LaughingBird

3rd Sunday in Lent - Year A
2026-03-08 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.

Exodus 17: 1-7

The whole gathered people of Israel pushed on from the Sen Desert, making the journey in manageable stages as the LORD directed them. At the end of one stage, they set up camp at a place called Rephidim, only to find that there was no drinking water in the area. The people started getting stuck into Moses again and demanding that he provide them with water to drink. But Moses said to them, “What are you taking it out on me for? Are you trying to provoke the LORD into losing patience with you?”
But the people’s thirst was becoming severe, and the more desperate they became, the more they blamed Moses. “Now look at the mess you’ve got us into,” they said. “Is this what you dragged us all out of Egypt for: to watch us die in a parched desert, and our children and livestock with us?
So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What am I supposed to do with these people? They are nearly ready to tear me limb from limb.”
The LORD replied, “Take some of the Israelite tribal leaders with you, and go on ahead of the people. Take your hiking stick with you — the same one you used to strike the waters of the Nile. I will be waiting for you at the rock at Mount Sinai. Give the rock a good thump with your stick, and water will come pouring out of it for everyone to drink.”
In full view of the tribal leaders, Moses did as the LORD had told him, and sure enough, there was water for everyone. From then on, Moses referred to that place by either of two names: Massah, which means ‘testing’, because the people had tested the LORD’s patience; and Meribah, which means ‘dispute’, because the people had questioned the LORD’s loyalty.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 95

We gather and sing to you, LORD.
We raise the roof with shouts of joy
for you are the rock on which we are safe!
We come into your presence bursting with gratitude;
we set the house rocking as we sing your praises!
For you, LORD, are the greatest God of all;
you rank way above every other claim on our loyalty.
You hold the depths of the earth in your hands,
and the highest mountains are at your disposal.
The oceans and the dry lands alike belong to you,
for you made them with your own hands.
You made us too, LORD, and we worship you,
falling to our knees and bowing down to the ground!
You are our God and we are your people;
you tenderly care for us like a sheep rearing her young.
If only all your people would pay attention to you!
If only they wouldn’t turn their backs on you
like their ancestors did that day at Meribah.
There in the Massah Desert they slandered you;
they forgot all you had done
and demanded that you prove yourself.
For forty years you turned your back on them, LORD,
for you couldn’t stand to see how twisted they became
as they deserted your ways.
You angrily wrote off the whole generation
and denied them the satisfaction of finding a place to call home.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Romans 5: 1-11

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.
Christ got us on track at the cost of his own life. He did it right when we most needed it; when we were way off course and too weak to ever get ourselves back. It’s hard to believe, but true. You rarely hear of people putting their lives on the line for others, even for innocent children. Perhaps we might be able to imagine finding the courage to die for someone who we deeply admired and loved. But if you need proof of how much God loves us, just look at what Christ did. While we were still showing no signs of ever offering God anything but contempt, Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for us.
So if Christ was willing to spill his own blood to get us back on side with God, you can bet your bottom dollar that he will get us through safely when it all hits the fan. When we were still his enemies, Christ died to reconcile us to God, so imagine how much he would be prepared to do for us now that we are his friends. In his dying he ended the hostility: now in his living he is building us a rich life of love and peace. So you can see why we get so carried away about it all. Christ has taken us from being enemies to being friends of God, and we can never find adequate words to express the praise we want to heap on God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 4: 5-42

