BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//LaughingBird - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://laughingbird.net X-WR-CALDESC:Events for LaughingBird REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Australia/Melbourne BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20240406T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20241005T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20250405T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20251004T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20260404T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20261003T160000 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20250529T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20250529T235959 DTSTAMP:20260411T011928 CREATED:20200827T044009Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T003404Z UID:10002815-1748476800-1748563199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n Acts 1: 1-11 \n \n\n \n \n \n Dear Theophilus\,  \nIn 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.  \nFor 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.”  \nWhen 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?”  \nJesus 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.”  \nThat 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.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 47 \n \n\n \n \n \n We applaud you\, LORD\, as everyone should;\nwe roar your name and sing for joy. \nYou are an awesome God;\nnumber one in the universe;\nthe great ruler of all the earth. \nYou have subdued those who attacked us;\nput hostile nations at our mercy. \nYou picked out the best land for us;\nyou favoured us with a prized inheritance. \nTake your place at the top of the dais\, LORD God\,\nas we sound trumpets and cheer in your honour. \nYou are our God\, and we’ll sing your praises;\nyou are our ruler\, and we’ll sing your praises. \nYou are the God who rules over all the earth;\nwe’ll sing your praises in all our songs. \nYou are the God who rules over the nations;\nthe throne where you sit is one of a kind. \nLeaders gather from every people on earth\nand\, like Abraham’s descendants\,\ngive their allegiance to you\, God.\nThey lay down their weapons\nand honour you as their ultimate superior. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Psalm 93 (alternative psalm) \n \n\n \n \n \n LORD\, you are the great ruler.\nMajesty enfolds you like a royal robe\nand strength radiates from you.  \nYou have fixed the world firmly in its place.\nYour throne is immovable\, LORD;\never was and ever shall be.  \nSurging floods have risen\, O LORD\,\nsurging up with a mighty roar;\nengulfing everything in thunderous sound.  \nYou are more impressive than the surging waters\,\nmore powerful than the crashing waves;\nyou are number one in all the universe\, LORD!  \nWhatever you say is set in stone.\nThe place you live\, O LORD\, is clearly sacred;\nits holiness will outlast time. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Ephesians 1: 15-23 \n \n\n \n \n \n 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: \n\n\n\nthe promised goal of the mission to which you are called;\nthe extravagant generosity of God’s provision for us;\nand the immense capacity of the dynamic power which is put to work in us when we trust God.\n\n\n\nThis 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. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 24: 44-53 \n \n\n \n \n \n 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.” \nAs he spoke they began to see how to read the scriptures with open minds so as to understand what God was saying in them. Jesus said to them: \n“What was written will now be clear to you: that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that the people of every nation must be told of the Messiah’s call to turn their lives around and receive forgiveness for their toxic ways. You can get started here in Jerusalem. You have witnessed these things first hand\, so you can tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And don’t miss this: I myself am sending you the gift that my Father promised\, so wait here in the city until you have been fitted out with God’s power.” \nJesus 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. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces) \n \n\n \n \n \n We give thanks for your Son\, Jesus\,\nwho you carried up into heaven\nand seated at your right hand\nso that he might be everywhere present\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise with shouts of joy\, O God\,\nfor you have called us to a rich hope\nand a glorious inheritance among the saints. \nYou fixed the world in place\nand rule over all from your sacred throne.\nYou formed a people for yourself\nand through Moses and the prophets you spoke to them\nof the Christ who fills all in all. \nAs it was written\, he suffered and was killed\,\nbut you raised him from the dead\nand he walked again with his chosen ones\,\nspeaking to them of your glorious kingdom.\nYou carried him into heaven on the clouds\nand made him head over all things for the church\,\nseating him at your right hand\nfar above all rule and authority\, power and dominion\,\nand above every name that is named\,\nnot only in this age but also in the age to come. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n As Jesus Christ instructed his followers\,\nthe forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name\nfrom the holy city to the ends of the earth. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go out into the world.