LaughingBird

Proper 6 - Year C
2028-06-18
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
2028-06-11 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.

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
2028-06-04 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.

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

The Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
2028-05-31 00:00
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.

1 Samuel 2: 1-10

After the birth of her son, Samuel, Hannah prayed the following prayer:
“Thanks to you, LORD, I am full of joy;
thanks to you, I can stand strong and proud.
I can return the insults that were hurled at me,
and kick up my heels, because you have set me free.
There is no other god like you, LORD,
no one who can hold a candle to you;
not even the ancient rock is as dependable as you.
I can tell the proud to stop their boasting;
tell the arrogant to put a sock in it.
You, LORD, know us inside and out;
you see whether or not we live up to our words.
You, LORD, disarm the powerful,
and redistribute their strength to the helpless.
Those who consumed to excess are now queuing at soup kitchens,
but those who were deprived now feast in splendour.
Infertile couples are having children, one after the other,
while those who flaunted their children
find their families falling apart.
Life is yours to give or to take, LORD;
you can send someone to the land of the dead,
and you can bring them back again.
You, LORD, can make us or break us;
you can put us on a pedestal or knock us off.
You lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;
you put the poor and outcast back on their feet.
You give them a place among the guests of honour,
a seat with the dignitaries and celebrities.
You can do all this because the earth is yours;
you set it up and you wrote the rules.
To those who are faithful, you guarantee safe passage;
those who are corrupt soon lose sight of any light to steer by,
for no matter how strong people are,
they can’t make it alone.
You are the LORD!
Those who try to obstruct you
find that it is like standing in the path of a train
as you thunder towards your destination.
You, LORD, have the final word on all that is done on earth.
You will give strength and power to your chosen ruler.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 113

You are the greatest, LORD!
We, your servants, can’t stop singing your praises;
the mere mention of your name sets us singing!
From now on and forever,
your name will be held sacred, LORD.
From east to west, from dawn to dusk,
your name will inspire songs of praise.
You are ranked number one, LORD,
way above even the greatest nations,
outshining even the sun and the stars.
Can anyone compare with you, LORD?
Is there anyone else even close to your league?
Not likely! You are seated so high
that you look down even to see the sky!
You lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;
you put the poor and outcast back on their feet.
You give them a place among the guests of honour,
a seat with the dignitaries and celebrities.
You give the infertile couple a family
filling their lives with the laughter of children.
You are the greatest, LORD!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Romans 12: 9-16b

See to it that your love is for real and without pretence. Avoid corruption like the plague. Dig your heels in and don’t be budged from the side of good. Love one another, and not just in theory but with warmth and friendly affection. If you need something to compete over, see who can score the most points for treating everyone else like royalty. Don’t let your enthusiasm get slack, but keep yourselves on the boil and work hard for the Lord. Celebrate in anticipation of all that is to come. When you are being put through the wringer, tough it out, and pray all the harder. Do what you can to help out other Christians who are in need, and work at making strangers feel welcome and at home among you.
When others persecute you, wish them all the best and pray that God will look after them. Seek the best for them; don’t wish disaster on them. When others are celebrating, celebrate with them. When others are hurting, share the pain with them. Stay in tune with one another, living a shared life based on common commitments. Don’t be full of yourselves, but hang out with those who the world writes off as nobodies.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Luke 1:39-57