On his way back to Galilee, Jesus stopped in a Samaritan town called Sychar; a town known for its historic links to Jacob. There was a piece of land which Jacob had given to his son Joseph there; and a well he had dug was still providing the town with water. Feeling bushed after hiking all morning, Jesus plonked himself down near the well while his disciples went into town to buy some lunch.
One of the local women came out to draw water from the well. Jesus said to her, “Could you give me a drink, please?”
The woman replied, “What are you doing talking to me? I didn’t think you Jews ever had anything to do with us Samaritans, let alone with Samaritan women!”
Jesus answered her, “You don’t realise what God is willing to give you, or who it is who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you’d be asking me to give you a drink, and I would have offered you pure living water.”
The woman replied, “Mister, this is a deep well and you don’t even have a bucket. Where do you suppose you’re going to get this living water? This well was given to us by our ancestor Jacob. He drank from it himself, and so did his family and his livestock. You’re not making yourself out to be a better man than Jacob are you?”
Jesus said to her, “You can drink this water all you like, but it won’t quench your thirst for long. But everyone who drinks the water I give them will never be thirsty again. For them, the water I will give will become a permanent spring within, an overflowing source of life without limit.”
“O please Mister,” said the woman, “give me some of this water so that I won’t keep getting thirsty and having to trudge out here to draw water.”
Jesus said to her, “Go and get your husband first, and come back with him.”
“But I don’t have a husband,” the woman protested.
“You’ve hit the nail on the head there,” said Jesus. “You’ve lost five husbands, and the man you’re living with now hasn’t taken you as his wife. You’re not wrong saying you don’t have a husband!”
“Obviously you are a prophet, Mister,” said the woman, “so clear up a question for me. Who’s right: our ancestors who worshipped God on this mountain, or you Jews who claim that Jerusalem is the only place to worship?”
Jesus replied, “Woman, you can take from me that the time is coming when it won’t make the slightest bit of difference where you worship. You people worship as best you can, but you don’t have the full picture. We Jews have got a much better idea what we are doing when we worship, because God is working through us to save the world. But the time is coming – it’s here now now – when the measure of true worship will be the integrity and spirit of those who offer it, not their location. The God who conceived us seeks people whose worship is for real. Since God is spirit, our worship of God must flow out of the integrity of who we are in the core of our being, and of how we live.”
The woman said to him, “Well, I know that the anointed one is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he arrives, he’ll spell out the truth about everything for us.”
Jesus said to her, “You are looking at him. I am the one.”
At that moment, his disciples came back with the lunch. Their shock at finding Jesus interacting with the woman was written all over their faces, even though none of them came right out and challenged him. The woman cleared off in such a hurry that she forgot her bucket. She went back into town and began telling everyone about Jesus. “You have all got to come and see this bloke,” she said. “He read me like a book and told me all about my past! You don’t think he could perhaps be the Messiah do you? Come and see.”
So everybody began coming out from the town to see him. Meanwhile, the disciples were trying get him ready to move on again, saying, “Come on, Rabbi. Get some food into you.”
But he said to them, “I’m getting by fine on food that you lot know nothing about.”
They looked at one another and said, “Surely no one else has been bringing food to him out here?”
Jesus said to them, “The food that keeps me going is to do what is asked of me by the One who sent me, and to finish the job I was sent to complete. Now you lot might look around you and think that it will be at least four months until the crops are ready for picking, but I’m telling you to look again. What has been growing around here is ripe for picking now. The gun picker is already on the pay roll and the fruit he is picking is destined for life without limit. You can be sure that the One who planted and the One who harvested will be celebrating together. You can see here the truth of the old saying, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ The job I’m setting for you is to pick fruits that you haven’t had to do a moment’s work for. Others have put in the hard yakka, and you get to share in the rewards.”
Many of the Samaritan people from the town were ready to put their trust in Jesus because of what the woman had told them about how he had read her like a book. They came out and pleaded with him to stay on in the town, so he stayed there for a couple of days. Many more of them put their trust in him once they had heard his message for themselves. They told the woman, “We believed what you said about him, but now we have heard him for ourselves and we are quite convinced that he is the One who will save the world!”
©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 are our saviour, our rock,
the shepherd who leads us with care.
You formed the earth by hand
and brought forth all things from nothing.
You led your people to freedom
and provided them with living water,
and with the law and prophets to guide them.
You sent your child, Jesus, to reconcile us to yourself.
While we were still sinners,
he proved your love for us in dying for us.
You raised him to life that we might be saved through him,
and drink from the spring of living water
that gushes up for eternal life.
Through your Holy Spirit poured into our hearts,
you have given us access to grace
and formed in us endurance, character and hope
that we might worship you in spirit and truth
and share in your eternal glory.
Therefore with .....
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