\nand in your words and in your lives\nbear witness to the Christ who has ascended\nto be everywhere present. \nAnd as you come to know him\,\nmay God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation\,\nmay Christ Jesus lift up his hands and bless you\,\nand may the Spirit open to you all the riches of Christ’s inheritance. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Ascension: Christ’s superabundant presenceA sermon on Acts 1. 6-14 & John 17:1-11 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nStretching those WingsA sermon for the Feast of the Ascension by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nNot Knowing Where to LookA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLook around you!A sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nThe Ascension of the High PriestA sermon on Acts 1: 1-11 & Luke 24: 44-53 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc38/2025-05-29/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/38.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20250531T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20250531T000000 DTSTAMP:20260411T011928 CREATED:20200830T121453Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T030936Z UID:10001617-1748649600-1748649600@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:The Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n \n\n \n \n 1 Samuel 2: 1-10 \n \n\n \n \n \n After the birth of her son\, Samuel\, Hannah prayed the following prayer: \n“Thanks to you\, LORD\, I am full of joy;\nthanks to you\, I can stand strong and proud.\nI can return the insults that were hurled at me\,\nand kick up my heels\, because you have set me free. \nThere is no other god like you\, LORD\,\nno one who can hold a candle to you;\nnot even the ancient rock is as dependable as you. \nI can tell the proud to stop their boasting;\ntell the arrogant to put a sock in it.\nYou\, LORD\, know us inside and out;\nyou see whether or not we live up to our words. \nYou\, LORD\, disarm the powerful\,\nand redistribute their strength to the helpless.\nThose who consumed to excess are now queuing at soup kitchens\,\nbut those who were deprived now feast in splendour.\nInfertile couples are having children\, one after the other\,\nwhile those who flaunted their children\nfind their families falling apart. \nLife is yours to give or to take\, LORD;\nyou can send someone to the land of the dead\,\nand you can bring them back again. \nYou\, LORD\, can make us or break us;\nyou can put us on a pedestal or knock us off.\nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities.\nYou can do all this because the earth is yours;\nyou set it up and you wrote the rules. \nTo those who are faithful\, you guarantee safe passage;\nthose who are corrupt soon lose sight of any light to steer by\,\nfor no matter how strong people are\,\nthey can’t make it alone. \nYou are the LORD!\nThose who try to obstruct you\nfind that it is like standing in the path of a train\nas you thunder towards your destination.\nYou\, LORD\, have the final word on all that is done on earth.\nYou will give strength and power to your chosen ruler.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 113 \n \n\n \n \n \n You are the greatest\, LORD! \nWe\, your servants\, can’t stop singing your praises;\nthe mere mention of your name sets us singing! \nFrom now on and forever\,\nyour name will be held sacred\, LORD. \nFrom east to west\, from dawn to dusk\,\nyour name will inspire songs of praise. \nYou are ranked number one\, LORD\,\nway above even the greatest nations\,\noutshining even the sun and the stars. \nCan anyone compare with you\, LORD?\nIs there anyone else even close to your league?\nNot likely! You are seated so high\nthat you look down even to see the sky! \nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities. \nYou give the infertile couple a family\nfilling their lives with the laughter of children. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 12: 9-16b \n \n\n \n \n \n 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. \nWhen 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. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 1:39-57 \n \n\n \n \n \n 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: \n“You have been blessed like no other woman!\nAnd doubly blessed is the child in your womb!\nAnd what about me? Why am I so blessed\,\nthat my Lord’s own mother should knock at my door?\nThe moment your greeting reach my ears\,\nthe baby in my womb began bouncing with glee!\nClearly you are God’s favoured one\,\nbecause you believed what God said to you;\ntrusting God to follow through on every promise. \nMary too was bursting with joy. She said: \n“Let me turn the spotlight on God’s greatness!\nWith all that I am I dance with joy over God\, my saviour!\nGod has smiled upon me\, though I was no one special.\nNow I’ll be remembered forever as the favoured one.\nThe supreme God has done wonderful things for me.\nNo other name is in the same league as God’s. \nIn every generation\, those who treat God with respect\nare rewarded with showers of mercy.\nWith sleeves rolled up\, God has made a show of strength\,\nand sent packing those who were so full of themselves. \nGod has kicked the power mongers out of office\,\nand lifted the downtrodden back to their feet.\nGod has put on a feast for those who were hungry\,\nand slammed the door on the rich without giving them a bite. \nThe Lord’s servant Israel receives a helping hand.\nGod always remembers them with tender care.\nThis is exactly what God promised long ago\,\na vow made to Abraham and Sarah for every generation.” \nMary 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc45/2025-05-31/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/45.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR