 1 Kings 19:1-15a & Luke 8: 26-39 by Nathan Nettleton

Growing Up and Becoming LawlessA sermon on Galatians 3: 23-29 by Nathan Nettleton

When the Black Sheep is Set FreeA sermon on Luke 8: 26-39 by Nathan Nettleton

Proper 6 - Year C
2031-06-15
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.
Bible Readings (paraphrased)
Lections 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.

1 Kings 21: 1-10, (11-14), 15-21a

A man named Naboth owned a vineyard in his hometown of Jezreel, not far from King Ahab’s palace. One day King Ahab decided that he wanted to add Naboth’s vineyard to his own property, so he went to Naboth and said, “Since your vineyard is so near my house, I’d like to have it for a vegetable garden. Sign it over to me and I’ll give you a better vineyard, or if you prefer, I’ll pay you a good price – cash up front.”
But Naboth replied, “God forbid! I could never let go of this land. My family roots are deep in the soil that God has given us.”
Ahab stomped off home in a sulk and stewed all afternoon over Naboth’s refusal to part with his family vineyard. He lay on his bed, scowling at the wall, and wouldn’t even eat. His wife Jezebel came in and demanded, “What has got you so down in the dumps that you’re off your food?”
Ahab replied, “It’s because of Naboth. I wanted to take over his vineyard, and I offered him a good price or even another vineyard in exchange, but he wouldn’t part with it for love nor money.”
Jezebel retorted, “Well, are you the king, or aren’t you? Get up; eat, drink and be merry. I’ll get Naboth’s vineyard for you.”
So Jezebel wrote some letters on the king’s letterhead, signed his name to them and sent them to the leaders of Naboth’s local community. The letters contained the following orders: “Call all the people together for a day of prayer and fasting. Seat Naboth up front and pay a couple of unscrupulous characters to raise accusations against him. Have them accuse him of insulting God and defaming the king. Then take him to the place of execution and stone him to death.”
The community leaders followed Jezebel’s orders to the letter. Just as she had written, they called the people together for a day of prayer and fasting. They gave Naboth a seat of honour up the front. Two paid liars stood up in front of everyone and accused Naboth to his face of having bad-mouthed God and the king. An angry mob dragged Naboth outside the town and stoned him to death. They then sent word to Jezebel that Naboth had been executed.
As soon as Jezebel got the news of Naboth’s death, she went and said to Ahab, “Go and take over Naboth’s vineyard. He won’t cause you any more grief. He’s dead.”
The minute he heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab jumped up and headed off to stake his claim to the vineyard.
Meanwhile, the LORD spoke to Elijah the prophet, saying:
“Go down and confront King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. At this very moment he is in Naboth’s vineyard, taking it over as his own. Go and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Have you murdered a man and now you’re stealing his property as well? You will pay for what you have done: in the very same spot where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, so too will they lick up your blood, Ahab.’”
So Elijah went and confronted Ahab in Naboth’s vineyard. Before he could say anything, Ahab saw him coming and said, “So my enemy, have you found me out?”
Elijah answered, “Yes, I have found you out. You have sold yourself over to the ways of evil. You have done things the LORD can’t stand to see and, as a result, disaster is coming your way.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 5: 1-8

Please listen to me, LORD;
tune in to my desperate words,
my groans and cries for help.
You are my God and my ruler;
listen as I pray to you.
You’ll hear me every morning, LORD;
as the sun rises, I’ll lay out my needs and wait on you.
You are not the kind of god who gets a laugh out of evil;
you don’t allow corruption to get a foothold anywhere near you.
You can’t stand the company of the arrogant;
you hate wrongdoing with a passion.
You unmask those who deal in deception;
you are disgusted by liars and blood-suckers.
But thanks to your extravagant and unfailing love,
I am free to enter your house.
I am totally in awe of you,
as I bow down in your temple to worship.
Keep me headed on the right track, LORD;
give me a clear-cut path
so I won’t get thrown off course by my enemies.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Galatians 2: 15-21

We ourselves are not lawless Gentiles, but ‘born and bred Jews’ — people of the law. However, we now know that this gives us no particular advantage, because God’s approval is not a reward for careful compliance with the law, but a gift to those who entrust themselves to Jesus Christ. Once we came to understand that no code of ethics or self-improvement program could ever put us in the good books with God, we also began to believe that Christ Jesus could, and so we entrusted ourselves to him, and left it to him to sort things out with God for us.
Having now entrusted out fate to Christ, we are seeking to pattern our lives on his example instead of on the prescriptions of the law. Does that mean that Christ can now be held responsible for every sin we are found to commit? Don’t be ridiculous! I’m still far from perfect, but that doesn’t mean I should reinstall the system I previously trashed. If I reverted to an obsession with avoiding mistakes, I probably wouldn’t make any less of them; I’d just feel crippled by guilt. I’m not going back to that, because it killed me the first time. If unfailing obedience to the law is all that matters, I’m a dead man. So I’ve given up — but not in despair. I’ve given up in order to take up an alternative — a life open to God. I handed my life over to be crucified with Christ; and the life I now live is not my own, but Christ’s. The only reason I am now living at all is that the risen Christ is living in me. Even my body would be dead meat by now if it weren’t for the life I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself unreservedly for me. So there is no way that I’m going to reject God’s extravagant generosity and go back to trying to prove that I can make the grade on my own without it. If it were possible to make the grade by meticulous law-keeping, then Christ died without achieving anything.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 7:36 - 8:3

Jesus accepted an invitation to a dinner party in the home of a man named Simon, a member of the devoutly religious Pharisee party. In Simon’s neighbourhood there lived a woman whose life was a tangled mess of degrading behaviour and shame. When she heard that Jesus was a guest in the Pharisee’s home, she took an expensive bottle of perfumed oil and walked in on the dinner party. She knelt down and began kissing Jesus’s feet. She was crying her eyes out, and she dried her tears from his feet with her own hair. Then she opened the perfumed oil and used it to massage his feet.
When the host saw this, he was mortified, but one of his first thoughts was, “If this man was really the prophet that people say he is, he’d know straight off that this woman who’s all over him is a filthy sinner, and he’d get rid of her.”
Before he had a chance to do anything though, Jesus spoke up; “Simon, I’ve got something you need to hear.”
“Well, let’s hear it then, Teacher,” he replied.
Jesus said, “There was a money lender who had two bad debts. One man owed him five grand, and the other only fifty bucks, but neither of them had the means to pay him back. In a fit of generosity, he wrote off the debts leaving them both owing nothing. Now, tell me; which of the two do you think he will be the more popular with?”
Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was let off the bigger debt.”
“No doubt,” said Jesus, and then with a smile to the woman, he said to Simon, “Now think about how you’re looking at this woman. When I arrived here tonight, you didn’t even show me where the bathroom was to wash my hands, but this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her own hair. You didn’t even offer me a warm handshake, whereas she has hardly stopped kissing my feet. You didn’t even give me a pre-dinner drink to make me feel at home, but she has opened an expensive bottle and given me a beautiful foot massage. Let me tell you what this proves. She knows that although she has committed every sin in the book, she’s been forgiven the lot. Her extravagant display of love is the measure of her gratitude. But those who live so tightly that they hardly need any forgiveness strangle their capacity to love.”
Then, turning back to the woman, he said, “All that you’ve done wrong is forgiven.”
That set the tongues wagging among the religious heavies at the table: “Who does he think he is, forgiving sins?”
But Jesus, unperturbed, said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Not long after this, Jesus was back on the road. In cities and towns, wherever they went, he broadcast the message about the culture of God. The twelve travelled with him, and so did a number of women who had found healing for physical or spiritual disorders. Among them were Mary from Magdala who had been released from seven demons that had plagued her; Joanna, who was married to one of King Herod’s top officials; and Susanna. There were others too, and together they provided most of the resources needed by the group as they travelled around.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection

Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures, from which the first reading is usually chosen, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative.
The weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm.

2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:10, 13-15

The news that Uriah had been killed in battle reached his wife, Bathsheba, and she went into mourning. When the customary time of mourning was over, King David arranged for her to move into the palace. She became his wife, and a son was born to them. But David’s actions had put him off side with the LORD.
The LORD sent the prophet Nathan to speak to David. Nathan addressed the King saying:
Consider this case, your Majesty. Two men lived on neighbouring properties. One of them was filthy rich. He owned huge mobs of sheep and cattle, and plenty of land to graze them on. The other man was dirt poor. He rented his land and owned only one small lamb. The lamb was like a pet to him and his children. It even used to eat at their table and sleep on the end of their bed. People used to joke that he treated the lamb like one of his daughters. One day the rich man had a guest from out of town. He was too stingy to butcher any of his own animals to prepare a meal for his guest, so he sent a servant over the fence to steal the poor man’s lamb. He had the lamb roasted and carved up for the evening meal.”
David was so outraged he nearly exploded! He thumped the table and said, “I swear by God, such a cruel and callous crime will not go unpunished. Hanging’s too good for a man like that! I order that he be made to pay compensation at four times the value of what he stole.”
Nathan looked David straight in the eye and said, “You are the man! You stand condemned by your own words! Now listen to what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you:
I chose you to be king of Israel. When Saul was trying to kill you, I rescued you. I gave you his throne and his wives and made you king over both Israel and Judah. If that wasn’t enough, you should have said so. I would have gladly given you whatever you asked for. So why do you spit in my face now? Why have you rejected what I taught you and committed such a horrible crime? You murdered Uriah the Hittite so you could get your hands on his wife. He was fighting for you against the Ammonites – he shouldn’t have had to guard his back against you! And now the cat’s out of the bag. Your despicable behaviour will sow seeds of violence and betrayal that will tear apart your family generation after generation.”
David cried out to Nathan, saying, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Nathan replied, “You most certainly have, but the LORD is willing to give you another chance. You will not die for your sin as you deserve. However, you have treated the LORD with utter contempt and the damage is done. The child that is soon to be born to you will not survive.”
With that, Nathan left and went home. Uriah’s wife gave birth to David’s son, but the child was struck down by serious illness right from day one.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 32

What a blessing it is to be among those you have forgiven, LORD,
those whose record of wrongdoing you have wiped clean.
People who are honest about their lives
have everything going for them;
they never have to cover their tracks
or worry that they’ll be in your bad books.
I used to keep my sins to myself, LORD,
but they poisoned me from within;
wasting my body,
tormenting my mind.
Day and night I felt your eyes following me;
I lived in fear that you’d see right through me.
The joy of living evaporated
in the burning heat of my guilt.
Then I decided to come clean with you, LORD,
to own up to all I’d done and stop living a lie.
I made a full confession to you, LORD,
and you gave me a full pardon, forgiving all my sin.
Now, like all your faithful people, LORD,
I am always ready to open myself to you in prayer.
When trouble breaks its banks,
your faithful ones are on safe ground.
You are like a bomb shelter for us, LORD;
you protect us from danger.
Thanks to you, LORD, we can still laugh;
we can dance around singing songs of freedom.
You have given us clear directions;
you have pointed out the path we should follow.
You have kept a watchful eye on us
and made sure we understood.
You have encouraged us to follow willingly,
to understand and embrace your ways;
not to buck and snort like wild horses,
fighting the reins until our strength is broken.
Those who refuse the straight and narrow
will suffer for it, over and over;
but those who put their trust in you, LORD,
will find love and loyalty wherever they go.
You are celebrated by all right-minded people, LORD;
with open hearts we shout for joy;
with clear minds we sing your praises.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to pour out our thanks and praise,
as a fragrant offering to you, O God,
for you have poured out your love and mercy on us
with scandalous extravagance.
You created the earth and the heavens,
and gave us the land as an inheritance.
Through the law and the prophets you confronted us
whenever we sold out to do what is evil.
When the law was unable to save us,
you sent your child, Jesus, among us,
with the good news of your reign.
He showered us with grace
and in the face of pious hostility
brought us to your table.
He was crucified, and we with him,
but you raised him to resurrection life.
Now it is now no longer we who live,
but Christ who lives in us,
for he loved us and gave himself for us,
setting us right and restoring our hope.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We pour out our thanks as a fragrant offering to you, O God,
for, in Christ, you have poured out love and mercy on us
with scandalous extravagance
and it is now no longer we who live,
but Christ who lives in us.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We pour out thanks and praise
as a fragrant offering to you, O God,
for you have poured out your love and mercy on us
with scandalous extravagance.
You created the earth and the heavens,
and gave us the land as an inheritance.
Through the law and the prophets you confronted us
whenever we sold out to do what is evil.
When the law was unable to save us,
you sent your child, Jesus, among us,
with the good news of your reign.
He showered us with grace
and in the face of pious hostility
brought us to your table.
He was crucified, and we with him,
but you raised him to resurrection life.
Now it is now no longer we who live,
but Christ who lives in us,
for he loved us and gave himself for us,
setting us right and restoring our hope.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Christ Jesus, the Son of God, loved us
and gave himself for us.
We are put right with God through our faith in Christ.
Therefore Jesus says to you:
“Your faith has saved you.”
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, and live by faith in the Son of God.
Pray for God’s justice,
Never welcome evil,
pour out your love freely.
And may God hear your cries for help;
May Christ Jesus stand with you in the face of hostility;
And may the Holy Spirit fill you with faith and life.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons
Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Who makes the Grade?
A sermon on Luke 7: 36 – 8:4 by Nathan Nettleton
The Power of Love versus the Love of Power
A sermon on 1 Kings 21:1-21a & Luke 7: 36 – 8:3 by Nathan Nettleton
Identity and Compliance
A sermon on Galatians 2:15-21 & Luke 7: 36 – 8:4 by Nathan Nettleton
Wicked Women Welcome
A sermon on Luke 7: 36 – 8:4 by Alison Sampson

Trinity Sunday - Year C
2031-06-08 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Proverbs 8: 1-4, 22-31

Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.
Can’t you hear her, offering herself to all who pass by?
On the station steps at rush hour, there she is.
On a busy corner where everyone passes;
leaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;
wherever people are, her voice rings out.
This is what she has to say:
“Come one and all, and hear me out;
If you’re in the land of the living, what I have to offer is for you.
The LORD began the work of creation with me;
the opening act of the primeval drama.
In time before dreaming I was in on the action;
right from the word ‘go’ as the earth began.
Before the oceans were spawned, I was conceived;
before the first springs bubbled up and the waters broke free.
Before the mountains were carved and anchored in place;
before the hills were moulded, I was born;
brought forth by hands that were not yet dirty
from forging the elements of the planet’s first soil.
I was there to see the LORD’s preliminary works:
- launching the heavens;
- drawing coastlines on the deep blue sea;
- filling the sky with water-laden clouds;
- unplugging the springs to fill rivers and lakes;
- putting the ocean in its place,
and drawing a line in the sand that it dare not cross;
- marking out and pouring the foundations of the earth.
Throughout creation, I was there at the LORD’s side,
applying my skills like an expert in the trade.
My joyous enthusiasm always made the LORD’s day,
for I filled our work with dance and play.
The LORD’s earth was my playground
and the earth’s children my greatest delight.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 8

Our LORD and ruler,
all over the world
the mere mention of your name sets hearts pounding!
Your glory fills the universe!
The gurgling of babies makes more sense
than the clever arguments of your enemies.
The innocent chatter of children
silences the venomous talk of your opponents.
When I gaze at your handiwork in the night skies
— the moon, the stars, the milky way —
the whole cosmos under your control;
I can’t help but wonder why you bother with us.
Why do you care so much for mere human beings
when we count for so little in the scheme of things?
And yet, for reasons known to you alone,
you created us almost on a par with yourself
and decorated us with the highest honours and glory.
You have even entrusted us with power over your precious creation;
you placed the future of all life in our hands:
sheep and cattle;
emu and kangaroo
insects, reptiles, birds, and sea creatures;
air, land and water and the planet itself.
Our LORD and ruler,
all over the world
the mere mention of your name sets hearts pounding!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Romans 5: 1-5

It was our faith that put us back in the good books with God. We put our trust in Jesus Christ our Lord and we can rest assured that he has cleared up everything with God for us. Christ got us in on the extravagant generosity of God, and that generosity has given us a safe place to plant our feet. We don’t just stand there, though. We hold our heads up high and announce, with pride, that we confidently expect to be sharing the glory that is coming to God. Actually, it’s not just what’s coming in the future that makes us feel so good. Even now, when life seems to be giving us a raw deal, we can stand proud. We know that going through suffering can make us tough enough to survive the worst of times. This ability to tough things through will in turn generate new depths of integrity and maturity within us. And that brings us full-circle because it is this integrity and maturity that gives us our confidence about the future. Our confidence is not in vain either. We are sure about that because of what we have already experienced: a flood of love surging into our hearts from the Holy Spirit who God has given to us.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 16: 12-15

On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus said to his disciples, “There is a whole lot more I would love to say to you, but it would all be too much for you at the moment. The Spirit will come, full of truth, and will lead you by the hand into the pathways of truth. The Spirit does not speak independently, but on my behalf. Through the Spirit, I will let you know what is going to happen and what it all means. I will be honoured by everything the Spirit says, because they are my words delivered to you. All that the Father has is mine. So now you understand why I have been saying that the message the Spirit will deliver to you is actually coming from me.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise,
O Trinity of Love,
for your greatness is known in all the world
and your glory reaches beyond the stars.
In the first of your acts long ago,
before the mountains were shaped
or springs brought forth water,
you breathed your Spirit into being
to work beside you like a skilled artist,
dancing joyously to the music of creation
and delighting with you in the works of your hand.
In your child, Jesus Christ,
you have revealed the glory and honour
for which you created all humanity.
When the world would not accept his truth
and crucified him,
you raised him to new life.
Through him, you sent your Holy Spirit
to pour your love into our hearts;
whispering your words into our ears,
guiding us into all truth,
and filling us with the hope of sharing your glory.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you that your Holy Spirit,
who danced with you in creation
and spoke to us in your Son, Jesus Christ,
is now pouring your love into our hearts,
and guiding us into all truth.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O Trinity of Love,
for your greatness is known in all the world
and your glory reaches beyond the stars.
In the first of your acts long ago,
before the mountains were shaped
or springs brought forth water,
you breathed your Spirit into being
to work beside you like a skilled artist,
dancing joyously to the music of creation
and delighting with you in the works of your hand.
In your child, Jesus Christ,
you have revealed the glory and honour
for which you created all humanity.
When the world would not accept his truth
and crucified him,
you raised him to new life.
Through him, you sent your Holy Spirit
to pour your love into our hearts;
whispering your words into our ears,
guiding us into all truth,
and filling us with the hope of sharing your glory.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Through our Lord, Jesus Christ,
we have obtained access to the grace of God.
By our faith we are put right with God
Have peace with God
for we will share in God’s glory.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, rejoicing in God
and delighting in all God does.
Stand firm in the grace found in Christ
so that in suffering,
you may grow in endurance, character and hope.
And may God crown you with glory and honour;
May Christ Jesus bring you into the mercy of God;
and may the Holy Spirit pour love into your hearts
and guide you into all truth.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

The Trinity: A Christian DreamingA sermon on Proverbs 8. 1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8 & John 16. 12-15 by Garry Deverell

Trinity and CommunityA sermon on the doctrine of the Trinity by Nathan Nettleton

Contemplating the TrinityA sermon on the Icon of the Trinity by Nathan Nettleton

Trinity, Creation and PrayerA sermon on Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Romans 5:1-5 & John 16:12-15 by Nathan Nettleton

Stumbling into the Love Dance of the TrinityA sermon on the doctrine of the Trinity by Nathan Nettleton

A Love Triangle that WorksA sermon on the doctrine of the Trinity by Nathan Nettleton

Does the Trinity add up?A sermon on the doctrine of the Trinity by Nathan Nettleton

Three makes sense, but one?A sermon on the doctrine of the Trinity by Nathan Nettleton

When the Spirit of Truth ComesA sermon on Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Romans 5:1-5 & John 16:12-15 by Nathan Nettleton

It matters, but you don’t have to explain it!A sermon on the doctrine of the Trinity by Nathan Nettleton

The Day of Pentecost - Year C
2031-06-01 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

1st Reading: Acts 2: 1-21

On the Feast Day of Pentecost all the believers were together in one place. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, there was a sound like a raging cyclone - and nothing could be heard above it anywhere in the house. And then the Holy Spirit burst in among them like a bushfire, with sparks and fireballs leaping out to engulf every one there. With fire in their guts and the Holy Spirit unleashing their tongues, they began to speak of God in languages they had never learned.
Now in Jerusalem at that time, there were faithful Jewish pilgrims from all over the world. The wild noise among the believers quickly drew a crowd. What they heard bewildered them because everyone, no matter where they were from, heard their native language being spoken by the believers. Almost unable to believe their ears, they asked:
“Don’t all these people come from Galilee? How come we can all hear them speaking our own native languages? Some of us are Parthians, some Medes, others Elamites. There are people visiting here from Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the Cyrenene occupied parts of Libya. There are immigrants from Rome, both ethnic Jews and converts. Some here are even Cretans and Arabs! But these Galileans are speaking all our languages and telling us about the extraordinary things God has done.”
They were all in a spin, unable to make head nor tail of what was happening. They kept asking one another what was going on and what it could all mean. Others though, just sneered and said, “They’ve been on the turps. They’re just a bunch of drunks.”
Peter stood up with the other eleven and addressed the crowd as loudly and clearly as he could:
“Men and women of Jerusalem, locals and visitors, listen up and I’ll let you in on what this is all about. If you think that these people are drunk, you are wrong. Think about it - the pubs aren’t even open this early in the morning. No, what is happening here was explained long ago in the words of the prophet Joel:
“This is what I will do
when time reaches its climax, God declares:
I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.
Your sons and your daughters
shall speak as prophets.
The young among you will see visions,
and the old will dream dreams.
I even have men and women among those
whose rights no one cares about,
and in those days
I will pour out my Spirit upon them too;
and they shall proclaim my justice.
I will perform miraculous signs in the sky above
and awesome wonders on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and clouds of smoke.
The sun will go black and the moon blood-red
before the dawning
of the awesome and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who cries out to the Lord
shall be saved.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

OR Genesis 11: 1-9 (alternative 1st reading)

In ancient times, everyone in the whole world spoke the same language and could understand each other clearly. As the human race spread out towards the East, they settled the plains region in an area known as Shinar. Once there, an enormous project was proposed:
“Come one and all, let’s build ourselves a great city with the world’s tallest skyscraper. Let’s use the latest technology: kiln-fired bricks instead of stone, and bitumen instead of mortar. Let’s earn ourselves a global reputation for innovation and excellence. If we don’t, we’ll be nothing but mediocre little mobs, scattered all over the world!”
So the project was begun, and the LORD came down for a look. Seeing the construction of the city and the skyscraper underway, the LORD said:
“Look, these people are getting too big for their boots, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. United by a common language and common ambition, there will be no stopping them. Come, let us go down and reprogram their tongues so that they will begin to speak in different languages and not be able to understand each other.”
So the LORD split them up into different language groups and scattered them across the face of the globe. The construction of the city was abandoned. The place came to be known as Babel because it was there that the peoples’ languages became like confused babble to one another and they split up into separate tribes that kept away from each other.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b

O LORD, what a wildly fabulous world!
Working hand in hand with wisdom
you have made
an earthful of wonderful creatures.
Just look at the deep wide sea,
swarming with life beyond our imagining,
from coral to crayfish, from mussels to marlin.
Ships plough the waves,
while mythical monsters cavort in the depths.
Like seagulls at a picnic,
every creature looks to you for food.
They gather around in eager expectation,
and gorge themselves when you open your hand.
If you turned your back, they’d be panic stricken;
if you withdrew your Spirit
they would have nothing to breathe,
their bodies would quickly crumble.
But when you breathe your spirit into them,
life sprouts up fresh and fragrant again
and the earth itself is revived.
Glorious is all you do, LORD,
may you be honoured forever.
May everything created be a joy to the LORD.
One look from the LORD makes even the earth quiver;
one touch and even the mountains erupt.
With every breath I will sing to the LORD;
as long as there is life in me,
I will give honour to my God in song.
Even my unspoken thoughts I offer to the LORD,
for the LORD is a delight to me.
May wickedness be wiped from the earth,
may enemies of life no longer be found.
O bless the LORD, everything within me.
Praise the LORD!
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

2nd Reading: Romans 8: 14-17

All those who dance to the Spirit’s tune are God’s beloved children. We were not sold into slavery where we would grovel timidly in the dust, afraid to put a foot wrong. Rather we were adopted into a family full of love and joy. Like eager children crying, “Daddy! Mummy!” we come running to God, and with loving arms, God’s Spirit gathers us up, demonstrating clearly to whom we belong. And since we are children of God, we are actually on the same footing as Christ. With him we will inherit all that has been kept in trust for God’s children. But we have to take the good with the bad, and we know the price he paid. We need to be willing to cop it on the chin with him now if we want to share the glory with him later.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

OR Acts 2: 1-21 (alternative 2nd reading)

On the Feast Day of Pentecost all the believers were together in one place. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, there was a sound like a raging cyclone - and nothing could be heard above it anywhere in the house. And then the Holy Spirit burst in among them like a bushfire, with sparks and fireballs leaping out to engulf every one there. With fire in their guts and the Holy Spirit unleashing their tongues, they began to speak of God in languages they had never learned.
Now in Jerusalem at that time, there were faithful Jewish pilgrims from all over the world. The wild noise among the believers quickly drew a crowd. What they heard bewildered them because everyone, no matter where they were from, heard their native language being spoken by the believers. Almost unable to believe their ears, they asked:
“Don’t all these people come from Galilee? How come we can all hear them speaking our own native languages? Some of us are Parthians, some Medes, others Elamites. There are people visiting here from Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the Cyrenene occupied parts of Libya. There are immigrants from Rome, both ethnic Jews and converts. Some here are even Cretans and Arabs! But these Galileans are speaking all our languages and telling us about the extraordinary things God has done.”
They were all in a spin, unable to make head nor tail of what was happening. They kept asking one another what was going on and what it could all mean. Others though, just sneered and said, “They’ve been on the turps. They’re just a bunch of drunks.”
Peter stood up with the other eleven and addressed the crowd as loudly and clearly as he could:
“Men and women of Jerusalem, locals and visitors, listen up and I’ll let you in on what this is all about. If you think that these people are drunk, you are wrong. Think about it - the pubs aren’t even open this early in the morning. No, what is happening here was explained long ago in the words of the prophet Joel:
“This is what I will do
when time reaches its climax, God declares:
I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.
Your sons and your daughters
shall speak as prophets.
The young among you will see visions,
and the old will dream dreams.
I even have men and women among those
whose rights no one cares about,
and in those days
I will pour out my Spirit upon them too;
and they shall proclaim my justice.
I will perform miraculous signs in the sky above
and awesome wonders on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and clouds of smoke.
The sun will go black and the moon blood-red
before the dawning
of the awesome and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who cries out to the Lord
shall be saved.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 14: 8-17, (25-27)

Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, if you’d just show us the Father, we’d be more than happy.”
Jesus replied, “All this time I’ve been with you, and you still haven’t worked me out, have you Philip? To see me is to see the Father. So what’s the point of asking me to show you the Father? Haven’t you got it sorted out in your head that I am one with the Father, and the Father is one with me? When I tell you something, I’m not speaking off my own bat. The Father who lives in me is at work in everything I say. Take my word for it that I am one with the Father, and the Father is one with me; or if my saying it is not enough for you, then surely the things you’ve seen me do prove the point. I kid you not when I tell you that anyone who trusts in me will do the very same things. In fact, you’ll do even greater things than I’ve done, because I’m going back to the Father and handing over the reins to you. I’ll back you up and do whatever you ask when you’re doing my work. That’s how the Son will give the glory to the Father. If you’re working on my behalf you can ask me for anything and I’ll do it.
“If you love me, it will show in the way you live out what I’ve told you to do. I will have a word with the Father and arrange for another defence counsel to be permanently assigned to you. Your new defence counsel will be the Spirit of Truth. The rest of the world will not accept the Spirit because they never accept what they can’t see or comprehend. You already know the Spirit though, because the Spirit is with you and will be at work inside you.
“I’ve told you all this while I’m still here with you. When I’m gone, your new defence counsel — the Holy Spirit who the Father will send on my behalf — will take over, teaching you everything and keeping all I’ve said fresh in your minds. The gift I’m leaving with you is peace; my kind of peace, not the mere easing of hostilities that the rest of the world offers. So don’t go dropping your bundle or getting all fearful.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you pour your Spirit upon us,
arousing us with visions and dreams
and intoxicating us with an uncontainable fervour
to proclaim your truth in the language of praise.
You sent forth your Spirit to create the universe,
and fill it with your wonders.
You breathed into us and we rose from the dust,
the face of the earth came alive.
In these last days your child, Jesus Christ,
came speaking your words and doing your works;
revealing the truth of who you are.
He was crucified,
but you raised him to glory by your life-giving power.
Having secured our adoption as your children
and commissioned us to continue his works,
he poured out your Holy Spirit on us,
setting our hearts ablaze with a passion for peace,
and firing our tongues with everlasting songs of joy.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for pouring out your Spirit upon us,
arousing us with visions and dreams
and intoxicating us with an uncontainable fervour
to proclaim your truth in the language of praise.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

Thanks and praise erupt from our lips, O Lord,
for you pour your Spirit upon us,
arousing us with visions and dreams
and intoxicating us with an uncontainable fervour
to proclaim your truth in the language of praise.
You sent forth your Spirit to create the universe,
and fill it with your wonders.
You breathed into us and we rose from the dust,
the face of the earth came alive.
In these last days your child, Jesus Christ,
came speaking your words and doing your works;
revealing the truth of who you are.
He was crucified,
but you raised him to glory by your life-giving power.
Having secured our adoption as your children
and commissioned us to continue his works,
he poured out your Holy Spirit on us,
setting our hearts ablaze with a passion for peace,
and firing our tongues with everlasting songs of joy.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Do not let your hearts be troubled,
for everyone who calls out to the Lord will be saved.
You have been adopted as children of God
and the Holy Spirit lives with you and in you.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Love Christ and do the things he has done.
Dream dreams, pursue visions
and speak of God’s wonders
in the words of those who would hear.
And may God give you the Spirit of Truth forever;
May Christ Jesus work for you as you work for him;
and may the Holy Spirit bear witness within you
to the love and peace that are yours in Christ.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Breaking through old divisionsA sermon on Acts 2: 1-21, John 14: 8-17,25-27 & Genesis 11: 1-9 by Nathan Nettleton

Resurrection Break-throughA sermon on John 14:8-17,25-27; Romans 8:14-17 & Acts 2:1-21 by Nathan Nettleton

The Invitation of the Pentecost MiraclesA sermon on Acts 2:1-21 by Andrew Woff

A Gold Logie PentecostA sermon on Acts 2:1-21 & Genesis 11:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton

Languages of ReconciliationA sermon on Acts 2:1-21 by Nathan Nettleton

Pentecost: Gifted and SentA sermon on Acts 2: 1-21 by Gilbert Joyce

The Language of a New HumanityA sermon on Genesis 11:1-9 & Acts 2:1-21 by Nathan Nettleton

Understanding the Language of PentecostA Sermon for the Feast of Pentecost by Lina Toth (Andronoviene)

Holy Spirit ReflectionsA Sermon for the Feast of Pentecost by Amelia Koh-Butler

Much Needed Miracles of CommunicationA sermon on Acts 2: 1-21 by Nathan Nettleton

7th Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2031-05-25 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Acts 16: 16-34

One day, as we were on our way with Paul to a prayer gathering, we ran into a girl who worked as a clairvoyant. She was a slave: her whole life was controlled by the spirit that enabled her to predict people’s futures, and by the money-men who were making a fortune out of her. She began following us around and yelling out, “These men are puppets of the Most High God; here to sell you another way of salvation.” She kept this up for days and it was beginning to drive Paul nuts. Eventually he spat the dummy. Turning to her, he gave the spirit that controlled her its marching orders: “On the authority of Jesus Christ I order you to get out of her.” And right then and there, she was free of it.
This was not a popular move with the money-men who had been exploiting the girl. All they could see was her market value plummeting and their profits going down the drain. They got pretty heavy-handed with Paul and Silas and dragged them into the town square to face the law. The local magistrates were brought in and the men brought their accusations, saying, “These troublemakers are disturbing the peace. They are Jews from a dangerous religious sect and they are recruiting people to a lifestyle that is undermining the family values and Roman laws that make our city strong.”
That got the crowd fired up, and soon everyone was screaming for blood. The magistrates gave orders to have them publicly beaten. Paul and Silas had the clothing torn from their backs and were viciously bashed with batons. They were then locked up and the prison guard was given orders to do whatever it took to make sure they had no chance of escape. Following his orders, he put them in leg-irons and chained them to the wall in a maximum security cell.
In the middle of the night, much to the surprise of the other prisoners, Paul and Silas were sitting up in their cell, praying and singing hymns to God at the top of their voices. Suddenly, a severe earthquake shook the prison so violently that its walls and floors were giving way. The security doors all burst off their hinges and everyone’s chains were shattered. The prison guard woke up and, seeing all the doors blown open he naturally assumed that all the prisoners had escaped. Knowing how the authorities would take it out on him, he was about to kill himself and beat them to it, when Paul screamed at him, “Stop! You don’t need to top yourself. We are all still here!”
Grabbing a torch, the guard rushed in to look for himself. Seeing Paul and Silas there, he fell to his knees, shaking like a leaf. When he had pulled himself together, he took them outside and asked, “Sirs, help me. How am I going to get out of this mess alive?”
They answered, “Put your trust in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. And the same goes for all your household.”
The prison guard welcomed them into his own home straight away and washed and dressed their wounds. Paul and Silas shared the Lord’s message with him and with all who lived in his house. The response was so eager that before the night was done, the guard and his entire family were baptised. The night turned into quite a party. Paul and Silas were plied with food as the whole household celebrated their new life as people who trusted in God.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 97

You, LORD, are the ruler of everything!
The whole earth celebrates!
Up and down the coast, everyone is shouting for joy!
Deep, dark clouds of mystery hide you from us;
justice and integrity are the bedrock of your rule.
You are a consuming fire, leaping in all directions,
purging the earth of its enemies.
Your touch splits the darkness with bolts of light;
the earth is lit up and shakes like a leaf.
You are Lord of all the earth, and in your presence
even the mountains go weak and melt like wax.
The heavens herald you as the one who puts things right;
all people everywhere witness your day of glory.
Those who worshipped hollow facades
will hang their heads in shame.
Those who take pride in the power of possessions
will be horrified when it all proves worthless.
All these false gods and short-lived saviours
crumble and fall before you, the real thing.
From the Temple Mountain to the farthest flung town,
your people are celebrating with great joy, O God,
because you have seen the truth and brought about justice.
You, LORD, are number one in all the universe;
in a league of your own,
far above anything else that seeks our allegiance.
You love those who detest evil, LORD;
You stand guard over those who are loyal to you;
You come to their rescue if they fall prey to violence.
When people have integrity and do what is right,
you light up their lives and fill them with joy.
All who build their lives on the bedrock of your truth and justice
are celebrating all you do, LORD.
Just the mention of your holy name
and they burst forth with a flood of gratitude!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Revelation 22: 12-14, 16-17, 20-21

I heard the Lord say:
“Look; I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon. When I arrive, I’ll have the prizes with me and I’ll hand them out on the basis of what everyone has done with their lives. I am the whole story, from ‘A’ to ‘Z’. I am the first and the last; the opening night and the grand finale.
“How good it will be for those who have scrubbed up well. They will be granted unlimited access to the tree of life, to eat its fruits forever. They will be given priority entry rights at the gates of the city.
“I am Jesus. It was me who sent the angel to you to deliver this message for the churches. I am the roots of the tree of David, and its ultimate fruit. I am the bright star that heralds the morning.”
What other response could we make but “Come on down”?
The Spirit says, “Come on down!”
The bride prepared for Christ says, “Come on down!”
Let everyone who hears this message say it too: “Come on down!”
And let all of us who thirst, come on down ourselves.
The water of life is available as a free gift to anyone who wants it.
The one who has delivered this message and sworn to it, says again, “I kid you not. I am on my way. I’ll be there soon.”
You beauty! Come on down, Lord Jesus!
May the extravagant generosity of the Lord Jesus surround everyone and everything! And so say all of us!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 17: 20-26

After the supper, and after giving his final teaching to his followers, Jesus prayed to God, saying:
“My prayer is for all who will follow me;
not only for these few disciples gathered here,
but also for all those who will put their trust in me
when they hear about me from this lot.
I pray that they will all be as one.
In the same way as you, Father, are living in me,
and I am living in you;
I am praying that they will live in us.
If they do, then the rest of the world will be able to accept
that it was you who sent me.
You have given me great honour,
and I have passed all the honour on to them,
so that they may be as closely united as you and I are.
With me living in them,
and you living in me,
they can reach complete unity.
Their unity will allow the rest of the world to recognise
that it was you who sent me.
It will also demonstrate that you have loved these people
as much as you have loved me.
Father, my desire for all these people you have given me,
is that they will be able to be with me wherever I am.
You loved me even before you kick-started the creation of the earth
and now you are giving me all the glory,
and I want them to be able to say they witnessed it all.
Father, you always do what is right
and integrity is your middle name.
The world does not know you
- never has -
but I know you,
and now these few understand
that it was you who sent me.
I let them know the truth of who you really are,
and I’ll continue to do so.
In that way, the love you have always had for me
will find a home in their hearts too,
and I’ll be forever a part of them.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you are the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
who shields the lives of those who love you.
You laid the foundation of the world,
and will come in glory to bring all things to fulfilment.
Wrapped in thunder clouds and throned on justice,
you led your people by fire into the land of promise.
In your child, Jesus, you came to us
as the promised descendant of David,
with a love that revealed your glory
even in suffering and death.
When you raised him from the grave,
the strongholds of death were shaken,
and the chains of captivity were broken,
freeing everyone to follow him into oneness with you.
Now you are in us, and we are in you,
and the waters of life
wash our wounds and satisfy our deepest thirst.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for revealing your love in your Son, Jesus Christ.
When you raised him from the grave,
the strongholds of death were shaken violently,
breaking off the chains of captivity
and freeing everyone to follow him into oneness with you.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you are the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
who shields the lives of those who love you.
You laid the foundation of the world,
and will come in glory to bring all things to fulfilment.
Wrapped in thunder clouds and throned on justice,
you led your people by fire into the land of promise.
In your child, Jesus, you came to us
as the promised descendant of David,
with a love that revealed your glory
even in suffering and death.
When you raised him from the grave,
the strongholds of death were shaken,
and the chains of captivity were broken,
freeing everyone to follow him into oneness with you.
Now you are in us, and we are in you,
and the waters of life
wash our wounds and satisfy our deepest thirst.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

The Lord says that all may receive the water of life as a gift.
Through your trust in the Lord Jesus,
you will be saved, washed clean,
and your lives shielded in God.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, rejoicing in God.
Love the Lord, hate evil;
Be as one with one another, just as God is one.
Let all the world see the love of God
at work within you and among you.
And may God shield your faithful lives with love;
May Christ Jesus give you the water of life as a gift;
And may the Holy Spirit break you free from all captivity.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

The Whole Story, from A to ZA sermon on Revelation 22 by Nathan Nettleton

One God – One ChurchA sermon on John 17.20-26 by Nathan Nettleton

When the Truth Ain’t the TruthA sermon on Acts 16.16-34, John 17.20-26 & Revelation 22 by Garry Deverell

What must I do to be SavedA sermon on Acts 16.16-34 by Nathan Nettleton

BacklashA sermon on Acts 16.16-34 & John 17.20-26 by Nathan Nettleton

Maintaining Unity in DisagreementA sermon on John 17.20-26 by Nathan Nettleton

The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord
2031-05-22 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Acts 1: 1-11

Dear Theophilus,
In my first book, The Gospel according to Luke, I wrote an account of all that Jesus did and taught from the time he started until the day he said goodbye and was taken up to heaven. Before he left, he gathered the apostles, who he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and spelled out his final instructions.
For forty days after his suffering and death, he repeatedly showed up and proved in many ways that he really was alive again. Face to face with the apostles, he spoke with them about the culture of God. While he was still meeting and sharing meals with them, he put them on notice that they were not to leave Jerusalem yet. “Instead,” he said, “you must wait here for the gift I told you about - the gift my Father promised. You remember how John baptised with water. Well, you will be baptised with Holy Spirit in just a few days time.”
When they were all together for the last time, the apostles had one burning question: “Lord, is this the time? Will you regain our freedom now and give us our own king to reign over Israel?”
Jesus replied, “Only the Father can decide such things and the timing is none of your business. Just focus on this: the Holy Spirit will flood over you and drench you with power, giving you the passion and courage to be my witnesses. Then you will be able to tell everyone about me, in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.”
That was it - his last words. Right before their eyes, he was carried up into the air where he soon disappeared into the clouds. They just stood there stunned, staring into the sky. Suddenly two men appeared next to them, dressed in white robes! They said, “You Galileans! What are you standing here for, staring into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven, but don’t worry. He’ll be back, just as surely - and just as mysteriously - as he left.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 47

We applaud you, LORD, as everyone should;
we roar your name and sing for joy.
You are an awesome God;
number one in the universe;
the great ruler of all the earth.
You have subdued those who attacked us;
put hostile nations at our mercy.
You picked out the best land for us;
you favoured us with a prized inheritance.
Take your place at the top of the dais, LORD God,
as we sound trumpets and cheer in your honour.
You are our God, and we’ll sing your praises;
you are our ruler, and we’ll sing your praises.
You are the God who rules over all the earth;
we’ll sing your praises in all our songs.
You are the God who rules over the nations;
the throne where you sit is one of a kind.
Leaders gather from every people on earth
and, like Abraham’s descendants,
give their allegiance to you, God.
They lay down their weapons
and honour you as their ultimate superior.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

OR Psalm 93 (alternative psalm)

LORD, you are the great ruler.
Majesty enfolds you like a royal robe
and strength radiates from you.
You have fixed the world firmly in its place.
Your throne is immovable, LORD;
ever was and ever shall be.
Surging floods have risen, O LORD,
surging up with a mighty roar;
engulfing everything in thunderous sound.
You are more impressive than the surging waters,
more powerful than the crashing waves;
you are number one in all the universe, LORD!
Whatever you say is set in stone.
The place you live, O LORD, is clearly sacred;
its holiness will outlast time.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Ephesians 1: 15-23

Having heard of your deep trust in the Lord Jesus and your active love for his people, I could hardly stop thanking God for you. And I’m praying for you too. I ask the glorious God of our Lord Jesus the Messiah to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will fill you with wisdom and insight as you get to know God. That way you’ll get a clear picture of all that God wants you to see:

the promised goal of the mission to which you are called;
the extravagant generosity of God’s provision for us;
and the immense capacity of the dynamic power which is put to work in us when we trust God.

This dynamic power is the same energy that God put to work in the Messiah when he raised him from death and enthroned him in heaven. Now the Messiah sits at God’s right hand, reigning over the entire universe, and there is not a single authority that can overrule him, now or ever. Every religious hierarchy and military regime; every legal jurisdiction and people-power movement; every economic imperative and moral principle; God has put them all under the feet of the Messiah. God has decreed that all things will answer to him. The church, then, is central to what the Messiah is doing, for it is his body, already filled with the presence of the one who is filling each and every part of the entire universe.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 24: 44-53

On the last day that Jesus was on earth after his resurrection, he said to his disciples, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.”
As he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them:
“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.”
Jesus then led his disciples out as far as Bethany, where he lifted up his hands and spoke a blessing over them. Even as he was blessing them, he parted from them and was carried into heaven. Falling to their knees, they worshipped him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy and, after that, they were always in the temple praising God.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you have called us to a rich hope
and a glorious inheritance among the saints.
You fixed the world in place
and rule over all from your sacred throne.
You formed a people for yourself
and through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them
of the Christ who fills all in all.
As it was written, he suffered and was killed,
but you raised him from the dead
and he walked again with his chosen ones,
speaking to them of your glorious kingdom.
You carried him into heaven on the clouds
and made him head over all things for the church,
seating him at your right hand
far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in the age to come.
Therefore with .....
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give thanks for your Son, Jesus,
who you carried up into heaven
and seated at your right hand
so that he might be everywhere present,
not only in this age but also in the age to come.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise with shouts of joy, O God,
for you have called us to a rich hope
and a glorious inheritance among the saints.
You fixed the world in place
and rule over all from your sacred throne.
You formed a people for yourself
and through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them
of the Christ who fills all in all.
As it was written, he suffered and was killed,
but you raised him from the dead
and he walked again with his chosen ones,
speaking to them of your glorious kingdom.
You carried him into heaven on the clouds
and made him head over all things for the church,
seating him at your right hand
far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in the age to come.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

As Jesus Christ instructed his followers,
the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name
from the holy city to the ends of the earth.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go out into the world.
and in your words and in your lives
bear witness to the Christ who has ascended
to be everywhere present.
And as you come to know him,
may God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation,
may Christ Jesus lift up his hands and bless you,
and may the Spirit open to you all the riches of Christ’s inheritance.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

The Ascension: Christ’s superabundant presenceA sermon on Acts 1. 6-14 & John 17:1-11 by Garry Deverell

Stretching those WingsA sermon for the Feast of the Ascension by Nathan Nettleton

Not Knowing Where to LookA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton

Look around you!A sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Alison Sampson

The Ascension of the High PriestA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton

6th Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2031-05-18 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Acts 16: 9-15

One night Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man urgently beckoning him from across the sea and calling, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
The vision confirmed to us that God was calling us to expand our horizons into Europe and to preach the good news there. We immediately began making inquiries about booking our passage across. We managed to get berths on a ship sailing from Troas. It made a direct run for Samothrace, and then on to Neapolis the next day. From there we took the road inland to the Roman garrison-town of Philippi. Philippi is a major regional city in that part of Macedonia, and we stayed there for several days.
We heard that there was a spot on the riverside just outside the city where people gathered for prayer, so on the Sabbath day we went down there. A group of women gathered there and we sat and talked with them for some time. Among those who were keen to hear what we had to say was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira. She was a worshipper of God and ran a business dealing in top-quality textiles. The Lord gave her an open heart and mind and she responded eagerly to the message Paul shared with them. She and her whole household were subsequently baptised. She put the hard word on us, saying, “If you think my faith in the Lord is for real, then come and stay in my home for a few days.”
We hadn’t been planning to stay, but she talked us into it.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 67

Lord God, bless us generously;
smile on us kindly;
show yourself to everyone, everywhere
as the one who saves us with power.
Everyone has reasons to praise you, O God,
absolutely everyone should be singing your praises.
The whole world should celebrate you with joyful song,
for you are even-handed with all people
and your guidance is there for every nation.
Everyone has reasons to praise you, O God,
absolutely everyone should be singing your praises.
The land has produced a bumper harvest;
a clear sign of your goodness to us, God.
Keep it up, God, keep it coming;
the whole planet will honour you for it.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Revelation 21:10, 22 - 22:5

I had a vision in which one of the angels spirited me away to the top of an enormous mountain and showed me an astonishing view. I could see the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. I noticed that the city did not have a temple. It didn’t need one, because the Lord, the mighty God, and the Lamb, are themselves its temple. The city also had no need of light from the sun or moon, because it was lit up with the glory of God, and the Lamb was its shining light. That city will light the way for every nation on earth, and all rulers and leaders will credit it with their glory. Its gates will stand open in welcome as long as it is day, and the night will never fall there. People will come from every corner of the earth, bringing into the city the honours and riches of their homelands. Nothing degraded will get past the gate though, and neither will anyone who deals in corruption and delusion. Only the people who are listed in the Lamb’s book of life will get in.
Then the angel showed me the river where the water of life flows. It cascaded from the throne of God and of the Lamb — crystal clear and sparkling like diamonds — and ran down the middle of the city’s main street. Mighty trees stood either side of the river — the tree of life! All year round it produces its fruits, twelve kinds in all, and its leaves are the source of healing for the nations of the world. Never more will there be anything in the city that is given over to evil. Everything will be marked out and dedicated to God and to the Lamb. God’s throne will be there, and God will be clearly seen by all who come there to serve and worship. The guarantee that they are in God’s safekeeping will be written all over their faces. Never again will night fall on them, and never again will they need sunlight or lamplight to overcome the darkness. The Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign with God forever and ever and ever.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 14: 23-29

Jesus said to his disciples, “Those who love me will faithfully live out the things I’ve taught. My Father will love them, and we will come on over and move into their lives. Those who don’t love me don’t live by what I teach, and what you hear me teach is not just coming from me; it’s coming from the Father who sent me.
“I’ve told you all this while I’m still here with you. When I’m gone, your new defence counsel — the Holy Spirit who the Father will send on my behalf — will take over, teaching you everything and keeping all I’ve said fresh in your minds. The gift I’m leaving with you is peace; my kind of peace, not the mere easing of hostilities that the rest of the world offers. So don’t go dropping your bundle or getting all fearful. You heard me say that I’m going away, and that I’m coming back to you. If you really love me you’ll be glad that I’m going to be with the Father, because the Father is the greatest. Now, I’ve let you in on all this before it happens, so when it does happen, you’ll know you can trust me.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

OR John 5: 1-9

Jesus was in Jerusalem during one of the Jewish religious festivals. Not far from the gate in the city wall that leads to the sheep sale yards, there is a decorative pool. The Hebrew name for the pool is Beth-zatha, and because it was renowned as a place of healing, many disabled people camped out in the five alcoves which surrounded it. Some were blind, others crippled or paralysed, and still others suffering from various illnesses. One day Jesus came across a man among them who had been flat on his back for thirty-eight years. Realising how long he had been waiting there, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?”
The sick man replied, “Sir, I don’t have anyone to help me into the pool when the angel stirs up the waters. I try to get in every time, but someone else always beats me to it.”
Jesus said to him, “Stand up, gather up your belongings, and walk.”
At that very moment the man was restored to full health. He gathered up his things and headed off on his own two feet. The day when this happened was a Sabbath.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you lead us to the holy city
where the water of life flows from the throne of the lamb.
It was you who stirred up the waters of chaos
and with a word, brought forth the earth
and blessed it with generous harvests.
Through the law and prophets
you lead all peoples with justice.
In your child, Jesus,
you have made your home with us,
and spoken your words to us.
In him, you have revealed your ways
and opened our hearts to know your salvation.
Though he was killed by those who love falsehood,
you raised him to glory
and made him our temple and our light.
You have sent your Holy Spirit to us,
to teach us everything,
reminding us of the ways of Jesus,
and anointing us to bring healing to the nations.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for your Holy Spirit
who reminds us of the ways of Jesus,
and leads us to the holy city
where the river of the water of life flows
from the throne of the lamb.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you lead us to the holy city
where the water of life flows from the throne of the lamb.
It was you who stirred up the waters of chaos
and with a word, brought forth the earth
and blessed it with generous harvests.
Through the law and prophets
you lead all peoples with justice.
In your child, Jesus,
you have made your home with us,
and spoken your words to us.
In him, you have revealed your ways
and opened our hearts to know your salvation.
Though he was killed by those who love falsehood,
you raised him to glory
and made him our temple and our light.
You have sent your Holy Spirit to us,
to teach us everything,
reminding us of the ways of Jesus,
and anointing us to bring healing to the nations.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Do not let your hearts be troubled,
and do not let them be afraid,
for through Christ, the lamb of God,
your names are written in the book of life.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now and walk in the light of God’s glory.
Love Christ
and keep his word.
Do not let your hearts be troubled,
but lead others to the waters of life.
And may God’s face shine on you with favour;
May Christ Jesus mark you out as his own;
And may the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth and peace.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Peace – but not as the world givesA sermon on John 14:23-29 by Nathan Nettleton

Counsel for the DefenceA sermon on John 14:23-29 by Nathan Nettleton

Do you really want to rise to life?A sermon on John 5:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton

God abolishes Churches!A sermon on Revelation 21:22 by Nathan Nettleton

Jesus or the Bible? A Conflict of AuthorityA sermon on John 5 by Nathan Nettleton

A Vision of God’s Non-Binary FutureA sermon on Revelation 21:10, 21:22-22:5 by Nathan Nettleton

Wanting to be Healed (or not)A sermon on John 5:1-9 by Nathan Nettleton

5th Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2031-05-11 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Acts 11: 1-18

Word soon got back to the Jewish Christians and their leaders that Peter had been preaching to Gentile people, and that these ‘outsiders’ had accepted God’s message. So when he got back to Jerusalem he had a lot of questions to answer. The criticism was strongest from those who were adamant that no one could follow Christ without becoming a properly initiated, law-abiding Jew. They confronted Peter, saying, “What on earth were you doing mixing with these God-forsaken people, and even eating their food?”
So Peter explained himself by going back over the details of what had actually happened. He said:
It all started while I was staying in the town of Joppa. One day, while I was in a prayerful trance, I had a vision. I saw a large picnic blanket being lowered down from heaven by its four corners. It landed right in front of me and I could see that it was laden with food for a picnic. However, it was all food that is forbidden by our Jewish laws: ham on the bone; platters of prawns; crocodile steaks; pork sausages. But as I looked at it all in disgust, I heard a voice saying to me, “Peter, come over and eat at my picnic.”
As you would expect, I replied, “There is no way I could eat these things, Lord, for I have never in all my life touched any food that was not kosher.”
But the voice came from heaven again, saying, “If God has made it acceptable, then you’ve got no business calling it unacceptable.”
This happened three times, so I was left in no doubt about it. At the exact moment that the vision disappeared back into heaven, there was a knock at the door of the house where I was praying. There were three men there who had been sent from Caesarea specifically to find me. The Spirit told me that I should go with them – no questions asked – just as I would if they had been of our own people. So I went with them, accompanied by these six men of our own group who can back up what I’m telling you.
Anyway, we were welcomed into the home of a man named Cornelius, and he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his own house. The angel had said to him, “Send someone to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon, who is also known as Peter. He has a message for you; a message that will save your life and the lives of everyone in your household.”
So, as invited, I began to speak; but even as I warmed to the topic, the Holy Spirit fell on them like fire. It was no different from what happened to us back at the beginning. It reminded me again of the Lord’s own words, “John baptised you with water, but soon you will all be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”
So I ask you: if God is treating them and us in exactly the same way, giving us both the same gift when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who am I to stand up to God and argue the toss?
Peter’s explanation floored them. There was nothing more they could do but sing the praises of God, saying, “It’s true then. God is now giving even the outsiders the opportunity to turn around and set their feet on the path of life.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 148

We sing your praises, LORD!
From every corner of the universe,
from high and low, near and far,
we join the chorus of praise!
With the angels and all who serve you in heaven,
we sing your praises!
With the sun and moon, stars and planets,
we sing your praises!
With far flung galaxies and the milky way,
we sing your praises!
All of them speak of you in glowing terms, LORD,
for they owe their very existence to you.
You ordered their creation
and fixed them in place for all time.
We sing your praises, LORD!
Every creature on earth joins the choir,
singing your praises for all they’re worth:
dolphins and whales
and the ocean itself;
bushfire and hail storm,
snow and ice,
cyclones dancing to your tune;
mountain ranges and rolling hills,
orchards and rainforests,
animals from both bush and farm,
reptiles and birds;
people of every race and class,
people of power and influence;
men and women, old and young,
every voice on earth joins as one!
One and all, we sing your praises, LORD,
yours is the only name on our lips!
You alone outshine the glory of the universe!
You have given strength to your people,
and honour to your faithful ones,
to those you have chosen
and hold close to your heart.
You, LORD, are the greatest!
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Revelation 21: 1-6

I, John, had another extraordinary vision. I saw a completely revamped heaven and a radically reconstructed earth. The first heaven, the first earth and the sea were all but a memory. Then I saw Jerusalem, the city dedicated to God, now made completely new. She was coming down the aisle from heaven itself, from God, and she looked sensational, like a bride on her wedding day. I heard a loud voice coming from heaven’s throne. It said:
“See, God has moved in and set up home among ordinary people.
God will live with them and be their God,
and the people will gladly belong
to the God who lives right in their midst.
God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be abolished forever;
pain and grief and tears will be things of the past.
All these things have been made obsolete.”
Then the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new – absolutely everything!”
“Write all this down,” he said, “because these words can be depended on. They are the truth.”
This is what he said: “The job is done! I am the whole story, from A to Z. I am the beginning and I am the end. To all who are thirsty I offer deep draughts of crystal-clear water. I will give it freely, the ultimate thirst-quencher, bubbling up from the springs of life-giving water.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 13: 31-35

After Judas left the supper, 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.
“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.
“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.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you have made your home in our midst
and called us to be your people.
By your word you called all things into being
and fixed them in place by eternal decree.
You revealed yourself through your law and prophets
and taught your people to live in your love.
In your child, Jesus,
we have been loved as you would have us love.
When he was crucified,
you raised him to new life and,
through your Holy Spirit,
you have brought us the message
by which we are saved.
Though we cannot yet go where Christ has gone,
you are preparing a new heaven and earth,
where there will be no more death,
no more mourning or crying or pain.
There, all who thirst will be generously satisfied
from your spring of the water of life.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for your Son, Jesus,
for in him you have made your home among us
and loved us as you would have us love.
In him, you are preparing a new heaven and earth,
where all will drink from your spring of the water of life.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you have made your home in our midst
and called us to be your people.
By your word you called all things into being
and fixed them in place by eternal decree.
You revealed yourself through your law and prophets
and taught your people to live in your love.
In your child, Jesus,
we have been loved as you would have us love.
When he was crucified,
you raised him to new life and,
through your Holy Spirit,
you have brought us the message
by which we are saved.
Though we cannot yet go where Christ has gone,
you are preparing a new heaven and earth,
where there will be no more death,
no more mourning or crying or pain.
There, all who thirst will be generously satisfied
from your spring of the water of life.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

God has given to all people without distinction
the message of repentance that leads to life.
God is making all things new
and the things that were have passed away.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, wherever the Spirit of God leads you.
Do not reject anything that God has accepted.
Show all people that you are Christ’s disciples
by loving one another
just as he has loved you.
And may God be your beginning and your end;
May Christ Jesus make his home among you;
And may the Holy Spirit give you a vision
of the all-embracing love and goodness of God.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

How do you know a real Christian?A sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 by Nathan Nettleton

Drink Deep – you’ll need it!A sermon on Revelation 21: 1-6 by Nathan Nettleton

When God Breaks the RulesA sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 & John 13:31-35 by Nathan Nettleton

The Glory of LoveA sermon on John 13: 31-35 by Nathan Nettleton

Making and Breaking ReputationsA sermon on John 13:31-35 and Acts 11:1-18 by Nathan Nettleton

Loving beyond betrayalA sermon on John 13: 31-35 by Nathan Nettleton

By this will they knowA sermon on John 13: 31-35 & Acts 11:1-18 by Nathan Nettleton

A Testimonial DinnerA sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 by Craig Bartlett

4th Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2031-05-04 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Acts 9: 36-43

There was a disciple named Tabitha who lived in the town of Joppa. She was also known by the Greek version of her name — Dorcas. She was a very generous woman who never missed an opportunity to pitch in and do something for others; especially the needy. One day she got sick. She went downhill quickly and in no time she was dead. The other disciples prepared her body for burial in the customary way, and laid her out in an upstairs room so her friends could pay their last respects.
Peter was in the neighbouring town of Lydda at the time, and news of his presence quickly reached the disciples in Joppa. They sent two of their number over to Lydda to ask Peter to come quickly and be with them for the funeral. Peter got up and went with them straight away. When he arrived, they took him in to view the body. The room was full of older women — most of them widows who had appreciated Tabitha’s care — and the tears flowed freely. Several of them began showing Peter the coats that Tabitha had made and the jumpers she had knitted while she was still with them.
Peter asked to be left alone with the body for a few minutes, and when everyone was out of the room, he knelt down and prayed. Then he turned, looked directly at the body, and said, “Tabitha, get up.”
Sure enough, she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. Peter gave her his hand and helped her to her feet. Then he opened the door and called in the gathered Christians and the widows, and presented Tabitha to them, alive. Word of this spread like wildfire, and many people in Joppa put their trust in the Lord as a result. Peter spent the next few days in Joppa, staying in the home of a leather-worker named Simon.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 23

You, LORD, are my guide in the wilderness;
there is nothing more I could need.
You set up camp in places of beauty and shelter;
you lead the way on secluded tracks
beside creeks of cool clean water.
I feel my spirit breathing freely again;
your reputation puts me at ease;
I leave the navigating to you, and follow.
Even if we hike through a perilous valley,
where crows keep a menacing watch,
fear will still not get the better of me.
As long as I stick with you
I know I’ll make the distance;
with a knife and a bit of rope
you seem able to tackle any challenge.
You cook up a feast for me,
as those who wanted to feed on me watch, frustrated.
You pamper me like an honoured guest
and constantly top up my glass.
My life feels charmed, each and every day.
Love, mercy and all good things
keep falling into my lap.
I’m with you for life, LORD,
where you go, I’ll go;
where you live, I’ll live.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Revelation 7: 9-17

I had a vision of an enormous crowd, bigger than anyone could ever count. It was made up of people from every nation; from all the different ethnic groups, cultural groups and language groups. They were all standing together before the throne and before the Lamb of God. They were dressed in white robes and were waving banners and throwing flowers in the air. Their voices rose as one – an enormous roar – saying:
“The life into which we have been saved
belongs to our God who is seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb of our God.”
Around the throne stood the four awesome creatures, and around them stood the twenty four elders, and around them stood all the angels. All together they fell to their knees before the throne, with their faces to the ground, and worshipped God, singing:
“So say all of us!
May glory and wisdom
and gratitude and honour
and authority and strength
and every good thing
be given to our God,
from now to forever!
And so say all of us!
Then one of the elders came and spoke to me, saying, “What can you tell me about these people in white robes? Who are they, and where have they come from?”
I replied, “I’m not sure, Sir, but you have the answers.”
Then he said to me, “These are the people who have come through the ultimate atrocity. They have washed their robes as white as snow in the blood of the lamb.
For this reason they now have the privilege
of gathering before the throne of God,
and there in the Temple they serve God, day and night,
and the one who is seated on the throne
provides them refuge and safe shelter.
Never again will they go hungry;
never again will they go thirsty;
never again will they be burned by the sun,
or left exposed to any searing heat.
The Lamb who is at the centre of the throne
has guided them through the wilderness
and will now care for them forever.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes
and guide them to crystal clear springs
where the water of life bubbles up freely.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 10: 22-30

In the middle of winter, at the time when the Jewish festival of Hanukkah is celebrated, Jesus was in Jerusalem. One day he was in the Temple and, as he walked through the part known as Solomon’s Porch, a group of religious loyalists surrounded him and began demanding some answers: “How long are you going to keep holding your cards to your chest? If you are God’s Anointed One, come right out and say it.”
Jesus answered, “I’ve already laid my cards on the table, but you don’t take what I say seriously. If you want to know who I am, then look at what I do, because everything I do is done on my Father’s behalf. You lot still won’t believe though, because you’re not among those who have had me as their guide. Those who have, pick my voice every time. I know them well and they know to respond to my voice and to put their feet in my footsteps. I give them life without limit; life they will never lose. No one can ever drag them out of the safety of my hands. Their care is the greatest responsibility of all, and my Father has entrusted it to me. They can no more be dragged out of my hands than out of my Father’s. The Father and I are one on this.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you are the shepherd
who guides us to springs of life-giving water.
You spread out creation like a rich banquet and,
forming us from the dust of the earth,
you raised us to life and opened our eyes.
You chose a people to be your flock,
tending them with goodness and love.
Your child, Jesus, came working in your name.
You placed those who belonged to you
into the safety of his hands
and they recognised your voice in him.
When he was cast into death’s dark valley,
you raised him to new life.
Now he lives forever,
shepherding all who look to you for salvation.
You wipe the tears from our eyes
and spread a table before us
so that we might feed forever
from your abundant goodness,
and hunger and thirst no more.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for your child, Jesus,
who shepherds all who look to you for salvation,
wiping the tears from our eyes and spreading a table before us
so that we might feed forever from your abundant goodness.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you are the shepherd
who guides us to springs of the water of life.
You spread out creation like a rich banquet,
and forming us from the dust of the earth,
you raised us to life and opened our eyes.
You chose a people to be your flock,
tending them with goodness and love.
Your child, Jesus, came working in your name.
You placed those who belonged to you
into the safety of his hands
and they recognised your voice in him.
When he was cast into death’s dark valley,
you raised him to new life.
Now he lives forever,
shepherding all who look to you for salvation.
You wipe the tears from our eyes
and nourish us with your abundant goodness,
so that we hunger and thirst no more.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Salvation belongs to our God!
At the cost of his own blood,
the Lamb of God has washed us clean.
All who follow Christ
can never be snatched out of his hand.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, following the voice of the shepherd.
Fear no evil, for God is by your side.
Devote yourselves to the works of God,
to words of mercy, to good deeds and to acts of love.
And may God wipe every tear from your eyes;
May Christ Jesus be your shepherd and all that you need;
And may the Holy Spirit tend you with goodness and love
all the days of your lives.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Believe It or NotA sermon on Acts 9:36-43 by Nathan Nettleton

The advertiser is my shepherd??A sermon on Psalm 23 by Nathan Nettleton

Through the Valley of BloodA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17 & Psalm 23 by Nathan Nettleton

The Vindication of the MartyrsA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17; Psalm 23 & John 10.22-30 by Garry Deverell

A personal response to Psalm 23A sermon on Psalm 23 by Alison Sampson

Honouring the FallenA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17 & John 10.22-30 by Nathan Nettleton

Sacrifice, Freedom and HonourA sermon on Revelation 7: 9-17 and Anzac Day by Nathan Nettleton

The Right MasterA sermon on Psalm 23 by Wai Kwong Sun

How long, O Lord, must we wait?A sermon on John 10:22-30 and Acts 9:36-43 by Alison Sampson

Following Jesus and Hearing VoicesA sermon on John 10.22-30 by Nathan Nettleton

The Struggle to BelieveA sermon on Acts 9:36-43 & Revelation 7: 9-17 by Nathan Nettleton

3rd Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2031-04-27 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Acts 9: 1-6, (7-20)

Saul was the ringleader of a violent campaign of terror directed against the followers of Jesus. He went to the high priest and got permission to go to Damascus to hunt down anyone who had joined the Way of the Lord there. The high priest gave him a letter of referral to show to the leaders of the Damascus Synagogues, and authorised him to bring the culprits, men or women, back to Jerusalem in chains. Saul wasted no time in heading off, but just as he got within sight of Damascus, there was a blinding flash of light that knocked him right out of the saddle. As he hit the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why have you got it in for me?”
Saul replied, “Who are you, Lord?”
The voice came back, saying, “I am Jesus — the one you are seeking to crush. Now I want you to get up and go into the city and then wait for further instructions.”
The people who were travelling with Saul stood there gob-smacked, because they could hear the voice but they couldn’t see who was speaking. Saul picked himself up from the ground and rubbed his eyes, but he couldn’t see a thing. He had been completely blinded and had to be led into Damascus by the hand. For the next three days he felt as weak as a kitten. He couldn’t eat or drink anything and he couldn’t see at all.
Now in Damascus, there lived a man named Ananias who was a follower of Jesus. The Lord called out to him in a vision: “Ananias.”
He answered, “Yes, Lord. I’m here.”
The Lord said to him, “I want you to get yourself over to Judas’ house in Straight Street. Ask there for a man named Saul who is from Tarsus. Even as we speak he is praying, and in a vision he has seen you come and lay hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”
But Ananias protested, “Lord, you’ve got to be kidding. Everyone has heard stories about this man and about the atrocities he has committed against your people in Jerusalem. And the word is that he’s here on the authority of the chief priests to hunt down anybody who declares allegiance to you.”
But the Lord insisted: “Go and do as I say. I have chosen this man to work for me. He will be instrumental in bringing me to the attention of people everywhere — kings and commoners, Jews and Gentiles. He will pay a high price for switching his allegiance to me, but I myself will give him fair warning of what he is going to be put through.”
So Ananias went to the house he had been sent to and found Saul there. He placed his hands on his head and said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me to you so that you may regain the use of your eyes and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when something looking like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see normally again. He got up and was baptised straight away. After a good meal, he could feel his strength returning.
Saul spent several days in Damascus with the followers of Jesus. Without delay, he began to speak out about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 30

I’ll be singing your praises, every chance I get, LORD,
because you got me out of deep trouble
and spared me the gloating of my enemies.
I pleaded for help, LORD God,
and you stepped in and healed me.
They were nearly ready to pronounce me dead
but your brought me back, LORD;
you put me back on my feet
when I was about to be carried to the morgue.
So I’m singing your praises,
and I’m encouraging everyone to do the same;
to name you with joyful thanks.
We manage to get you angry at times,
but it blows over in a moment
because your mercy keeps on keeping on.
We may have an evening of bitter tears,
but by morning your mercy has us smiling again.
I was guilty of taking your goodness for granted;
I thought I had it made.
You had put me on top of the world
but I got all too full of myself.
You stepped aside – made me stand alone —
and I turned to jelly!
I realised how much I needed you, LORD,
and in my panic I begged you for mercy.
“What good is my blood to you?” I cried.
“How will it help if I’m in the grave?
Can a corpse sing your praises?
Will a gravestone publicise your goodness?
Give me another chance, LORD.
Please, LORD, bail me out one more time.”
And sure enough, you did, LORD.
You turned my tears to laughter;
you set my dragging feet dancing;
you dusted me off and dressed me up for a party.
So now I’m singing your praises
from the bottom of my heart,
and no one can shut me up!
You are my God, LORD,
and I’m eternally grateful.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Revelation 5: 11-14

I had a vision of a huge crowd of angels circling around heaven’s throne. There were thousands and millions of them; trillions perhaps, more than anyone could count. I heard their voices swelling, joining with the four awesome creatures and the twenty four elders in a mighty song:
“The Lamb who was slaughtered deserves all we can offer:
power and wealth,
wisdom and strength,
honour and glory and every good thing!
Then I heard every creature everywhere joining in the song — from heaven and earth, from under the earth, from the waves of the seas — their voices rose as one:
“To you who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb,
we give it all:
blessing and honour,
glory and strength,
forever and ever and ever!”
And at that, the four awesome creatures said, “And so say all of us!”
And the twenty four elders fell to their knees and worshipped.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 21: 1-19

One of the places where Jesus appeared to his followers after his resurrection was at Lake Galilee. A few of them had gathered there: Simon Peter; Thomas the Twin; Nathaniel, who came from Cana in Galilee; the two sons of Zebedee; and a couple of others. Simon Peter had decided to go fishing, and the rest of them had said, “You can count us in. We’ll come too.” They spent the night in the boat, but they didn’t catch a thing.
They were heading back in to shore as the sun came up, when they saw a man standing on the beach. It was Jesus, but they didn’t recognise him. Jesus called out to them, “Morning boys! How are the fish biting?”
“We haven’t caught a thing,” they replied.
Jesus said, “Try casting off the right hand side of the boat instead. You’ll find some there.”
So they did, and suddenly there were fish everywhere – more than they could pull in. The disciple with whom Jesus had been most intimate said to Peter, “It’s got to be the Lord!”
Simon Peter had been stripped for work, but when he heard it was the Lord, he threw his shirt back on, dived into the sea, and struck out for the shore. They weren’t far off the beach – no more than a hundred metres – so the rest of them dragged the boat in with the load of fish.
When they arrived on the beach, they found that Jesus had a fire going and was baking some damper-bread and barbecuing some fish. He looked up and said to them, “Put on some of the fish you’ve just caught.”
Simon Peter dragged in the catch. There were a hundred and fifty three fish in all, most of them whoppers. It was surprising that the fishing tackle was still intact after landing them all. Jesus said, “Breakfast’s ready. Come and get it!”
Some of the disciples half wanted to say, “Who are you?” but none dared because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus divided up the bread among them and then did the same with the fish. This was the third time the disciples had seen Jesus alive since he had been raised from the dead.
When they had finished eating breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me above anyone else?”
Simon Peter replied, “Yes, Lord. You know I do.”
Jesus said to him, “Then feed my lambs.”
Then he asked him again, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
He replied, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Well, take care of my sheep.”
Jesus asked him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was starting to feel hurt that Jesus kept questioning his love, and the third time he replied, “Lord, you know everything. You know how much I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. I kid you not, Simon, when you were a young bloke, you dressed however you liked and went wherever you wanted. But when you are an old man, you’ll put your hands up when you’re told to, you’ll wear what’s issued to you, and you’ll be taken places you don’t want to go.” (In saying this, Jesus was foreshadowing the kind of death Simon Peter would eventually face in his honouring of God.) After that, Jesus simply said, “Follow me.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you alone are worthy to receive
all power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and praise.
With your powerful voice and glorious light
you created the heavens and the earth.
In mercy and love you saved a people from the pit of slavery,
and commissioned them
to bring your name before all the world.
Your child, Jesus, lived your compassion to the full
and called us to follow him.
When he was killed
by those who would murder your Way,
you raised him to life again
and enthroned him as the centre of heaven’s worship.
He meets us in our uncertainty,
redeeming even our failures and betrayals,
offering forgiveness
and removing the scales from our eyes,
so that we might recognise you in everything,
and express our love in worship and service.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank for your Son, Jesus,
who redeems even our failures and betrayals,
and removes the scales from our eyes,
so that we might recognise you in all the earth,
and express our love in worship and service.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you alone are worthy to receive
all power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and praise.
With your powerful voice and glorious light
you created the heavens and the earth.
In mercy and love you saved a people from the pit of slavery,
and commissioned them
to bring your name before all the world.
Your child, Jesus, lived your compassion to the full
and called us to follow him.
When he was killed
by those who would murder your Way,
you raised him to life again
and enthroned him as the centre of heaven’s worship.
He meets us in our uncertainty,
redeeming even our failures and betrayals,
offering forgiveness
and removing the scales from our eyes,
so that we might recognise you in everything,
and express our love in worship and service.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Awesome is our God
whose anger passes quickly,
and whose mercy lasts a lifetime.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now and follow the risen Christ.
Love God and nourish the faith of God’s little ones.
Make Christ known to all people
for God has chosen you as an instrument
to lead others into the way of mercy and love.
And may God change your anguish into a joyful dance;
May Christ Jesus lead you from betrayal to mission;
And may the Holy Spirit fill you with light and love and purpose.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

What is Conversion?A sermon on Acts 9:1-20 by Nathan Nettleton

Worshipping the Slaughtered OneA sermon on Revelation 5:11-14 by Nathan Nettleton

Pulling your love to piecesA sermon on John 21:1-19 by Nathan Nettleton

Going Back to the Scene of the CrimeA sermon on Acts 9:1-20 & John 21:1-19 by Nathan Nettleton

God Calls, Converts, and Commissions!A sermon on Acts 9:1-20 by Chris Barnden

Confronting ConversionA sermon on Acts 9:1-20 & John 21:1-19 by Nathan Nettleton

2nd Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2031-04-20 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Acts 5: 27-32

The apostles were arrested for a third time and dragged before the authorities. The High Priest tore strips off them, saying, “You were ordered by this court to stop spreading the teachings of Jesus, but now the things you’ve been saying about him are all over town. And what’s more, you are determined to make us wear the blame for his death.”
But Peter, backed up by the other apostles, said, “Whenever obeying God and obeying some mere human authority are at odds with each other, we have no choice but to obey God. You had Jesus strung up on a post and killed; but God — the very same God our ancestors worshipped — raised him back to life again. What’s more, he is now God’s right hand man. God has given him the top job, as Leader and Saviour, so that he might give the nation the chance to turn back to God and have their sins forgiven. We know about these things, first hand, and it’s our job to tell the truth about them. And our partner in this task is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to all who take their cues from God.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 118: 14-29

Our energy and strength come from you, LORD;
our peace and safety were won by you.
The sound of singing rings out
from the homes of all who are honest and true.
They sing of what you have done, LORD,
for you raised your hand and saved the day.
Now we know that our lives are safe;
we will live to tell of what you have done.
You gave us the tough medicine we deserved, LORD,
but you didn’t let death get its claws into us.
The minute they open the city gates
— the gates of justice —
we’ll be the first through, LORD;
eager to tell you how thankful we are.
These gates belong to you, LORD,
those you have put right can come on through.
Thank you for answering our prayers, LORD;
for coming to our rescue and putting us right.
From a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile
you cut and polished a priceless jewel.
This is obviously your work, LORD,
and we can hardly believe our eyes!
Today is your day, LORD, a day to honour you;
we will celebrate with joy and laughter.
Get us through safely, LORD!
In the tasks ahead, give us success!
The one who comes in your name, LORD,
is the one who is truly blessed.
Gathered here in your house,
we praise you for sending him.
You, LORD, are our only God,
and you light up our lives.
In a great procession,
we march to the sacred place,
waving branches and banners;
tossing flowers in the air.
You are our God
and we give you thanks.
You are our God
and we give you our highest acclaim.
Thank you, LORD, thank you!
Thank you for your goodness!
Thank you for your love —
rock solid and timeless!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

OR Psalm 150

All praise to you, LORD!
We sing your praises in the house of worship;
we sing your praises in the open air!
We give you all the credit for the amazing things you have done;
we openly declare that your greatness
is in a league of its own!
The bands strike up with songs dedicated to you,
making every kind of music in your honour.
For you, the haunting sounds of the didgeridoo!
For you, the jazz band’s wailing horns!
For you, a funky bass riff!
For you, the fieriest fiddles!
For you, screaming guitars!
For you, drums and cymbals!
For you, a polished choir!
For you, a full-blooded orchestra!
All who can breathe, sing;
all who can stand, dance;
and all to sound your praises, LORD!
All praise to you, LORD of all!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Revelation 1: 4-8

A message from me, John, to you, the seven churches in the region of Turkey:
Greetings and best wishes. May the One who is and who was and who is yet to come be generous to you and give you peace. May the seven spirits who gather around heaven’s throne do likewise for you. And so too may Jesus Christ. He is the key witness whose testimony will not be silenced, no matter what. He is the first one to have been reborn from the grave. He is the one to whom everyone who holds power on earth must answer.
All glory and power to Jesus Christ,
for he loves us.
He cut us loose from our sins,
even spilling his own blood to get it done.
He made us citizens of a new global domain
and priests in the service of his God and Father.
All glory and power to Jesus Christ,
from now to forever. So say all of us!
Be on the watch - he’s on his way!
Rolling in on the clouds - no one will fail to see him.
Even those who cut him down will have to look,
and the sight of him will cause weeping and wailing
from every race and nation on earth.
That’s the long and the short of it, and so say all of us!
“I’m the first and the last; the be all and end all,” says the Lord God, the invincible one, who is and who was and who is yet to come.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 20: 19-31