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

We thank you for pouring your Holy Spirit into our hearts,
giving us access to grace
and forming in us endurance, character and hope
that we might worship you in spirit and truth
and share in your eternal glory.
©2002 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 our saviour, our rock,
the shepherd who leads us with care.
You formed the earth by hand
and brought forth all things from nothing.
You led your people to freedom
and provided them with living water,
and with the law and prophets to guide them.
You sent your child, Jesus, to reconcile us to yourself.
While we were still sinners,
he proved your love for us in dying for us.
You raised him to life that we might be saved through him,
and drink from the spring of living water
that gushes up for eternal life.
Through your Holy Spirit poured into our hearts,
you have given us access to grace
and formed in us endurance, character and hope
that we might worship you in spirit and truth
and share in your eternal 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.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

God proves his love for us in that
while we were still sinners Christ died for us,
and was raised that we might be saved and reconciled to God.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go out into the world
and in your words and your living
make it known that Christ is the saviour of the world.
Make it your food to do the work of God who sends you,
and drink deeply of the water of life.
And may God shepherd you and lead you with care.
May Christ who justifies you, give you peace with God,
and may the Spirit fill you with truth
that your lives may be worship, and your worship may live.
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.

When Jesus sees through youA sermon on John 4:5-42 by Nathan Nettleton

Struggles and SecurityA sermon on Romans 5:1-11 & John 4:5-42 by Nathan Nettleton

Knowing your PlaceA sermon on Romans 5:1-11 & John 4:5-42 by Nathan Nettleton

The Living Water of Love and FreedomA sermon on Romans 5:1-11 & John 4:5-42 by Nathan Nettleton

Quenching Our ThirstA sermon on John 4:5-42; Exodus 17:1-7 & Romans 5:1-11 by Nathan Nettleton

Thirsting at the WellA sermon on John 4:5-42 by Vincent Hodge

2nd Sunday in Lent - Year A
2026-03-01 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Genesis 12: 1-4a

The LORD spoke to Abram, and said:
“Get up and leave your country, your relatives and the family of your parents, and move to the land that I will show you. I will make things go well for you and see that your descendants become a great nation. I will see to it that you are remembered as one of the greats; as one whose life was a blessing to others. I will do good to those who do good to you, and I will pull the rug out from under anyone who pulls the rug out from under you. Life will be better for everyone on earth because of you.”
So Abram got up and left Haran, just as the LORD had told him to.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 121

If we look to the mountains,
will we find security there?
No, our security comes from you alone,
the LORD, the maker of earth and sky.
You are on the alert, twenty four hours a day,
making sure that we don’t lose our footing.
You never slack off or take a nap,
but constantly guard your people.
You keep us safe, LORD,
you are always at our side to shield us.
While the sun shines, nothing can harm us;
the moon comes up, but still we are safe.
You stand between us and all evil, LORD;
you keep our lives clear of danger.
Whether we are coming or going,
you look after us, LORD;
you always have and always will.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17

How does our new perspective on faith affect the way we understand the example set by our ancestor Abraham? If Abraham had earned God’s acceptance through his own hard work, then he could quite fairly claim to be a cut above the rest of us, though not above God of course. But that is not the way it happened. As the scriptures clearly say: “Abraham put his trust in God, and God counted that as the equivalent of a perfect life.”
When people put in an honest day’s work, their wages are not thought of as a gift, but as something they have earned. But no one can earn God’s acceptance. Instead of claiming it as an entitlement, we can only put our trust in God, who generously treats such trust as the equivalent of a perfect life, and puts right those who could never make the grade on their own.
When God promised Abraham that he and his descendants would inherit the earth, it was not because Abraham had earned it by following God’s instructions to the letter. Instead it was a gift given when God put things right for Abraham in response to the trust he had shown. If it were possible to earn the rights to the earth by rigid compliance with the law, then basic values like trust and promise would be irrelevant. It would all become just another legal contract to be negotiated. Tie it all up in fine print and it will only end up serving as evidence against you; but where the relationship is conducted on the basis of trust, no one goes on the lookout for very possible breach.
So instead of being a legal matter, the fulfilment of the promise is conditional only on people’s willingness to put their trust in God. It is simply an expression of God’s generosity, and that’s why it is guaranteed to always be available to everyone. Whether you were raised in a culture where observing the religious law was the norm, or whether you have simply stepped out and put your trust in God like Abraham did, the promise is open to you. After all, both groups can rightly trace their line back to Abraham, and the scriptures say that God promised to make him the father of many nations. When it looked like Abraham wouldn’t ever become the father of anyone, he trusted his future into the hands of God, believing that the God who can bring life out of death could create something out of nothing.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

John 3: 1-17

There was a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Pharisee party and a leader in the Jewish nation. Late one night he came to speak with Jesus. He said, “Rabbi, we recognise that God has sent you as a teacher and that God is with you. How else could you do these things which are so clearly the work of God?”
Jesus answered him, “Right you are. And let me tell you this: no one will see the full life of God without being born into it from above.”
Nicodemus was taken aback. “How can this be?” he asked, “A person can only be born once. None of us can go back to the womb and be born again.”
Jesus replied saying:
“Listen again, for it is important that you get this. There is only one way into the full life of God, and it is through a birth of water and Spirit. A baby that emerges from a womb got its body from the bodies of its parents. But a growing person is not just a body, and the life-force within them emerges from the womb of the Spirit. So don’t be surprised that I said you have to be born from above. You can’t control or predict these things. They are like the wind. You can hear it coming and see what it does, but what’s driving it or where it is going next is anyone’s guess. God’s Spirit is like the wind, and so are all those who are born of the Spirit.”
But Nicodemus said, “I’m not with you. How can these things be?”
Jesus replied:
“How can you set yourself up as one of the teachers of Israel when you are struggling to get your head around the basics?
“Listen carefully because I’m speaking the truth. We know these things from our own experience, we’ve seen them with our own eyes, and yet you fob us off as though we were reporting a rumour we’d heard in the street. If I told you the sky was blue, you’d blink and take another look, so what chance is there of you believing anything I have to say about the ways of God? How are you going to check out what I say? None of you have ever gone up and stood face to face with God. The only one who has done that is the New Human, the one who came from God in the first place. You know the old story from the desert: the one about Moses lifting up the hand-made snake so that the people could look at something that would help them to focus their trust in God. Well, the New Human is going to be lifted up for much the same reason. Everyone who looks up to him in trust and hope will receive life without limit.
“God’s love for the world is so overwhelming that even giving up his own son was not too great a cost to ensure that no one need succumb to death. All those who put their trust in him can have boundless life instead.
“God didn’t put his son’s life on the line merely to bring down the hammer and pass sentence on us. Rather, God saw the world in desperate trouble and sent the Son on a cosmic rescue mission.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net

OR Matthew 17: 1-9 (if the last Sunday before Lent was not observed as Transfiguration Sunday)

Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them off up a high mountain. Before their very eyes, the way Jesus looked was suddenly changed from the inside out. His face shone like the sun and his clothing became so white it was dazzling. And, lo and behold, they saw Moses and Elijah there too, in deep conversation with Jesus.
Peter said, “Lord, this is fantastic! What a moment! If you like, I will knock up three huts, so that you, Moses and Elijah can all stay here longer.”
Even before he finished getting the words out, a dazzling cloud engulfed them all. Deep within the cloud, a voice boomed forth: “This is my Son, the love of my life, who fills me with pride. Listen to him!”
When Peter, James and John heard this, they hit the deck, dumbfounded. But Jesus came and tapped them on the shoulders and said, “Up you get! There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
And when they looked up, everything looked normal again and they saw no one there but Jesus.
As they were coming back down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy, saying, “Don’t breathe a word to anyone about what you’ve seen until the New Human has been raised from the dead.”
©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 are our help, our protector, our saviour.
You made the heavens and earth,
calling into existence things which were not.
You founded a people for yourself
on the faithful obedience of Abraham,
and led them through your law and prophets.
From the depths of your love
you sent your Son into the world,
not to condemn it, but to save it.
When he was lifted up on the cross and killed,
you raised him to life again,
and opened the life of your Kingdom
to all who believe and are born of water and Spirit.
Calling us to entrust our destinies
to the unpredictable currents of your Spirit,
and in faith follow your call into unknown places,
you have invited us to share in your gracious promise,
a promise of blessing for all the earth.
Therefore with .....
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

