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LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T061202Z
UID:10001561-1806105600-1806278340@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD said to Noah: \n“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.” \nSo 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. \nThe 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. \nWhen 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. \nThey 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: \n“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.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 46			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod 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.” \nSo 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.” \nAbraham 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!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“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.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo 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!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe 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.”\nAs 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. \nFrom 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.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 16			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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: \n“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?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“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!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“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.” \n    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. \nThen 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!” \nThen 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.” \nSo 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. \nSo 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. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 12: 2-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 19			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 42 & 43			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“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:\n“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.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 143			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 98			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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. \nYou 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 114			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSo 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. \nThey 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nThe 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. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSuddenly 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2027-03-27/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280415T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280416T235959
DTSTAMP:20260411T070618
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T061202Z
UID:10001562-1839369600-1839542399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD said to Noah: \n“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.” \nSo 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. \nThe 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. \nWhen 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. \nThey 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: \n“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.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 46			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod 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.” \nSo 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.” \nAbraham 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!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“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.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo 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!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe 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.”\nAs 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. \nFrom 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.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 16			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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: \n“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?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“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!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“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.” \n    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. \nThen 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!” \nThen 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.” \nSo 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. \nSo 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. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 12: 2-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 19			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 42 & 43			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“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:\n“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.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 143			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 98			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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. \nYou 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 114			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSo 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. \nThey 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nThe 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. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSuddenly 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2028-04-15/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290331T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290401T235959
DTSTAMP:20260411T070618
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T061202Z
UID:10002031-1869609600-1869782399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD said to Noah: \n“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.” \nSo 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. \nThe 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. \nWhen 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. \nThey 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: \n“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.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 46			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod 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.” \nSo 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.” \nAbraham 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!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“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.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo 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!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe 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.”\nAs 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. \nFrom 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.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 16			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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: \n“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?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“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!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“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.” \n    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. \nThen 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!” \nThen 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.” \nSo 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. \nSo 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. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 12: 2-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 19			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 42 & 43			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“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:\n“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.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 143			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 98			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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. \nYou 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 114			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSo 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. \nThey 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nThe 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. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSuddenly 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2029-03-31/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300420T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300421T235959
DTSTAMP:20260411T070618
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T061202Z
UID:10002122-1902873600-1903046399@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD said to Noah: \n“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.” \nSo 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. \nThe 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. \nWhen 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. \nThey 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: \n“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.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 46			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod 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.” \nSo 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.” \nAbraham 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!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“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.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo 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!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe 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.”\nAs 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. \nFrom 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.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 16			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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: \n“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?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“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!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“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.” \n    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. \nThen 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!” \nThen 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.” \nSo 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. \nSo 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. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 12: 2-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 19			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 42 & 43			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“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:\n“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.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 143			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 98			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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. \nYou 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 114			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSo 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. \nThey 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nThe 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. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSuddenly 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2030-04-20/
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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20310412T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20310413T235959
DTSTAMP:20260411T070618
CREATED:20200811T140223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T061202Z
UID:10002208-1933718400-1933891199@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Great Paschal (Easter) Vigil
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1st Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	At the outset\, when God created the universe\,\nthe earth was lifeless and shapeless;\na deep ocean of chaos\, shrouded in darkness;\nbrooded over by the Spirit of God. \nThen God called for light\,\nand light appeared.\nGod saw that light was a good thing\,\nand separated it from the darkness.\nGod named the light Day\,\nand the darkness Night.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe first day was done. \nThen God called for a clear space\nto keep out the water on either side.\nGod made the clear space\nand the water was split in two\, above and below.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the space Sky.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe second day was done. \nThen God called for the waters under the sky\nto be pooled into one place\nand for dry land to appear elsewhere.\nThat is what happened\,\nand God named the dry land Earth\nand the pooled waters Sea.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God called for the earth to produce vegetation:\nplants and trees\, rich with fertile fruits and seed\,\nand that is what happened.\nThe earth burst forth with vegetation of every kind;\ngrasses and vines\, shrubs and trees\,\nfertile with seeds and fruits of every kind.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe third day was done. \nThen God called for lights in the space called sky;\nlights to shine from above and light up the earth\,\nto separate day from night\,\nand to mark out the months\, seasons and years.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made stars to fill the sky\nand two big lights:\na bright one to dominate the day\,\nand a soft one to take over at night.\nGod set them all in the sky\nto light up the earth and determine day and night;\nto separate out the light from the darkness.\nGod saw that this was a good thing.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fourth day was done. \nThen God called for the waters to fill with living creatures\,\nand for the skies to fill with birds flying over the earth.\nGod created all the creatures that live and move in the water\,\nthe enormous monsters of the sea and the teeming fish\,\nand every kind of bird that wings its way through the air.\nGod saw that this was a good thing\nand set them up for life\,\nencouraging the fish to multiply and fill the seas\nand the birds to multiply all over the earth.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe fifth day was done. \nThen God called for the earth to bring forth all sorts of living creatures:\ninsects\, reptiles\, mammals;\nanimals of every kind\, tame and wild.\nThat is what happened;\nGod made wild animals of every kind to fill the earth\,\nevery kind of herd and flock\,\nand every creature that runs or jumps or crawls on land.\nGod saw that this was a good thing. \nThen God said:\n“We will make people in our own image\,\nmodelling them on ourselves.\nWe will entrust to them the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air\, the flocks and herds\,\nand all the wild animals and creepy-crawlies.” \nSo God created people as a reflection of God\,\ncreated them to be like God\,\ncreated them male and female. \nGod set them up for life\,\nand encouraged them to multiply and fill the earth.\nGod told them to exercise control over the earth\nand to manage the fish of the sea\,\nthe birds of the air and every living thing on earth. \nGod said to the people:\n“Look\, I have given you the grain crops\nthat grow and reproduce themselves all over the earth\,\nand all the trees that grow from seed and bear fruit;\nthey are all yours for food.\nI have also provided vegetation galore\nas food for the animals\, birds and creepy-crawlies\,\nfor everything that lives and breathes. \nSo it all happened\, just as God said.\nEverything God had made was there to be seen\nand God was delighted with it all.\nEvening passed and morning came;\nthe sixth day was done. \nWith that\, the universe was complete\,\nalong with everything that fills it.\nWith the work finished\,\nGod took the seventh day off. \nAfter all the work God had done\,\nthe seventh day was a well earned rest.\nSo God made the seventh day special\,\na sacred day\,\nbecause that day was God’s day off\nafter all the work of creating everything. \nSo that’s the family lineage of the universe;\nthe story of how everything came to be. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 136: 1-9\, 23-26			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Thank you\, LORD\, thank you. You are truly good.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, God of all gods\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nThank you\, Lord of all lords\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou and you alone have done miraculous things.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou dreamed up the skies and put them in place.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou raised the earth on its foundations above the seas.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou set the lights shining in the sky.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou put the sun in charge of the day.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou gave the moon and stars watch over the night.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nYou didn’t forget us when we were down and out.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou rescued us from those who had it in for us.\nYour rock solid love is forever.\nYou provide food for everything that lives\,\nYour rock solid love is forever. \nThank you\, God of everything\, thank you.\nYour rock solid love is forever. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  2nd Reading: Genesis 7: 1-5\, 11-18 ; 8: 6-18 ; 9: 8-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD said to Noah: \n“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.” \nSo 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. \nThe 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. \nWhen 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. \nThey 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: \n“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.” \nSo Noah disembarked with his wife and their sons and their son’s wives. Then God said to Noah and his family: \n“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.” \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 46			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Our refuge\, our shelter\, our fortress\, our security;\nyou are all these things to us\, God.\nYou are always there for us when we need you. \nBecause of you\, we will not panic\neven if our world comes crashing down around our ears;\neven if the earth splits open beneath us;\neven if chaos pours in like a raging flood;\neven if life as we know it goes up in smoke. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nA river flowing with life-giving water runs through your holy city\nbringing joy and peace to your sacred home.\nYou are the most high God\, and the city where you live\nwill rest secure and greet the new day with confidence. \nThe world may be in chaos\, nations tearing apart at the seams\,\nbut when you speak\, the earth sinks to its knees. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \nWhat you have done is a sight for sore eyes\, LORD;\nyou have left a trail of destruction across the earth:\nweapons of war crushed and burned;\nimplements of fear smashed to pieces;\nconflicts and wars closed down for good. \nYou call us to a peaceful calm\nand invite us to know you as God.\nYou stand supreme above the nations\,\nunmatched in all the earth. \nYou are the LORD of cosmic power — the God of our ancestors —\nour safety\, our refuge. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  3rd Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is the story of how God put Abraham to the test to find out whether he really had what it takes. \nGod called to him\, saying\, “Abraham!” \n“At your service\,” Abraham replied. \nGod 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.” \nSo 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.” \nAbraham 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!” \n“At your service\, son\,” Abraham replied. \n“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.” \nAbraham said\, “God will personally provide the lamb for the sacrifice\, my son.” \nSo 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!” \n“At your service\,” he replied. \nThe 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.”