It was a Sunday – the first day of the week – when the tomb was found empty. That same evening, the disciples met together. They locked all the doors of the house where they were meeting because they were afraid of being tracked down by the religious authorities. Suddenly, Jesus appeared and stood among them saying, “Good evening to you all!”
He proceeded to show them the deep scars in his hands and side. The disciples, of course, were over the moon at seeing the Lord again. Jesus spoke again, saying, “All the best to you. God sent me into the world, and in the same way, I’m sending you.”
Having said that, he breathed a big breathe onto them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit; all of you. If you forgive anyone who has sinned, then their sins are forgiven. If you withhold forgiveness for any sins, they remain unforgiven.”
When this happened, Thomas – known as “the Twin” and one of the twelve – was missing. The other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord, but they couldn’t convince him. “I’m not falling for that one!” Thomas replied. “I’d have to see the nail holes in his hands before I’d believe it. In fact I’d have to feel the holes myself, and touch the spear wound in his side.”
A week later, the disciples again gathered behind locked doors in the same house, and this time Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors, Jesus came and stood among them again and said, “Good evening to you all!”
Then he turned to Thomas and said, “Here are my hands, Thomas. Put your finger here in the wound.” And pulling up his shirt, he said, “And here is my side. You can put your hand in the hole. Let go of your doubts and trust me.”
Thomas, of course, was blown away, and said, “You are my Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Believing is not that hard when you’ve seen me, is it? Imagine how much God will smile on those who put their trust in me without ever having seen me!”
The disciples saw Jesus do many other things that demonstrated to them the reality of who he was, but they have not all been written down in this book. But what has been written here has been written for you, dear readers, so that you will know enough to see that Jesus is the anointed One – the Son of God – and so that by putting your trust in him you can come to have real life: the life that he lived and shares.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you meet us in our doubts
and fill us with life and peace.
You are the one who was and is, and is to come
— the beginning and the end —
who breathed life into the earth and its creatures.
Our ancestors put their trust in you
and celebrated your mighty acts of salvation.
You sent your child, Jesus,
as a faithful witness to your goodness and love.
He was killed by the powerful,
but you raised him, as the firstborn from the dead.
Appearing behind the locked doors of our fear
he breathed Holy Spirit into us
and commissioned us
to carry his words of peace and mercy to the world.
Seated at your right hand as Leader and Saviour,
he frees us from sin
and makes us a kingdom of priests
to serve you forever.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for your risen Son, Jesus,
the firstborn from the dead,
who meets us behind the locked doors of our fear
and breathes Holy Spirit into us,
commissioning us to proclaim peace and mercy to all the world.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you meet us in our doubts
and fill us with life and peace.
You are the one who was and is, and is to come
— the beginning and the end —
who breathed life into the earth and its creatures.
Our ancestors put their trust in you
and celebrated your mighty acts of salvation.
You sent your child, Jesus,
as a faithful witness to your goodness and love.
He was killed by the powerful,
but you raised him, as the firstborn from the dead.
Appearing behind the locked doors of our fear
he breathed Holy Spirit into us
and commissioned us
to carry his words of peace and mercy to the world.
Seated at your right hand as Leader and Saviour,
he frees us from sin
and makes us a kingdom of priests
to serve you forever.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

God has exalted Jesus Christ, as Leader and Saviour,
that he might turn us back to God
and free us from our sins by his blood.
All who put their trust in him, have life in his name.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now to love and forgive,
for as God sent Christ,
so now Christ is sending you.
Obey God above any other authority
and bear witness to Christ’s resurrection life.
And may God continue the work of salvation in you;
May Christ Jesus meet you in your doubts and fears;
And may the Holy Spirit fill you with peace
and speak through you with mercy.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Christ is Risen, so what’s next?A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton

Beyond Doubt?A sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton

Redeeming ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31 by Nathan Nettleton

A Very Different Way of Looking at ThingsA sermon on Revelation 1: 4-8 by Nathan Nettleton

Forgiveness Comes with ScarsA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton

Peace Be With YouA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton

Doubters, Failures, and other Model ChristiansA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton

Merely-Reserving-Judgement ThomasA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton

Shame, Redemption, and the Terror of ResurrectionA sermon on John 20:19-31 & 1 John 1:1 – 2.2 by Nathan Nettleton

Behind Locked DoorsA sermon on John 20:19-31 by Paul Sheppy

Doubting Thomas has the Last LaughA sermon on John 20:19-31 by Audrey Katenna

The An Absolute Game-ChangerA sermon on Revelation 1: 4-8; John 20:19-31 & Acts 5:27-32 by Nathan Nettleton

Resurrection Sunday Evening
2031-04-13 00:00 - 2031-04-14 00:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Isaiah 25: 6-9

Every people on earth will be invited to the sacred mountain
for the huge party thrown by the LORD who rules over everything.
It will be the feast to end all feasts,
with the very finest of foods and wines:
choice meats, wines aged to perfection,
gourmet delicacies to make every mouth water!
And right here on this sacred mountain
the LORD will tear off the pall of death
and release the nations from the coffin that held them.
The LORD will swallow up death once and for all.
With that, the Lord GOD will wipe the tears from every eye,
and God’s people will no longer be humiliated and despised;
The LORD says so and that settles it.
When that happens people will say,
Wow! This is our God!
We hoped, we waited, we trusted God to save us.
And our waiting has not been in vain.
The LORD has not let us down.
Celebrate! Sing and dance,
for God has come to our rescue and set us free.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 114

When we were led out of the land of slavery
- the people of Israel, coming out from under the foreign thumb -
the land of Judah became a sacred place,
the land of Israel came under sovereign rule.
The wild sea took one look, and turned tail and ran,
the Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.
The mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;
the hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup.
What was it that made the wild sea turn tail?
What was it that made the Jordan back off?
What made the mountains quiver and jump?
What made the hills shudder and shake?
It was awe of you, LORD, God of our ancestors.
The whole earth trembles in your presence.
For you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;
the one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

1 Corinthians 5: 6b-8

You do realise, don’t you, that it only takes a little bit of yeast to leaven a whole batch of bread dough? A little bit of corruption can similarly affect a whole congregation, so get rid of it. Just as we have traditionally cleaned out every trace of yeast from our homes in preparation for the Passover festival when we use only unleavened bread, so you should clean the corruption from your midst. You are to be the new batch of unleavened bread. In Christ, our Paschal lamb has been sacrificed. Now is the time for us to celebrate the festival, and just as we can’t celebrate it with yeast-leavened bread, neither can we celebrate it with the old yeast of inhumanity and evil. We celebrate this festival with the unleavened bread of truth and integrity.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 24: 13-49

In the afternoon of the day that the tomb had been found empty, a couple who had been followers of Jesus were heading back home to the small town called Emmaus. As they walked the ten kilometres or so from Jerusalem, they were talking over everything that had happened in the past few days. Along the way, Jesus himself joined them, but to their eyes he was just another stranger on the road. He asked them, “What’s all this you are discussing so intently as you travel?”
They pulled up in their tracks and looked at him with long faces. One of them, a man named Cleopas, said to him, “You must be the only stranger in and around Jerusalem who has not caught up with what’s been going on in the last few days.”
“What has been going on?” Jesus asked.
They replied, “It is all to do with Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet whose words and actions electrified the people in the presence of God. The religious and civil authorities had him arrested and then pushed for the death penalty. They got their way and he was executed. We’d had our hopes pinned on him being the one who would set Israel back in its rightful place. It’s all been over for three days now. A strange twist has rocked us all today, though. Some women from our group apparently went to the tomb first thing this morning and couldn’t find his body. They came back and told the rest of us that they had seen a vision of angels who said that Jesus was alive. We sent a group down to check out their story, and they found things just the way the women had said, but there was no sign of Jesus anywhere.”
When they had finished filling him in, Jesus said to them, “What a thick-headed pair you are! Why are you so slow to get your heads and your hearts around everything that the prophets spelled out?! Hasn’t it always been the case that the Messiah would have to cop all this suffering before getting in on the glory that was in store for him?”
Jesus spent the rest of their journey explaining the scriptures to them. Passage by passage, he showed them what Moses and the prophets had said about him.
When they reached the turn-off to the town they were heading for, Jesus appeared set to push on up the highway, but they put the hard word on him to stop at their place overnight since the sun was going down and the day was almost over. So he accepted their offer of hospitality and went home with them. When he sat down to the evening meal with them, he picked up a loaf of bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them. Suddenly their eyes were opened and they realised who he was; and just as suddenly he disappeared from sight. They looked at one another and said, “No wonder there was such a fire burning in our guts when he was explaining the scriptures to us on the road!”
So, without a moment’s delay, they were on their feet and hurrying back to Jerusalem to tell the news to the eleven and the rest of the crew. When they found them, they were all together and abuzz with news: “The Lord really has risen! He has appeared to Simon Peter!”
The couple from Emmaus filled them all in on what had happened on the road, and how it had dawned on them who he was when the bread had been broken.
While they were talking about all this, Jesus himself suddenly appeared, standing among them. “Greetings!” he said, “Peace be with you.”
Taken by surprise, they thought he was a ghost, and were scared spitless. Jesus said to them, “What have you got to be afraid of? Why are you letting your doubts get the better of you? Here, take a look at my hands and feet. See for yourselves that it really is me. Reach out and touch me and you will know that I am made of flesh and bone. No ghost can claim that!”
As he spoke, he showed them his hands and feet. It all seemed too good to be true; so wonderful that they couldn’t believe their eyes. Their heads were bursting with joy and disbelief! Jesus asked them, “Have you got anything here I can eat?”
They gave him a piece of grilled fish and he took it and ate it in front of them. Then he said to them, “The things I have said while I was with you amount to this: everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms is to be fulfilled.”
As he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them:
“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.”
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you have raised Jesus Christ to life
and destroyed the shroud of death that covered all people.
You made the earth, and it trembles in your presence;
you rescued your people from slavery,
leading them through the deep waters
from death to life.
You sent your Son, Jesus, to us,
a prophet mighty in word and deed
who taught us to celebrate your salvation
in sincerity and truth.
Though he was condemned to death
and crucified by the religious,
you raised him from the dead
and wiped the tears from our faces.
Risen indeed, he is with us always,
breathing his peace over our fears
and spreading a rich banquet before us
so that in the breaking of bread
and your word proclaimed,
our eyes might be opened
and our hearts set on fire with love.
Therefore with .....
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give thanks for your Risen Son, Jesus Christ,
who breathes his peace over our fears
and spreads a rich banquet before us
so that in the breaking of bread
and your word proclaimed,
our eyes might be opened
and our hearts set on fire with love.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you have raised Jesus Christ to life
and destroyed the shroud of death that covered all people.
You made the earth, and it trembles in your presence;
you rescued your people from slavery,
leading them through the deep waters
from death to life.
You sent your Son, Jesus, to us,
a prophet mighty in word and deed
who taught us to celebrate your salvation
in sincerity and truth.
Though he was condemned to death
and crucified by the religious,
you raised him from the dead
and wiped the tears from our faces.
Risen indeed, he is with us always,
breathing his peace over our fears
and spreading a rich banquet before us
so that in the breaking of bread
and your word proclaimed,
our eyes might be opened
and our hearts set on fire with love.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

As the scriptures said,
the Messiah suffered and rose from the dead on the third day,
so that repentance and forgiveness of sins
might be proclaimed in his name to all nations.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now as witnesses of God’s victory over evil and death.
The risen Christ has made himself known to you
in the breaking of bread,
so clean out the old yeast of malice and evil
and live as the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
And may God wipe every tear from your faces;
May Christ Jesus make himself known to you in all things;
And may the Holy Spirit open your eyes
and set your hearts on fire with love.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Can’t see the wood for the treesA sermon on Luke 24: 13-35 by Nathan Nettleton

Open Minds and Narrow ThinkingA sermon on Luke 24:36b-48 by Nathan Nettleton

Easter in OrdinaryA sermon on Luke 24.13-35 by Garry Deverell

The Stranger on the Road of DespairA sermon on Luke 24: 13-35 & 1 Peter 1: 17-23 by Nathan Nettleton

There and Back AgainA sermon on Luke 24:13-35 by Roslyn Wright

Resurrection Sunday Morning - Year C
2031-04-13 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

1st Reading: Acts 10: 34-43

Peter addressed the gathered people saying:
“Now it is all perfectly clear to me — God does not play favourites! Whoever you are and wherever you are from, if you take God seriously and do the right thing, God will welcome you with open arms! Jesus the Messiah preached God’s message about a peace deal to the people of Israel, but clearly it did not stop with them — he is Lord of all! No doubt you have heard the news about Jesus of Nazareth, because since it sparked off in Galilee, it has spread like wildfire all over Judea. The story began after John started calling everyone to turn their lives around through baptism. God singled Jesus out then and there, charging him with the Holy Spirit’s power. From then on, Jesus travelled around working for good and helping people out from under the devil’s thumb and back onto their feet. God was with him in all this. We saw it all ourselves; everything he did in the Judean backblocks and in the city of Jerusalem. They strung him up on a post and killed him, but three days later God raised him to life and let us see him. Not everybody got to see him, but God had picked us out to be the ones who would know first hand what had happened. We got to spend time sharing meals and a few drinks with him after he was brought back from the dead. He gave us the job of getting his message out to the people and going public with the fact that he is the one who God has appointed to make the final assessment of everybody on earth, past and present. You don’t have to take our word alone on this; all the prophets back us up. Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus receives pardon for their sins on his say so.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Alternative 1st Reading: Isaiah 65: 17-25

I, the LORD, am on the verge of making
the heavens and the earth brand new again.
The traumas of the past will be long forgotten,
fading from memory.
Kick up your heels and start the party!
Celebrate what I’m bringing into existence.
I’m creating Jerusalem as a place of joy,
a place full of happy peaceful people.
Jerusalem will be my pride and joy.
Its people will be my greatest delight.
Cries of fear will no longer be heard there.
The sounds of grieving will be gone for good.
Never again will there be babies who die young,
or adults who don’t live to a ripe old age.
If anyone dies at a hundred,
people will say they were cut down in their prime.
If they fall short of a hundred,
it will seem like some horrible curse.
They will live secure in the houses they have worked for.
They will enjoy the fruits of their own labours.
Never again will anyone build a house,
only to have the bank confiscate it.
Never again will anyone sweat and toil
only to see the profit go to someone else.
My people will live long and sturdy like the great trees.
My chosen people will love their work and enjoy its fruits.
Their work will not be wasted.
Their children will not be doomed.
I, the LORD, will see that their children flourish,
and that all will be well for their children’s children.
Before their prayers pass their lips, I will answer.
I’ll tune in before they’ve opened their mouths.
The dingo and the lamb will feed side by side.
The crocodile will go vegetarian.
Snakes will bite nothing but the dust!
There will be no killing or maiming on my holy mountain;
I, the LORD, have given my word!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24

Thank you, LORD, thank you!
Thank you for your goodness!
Thank you for your love —
rock solid and timeless!
May all your people recognise
that your love and loyalty last forever.
Our energy and strength come from you, LORD;
our peace and safety were won by you.
The sound of singing rings out
from the homes of all who are honest and true.
They sing of what you have done, LORD,
for you raised your hand and saved the day.
Now we know that our lives are safe;
we will live to tell of what you have done.
You gave us the tough medicine we deserved, LORD,
but you didn’t let death get its claws into us.
The minute they open the city gates
— the gates of justice —
we’ll be the first through, LORD;
eager to tell you how thankful we are.
These gates belong to you, LORD,
those you have put right can come on through.
Thank you for answering our prayers, LORD;
for coming to our rescue and putting us right.
From a rejected stone found in a rubbish pile
you cut and polished a priceless jewel.
This is obviously your work, LORD,
and we can hardly believe our eyes!
Today is your day, LORD, a day to honour you;
we will celebrate with joy and laughter.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net

2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 19-26

If we’ve put all our eggs in the Messiah’s basket and it has made no difference to how much life we’ve got — we will still just die and that will be the end of it — then we must be the sorriest bunch of losers who ever drew breath. But the fact of the matter is that the Messiah has been raised from the dead and is more alive than ever. And he’s just the first. Now that he’s set the precedent you can rest assured that there are plenty more to come! The precedent for throwing away life came through one human being, and now the precedent for throwing off death has come through another. Just as our solidarity with Adam sent us into grave, so now our solidarity with the Messiah will see us join him in rising from the grave to live. But we have to take our place in the queue and wait our turn. Jesus the Messiah, as the trail-blazer, comes first. Then, when he steps back onto the stage, those who have signed on with him will follow. And then comes the big finale. Having wiped out the competition — all those systems and structures and powers that seek to rule our lives — the Messiah’s new culture will be complete and he will present it in triumph to God who conceived us all. For the Messiah’s influence must continue to grow until all the enemies of life have fallen beneath his feet. And, of course, the final enemy to be destroyed will be death itself.
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Alternative 2nd Reading: Acts 10: 34-43

Peter addressed the gathered people saying:
“Now it is all perfectly clear to me — God does not play favourites! Whoever you are and wherever you are from, if you take God seriously and do the right thing, God will welcome you with open arms! Jesus the Messiah preached God’s message about a peace deal to the people of Israel, but clearly it did not stop with them — he is Lord of all! No doubt you have heard the news about Jesus of Nazareth, because since it sparked off in Galilee, it has spread like wildfire all over Judea. The story began after John started calling everyone to turn their lives around through baptism. God singled Jesus out then and there, charging him with the Holy Spirit’s power. From then on, Jesus travelled around working for good and helping people out from under the devil’s thumb and back onto their feet. God was with him in all this. We saw it all ourselves; everything he did in the Judean backblocks and in the city of Jerusalem. They strung him up on a post and killed him, but three days later God raised him to life and let us see him. Not everybody got to see him, but God had picked us out to be the ones who would know first hand what had happened. We got to spend time sharing meals and a few drinks with him after he was brought back from the dead. He gave us the job of getting his message out to the people and going public with the fact that he is the one who God has appointed to make the final assessment of everybody on earth, past and present. You don’t have to take our word alone on this; all the prophets back us up. Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus receives pardon for their sins on his say so.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Gospel Reading: John 20: 1-18

Early on Sunday, the first day of the week, even before it began to get light, Mary Magdalene went to visit the tomb where Jesus had been buried. When she got there, she discovered that the stone had been removed and the tomb was open. She fled as fast as she could, and found Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus had been closest to. Mary blurted out, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have taken him.”
So Peter and the other disciple set off on the double. They were both running at full tilt, but the other disciple was faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. He didn’t go in, but he bent down to peer inside and saw that the linen burial shroud had been unwrapped and left behind. Moments later, Simon Peter arrived, and barged straight into the tomb. He too, saw the unwrapped shroud lying there, and noticed that the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was not with the rest of the shroud, but had been rolled up and left in a different spot. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, followed Peter in. They had not yet got their minds around the scriptures that said that Jesus must rise from the dead, but what he saw was enough to convince him that this was no grave robbery, but something far more extraordinary.
The two men left, and headed off to their homes, but Mary stayed behind and stood weeping outside the tomb. A little later she bent down to look into the tomb, and through her tears she saw two angels dressed in white. They were sitting where the body of Jesus had previously been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
She replied, “Someone has taken away my Lord, and I have got no idea where they might have put him.”
Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing behind her, but she didn’t realise it was him. Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”
Mary assumed that he was the cemetery gardener, so she said to him, “Mister, if you have removed his body from the tomb, please tell me where you have put him, and I will take him off your hands.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She spun around and said, “Rabbouni!”, which is a Hebrew word meaning ‘Dear Teacher’.
Jesus said to her, “Don’t try to hold on to me, because I have not yet fully risen to the Father. But go now, and tell my whole family of disciples that I am rising up to the one who conceived me and conceived you, to my God and your God.”
So Mary Magdalene went straight to the disciples, and was the first to make the announcement, “I have seen the Lord!”
She went on to fill them in on all that he had said to her.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Alternative Gospel Reading: Luke 24: 1-12

Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when, out of the blue, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.”
Suddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; but even so, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head, with no idea what to make of it all.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you have raised Christ from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have died.
You created the earth
and your steadfast love endures forever
for all the people of every nation.
As the prophets testified,
you sent your child Jesus into the world preaching peace,
You anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power
and he went about doing good
and healing all who were oppressed.
Like a stone rejected by the builders
he was put to death, hanging on a tree,
but you raised him on the third day
and made him the cornerstone of your kingdom.
Now he meets us in our grief,
eating and drinking with us
and raising us all to life in him,
so that he might present the kingdom to you,
having destroyed the last enemy: death itself.
Therefore with .....
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We thank you for your risen Son, Jesus Christ,
who meets us in our grief,
eating and drinking with us
and raising us all to life in him,
so that he might present the kingdom to you,
having destroyed the last enemy: death itself.
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for you have raised Christ from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have died.
You created the earth
and your steadfast love endures forever
for all the people of every nation.
As the prophets testified,
you sent your child Jesus into the world preaching peace,
You anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power
and he went about doing good
and healing all who were oppressed.
Like a stone rejected by the builders
he was put to death, hanging on a tree,
but you raised him on the third day
and made him the cornerstone of your kingdom.
Now he meets us in our grief,
eating and drinking with us
and raising us all to life in him,
so that he might present the kingdom to you,
having destroyed the last enemy: death itself.

Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

God shows no partiality,
but has sent Jesus to us all,
preaching peace and healing those oppressed by evil.
Everyone who puts their trust in him
receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, glad and rejoicing,
for this is the day that the Lord has made,
and Christ is risen, that all may be made alive in him.
Put your hope in the risen Christ,
and testify that he is the one ordained by God to be Lord of all.
In his name, preach peach, do good,
and proclaim the forgiveness of sins without partiality.
And may God be your strength and your might;
May Christ Jesus meet you in your grief
and become your salvation;
and may the Holy Spirit raise you to life in Christ.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

The Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton

God Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton

Do Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff

Factoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton

A Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton

Life and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright

By The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Showing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra

A Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor

The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil
2031-04-12 00:00 - 2031-04-13 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a

At the outset, when God created the universe,
the earth was lifeless and shapeless;
a deep ocean of chaos, shrouded in darkness;
brooded over by the Spirit of God.
Then God called for light,
and light appeared.
God saw that light was a good thing,
and separated it from the darkness.
God named the light Day,
and the darkness Night.
Evening passed and morning came;
the first day was done.
Then God called for a clear space
to keep out the water on either side.
God made the clear space
and the water was split in two, above and below.
That is what happened,
and God named the space Sky.
Evening passed and morning came;
the second day was done.
Then God called for the waters under the sky
to be pooled into one place
and for dry land to appear elsewhere.
That is what happened,
and God named the dry land Earth
and the pooled waters Sea.
God saw that this was a good thing.
Then God called for the earth to produce vegetation:
plants and trees, rich with fertile fruits and seed,
and that is what happened.
The earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;
grasses and vines, shrubs and trees,
fertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.
God saw that this was a good thing.
Evening passed and morning came;
the third day was done.
Then God called for lights in the space called sky;
lights to shine from above and light up the earth,
to separate day from night,
and to mark out the months, seasons and years.
That is what happened;
God made stars to fill the sky
and two big lights:
a bright one to dominate the day,
and a soft one to take over at night.
God set them all in the sky
to light up the earth and determine day and night;
to separate out the light from the darkness.
God saw that this was a good thing.
Evening passed and morning came;
the fourth day was done.
Then God called for the waters to fill with living creatures,
and for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.
God created all the creatures that live and move in the water,
the enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish,
and every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.
God saw that this was a good thing
and set them up for life,
encouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas
and the birds to multiply all over the earth.
Evening passed and morning came;
the fifth day was done.
Then God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:
insects, reptiles, mammals;
animals of every kind, tame and wild.
That is what happened;
God made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth,
every kind of herd and flock,
and every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.
God saw that this was a good thing.
Then God said:
“We will make people in our own image,
modelling them on ourselves.
We will entrust to them the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, the flocks and herds,
and all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.”
So God created people as a reflection of God,
created them to be like God,
created them male and female.
God set them up for life,
and encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.
God told them to exercise control over the earth
and to manage the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air and every living thing on earth.
God said to the people:
“Look, I have given you the grain crops
that grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth,
and all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;
they are all yours for food.
I have also provided vegetation galore
as food for the animals, birds and creepy-crawlies,
for everything that lives and breathes.
So it all happened, just as God said.
Everything God had made was there to be seen
and God was delighted with it all.
Evening passed and morning came;
the sixth day was done.
With that, the universe was complete,
along with everything that fills it.
With the work finished,
God took the seventh day off.
After all the work God had done,
the seventh day was a well earned rest.
So God made the seventh day special,
a sacred day,
because that day was God’s day off
after all the work of creating everything.
So that’s the family lineage of the universe;
the story of how everything came to be.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 136: 1-9, 23-26

Thank you, LORD, thank you. You are truly good.
Your rock solid love is forever.
Thank you, God of all gods, thank you.
Your rock solid love is forever.
Thank you, Lord of all lords, thank you.
Your rock solid love is forever.
You and you alone have done miraculous things.
Your rock solid love is forever.
You dreamed up the skies and put them in place.
Your rock solid love is forever.
You raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.
Your rock solid love is forever.
You set the lights shining in the sky.
Your rock solid love is forever.
You put the sun in charge of the day.
Your rock solid love is forever.
You gave the moon and stars watch over the night.
Your rock solid love is forever.
You didn’t forget us when we were down and out.
Your rock solid love is forever.
You rescued us from those who had it in for us.
Your rock solid love is forever.
You provide food for everything that lives,
Your rock solid love is forever.
Thank you, God of everything, thank you.
Your rock solid love is forever.
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13

The LORD said to Noah:
“I want you and your family to board the giant lifeboat you have built, because you are the only person alive who does the right thing in my eyes. It is time to move the animals on board too. Take seven breeding pairs of every kind of animal that can be offered in worship, one breeding pair of every kind that cannot, and seven pairs of every kind of flying bird. In this way we will ensure the survival of all their species on the earth. You’ve only got seven days before the rain starts, so get cracking. I will make it bucket down, day and night, for forty days, to wipe every living thing from the face of the earth, everything I have created.”
So Noah got stuck into it and followed the LORD’s instructions to the letter. Noah was six hundred years old at the time, and sure enough, on the seventeenth day of the second month that year, great torrents of water came flooding up from beneath the ground and the clouds burst from above. Rain bucketed down, day and night, for forty days. The very day it began, Noah finished loading the lifeboat and moved in with his wife, his three sons — Shem, Ham and Japheth — and their three wives. On board they had loaded every kind of animal, wild and domestic, every kind of creepy-crawly, and every kind of bird and flying animal. There were breeding pairs of every species that lives and breathes on the earth, and they all went on board the lifeboat with Noah. Noah had rounded them all up and herded them into the boat, just as God had instructed him, and when they were all aboard, the LORD closed the door to keep them in.
The flood waters surged over the earth for forty days, and as the waters rose the lifeboat floated up well clear of the ground below. The waters continued to swell, becoming deeper and deeper over the earth, but the lifeboat floated safely on the surface.
When the rain stopped after forty days, Noah opened a window in the lifeboat he had built, and released a crow. It never came back, but kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up. So Noah released a pigeon, in order to find out whether the waters had subsided enough to find dry land. But the pigeon returned to the boat, because the water was still too deep and it couldn’t find anywhere else to land. Noah put out his hand for the bird to land on and brought it back inside. He waited another seven days and then released the pigeon from the boat again. That evening the pigeon came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak, so Noah knew that the waters had subsided enough for the land to begin drying out. Seven days later he released the pigeon again, and this time it never came back.
They had been in the lifeboat for nearly a year before the flood was gone completely. It was New Year’s Day when Noah opened up the roof of the boat and took a look around. He could see that the ground was still soggy, but drying fast. Eventually, on the twenty seventh day of the second month that year, the earth was dry enough, and God said to Noah:
“It is time for you and your whole family to leave the lifeboat. Unload all the living creatures that are with you; all the birds and animals and creepy-crawlies of every kind. Release them so that they can breed like rabbits and restock the earth.”
So Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family:
“I, myself, am forging an alliance with you, and with all your descendants to come, and with every living creature; all the birds, domestic animals, and wild animals of the earth who came out of the lifeboat with you. In the terms of this alliance which I am forging with you, I am giving you my word that never again will all life be wiped out by a flood. There will never be another flood that will totally destroy the earth. I am making this alliance between me and you and all the living creatures that are with you, and I am signing it in the clouds. The rainbow that I have put in the clouds for you all to see is my signature on the alliance between me and the earth.”
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 46

Our refuge, our shelter, our fortress, our security;
you are all these things to us, God.
You are always there for us when we need you.
Because of you, we will not panic
even if our world comes crashing down around our ears;
even if the earth splits open beneath us;
even if chaos pours in like a raging flood;
even if life as we know it goes up in smoke.
You are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —
our safety, our refuge.
A river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city
bringing joy and peace to your sacred home.
You are the most high God, and the city where you live
will rest secure and greet the new day with confidence.
The world may be in chaos, nations tearing apart at the seams,
but when you speak, the earth sinks to its knees.
You are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —
our safety, our refuge.
What you have done is a sight for sore eyes, LORD;
you have left a trail of destruction across the earth:
weapons of war crushed and burned;
implements of fear smashed to pieces;
conflicts and wars closed down for good.
You call us to a peaceful calm
and invite us to know you as God.
You stand supreme above the nations,
unmatched in all the earth.
You are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —
our safety, our refuge.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18

This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes.
God called to him, saying, “Abraham!”
“At your service,” Abraham replied.
God said, “Go and get Isaac, your son, your only son whom you love. Take him to the mountain that I will point out to you in the land of Moriah. There you are to sacrifice him to me on an altar as a burnt offering.”
So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire on the altar. He saddled his donkey and set out for the place that God had told him to go with Isaac and two of his hired hands. After three day’s journey, Abraham could finally see their destination in the distance. He said to the two hired hands, “Wait here with the donkey while the boy and I go on up there to worship. We will then return and meet you back here.”
Abraham got Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering, and he himself carried the knife and the coals for starting the fire. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac spoke to Abraham saying, “Father!”
“At your service, son,” Abraham replied.
“Haven’t we forgotten something?” Isaac asked. “We’ve got everything we need to get the fire going, but we haven’t brought a lamb to sacrifice as a burnt offering.”
Abraham said, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice, my son.”
So the two of them walked on together. When they arrived at the spot that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar and stacked the wood on it ready for the fire. Then he tied up his son Isaac, and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. He took the knife in hand and was about to kill his son, when the messenger of the LORD called to him from heaven, saying, “Abraham, Abraham!”
“At your service,” he replied.
The messenger said, “Put down your knife and don’t hurt the boy in any way, for now I know what I needed to know. Since you have not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me, I know that you trust God, no matter what.”
As he looked up, Abraham saw a ram with its horns entangled in the scrub. So he went and got it, and offered up the ram on the altar as a burnt offering in place of his son.
From then on, Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide,” and a saying was coined that you still hear today: “On the LORD’s mountain all will be provided.”
The messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again, saying, “This is what the LORD says to you:
I swear to you, and give you my personal guarantee, that because you have done what I told you to do, and not even drawn the line at giving up your only son for me, I will do the right thing by you and set you up for life. I will see to it that your descendants become as countless as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over their cities and towns. Through your offspring, a better life will be available to everyone on earth, because you obeyed when I spoke to you.”
©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net

Psalm 16

Protect me, God,
you are my place of refuge.
I’m acknowledging you as the one in charge, LORD;
you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I delight in the company of those
who dedicate themselves to you;
they are the salt of the earth.
Those who worship other things
will have nothing but grief.
I will not buy into their futile devotions;
I will not utter the names they revere.
You are all I want, LORD, and all I need;
you hold my future in your hands.
You mark out the best of everything for me;
you’ve set me up with a bright future.
I heap accolades on you, LORD,
for you always give me wise advice;
even in the dead of night
you fill my heart with your teachings.
I’ll always stick close behind you, LORD;
with you near by,
I’ll never be pushed off track.
You fill me with delight, LORD;
joy erupts from deep in my bones;
my body relaxes, safe in your care.
You’ll never let the grave drag me down;
your faithful servants are never left for dead.
You set my feet on a life-giving track, LORD.
To be in your presence is absolute bliss.
All I could dream of comes from your hand.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21

When the Israelites stopped near the Red Sea, they looked back over their shoulders and saw the King of Egypt and his whole army in hot pursuit. They began to cry out in panic:
“God help us! What are you doing to us, Moses? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Weren’t there enough graves there, so you had to take us off to be slaughtered in the outback? Didn’t we tell you it would come to this, when we were still safe in Egypt? We said ‘Don’t rock the boat, Moses. Leave us be. We are better off working as slaves in Egypt than ending up dead in the outback.’ Didn’t we tell you?”
But Moses replied in a speech, saying:
“Don’t panic! Hold your nerve, and you will see the LORD take action to rescue you, right here and now. Take a last look at your oppressors while you can, because you will never see them alive again. The LORD will fight this battle for you. That should shut you up!”
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
“Why all this whingeing to me? Tell the Israelites to get travelling. Hold up your walking stick and stretch out your hand towards the sea. Slice it open, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on a dry track. The Egyptian army are so pig-headed that they will go in after the people, and when they do, I will cover myself in glory by defeating the King of Egypt and all his armoured vehicles and soldiers. Then all Egypt will understand that I AM the LORD.”
The angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites now moved around and took up a new position, covering them from the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and settled in a position behind them, making it impossible for the Egyptians and the Israelites to see each other. The cloud shrouded the Egyptian camp in darkness and lit up the night over the Israelite camp, and the night passed without any contact between the two camps.
Then Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea, and, with a violent wind that blew all night, the LORD forced back the sea, carving out a track of dry ground right through the middle of the water. The Israelites trooped into the sea on the dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side. The Egyptian soldiers gave chase, charging into the middle of the sea aboard their horses and armoured vehicles. Just before dawn, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and began to wreak havoc among them, bogging their vehicles and leaving them stuck in the middle. In panic, the soldiers began shouting, “Run for your lives! Get away from these Israelites because the LORD is on their side fighting against us!”
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand towards the sea again so that the water will surge back over the Egyptian army and all their soldiers and armoured vehicles.”
So Moses stretched out his hand towards the sea, and as the dawn broke, the sea came crashing back down on top of the fleeing army. The LORD trapped the soldiers in the middle of the sea, and when the waters had closed over and returned to normal, there wasn’t a soldier or a vehicle left. The Israelites had walked through the sea on a dry track with the angry waters towering over them on either side, but the entire army of the King of Egypt had been swallowed up by the sea while pursuing them.
So that day the LORD rescued the people of Israel from their oppressors, and the people saw all the dead soldiers washed up on the shore. When they saw the power of the LORD’s action against their oppressors, the people were in awe of the LORD and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses who was working for the LORD.
Then the prophet Miriam, who was Aaron’s sister, led the women in a dance of celebration, playing tambourines and singing:
“Our song is for you, LORD,
for you have won a glorious victory!
You have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!”
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Exodus 15: 1b-13, 17-18

The prophet Miriam, who was Aaron’s sister, led the women in a dance of celebration, playing tambourines and singing:
Our song is for you, LORD,
for you have won a glorious victory!
You have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!
We would be nothing without you, LORD,
but with you, we are strong.
You are our God, and we sing your praises;
the God of our ancestors,
and we applaud you long and loud.
You are the greatest hero, LORD;
LORD by name, LORD by reputation.
You swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;
all his top brass disappeared beneath the waves.
The surging waters closed over them,
and they sank like a stone into the murky depths.
With your bare hands, LORD,
you put on an awesome display of power;
you rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy.
With the full force of your majestic power,
you defeated your opponents;
they ignited your anger
and were gone like dry grass in a bushfire.
The fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;
the surging depths were heaped up on each side;
the wild ocean set like jelly, all the way down.
The tyrants said, “We’ll give chase, we can catch them.
All that they have will be ours, all we could ever want.
We will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.”
You sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;
they sank like a stone and were never seen again.
You are in a league of your own, LORD;
Nothing else is worthy of our devotion.
Nothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;
Nothing else can match your record
for getting the job done against the odds.
When you got involved, LORD,
the planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors.
With love and loyalty, you led the people you had reclaimed;
with protective strength, you guided them to your sacred home.
You brought them home to your holy mountain, LORD,
and let them put down roots in the place you call your own,
the sacred place that you built with your own hands.
May you rule forever and ever, LORD!
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11

This is what the LORD says:
Hey you! Are you thirsty?
Come, then. Drink from these fresh waters!
Are you too penniless even to eat?
Never mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!
Come and stock up with food, wine and milk.
What will it cost you? Not a red cent!
Why sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?
Why bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?
Listen carefully to what I have to say
and you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods.
Stick with me and tune in to what I’m saying,
for without my words, life is bland and tasteless.
I will surround your lives with love and loyalty,
making a permanent alliance, just as I did with David.
I gave him influence and authority over the nations,
and he was my witness among them.
You will be the same – a light to which others flock;
even those who don’t know you will come running;
they’ll be drawn to my glory, seen in you,
the glory of the LORD, the one and only God of Israel.
The LORD says,
Track me down before it is too late,
make contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.
Clean up your act and get your head straight;
give up your corrupt practices and plans.
Get yourself back on my wavelength
and I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness.
I don’t think the way you think, says the LORD,
and I don’t do things the way you do.
Your ways and mine are like cheese and chalk,
your thoughts and mine are lightyears apart.
Everything I say has a powerful purpose;
no empty words ever pass my lips.
My words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:
wherever they fall they give life;
they replenish, renew and nourish life,
and then the earth gives them back and they start again.
My words always achieve their purpose;
they flourish where I plant them,
they nourish all who feed on them.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Isaiah 12: 2-6

You alone, LORD, are able to set us free,
so we put our trust in you, and have nothing to fear.
All our strength and power come from you, LORD GOD,
you have become our hero, our saviour!
You will put your saving love on tap,
deep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.
On that day we will all say to one another,
“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!”
We will tell the world what you have done,
we will shout your name and declare you to be number one.
We will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished,
and give you the glory all over the earth.
With all the citizens of Zion, we lift our voices to you
with shouts and laughter and songs of celebration,
for you are the ultimate, the greatest, the Holy One,
and you live among us, your people!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15, 32 - 4:4

Listen up, Israel, and hear the rules of life.
Tune in and learn good common sense.
What’s going on, O people of Israel?
How come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?
How come you are growing old so far from home?
People avoid you like something dead.
You are written off like those in the grave.
How come?
It is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom.
If you had stuck to the track God had marked out
you would have lived in peace your whole life long.
Wake up to yourselves and learn.
Learn where to find wisdom,
where to gain strength,
where to get a clear picture of what is going on.
Do that and you will find that you have also discovered
the secret to a long and full life,
to a future that looks bright,
and to peace that will last.
But who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?
Who has entered her warehouse and placed their order?
Who? The one who knows everything knows her well,
and with a sharp mind, easily tracked her down.
The one who set up the earth in the first place,
and filled it with everything on four legs;
the one who throws light into the sky,
and who can send it cowering away with a word;
the one at whose call the stars stepped forth,
eagerly signing up for the night watch
and lighting up with joy for the one who made them.
This is our God;
and no other god is in the same league.
God has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home
and shared her secrets with his servant Jacob,
and with Israel, his beloved child.
From that time on, Wisdom appeared on earth
and made her home among the people.
She is the book of instruction given by God;
the law laid down that lasts forever.
All those who hold fast to her will live,
but those who give up on her will die.
Turn around, people of Jacob, and reach out for her.
Turn towards her light and head straight there.
What a glorious gift you have been given!
Don’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.
We’ve got it made, O people of Israel,
because we are in the know about what pleases God.
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6

Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.
Can’t you hear her, offering herself to all who pass by?
On the station steps at rush hour, there she is.
On a busy corner where everyone passes;
leaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;
wherever people are, her voice rings out.
This is what she has to say:
“Come one and all, and hear me out;
If you’re in the land of the living, what I have to offer is for you.
To the thick-headed, I offer lessons in good sense;
to you who know nothing, I offer a solid education.
Listen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.
Every word that passes my lips can be trusted.
From my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;
corrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick.
Whenever I speak, it is straight down the line;
I don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it.
Invest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;
rich benefits, more than money could ever buy.
I stick to the track of those who do the right thing;
I steer a straight line on the road of justice.
I heap riches on those who love me;
their lives are chock full of good things.
To the ignorant and confused, Wisdom makes her invitation,
“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.
Share my bread and wine and things will fall into place.
The time has come to turn the corner,
to grow up, to embrace life.
Think before you act
and walk with understanding.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 19

Your glory is written in the sky, God;
your artistry is carved on the face of the earth.
From one day to another, the message passes on,
and each night puts the next one in the know.
Not a word is spoken,
not a sound do they make;
yet their silence reverberates around the earth
and their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole.
You made the sun at home flying across the sky.
It takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;
as exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.
As your messenger, God, it does its rounds,
from one end of the sky to the other,
warming everything in its path.
Your revealed will is right on the mark, LORD;
it gives our souls their second wind.
What you says goes,
and any fool can wise up by taking note.
Your instructions are spot on, LORD;
anyone who follows them will be glad they did.
What you direct us to do is easy to see,
and once seen, everything become clear.
Respect for you keeps us true, LORD,
nothing can corrupt it, now or ever.
What you decide is always accurate;
a fair ruling, beyond dispute.
Your Word is worth far more
than even diamond encrusted gold!
It is sweeter by far
than any mouth watering delicacy,
even chocolate dipped strawberries with cream!
But that’s not all!
Your Word, O LORD, keeps me out of danger,
and following it pays off richly.
Can anyone put their finger on all their own faults?
LORD, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet.
Remind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts,
and don’t let them start pulling my strings.
Without them, I can stay on course,
and keep my record clean.
That’s what I want, O LORD.
I want all the things I say,
and all the things I mull over in my heart,
to be things I’d be proud to offer to you,
for you are the bedrock of my life;
the one who puts me back where I belong.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28

I, the LORD, will bring you home from exile.
I will gather you from your foreign hideouts,
and settle you safely in your own homeland.
I will wash you down with clean water;
scrub the defilement from your lives,
and clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols.
I will renovate your lives from the inside out,
and give you a new heart and new spirit.
I will remove your cold stone hearts,
and replace them with hearts of healthy flesh.
I will put my spirit inside you,
to give you a passion for following my ways
and a commitment to doing what I say.
Then you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.
You will be my people,
and I will be your God.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 42 & 43

Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole,
I crave you, God, with every fibre of my being.
Everything inside me thirsts for you, God,
for you, the Living God.
When will the drought break
so I can be with you, face to face.
I’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;
day and night it’s been the same;
I can’t shut out the jeers and taunts,
“Where is this God of yours?”
Cherished memories flood my mind,
rubbing salt in the wound;
memories of past celebrations
when I led the worship in your house.
I can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;
the crowds celebrating your goodness.
Why do I feel so defeated?
Why am I so anxious and agitated?
I tell myself not to give up hope,
for you are my God and my help
and I’ll be glad of that again.
I feel so defeated inside;
I try to remind myself of your goodness
as I walk along the beach to the river mouth
and look towards the mountains.
But all I hear is the roar of waves
and churning waters;
I feel like chaos is breaking over me
and sucking me down, deeper and deeper.
Every day I read of your rock-solid love, LORD;
and every night I sing your songs
and pray to you as the God of my life.
But still I find myself asking the question:
“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?
Why are so many out to get me,
making my life such a misery?”
My wounds are deep and painful
but the torture goes on;
over and over I hear the taunts,
“Where is this God of yours?”
Why do I feel so defeated?
Why am I so anxious and agitated?
I tell myself not to give up hope,
for you are my God and my help
and I’ll be glad of that again.
Clear my name, God;
side with me against these godless tormentors.
Rescue me from their lies and abuse.
I trusted you to look after me, God;
why have you pushed me aside?
Why are so many out to get me,
making my life such a misery?
Let your truth blaze like a beacon
so I can see the way to go;
let it light up the path and lead me
to your home on the sacred mountain.
Then I will offer myself to you in worship, God;
offer myself with uninhibited joy.
I will praise you with music and song,
O God, my God!
Why do I feel so defeated?
Why am I so anxious and agitated?
I tell myself not to give up hope,
for you are my God and my help
and I’ll be glad of that again.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14

The LORD took hold of me and the LORD’s Spirit carried me away and dropped me off in the middle of Death Valley. I took a look around but there was nothing to be seen but bones – old human bones, baked dry in the sun – thousands and thousands of them. The LORD questioned me saying, “Ezekiel, mortal man, can these bones come back to life?”
I replied, “Lord GOD, only you can answer such a question.”
Then the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones, saying:
“All you dry bones, listen to what the LORD is saying to you. Though you are long dead, I, the Lord, will put breath into you again, and you will live. Muscles, ligaments, organs, veins; all these I will give you, wrapped in healthy new skin. You will have whole new bodies and I will breathe life into you. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD.”
So I did what the LORD told me and I preached to the bones. Even while I was in full flight, the noise of rattling bones began to echo through the valley. They were coming together, linking up, one bone to another. As I watched, muscles appeared and grew. Bodies filled out with new flesh, and fresh skin was wrapped around them. But they were still lifeless.
Then the LORD told me to call to the winds, saying:
“North Wind, South Wind, East Wind, West Wind, listen to what the LORD is telling you to do. Come from everywhere and blow the breath of life into these corpses, so that they can live again.”
Again I spoke as the LORD had said, and even as I did, gusts of wind swirled among the bodies, resuscitating them before my very eyes. Rising to their feet like a finals’ crowd, they could have easily filled the biggest stadium.
Then the LORD explained to me what it all meant:
“Ezekiel, mortal man, my people are just like old dry bones. They are always whingeing that life has become one long drought and they’ve been left for dead with no reason to hope that the future might be any better. So preach boldly, Ezekiel, and tell them this:
“All you people, listen to what the LORD is promising: I am going to dig up your graves, and open your coffins. I will bring you back as my people to the promised land. When I do this for you, my people, when I restore life to your bodies, then you will know for sure that I am the LORD. My Spirit will be within you like the breath in your lungs, and so you shall live. I will once again plant your feet on your own patch of dirt. Then there will no longer be any doubt that I, the LORD, have spoken and that what I say goes.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 143

Listen to my prayer, LORD.
I know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy
and to do the right thing when you answer.
I am at your service, LORD,
but please don’t put me on trial.
You can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else.
Enemies have been constantly on my tail,
stomping me into the dirt
and leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.
That’s why I’m so gutted.
My heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel.
I think back on the good old days
and remember all the great things you did, LORD;
I go over and over your achievements in my mind.
I’m reaching out to you for help now.
Inside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun,
desperately thirsting for you.
Answer me before it’s too late, LORD;
I can’t go on much longer.
Don’t turn your back on me now
or I’ll be headed straight for the grave.
May the morning bring news of your rock-solid love
because I’ve put all my trust in you.
Show me the track you want me to follow
for I’m offering my life to you.
Rescue me from my enemies, LORD.
I’ve fled to you seeking asylum.
You are my God;
teach me what you want me to do.
Send your Spirit to guide me
safely along the right track.
Let me live, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.
Do the right thing, as you always do,
and get me out of this danger.
Be true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.
Destroy those who are trying to destroy me
for I live to serve you.
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20

Lift your voices, all you children of Israel.
Sing and shout for joy!
Let your hair down, Jerusalem.
Celebrate with all your heart!
The LORD has let you out of jail
and forced your enemies to turn tail and run.
The one who rules over Israel – the LORD –
is right alongside you, so you have nothing to fear.
No disaster can touch you now.
The great day is coming, Jerusalem,
when you will hear this message:
“Relax! Don’t be afraid, people of Zion.
Your hands can stop trembling now!
The LORD, your God, is right alongside you;
a champion who always comes out on top.
God will be bursting with joy over you,
celebrating as though it was always your birthday!
God will nourish you with love
until the spring is back in your step.”
The LORD, your God, says to you:
“I will bring your misfortune to an end;
and set you free from its humiliation.
Those who have kicked you around
will have me to deal with!
I will rescue and reunite
the crippled and the refugees.
No longer will they be treated with contempt.
I’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.
When that time comes,
I will gather you together and bring you all home.
With your own eyes
you’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.
Then you will be honoured everywhere.
Everyone on earth will sing your praises.
I, the LORD, have spoken.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 98

We sing like we’ve never sung before, LORD,
because you have done fantastic things.
With your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in
and came out on top.
Your victory has made the headlines, LORD,
now the whole world can see that you were right all along.
You have never defaulted on your rock-solid love,
or your loyalty to your chosen people.
From one end of the earth to the other,
everyone has seen your victory.
With all the world, LORD, we raise a noisy celebration,
singing our lungs out and shouting your praise.
The bands strike up in your honour, LORD,
filling the air with festive music.
With a brass fanfare and a dancing beat
we loudly celebrate your reign over us.
The whole creation joins in the celebration:
the ocean and its creatures roar their approval;
the land and its animals, cheer and stomp;
rivers and lakes give a standing ovation,
mountains and hills erupt in applause.
We put on the whole show in your presence, LORD,
celebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.
With you in charge we know things will be put right;
now every one on earth will get a fair go.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11

Surely you know that all of us who have been baptised into union with Christ were, in that baptism, dying with Christ. You will understand then, that having died in baptism, we have been buried with him; and so now, in the same way that Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome power of God, we too can re-enter life in a whole new way.
You see, if we have been united with him in sharing the same kind of death, you can rest assured we will be united with him further in sharing the same kind of resurrection. We are no longer the people we used to be. Our former selves were put to death with him on the cross in order to eradicate the sin that had taken over our lives, and to thus allow us to live free of it. Everyone knows that death is the only escape from a sin-infested life — once you are dead, you are free of it. For us, though, that’s no dead-end solution. If we have died with Christ, we are convinced that we will live with him too. This much we know for sure: Christ has been raised from the dead and will never have to die again. Death has lost any further power over him. When he died, he took sin out with him, once and for all. The life he now lives, then, is lived in union with God. So you should now think of yourselves in the same way — your former lives, ended; your new lives, begun. Your old relationship with sin, dead; your new relationship with God, alive and flourishing in Christ Jesus.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 114

When we were led out of the land of slavery
- the people of Israel, coming out from under the foreign thumb -
the land of Judah became a sacred place,
the land of Israel came under sovereign rule.
The wild sea took one look, and turned tail and ran,
the Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.
The mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;
the hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup.
What was it that made the wild sea turn tail?
What was it that made the Jordan back off?
What made the mountains quiver and jump?
What made the hills shudder and shake?
It was awe of you, LORD, God of our ancestors.
The whole earth trembles in your presence.
For you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;
the one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10

The morning after the Sabbath, just as the first day of the new week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. Suddenly the earth shuddered and shook beneath them and an angel from the Lord appeared from heaven right in front of them, rolled back the boulder that had sealed the mouth of the tomb, and sat on it. The angel was as radiant as lightening, and wore clothes as white as freshly fallen snow. The angel’s appearance had the security guards quaking in their boots and falling like flies, scared stiff. But to the women, the angel said, “Do not be afraid of me! I know you have come here looking for Jesus, the one they executed, but you won’t find him here. He has been raised to life, just as he said he would be. Come and I will show you the place where his body was laid to rest. Then run and tell the rest of his followers that he has been raised from the dead. Tell them that he is heading back to Galilee and you are all to follow. There you will see him for yourselves. This is what I have been sent to tell you.”
So they left the tomb on the double, awestruck and overjoyed, and ran to tell the rest of his followers the news. On the way, they suddenly ran straight into Jesus himself. “Good morning!” he said.
They threw themselves at him and fell down kissing his feet and worshipping him. Jesus said to them. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Go and tell the rest of my brothers and sisters to go on up to Galilee and I will meet them there.”
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8

When the Sabbath rest day was over, three of the women – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome – went and purchased the spices required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the first day of the week, they went to the tomb. On the way there they had been discussing whether they would be able to find anyone to shift the large boulder that sealed the entrance to the tomb, but when they arrived within sight of it, they could see that the massive stone had already been rolled aside. They went into the tomb and nearly jumped out of their skins when they found a young man, wearing a white robe, sitting on the right hand side. He said to them, “Don’t panic. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was executed. He has been raised up. You won’t find him here. Look, this is the spot where they laid his body. Off you go. Tell his disciples, and especially Peter, that Jesus is going on up to Galilee ahead of you. There, in Galilee, you will see him, just as he told you you would.”
The women bolted out of the tomb and fled as fast as they could, shaking with fear and their heads spinning. They were so frightened that they didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12

Among the followers of Jesus there were some women who had come from Galilee with him. At the crack of dawn on the Sunday, they came to the tomb where his body had been laid, bringing with them the embalming spices that they had prepared. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled out of the way. They went in, but there was no sign of the body. They were standing there shocked and confused when, out of the blue, two men appeared right beside them. Their clothes were dazzling light and the terrified women had to look away. The two men said, “Why are you looking in a graveyard for one who lives? You won’t find him here. He has risen! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. He said that the New Human would be handed over to godless people and executed, but that on the third day he would rise to life again.”
Suddenly the memory of those words came flooding back to them. They returned from the graveyard and told all these things to the eleven and to all the other followers too. Now the group of women who brought this news included Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; but even so, the men wrote it off as some sort of hysterical delusion and they didn’t believe a word of it. Peter was the only one who ran off to look for himself. He bent down and peered into the tomb. All he could see was the linen grave clothes lying there by themselves. He went home scratching his head, with no idea what to make of it all.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

The Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton

God Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton

A Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton

Do Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff

This Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 by Nathan Nettleton

Factoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton

The Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine

A Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton

Life and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright

The Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton

How Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton

By The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Showing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra

A Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor

Moving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton

Darkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton

Holy Saturday (The Day of Nothingness) for services prior to the Paschal Vigil
2031-04-12 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Job 14: 1-14

Job addressed God saying:
What happened to dying ‘old and full of days’?
‘Few of days and full of grief’
seems to be the lot of everyone born.
Like flowers, we’re lucky to survive the heat of a single day;
like shadows, we never survive the fall of night.
So why have you set your sights on me?
Why are you dragging me into court as though I was your equal?
How can anyone like me, born in the gutter,
expect to come out clean on legal street? Not a chance!
The length of our lives is already set.
You have decided how long we’ve got,
and when our number’s up, there is nothing we can do about it.
So why not back off and give us a break?
Can’t we do our time without you standing over us?
A tree can still have hope
even if it is cut down in its prime.
There is every chance
that it will sprout again and flourish.
Even if its stump rots away
and its roots wither in the ground,
it only needs a whiff of water and it buds again
and comes up strong like a young plant reborn.
But we mere mortals die, and that’s it.
Dead and buried, no human is ever seen again.
Just like a lake drying out in a never ending drought,
or a river fading to a trickle and then its gone,
so too we mortals crumble to dust
with no hope of a second time round.
We think we’ll wake up in the morning,
but no way! Not till hell freezes over.
If only the land of the dead was just a prison
and you could lock me safely away till your anger cools down.
You could fix my sentence
and remember me when my time was done.
Then I could serve my time and hang on to hope,
as I counted down the days till my release.
Wishful thinking!
When we mere mortals die, that’s it, isn’t it?
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Lamentations 3: 1-9, 19-24 (alternative 1st reading)

I have borne the brunt of your anger, God.
I have suffered the punishment you dished out.
You drove me away from the light
and left me facing the darkness alone.
You singled me out for a beating;
and belted me around day and night.
Under your hand, my body wasted away,
and my bones were cracked and broken.
You were constantly in my face,
standing over me, keeping me in fear.
You locked me up in darkness
and death seemed close at hand.
You have fenced me in with barbed wire,
and chained my ankles for good measure.
I can cry for help all I like,
but you’ve blocked your ears.
You built permanent blockades on every road.
Wherever I go, I am turned back.
The reality I’m facing is like a bitter taste in my mouth.
Grief and deprivation poison my mind.
I can’t stop thinking about it over and over,
but every thought makes me want to die.
The one thing that gives me hope,
the one thing I keep reminding myself of is this:
Your love and loyalty never die, LORD.
Your generous mercy never runs dry.
They are created new every morning
and you are as trustworthy as the solid rock.
So I keep telling myself that you are all I need
and that I can still trust you to come through for me.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 31: 1-4, 15-16

I look to you for refuge, LORD;
don’t let me be dragged through the mud.
You promised justice – save me!
Give me your ear – I’m crying for help;
rescue me before it’s too late.
Be a secure refuge for me,
a bomb shelter where I can hide.
Your solid walls protect me from danger;
lead me and guide me so I’ll be a credit to you;
keep me clear of pitfalls and traps.
You are the only refuge I trust, LORD;
my future is in your hands.
Snatch me from the grasp
of those who are hunting me down.
I’m working for you; look on me with love.
Stand by me and save me.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

1 Peter 4: 1-8

The Messiah put his body on the line and went through serious suffering, and so now you need to steel yourselves to face it with the same guts and determination. Those who keep putting their bodies on the line at great cost have clearly cut their ties with sin. Even in this age of indulging every bodily appetite, you will be able to live through it, freely following the ways of God instead of being driven slavishly by every pathetic desire. You have already done more than enough time being driven along in the ways of the godless by such desires, caught up in a life of desperate partying, emotional chaos, binge drinking, sexual regrets, self-degradation, and out-of-control worship of worthless things. Your old friends can’t believe it when you are no longer first to join them in the same old patterns of compulsive indulgence. “Are you too good for us now?” they sneer, and they heap offensive insults on all that is good. But they will have to answer to God for their offences, as everyone will, living or dead. This is the reason that the great news about God’s love was broadcast even to those who have died. That way, even though the judgement of the way they lived in their bodies is now in the past — indeed none of us can take back what we have done — they still have the opportunity to live in the spirit as God lives.
Everything is about to be wrapped up, so keep your wits about you, your heads clear, and your prayers focussed. And make it your number one priority to keep loving one another, no matter what. Any number of offences will be forgotten if love stays on the job.
©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Matthew 27: 57-66

A few hours after Jesus had died, a wealthy man from Arimethea went to Pilate and asked permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. The man’s name was Joseph, and he was a follower of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be released into his care. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linen cloth. He buried Jesus in a new tomb which he had had cut into the rock for his own eventual use. He rolled a boulder over the entrance to the tomb to seal it, and then went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting opposite the tomb watching all this.
The next day was still part of the sacred festival, and a deputation of the chief priests and members of the Pharisee party held an early meeting with Pilate. They said, “Sir, we have remembered that while that con man was still alive, he claimed that he would rise again three days after his death. So please give orders to have guards secure the tomb for the next three days so that his fan club can’t steal his body and start telling everyone that he has been raised from the dead. A fraud like that would be even more dangerous than the pack of lies he was pushing before.”
Pilate said to them, “Fair enough. There are security guards at your disposal. Go and do whatever you think is necessary to prevent anyone tampering with the tomb.”
So they took the security guards, taped off the area around the tomb, sealed the stone, and kept it under constant surveillance.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 19: 38-42 (alternative gospel reading)

Once Jesus was well and truly dead, a man went to Pilate and got permission to take the body for burial. His name was Joseph of Arimethea, and he had been a closet follower of Jesus, because he was afraid for his reputation with the Temple hierarchy. He and Nicodemus, who had first spoken to Jesus in the quiet of night, removed the body. Nicodemus supplied the embalming spices, and as was the Jewish custom, they wrapped the body with the spices in linen cloth. There was a memorial garden not far from the place where Jesus was crucified, and there was a tomb there which had not yet been used. Because it was the day of preparation and there was little time, they buried Jesus in that tomb.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net

Good Friday
2031-04-11 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

The LORD says:
“This one who serves on my behalf will succeed.
He will come out on top
and be honoured by everyone.
Many people were shocked by what happened to him;
his appearance was enough to make them throw up.
Torture had disfigured him beyond recognition;
at first sight he no longer looked human.
The next time he’s seen will be an even greater shock;
nations and their kings will fall to their knees, speechless.
All of a sudden, what they had never seen or understood
will be as plain as day, and all they can think about.”
The people reply to this news, saying:
“Who could have believed what we now know to be true?
Who would have recognised what the LORD was doing?
This one who serves on the LORD’s behalf
grew up hard like a plant taking root in the stony desert.
To look at him, you wouldn’t think he’d amount to much;
nothing about his appearance would make you look twice.
Others wrote him off, and treated him as scum;
pain and suffering were his constant companions.
He was despised and abused, but we looked away;
we didn’t consider him worth caring about.
The sickness and brokenness he endured turned out to be ours;
if it wasn’t for him, it would have wiped us out.
But back then we thought it was his own fault
and that God was punishing him for what he had done.
In reality, it was what we had done that was to blame.
It was us who deserved to be punished,
but him who copped the flak.
When he was left battered, broken and bleeding,
we were off the hook;
free to enjoy the fruits of health and wholeness.
We were all doing our own thing in our own way;
as far off-track as a penguin in the desert;
as far off-key as a mob of galahs.
And yet the LORD accepted his offer to take the rap
for the actions of each and every one of us.
He was ripped off and kicked around,
but he took it on the chin.
Not once did he ever whinge or protest;
he was as silent as a lamb that trots to its fate,
knowing neither shearer nor slaughterer.
His arrest and trial made a mockery of justice.
No one knew or cared what he was up against.
He was dragged off in the midst of life;
put to death for crimes committed by our people.
Although he had never breathed a lie
or done anything to hurt anyone,
they buried him alongside the callous and corrupt
– thoughtless profiteers who died rich.”
The LORD says,
“It was me who decided to allow this tragedy
to befall the one who serves on my behalf.
He made the ultimate sacrifice at your hands,
and won forgiveness for you in the process.
So now he will be rewarded with life;
he will live to see his children and their children.
Through his actions,
my plans are able to succeed.
In the depths of agony and despair he discovered the truth,
and with the truth he found true peace.
The one who serves on my behalf was beyond reproach,
but he took the rap for what others did,
and left their record as spotless as his own.
Because of all that he has done,
I, the LORD, elevate him to the hall of fame
and give him the rewards of true greatness.
He deserves the best, for he made the ultimate sacrifice,
accepting the death of common criminal
so that through his suffering and prayers
others might be cut free from their sin.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 22

God, my God, why the hell have you turned your back on me?
How come in my most desperate hour,
you are nowhere to be found?
I called you all day, God, over and over;
I tossed and turned all night,
but I still didn’t hear back from you.
Aren’t you supposed to be our one and only?
Aren’t you the one we’ve always voted for?
Our ancestors put their trust in you
and you never let them down.
They cried out for help and you stepped in;
you saved them from disaster and shame.
So what about me?
Shouldn’t I still be treated as a human being,
even if I feel like a worm –
looked down on, loathed, stomped on?
Everyone who sees me sticks the boots in;
they turn up their noses and dismiss me with a sneering joke;
“Why don’t you see if God’s on your side?
Surely if you’re a mate of God’s then God will help you out!”
What’s the story God?
Your hands eased me from my mother’s womb;
You kept me from harm as I suckled at her breast.
As a baby, I rested trustingly in your arms;
You’ve been my God since the day I was born.
Don’t quit on me now.
All hell is about to break loose
and there is no one else I can turn to.
I’m surrounded by enemies
like a mob of wild bulls.
Angry, snorting, stampeding beasts;
they charge at me, all horns and pounding hoofs.
I’m chucked out like a bucket of dirty water,
and I’m so smashed up I can barely move a muscle.
My heart has gone to jelly,
a quivering useless blob.
My throat is as dry as a salt pan,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
And you? You have left me for dead
covered in dust and flies.
Like a pack of hungry dingoes they sniff around me;
evil mongrels, every one of them.
I’m so wasted my hands and feet feel like they could snap off;
My ribs stick out like a picket fence.
They hang me up for a public viewing,
boasting over how they finished me off.
They empty my pockets
and toss a coin to see who gets my clothes.
What are you doing, LORD? Don’t quit on me now!
Get your act together and come to my rescue!
Save me before I get my throat cut,
before my body is dog meat!
Pull me out before they get their teeth into me!
At last! Just before the bulls ran me down, you have rescued me.
I won’t forget this – I’ll let everyone know.
Whenever people gather, I’ll be singing your praise.
I’ll call on all who honour you, LORD, to stand up and say so!
All who trace their roots to Jacob will give you the glory!
All who share the heritage of Israel will stand in awe of you!
LORD, you did not rubbish anyone
or blame the victims for their suffering.
You did not turn away or slip off quietly;
when I cried for help, you responded.
Whenever people gather to worship,
my heart overflows and I sing your praises.
Out in the open for all to see
I’ll do all that I promised.
At your table, God, the needy will feast;
those who hunger for you will be fed till they burst with praise!
They will be able to live it up, now and forever!
In every corner of the earth people will wake up to themselves
and turn back to you, LORD.
Every race, nation, tribe and family
will offer themselves to you in worship,
for you have the last word on everything;
what you say goes.
Even the dead will bow down to you, LORD;
those who are trampled in the dust will look to you in hope,
and I will live for you and you alone.
Our kids and their kids will serve you, LORD;
as we pass the message down from one generation to the next.
People not even born yet will hear the story;
they will be told of what you have done to set us free.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Hebrews 10: 16-25

The Holy Spirit says to us in the scriptures:
“The new alliance I will make with the people
will be different, says the Lord:
No more writing down the rules for people to read;
this time I’ll write them into their hearts and minds.”
“I’ll wipe the record of their failings and their perverse behaviour;
none of it will ever again even enter my mind.”
So 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.
So, 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.
In 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.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9 (alternative)

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.
When 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.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 18:1 - 19:42

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?”
They answered, “We’ve been sent to find Jesus of Nazareth.”
“Well you’ve found him,” he replied, “I’m Jesus.”
When 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?”
And again they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus 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.”
In 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.”
Suddenly 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?”
At 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.
Simon 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?”
He replied, “No, I’m not.”
The 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.
Inside, 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.”
When 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?”
But 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?”
While 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?”
“Not me,” said Peter, denying everything.
One 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?”
But Peter denied it again, and the words were barely out of his mouth when he heard the sound of the rooster crowing.
Shortly 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?”
They answered, “You can take it for granted that he’s a dangerous criminal – otherwise we wouldn’t have bothered you with his case.”
Pilate 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.”
But the Jewish officers said, “We don’t have the power to authorise an execution.”
Clearly the things Jesus had previously said about the sort of death he would die were coming true.
Pilate 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.
Jesus replied, saying, “Is that your own question or has someone else been wording you up?”
“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?”
Jesus 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.”
Pilate latched on to that: “So you are claiming to be a king then?”
“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.”
“Truth,” Pilate sneered. “What is truth?”
Then 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.”
But they shouted back, “No way! Not this man. Release Barabbas!” Barabbas was a convicted terrorist.
At 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.”
Jesus was dragged back out, still wearing the barbed wire crown and the purple robe. Pilate said “Here he is: the man!”
But the minute the chief priests and the Temple security guards saw him, they began screaming, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Pilate replied, “You take him and crucify him yourselves. I can’t see that he’s done anything wrong.”
The 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.”
When 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?”
Jesus 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.”
After 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.”
With 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!”
They shouted in chorus, “Get rid of him! Kill him! Crucify him!”
“Crucify him?” Pilate replied. “You want me to crucify your king?”
“We have no king but the emperor!” they shouted.
With that, Pilate passed sentence and handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.
So 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.
When 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:
“They divided up my clothes,
and tossed for my coat.”
While 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.
After that, Jesus knew it was all over. He did one more thing that the scriptures had spoken about. He said, “I’m thirsty.”
Someone 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.”
With that, his head dropped and he gave up his spirit.
Because 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.
The 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.”
When 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.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net

Prayers

Opening Prayer

This is the day when life is raw,
quivering, terrifying:
The day of numbed emotions,
the day of blunt nails
and splintered wood,
of bruised flesh
and red blood.
The day we loathe,
when hopes are crushed.
The day we long for,
when pretences fall away—
Because the worst that we can do
cannot kill the love of God.

Gracious God,
your love is a light in our darkness,
vulnerable, yet unquenchable.
We would stand with Christ,
in the midst of the horrors of this world
where betrayal and death
constantly threaten your love and peace.
©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayer at the Arrest of Christ (responding to the reading of John 18: 1-12)

Again and again
we have bound you
and taken you captive, O Lord,
Because it's easier,
easier than facing the reality
of what you ask of us.
Again and again
you have been taken captive
and your voice silenced.
Again and again
you have been dragged out
whenever it seems
that quoting your name will justify
our attempts to gain what we want
at the expense of others.
©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayer at the Death of Christ (responding to the reading of John 19:25-30)

God, why did you let this happen,
why do our greatest hopes
seem to flicker out and die?
We search for meaning in life
and before we find it, it is gone.
We search for meaning in death
but its horrible reality drives us back
and we are afraid to look.
God, we shudder at the way this life ended:
surrounded by cold brutality,
rejected and betrayed by a friend,
deprived of justice,
and loved by only a frightened few
who watched in fear.
Inside we are afraid that this is all there is,
a flickering light snuffed out, no meaning,
no future, no love.
Evil triumphs yet again.
Evil triumphs so often.
Yours was one of thousands of deaths.
From those times to now
thousands die in loneliness and fear,
victims of the cruelty and oppression of this world.
Remind us with every death,
that there is still so much to be done,
before love reigns
and fear is driven away.
©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

The Request for the Disposal of the Body (responding to the reading of John 19:31-37)

Once again we don't want to face up
to what we have done.
We quickly seek to clean up the mess,
to hide the evidence,
to get life normal again.
We want it finished
and the body put out of sight.
And yet that broken body,
if we would only face it
is the evidence of the love we crave
and the source of
the healing we cry for.
Give us courage
to see beyond the blood and the horror.
Give us the hope that in this death
we may find our own life.
©1996 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

Joanna’s StoryA reflection for Good Friday by Margie Dahl

Moving 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)

Thursday of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday)
2031-04-10 00:00 - 23:59
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.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Exodus 12: 1-4, (5-10), 11-14

After the King of Egypt had refused to listen to all the warnings, the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron again, saying:
“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.
That 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.
Remember this day and, in every generation to come, celebrate it as an annual festival to honour me, the LORD.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 116: 1-2, 12-19

I love you, LORD!
How could I not love you
when you always respond to my cries?
You are always ready to listen to me,
so I will bring my needs to you as long as I live.
How can I ever repay you, LORD?
What gift could ever express my gratitude?
I will raise my glass in your honour,
I will name you as the one who saved me.
I will make good on all I promised you, LORD,
and I’ll let everyone know its for you.
Whenever one of your faithful people dies
it affects you deeply.
LORD, you have released me from my chains.
I will serve you forever,
just as my forebears have done.
I will bring a gift to say thanks;
I will pray to you, and you alone.
I will be true to the vows I’ve made;
and I won’t keep it hidden.
In full view of all your people,
in the public place of worship,
I’ll do all I promised you, LORD.
All the praise and all the credit are your, LORD!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

1 Corinthians 11: 23-26

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:
“This is my body. It is for you.
Do this so that I will be remembered.”
At the end of the meal he did the same thing with the cup, saying:
“This cup is God’s new alliance with you —
an alliance sealed with my blood.
Do this, every time you drink it,
so that I will be remembered.”
The 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.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 13: 1-17, 31b-35

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.
Jesus 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?”
Jesus answered, “I know you don’t yet understand why I’m doing this, but in time it will make sense to you.”
But Peter said, “No way! I’ll never let you wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “If I don’t wash you, then it’s all over between us. You’ll have nothing further to do with me.”
“In that case,” Simon Peter replied, “don’t just wash my feet! Wash my hands; wash my head!”
Jesus 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.”
When he had finished washing their feet, he put his jacket back on and sat back down at the table. He said to them:
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We do indeed bring you a gift of thanks, O God,
as we raise the cup of freedom in your name,
for you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ
and broken us free from the grip of death.
In your creative love, you brought the world to birth,
and from the first you loved all who live in it.
You heard the cries of your suffering people
and protected them with the blood of the Passover lamb
as you struck down those who oppressed them.
You sent your Son, Jesus, as our Teacher and Lord
and gave all things into his hands.
Laying aside his power,
he gave himself to us in humble service
and taught us to love one another
as he had loved us.
When the hour for his departure came,
he was betrayed by a friend
and his body broken on the cross.
With his outpoured blood you marked out those
who will follow where he has gone,
into the promised land of resurrection life.
Therefore with .....
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We raise the cup of freedom in thanks to you, O God,
for you have made a covenant with us in the blood of Christ,
who gave himself to us in humble service
and taught us to love one another as he had loved us.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

The blood of Christ, the true lamb,
seals God’s new covenant with us
and marks us out for salvation.
The Lord has forgiven your sins,
washed you clean,
and freed you from death’s grip.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now and fulfil your vows to the Lord.
Love one another as Christ has loved you
and give yourselves to one another in humble service,
just as Christ has given himself to you.
Celebrate these holy days as a perpetual ordinance,
for no gift could ever repay God’s goodness to us.
And may God hear you whenever you call;
May Christ Jesus keep you safe through his blood;
And may the Holy Spirit lead you further
into the depths of God’s saving mysteries.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

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Discerning 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)

Wednesday of Holy Week
2031-04-09 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Isaiah 50: 4-9a

The LORD God has given me the gift of the gab
so that my words can teach others
and put a spring in the step of the weary.
As I wake up each new day,
God makes me hungry for learning.
The LORD cleaned out my ears
so that I could hear every word.
I learned eagerly;
I never rebelled or quit.
I was opposed by others,
but I gritted my teeth and stood my ground.
I looked them in the eye
when they insulted me and spat in my face.
I took it on the chin and did not fight back,
when they gave me a belting and tore out my hair.
The Lord GOD is always there for me,
so no disgrace ever gets to me.
I have steeled my jaw and dug in my heels,
and I’m sure I’ll never be ashamed of my stand
because I can trust God to back me up.
So, who thinks they can take me on?
Let them stand up and face me!
Who are my opponents?
Let’s see what they’re made of!
The Lord GOD is backing me;
so who is going to accuse me of doing wrong?
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 70

Please God, deliver me!
Help me, LORD, quickly!
These people are out to get me, LORD;
leave them confused
with egg all over their faces.
They are trying to do me harm;
knock them off their perches
and send them packing.
When they smirk and make a joke of me,
run them out of town in disgrace.
Put a smile on the face
of everyone who seeks you, LORD.
Give everyone who loves your ways
reason to celebrate your greatness forever.
But right now, God, I need your help in a hurry;
I can’t make ends meet.
You are the one who helps me;
the one who rescues me from danger.
Quickly, LORD, help me without delay!
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Hebrews 12: 1-3

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.
So, 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.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 13: 21-32

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.”
The 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.”
So he did. He leaned over and asked, “Lord, who is it?”
Jesus answered quietly, “I’ll dip this bread in the gravy and hand it to him. He’s the one.”
So 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.”
At 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.
Once 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.”
©2001 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net

Tuesday of Holy Week
2031-04-08 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections 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.

Isaiah 49: 1-7

Everyone, from coast to coast, listen up!
All you people, far and near, don’t miss a word.
Before I was born, the LORD had chosen me.
While I was still in my mother’s womb
I was given a name and a job.
I was created to be a surgeon’s knife,
razor sharp in the hand of the LORD;
ready and waiting to slice through any defence
and cut to the core with a word.
The LORD said to me, “Israel, you are my servant,
the one who will put my name up in lights.”
But I said, “Then how come every thing I do comes to nothing?
I’ve worked my guts out but there is nothing to show for it.
But I gave it my best shot for you LORD,
so you decide whether I’m worth my pay.”
And now the LORD has more to say to me;
this God who chose me as a servant before I was born;
who gave me the job of bringing home the people of Israel
for a great reunion with God.
It is a privilege and an honour to do this for the LORD,
and God has given me the strength to see it through.
But now the LORD says to me,
“Getting the people of Israel back on their feet is great,
but it’s a piece of cake for my number one worker.
Now I’ve got a real challenge for you!
I want you to help the whole world to see the light!
I want you to give my saving love a global reach!”
I, the LORD, the one and only, who puts things right for Israel,
have this to say:
“You have been treated like dirt.
kicked around by the nations,
and forced to work in chains for their rulers;
but let me tell you how it is going to be:
Kings will stand up when you walk in;
Governors will snap to attention at your approach.
You have my word on this and I can be trusted;
I am the LORD, your one and only, and I have chosen you.”
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 71: 1-14

I run to you for protection, LORD,
please don’t ever let me down.
You always do the right thing,
so please be there for me when I need you.
Hear me when I call for help
and step in quickly to bail me out.
Keep me safe when I need somewhere to hide.
You are like a mountain hideaway to me;
like a bunker than nothing can blast open.
If I fall into hostile hands,
be my God and rescue me;
Don’t let the callous and cruel
get their claws into me.
You are my only hope,
the only one I can depend on, LORD;
I’ve trusted you since I was a kid.
I’ve leaned on you for support
since the day I was born.
You were the midwife who delivered me from my mother’s womb,
the safe hands who pulled me gasping into life.
I’ll never stop thanking you for that!
Many people think my name spells trouble,
but you stick up for me when they attack.
How can I ever thank you enough?
I go on all day about how wonderful you are.
Don’t give up on me when I get too old, LORD;
don’t turn your back when I’ve got nothing left to offer.
I’ll need your help, because my enemies are out to get me,
they’re plotting against my life even now.
They’ve put out a contract on me
and guaranteed immunity to whoever brings me down
They say you’ve given up on me
and that no one will defend me.
Don’t ever let me out of your sight, God;
jump to my defence at the first sign of trouble.
Turn the tables on those who slandered me,
leave them with egg all over their faces.
See to it that those who set out to destroy me
get the public humiliation they deserve.
I will never give up hope,
because I trust in you.
Every time I open my mouth,
I will sing your praises more and more.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

1 Corinthians 1: 18-31

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:
“I will expose the brilliant insights of your experts
and the wise counsel of your gurus;
I will expose them for what they really are,
a load of codswallop!”
So 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.
Sisters 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:
“If you are going to blow your trumpet about something,
blow it about the Lord!”
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 12: 20-36

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.”
Philip, 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.”
He went on to say:
“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!’ ”
And a voice answered from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.”
The 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.”
Jesus 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.”
With 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?”
Jesus 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.”
And having said this, Jesus cleared off and made himself scarce.
©2003 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net