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

We give you thanks for sending your Son into the world,
not to condemn it, but to save it,
and to open the life of your Kingdom
to all who believe and are born of water and Spirit.
©2002 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 our help, our protector, our saviour.
You made the heavens and earth,
calling into existence things which were not.
You founded a people for yourself
on the faithful obedience of Abraham,
and led them through your law and prophets.
From the depths of your love
you sent your Son into the world,
not to condemn it, but to save it.
When he was lifted up on the cross and killed,
you raised him to life again,
and opened the life of your Kingdom
to all who believe and are born of water and Spirit.
Calling us to entrust our destinies
to the unpredictable currents of your Spirit,
and in faith follow your call into unknown places,
you have invited us to share in your gracious promise,
a promise of blessing for all the earth.
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

If we put our trust in the one who justifies the ungodly,
God counts our faith as righteousness,
for God did not send the Son into the world
to condemn us
but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go out into the world at the call of God.
Find your help in the Lord,
and allow the Spirit to carry you wherever she blows.
And may God shelter you from evil and keep you from stumbling;
May Christ Jesus secure your life in faith;
And may the Holy Spirit carry you on the winds of God’s love.
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.

Risk Evaluation and Reckless TrustA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton

Birth, New Birth and the Kingdom of GodA sermon on John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton

Birth, New Birth and the Culture of God This sermon on John 3: 1-17& Genesis 12:1-4 by Nathan Nettleton consists mostly of a merger of the previous two above.

A New Start in the Great UnknownA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3: 1-17 by Nathan Nettleton

The Lord is your KeeperA sermon on Psalm 121 by Nathan Nettleton

Hobbits, Abram, and other JourneysA sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 & John 3: 1-17 by Margie Dahl

The Feast of the Epiphany
2026-01-06 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Isaiah 60:1-6

On your feet, people of God! Let everyone see you!
The glory of the LORD
has set you aglow with light
like the sunrise on the rock.
Darkness overpowers the earth and its peoples,
blinding them, weighing them down;
but for you the sun always shines,
because the LORD has lit up your lives with glory.
As the brightness of your light intensifies,
nations and their rulers will be drawn to you
like moths to a flame.
Open your eyes! Look around you!
The crowds are streaming towards you.
Everyone is coming,
even the children you thought had gone forever.
What a sight for sore eyes!
You’ll be elated and proud – positively aglow.
You’ll be showered with gifts by those who arrive,
priceless gifts from overseas and around the world.
They’ll arrive by the truckload from everywhere,
from places rich and exotic and mysterious.
People will bring gold and frankincense,
and lavish their praise on the LORD.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

Send us a wise ruler, O God,
one who takes after you in justice and honesty;
one who does the right thing by everybody,
and is vigilant in ensuring justice for the poor;
one who will stand up for the disadvantaged,
provide a way out of the poverty trap,
and stomp on those who exploit the vulnerable.
Then the whole land will know prosperity and integrity;
the mountains, the valleys, the hills, the plains.
Send us a wise ruler, O God,
who will outlive the sun and moon,
who will rule forever, generation after generation.
May your chosen one give life to the land
like the spring rains in the wheat country.
May the people yield a bumper crop of honesty,
and may peace be as dependable
as the southern cross in the night sky.
Give your chosen one the top ranking in all the world,
deferred to and revered
by every other monarch, president and governor.
May they all feel compelled to pay homage,
to come bearing gifts, priceless and exotic,
and to put themselves and their nations
at the service of your chosen one.
All this is only right for the one who rescues those in need,
and has compassion for the homeless and the refugees;
who champions the cause of the forgotten and the spurned,
and guarantees the lives of the powerless;
who rescues those subjected to violence and oppression,
and treasures their lives, each and every one.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Ephesians 3:1-12

I, Paul, am in jail for my commitment to Jesus Christ, or more particularly, for my efforts on Christ’s behalf to break down the walls that kept you Gentiles separated from his people. No doubt you have heard about how God, in an amazing act of generosity, assigned me to this job. You’ve also heard - since I just told you a page or so back - about how God let me in on this mystery directly. If you go back and read over what I said about this earlier, you too will be able to understand what God has shown me concerning the mystery of Christ. No previous generation was ever given the opportunity to begin unravelling this mystery. The whole human race was in the dark about it until now. Now though, the Holy Spirit is bringing it all out into the open through Christ’s chosen leaders and messengers. And, in a nutshell, this is what it is all about: the Gentiles are God’s chosen people too! Those who have had no previous contact with God’s people have exactly the same right of access to God as those who can trace their bloodline back to Abraham. There is only one body of people who will inherit all that God has promised, and Jesus Christ has opened it up to everybody, regardless of their origins. No more segregation - Christ has put the welcome mat out for everyone.
I’ve taken on the job of getting this message out into the public arena. I still can’t get over how generous God was in trusting me with the job and equipping me for it. Of the available candidates, you wouldn’t have thought I’d have even made the short list, but in an act of reckless good will, God gave me the tap on the shoulder. So now I have the privilege of letting the Gentiles know that they too can share in the inexhaustible riches and extravagant generosity of Christ. God, who created everything, had always had this plan in mind, but now I have the privilege of giving everyone else their first look at it! The wisdom of God has more angles and aspects than the finest diamond, and more than any one person or group could every comprehend, but through the church it is all being opened up. Through ordinary congregations of believers like you, the powers of the universe and the authorities of the spiritual world are being schooled in God’s ways! God had always planned for it to be this way, and the plan was put into effect through the actions of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is because we trust him that we now have the confidence to deal directly with God and the courage to live accordingly.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Matthew 2:1-12

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in the territory of Judea, during the reign of King Herod. Some time after his birth, a group of eastern mystics turned up in Jerusalem looking for him. “Where can we find the child who has been born to be the king of the Jews?” they asked. “We observed the appearance of the star that heralds his birth, and so we have come all this way to pay our respects.”
When King Herod heard this, he went berserk, and when Herod was agitated, everybody in Jerusalem was on edge. Pulling himself together, he called in the city’s top priests and religious scholars and asked them whereabouts the Messiah was supposed to be born. They were in no doubt: “Bethlehem in Judea,” they said. “The prophet Micah spelt it out quite clearly:
‘Bethlehem in Judea, you’re it!
I’m going to put you on the map!
You will be the home town of my chosen ruler,
the one who will lead my people on the right track.’”
Having sorted that out, Herod met behind closed doors with the visiting mystics and pumped them for information about exactly when the star had first appeared. He then gave them directions to Bethlehem and sent them on their way, saying, “Go, and leave no stone unturned until you find the child. When you’ve found him, drop me a line so that I can come down and pay my respects too.”
So, having gained this information from the king, they hit the road. As they did, they spotted the star again, the same one they had first seen appear. Taking a line from the star, they were able to track down the exact place where the child was. Their search was finally at an end, and they were over the moon! They were allowed into the house and there they saw him, a little child in the arms of his mother, Mary. Overcome with awe, they fell to their knees in reverent wonder before the child. From their luggage, they gave him exotic gifts of gold, aromatic frankincense, and myrrh.
They were warned in a dream to avoid contacting Herod, so they kept a low profile and took the back roads out of Judea as they began their journey home to their own country.
©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 fulfilment of all our searching.
Since the time you created all things
you have had a plan
— hidden in mystery through the ages —
to draw all the world into one body,
and to share with all peoples your promises of glory.
And now the light has risen,
the mystery is made known:
your beloved child, Jesus, is revealed to the whole world
as Saviour and Redeemer,
and as the King who reigns in justice and peace.
You made him known first
to the magi from the east,
who came to pay him homage,
though they knew of him only what the silent stars could tell.
And now, you draw us again to the feet of Jesus
— the crucified and risen Christ —
to offer our gifts of praise to the light of the world.
Therefore with .....
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