\nAs 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. \nFrom 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.” \nThe messenger of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven again\, saying\, “This is what the LORD says to you: \nI 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 16			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Protect me\, God\,\nyou are my place of refuge. \nI’m acknowledging you as the one in charge\, LORD;\nyou are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. \nI delight in the company of those\nwho dedicate themselves to you;\nthey are the salt of the earth. \nThose who worship other things\nwill have nothing but grief.\nI will not buy into their futile devotions;\nI will not utter the names they revere. \nYou are all I want\, LORD\, and all I need;\nyou hold my future in your hands. \nYou mark out the best of everything for me;\nyou’ve set me up with a bright future. \nI heap accolades on you\, LORD\,\nfor you always give me wise advice;\neven in the dead of night\nyou fill my heart with your teachings. \nI’ll always stick close behind you\, LORD;\nwith you near by\,\nI’ll never be pushed off track. \nYou fill me with delight\, LORD;\njoy erupts from deep in my bones;\nmy body relaxes\, safe in your care. \nYou’ll never let the grave drag me down;\nyour faithful servants are never left for dead. \nYou set my feet on a life-giving track\, LORD.\nTo be in your presence is absolute bliss.\nAll I could dream of comes from your hand. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  4th Reading: Exodus 14: 10-31 ; 15: 20-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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: \n“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?” \nBut Moses replied in a speech\, saying: \n“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!” \nThen the LORD spoke to Moses\, saying: \n“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.” \n    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. \nThen 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!” \nThen 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.” \nSo 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. \nSo 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. \nThen the prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \n“Our song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea!” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Exodus 15: 1b-13\, 17-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The prophet Miriam\, who was Aaron’s sister\, led the women in a dance of celebration\, playing tambourines and singing: \nOur song is for you\, LORD\,\nfor you have won a glorious victory!\nYou have tossed the soldiers and warhorses into the sea! \nWe would be nothing without you\, LORD\,\nbut with you\, we are strong.\nYou are our God\, and we sing your praises;\nthe God of our ancestors\,\nand we applaud you long and loud. \nYou are the greatest hero\, LORD;\nLORD by name\, LORD by reputation. \nYou swept the tyrant’s armoured vehicles and soldiers into the sea;\nall his top brass disappeared beneath the waves. \nThe surging waters closed over them\,\nand they sank like a stone into the murky depths. \nWith your bare hands\, LORD\,\nyou put on an awesome display of power;\nyou rolled up your sleeves and decimated the enemy. \nWith the full force of your majestic power\,\nyou defeated your opponents;\nthey ignited your anger\nand were gone like dry grass in a bushfire. \nThe fearsome blast of your fury cut a swathe through the waters;\nthe surging depths were heaped up on each side;\nthe wild ocean set like jelly\, all the way down. \nThe tyrants said\, “We’ll give chase\, we can catch them.\nAll that they have will be ours\, all we could ever want.\nWe will turn our weapons on them and wipe them out.” \nYou sent your wind howling after them and closed the sea over them;\nthey sank like a stone and were never seen again. \nYou are in a league of your own\, LORD;\nNothing else is worthy of our devotion.\nNothing can compete with you for awesome grandeur;\nNothing else can match your record\nfor getting the job done against the odds. \nWhen you got involved\, LORD\,\nthe planet opened its mouth and swallowed up our oppressors. \nWith love and loyalty\, you led the people you had reclaimed;\nwith protective strength\, you guided them to your sacred home. \nYou brought them home to your holy mountain\, LORD\,\nand let them put down roots in the place you call your own\,\nthe sacred place that you built with your own hands. \nMay you rule forever and ever\, LORD! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  5th Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	This is what the LORD says: \nHey you! Are you thirsty?\nCome\, then. Drink from these fresh waters!\nAre you too penniless even to eat?\nNever mind! Come! Help yourselves; eat your fill!\nCome and stock up with food\, wine and milk.\nWhat will it cost you? Not a red cent! \nWhy sink all your money into things that leave you hungry?\nWhy bust a gut working for things that can never satisfy?\nListen carefully to what I have to say\nand you will feast at a rich banquet of fine foods. \nStick with me and tune in to what I’m saying\,\nfor without my words\, life is bland and tasteless.\nI will surround your lives with love and loyalty\,\nmaking a permanent alliance\, just as I did with David.\nI gave him influence and authority over the nations\,\nand he was my witness among them. \nYou will be the same – a light to which others flock;\neven those who don’t know you will come running;\nthey’ll be drawn to my glory\, seen in you\,\nthe glory of the LORD\, the one and only God of Israel. \nThe LORD says\,\nTrack me down before it is too late\,\nmake contact while I’m in your neck of the woods.\nClean up your act and get your head straight;\ngive up your corrupt practices and plans.\nGet yourself back on my wavelength\nand I’ll pour out mercy and generous forgiveness. \nI don’t think the way you think\, says the LORD\,\nand I don’t do things the way you do.\nYour ways and mine are like cheese and chalk\,\nyour thoughts and mine are lightyears apart. \nEverything I say has a powerful purpose;\nno empty words ever pass my lips.\nMy words are like drops of rain in the cycle of nature:\nwherever they fall they give life;\nthey replenish\, renew and nourish life\,\nand then the earth gives them back and they start again.\nMy words always achieve their purpose;\nthey flourish where I plant them\,\nthey nourish all who feed on them. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Isaiah 12: 2-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You alone\, LORD\, are able to set us free\,\nso we put our trust in you\, and have nothing to fear.\nAll our strength and power come from you\, LORD GOD\,\nyou have become our hero\, our saviour! \nYou will put your saving love on tap\,\ndeep draughts to be enjoyed by everyone.