When the angel told Mary that both she and her relative Elizabeth were going to have babies, Mary took the first opportunity to make the trip to visit Elizabeth. Elizabeth lived with her husband Zechariah in a Judean town in the hills. Mary sang out as soon as she arrived at their house, and when she heard the greeting, Elizabeth felt the baby jump in her womb. The Holy Spirit welled up in Elizabeth and she cried out with joy, saying:
“You have been blessed like no other woman!
And doubly blessed is the child in your womb!
And what about me? Why am I so blessed,
that my Lord’s own mother should knock at my door?
The moment your greeting reach my ears,
the baby in my womb began bouncing with glee!
Clearly you are God’s favoured one,
because you believed what God said to you;
trusting God to follow through on every promise.
Mary too was bursting with joy. She said:
“Let me turn the spotlight on God’s greatness!
With all that I am I dance with joy over God, my saviour!
God has smiled upon me, though I was no one special.
Now I’ll be remembered forever as the favoured one.
The supreme God has done wonderful things for me.
No other name is in the same league as God’s.
In every generation, those who treat God with respect
are rewarded with showers of mercy.
With sleeves rolled up, God has made a show of strength,
and sent packing those who were so full of themselves.
God has kicked the power mongers out of office,
and lifted the downtrodden back to their feet.
God has put on a feast for those who were hungry,
and slammed the door on the rich without giving them a bite.
The Lord’s servant Israel receives a helping hand.
God always remembers them with tender care.
This is exactly what God promised long ago,
a vow made to Abraham and Sarah for every generation.”
Mary didn’t return home for about three months, but stayed until Elizabeth’s baby was born. Elizabeth gave birth to a boy who was given the name John.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

7th Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2028-05-28 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

7th Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2028-05-28 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 NettletonOne God – One ChurchA sermon on John 17.20-26 by Nathan NettletonWhen the Truth Ain’t the TruthA sermon on Acts 16.16-34, John 17.20-26 & Revelation 22 by Garry DeverellWhat must I do to be SavedA sermon on Acts 16.16-34 by Nathan NettletonBacklashA sermon on Acts 16.16-34 & John 17.20-26 by Nathan NettletonMaintaining Unity in DisagreementA sermon on John 17.20-26 by Nathan Nettleton

The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord
2028-05-25 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 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
2028-05-21 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 NettletonCounsel for the DefenceA sermon on John 14:23-29 by Nathan NettletonDo you really want to rise to life?A sermon on John 5:1-9 by Nathan NettletonGod abolishes Churches!A sermon on Revelation 21:22 by Nathan NettletonJesus or the Bible? A Conflict of AuthorityA sermon on John 5 by Nathan NettletonA Vision of God’s Non-Binary FutureA sermon on Revelation 21:10, 21:22-22:5 by Nathan Nettleton

6th Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2028-05-21 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
2028-05-14 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 NettletonDrink Deep – you’ll need it!A sermon on Revelation 21: 1-6 by Nathan NettletonWhen God Breaks the RulesA sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 & John 13:31-35 by Nathan NettletonThe Glory of LoveA sermon on John 13: 31-35 by Nathan NettletonMaking and Breaking ReputationsA sermon on John 13:31-35 and Acts 11:1-18 by Nathan NettletonLoving beyond betrayalA sermon on John 13: 31-35 by Nathan NettletonBy this will they knowA sermon on John 13: 31-35 & Acts 11:1-18 by Nathan NettletonA Testimonial DinnerA sermon on Acts 11: 1-18 by Craig Bartlett

5th Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2028-05-14 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
2028-05-07 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 NettletonThe advertiser is my shepherd??A sermon on Psalm 23 by Nathan NettletonThrough the Valley of BloodA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17 & Psalm 23 by Nathan NettletonThe Vindication of the MartyrsA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17; Psalm 23 & John 10.22-30 by Garry DeverellA personal response to Psalm 23A sermon on Psalm 23 by Alison SampsonHonouring the FallenA sermon on Revelation 7.9-17 & John 10.22-30 by Nathan NettletonSacrifice, Freedom and HonourA sermon on Revelation 7: 9-17 and Anzac Day by Nathan NettletonThe Right MasterA sermon on Psalm 23 by Wai Kwong SunHow long, O Lord, must we wait?A sermon on John 10:22-30 and Acts 9:36-43 by Alison SampsonFollowing Jesus and Hearing VoicesA sermon on John 10.22-30 by Nathan Nettleton

4th Sunday of Pascha - Year C
2028-05-07 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
2028-04-30 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
2028-04-23 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
2028-04-16 00:00 - 2028-04-17 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
2028-04-16 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
2028-04-15 00:00 - 2028-04-16 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