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

We give you thanks for your beloved child, Jesus,
who you made known to the magi from the east,
who knew of him only what the silent stars could tell.
You have drawn us again to his feet
and in him we have found the fulfilment of all our searching.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

Gracious God, our hearts rejoice in your presence,
as we give you our thanks and praise,
for you are the fulfilment of all our searching.
Since the time you created all things
you have had a plan
— hidden in mystery through the ages —
to draw all the world into one body,
and to share with all peoples your promises of glory.
And now the light has risen,
the mystery is made known:
your beloved child, Jesus, is revealed to the whole world
as Saviour and Redeemer,
and as the King who reigns in justice and peace.
You made him known first
to the magi from the east,
who came to pay him homage,
though they knew of him only what the silent stars could tell.
And now, you draw us again to the feet of Jesus
— the crucified and risen Christ —
to offer our gifts of praise to the light of the world.
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.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Declaration of Grace / Absolution

God has declared that through our union with Christ
and through our faith in him
we may enter God’s presence with all confidence.
Our sins are no longer held against us,
God’s grace has been given to us.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, seek out the Christ wherever he may be found,
and share the good news with all who bear him no ill will.
Bring light to those in thick darkness,
a voice to those no one speaks for,
and hope to those no one cares for.
And may God make you a sharer in the promised light.
May Christ Jesus fill you with his sense of what is right.
And may the Holy Spirit be to you like rain
that gives life to the fertile earth.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

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

The Visit of the MagiA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Shocking NewsA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Gifts that really matterA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6 & Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Coming to LightA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

An Epiphany TsunamiA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

A Little Child, God Before the AgesA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

The Power and the KingsA sermon on Matthew 2:1-12; Isaiah 60:1-6 & Ephesians 3:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Epiphany and the Hope of UnityA sermon for the Feast of Epiphany by Fr Abel van der Veer

May a Multitude of Camels Cover You!A sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12 & Matthew 2:1-12 by Fr Richard Treloar

SearchingA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7,10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12 & Matthew 2:1-12 by Fr Sam Goodes

The Feast of EpiphanyA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12 & Matthew 2:1-12 by the Revd Marilyn Hope

Wilde Fairytales and Epiphany LightA sermon for the Feast of Epiphany by Fr Matthew Dowsey

By a Different RouteA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2: 1-12 & Ephesians 3:1-12 by the Revd Roxanne Addley

Gifts to be ReceivedA sermon for the Feast of Epiphany by the Revd Dr Craig D’Alton

Brought to LightA sermon on Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12 & Matthew 2:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

Generous LightA sermon on Matthew 2: 1-12 by Nathan Nettleton

New Years Day
2026-01-01 00:00 - 23:59
Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

Lections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN 37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

Things happen in their due season; there is a right time for everything that happens on earth:
a time to be born,
and a time to die;
a time to sow the seed,
and a time to harvest the crop;
a time to end a life,
and a time to rehabilitate;
a time to demolish,
and a time to create;
a time to cry,
and a time to laugh;
a time to grieve,
and a time to party;
a time to throw caution to the wind,
and a time to play it safe;
a time to make love,
and a time to keep your pants on;
a time to keep searching,
and a time to write off the loss;
a time to hold on to what you’ve got,
and a time to let it go;
a time to share another’s pain,
and a time to urge them to move on;
a time to keep your mouth shut,
and a time to speak your mind;
a time to love,
and a time to hate;
a time to fight;
and a time to make peace.
But in the end, what difference does it make what we do? I have observed everyone working hard at the jobs that God has given them. God sets things up so that there is a proper time and place for everything, but we forget too quickly and fail to learn the lessons of history. We see what has happened and what is happening, but we can’t make sense of the connections or see what God is doing in it all. So I figure that there is no point in losing too much sleep over it. The most important thing is for people to be happy and to enjoy their lives for as long as they live. What’s more, there is nothing wrong with eating and drinking and finding satisfaction in our work. They are God’s gifts to us.
©2002 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

Revelaton 21: 1-6a

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.”
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Matthew 25: 31-46

While speaking to his followers, Jesus said, “The day is coming when the New Human will turn up in all his glory, accompanied by all his angels, and he will be crowned as king. He will sit down on the judgment seat, and all the nations of the world will be summoned to appear before him. Like a quality controller sorting out the good fruit from the rejects, he will carefully sort the nations into two groups, one on his right side and one on his left. Then the King will say to the group on his right side:
‘Welcome, you who have been given the thumbs up by my Father. Ever since the foundation of the world, there has been a kingdom ready with your name on it. Come now, and inherit it; because
I was hungry and you lot fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I came seeking asylum and you made me welcome,
I didn’t have a stitch to wear
and you lot gave me clothes,
I was diseased and you took care of me,
I was in detention and you visited me.’
Then those compassionate nations will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When were you a refugee and we welcomed you, or in detention and we visited you? When did we find you without clothes or sick and do something about it?’
And the King will reply, ‘The fact is, you did these things for people who were regarded as the dregs of society, but who I love as my nearest and dearest; and each time you helped one of them, you were helping me.’
Then he will say to the nations on the other side:
‘You lot have been written off. Get out of my sight! A time of fire has been ignited by the devil and his agents, and you will be swallowed up in it with them; because
I was hungry and you lot didn’t give me a bite,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing,
I came seeking asylum and you wouldn’t let me in,
I didn’t have a stitch to wear
and you lot left me to freeze,
I was diseased and in detention
and you turned your backs and wouldn’t come near me.’
They too will ask, ‘Lord, when was it that we failed to take care of you? We don’t recall seeing you hungry or thirsty or seeking asylum or naked or sick or in detention.’
But he will answer, ‘The fact is, you failed to do these things for those who were regarded as the dregs of society, and each time you turned your backs on them, you were turning your backs on me.’
And with that, those nations will be gone, swallowed up in the time of punishment. But the nations who did the right thing by others will enjoy life without limit.”
©2023 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
and with the whole earth we tell of the greatness of your name,
for you are the God who makes all things new.
The moon and the stars are your handiwork,
and the earth and its inhabitants reflect your glory.
You have created us, dressing us in glory undeserved,
and entrusted the charge of the earth to our hands.
You have created a time for everything under heaven:
a time for remembering,
and a time to set plans for the future;
a time for prayer
and a time to act with courage and compassion;
a time for sacrifice
and a time to enjoy the fruits of our toil.
In Jesus Christ, you have made your home among us,
and gathered our times into your time,
so that we might live the life of the kingdom
which you prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
Therefore with .....
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

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

We thank you for gathering all our times into your time,
so that we might live the life of the kingdom
which you prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

General Prayer of Thanksgiving

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
and with the whole earth tell of the greatness of your name,
for you are the God who makes all things new.
The moon and the stars are your handiwork,
and the earth and its inhabitants reflect your glory.
You have created us, dressing us in glory undeserved,
and entrusted the charge of the earth to our hands.
You have created a time for everything under heaven:
a time for remembering,
and a time to set plans for the future;
a time for prayer
and a time to act with courage and compassion;
a time for sacrifice
and a time to enjoy the fruits of our toil.
In Jesus Christ, you have made your home among us,
and gathered our times into your time,
so that we might live the life of the kingdom
which you prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
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

In Jesus Christ, God makes all things new.
The former things have disappeared.
God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
Sisters and Brothers,
your sins are forgiven;
be at peace.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Commission & Benediction

Go now, and embrace the new time which God has given us.
Recognize Christ in friend and stranger,
and as Christ has been gracious to you,
so be gracious to those in need.
And may God dwell with you as your God.
May Christ be your food and drink
and give you pleasure in your work.
And may the Spirit be your beginning and end
and hold all your times in her loving embrace.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

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

When I was hungry, what did you do?A sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton

When I joined your church, you burned me out!A sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton

Icons on Street CornersA sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton

Will the Sheep Plead for the Goats?A sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton

Judging NationsA sermon on Matthew 25: 31-46 by Nathan Nettleton