\nOn that day we will all say to one another\,\n“Thank the LORD! Let God’s name be on everyone’s lips!” \nWe will tell the world what you have done\,\nwe will shout your name and declare you to be number one.\nWe will sing your praises because of all you have accomplished\,\nand give you the glory all over the earth.\nWith all the citizens of Zion\, we lift our voices to you\nwith shouts and laughter and songs of celebration\,\nfor you are the ultimate\, the greatest\, the Holy One\,\nand you live among us\, your people! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 1): Baruch 3: 9-15\, 32 - 4:4			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen up\, Israel\, and hear the rules of life.\nTune in and learn good common sense.\nWhat’s going on\, O people of Israel?\nHow come you are still trapped in the land of your enemies?\nHow come you are growing old so far from home?\nPeople avoid you like something dead.\nYou are written off like those in the grave.\nHow come? \nIt is because you turned your back on the fountain of wisdom. \nIf you had stuck to the track God had marked out\nyou would have lived in peace your whole life long. \nWake up to yourselves and learn.\nLearn where to find wisdom\,\nwhere to gain strength\,\nwhere to get a clear picture of what is going on.\nDo that and you will find that you have also discovered\nthe secret to a long and full life\,\nto a future that looks bright\,\nand to peace that will last. \nBut who has succeeded in finding Wisdom’s house?\nWho has entered her warehouse and placed their order?\nWho? The one who knows everything knows her well\,\nand with a sharp mind\, easily tracked her down. \nThe one who set up the earth in the first place\,\nand filled it with everything on four legs;\nthe one who throws light into the sky\,\nand who can send it cowering away with a word;\nthe one at whose call the stars stepped forth\,\neagerly signing up for the night watch\nand lighting up with joy for the one who made them. \nThis is our God;\nand no other god is in the same league. \nGod has marked out the track to Wisdom’s home\nand shared her secrets with his servant Jacob\,\nand with Israel\, his beloved child.\nFrom that time on\, Wisdom appeared on earth\nand made her home among the people. \nShe is the book of instruction given by God;\nthe law laid down that lasts forever.\nAll those who hold fast to her will live\,\nbut those who give up on her will die. \nTurn around\, people of Jacob\, and reach out for her.\nTurn towards her light and head straight there.\nWhat a glorious gift you have been given!\nDon’t squander it and leave it to others to cash in on it.\nWe’ve got it made\, O people of Israel\,\nbecause we are in the know about what pleases God. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  6th Reading (alternative 2): Proverbs 8:1-8\, 19-21 ; 9: 4b-6			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Wisdom calls; her voice full of promise.\nCan’t you hear her\, offering herself to all who pass by? \nOn the station steps at rush hour\, there she is.\nOn a busy corner where everyone passes;\nleaning on the gate as the crowd comes through;\nwherever people are\, her voice rings out. \nThis is what she has to say: \n“Come one and all\, and hear me out;\nIf you’re in the land of the living\, what I have to offer is for you. \nTo the thick-headed\, I offer lessons in good sense;\nto you who know nothing\, I offer a solid education. \nListen up! What I have to say is worth hearing.\nEvery word that passes my lips can be trusted.\nFrom my mouth you’ll hear only the truth;\ncorrupt and deceitful talk makes me sick. \nWhenever I speak\, it is straight down the line;\nI don’t twist the truth or put a shifty spin on it. \nInvest in me and you’ll reap the rewards;\nrich benefits\, more than money could ever buy. \nI stick to the track of those who do the right thing;\nI steer a straight line on the road of justice.\nI heap riches on those who love me;\ntheir lives are chock full of good things. \nTo the ignorant and confused\, Wisdom makes her invitation\,\n“Come over to my place and we’ll chew the fat.\nShare my bread and wine and things will fall into place.\nThe time has come to turn the corner\,\nto grow up\, to embrace life.\nThink before you act\nand walk with understanding.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 19			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Your glory is written in the sky\, God;\nyour artistry is carved on the face of the earth.\nFrom one day to another\, the message passes on\,\nand each night puts the next one in the know. \nNot a word is spoken\,\nnot a sound do they make;\nyet their silence reverberates around the earth\nand their unspoken message echoes from pole to pole. \nYou made the sun at home flying across the sky.\nIt takes to its task with the eagerness of a bridegroom;\nas exultant as an athlete breasting the tape.\nAs your messenger\, God\, it does its rounds\,\nfrom one end of the sky to the other\,\nwarming everything in its path. \nYour revealed will is right on the mark\, LORD;\nit gives our souls their second wind.\nWhat you says goes\,\nand any fool can wise up by taking note. \nYour instructions are spot on\, LORD;\nanyone who follows them will be glad they did.\nWhat you direct us to do is easy to see\,\nand once seen\, everything become clear. \nRespect for you keeps us true\, LORD\,\nnothing can corrupt it\, now or ever.\nWhat you decide is always accurate;\na fair ruling\, beyond dispute. \nYour Word is worth far more\nthan even diamond encrusted gold!\nIt is sweeter by far\nthan any mouth watering delicacy\,\neven chocolate dipped strawberries with cream! \nBut that’s not all!\nYour Word\, O LORD\, keeps me out of danger\,\nand following it pays off richly. \nCan anyone put their finger on all their own faults?\nLORD\, eradicate the bugs I haven’t even identified yet. \nRemind me not to entertain sour contemptuous thoughts\,\nand don’t let them start pulling my strings.\nWithout them\, I can stay on course\,\nand keep my record clean. \nThat’s what I want\, O LORD.\nI want all the things I say\,\nand all the things I mull over in my heart\,\nto be things I’d be proud to offer to you\,\nfor you are the bedrock of my life;\nthe one who puts me back where I belong. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  7th Reading: Ezekiel 36: 24-28			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	I\, the LORD\, will bring you home from exile.\nI will gather you from your foreign hideouts\,\nand settle you safely in your own homeland. \nI will wash you down with clean water;\nscrub the defilement from your lives\,\nand clean off the filthy residue of your flirtation with idols. \nI will renovate your lives from the inside out\,\nand give you a new heart and new spirit.\nI will remove your cold stone hearts\,\nand replace them with hearts of healthy flesh. \nI will put my spirit inside you\,\nto give you a passion for following my ways\nand a commitment to doing what I say. \nThen you will live in the homeland I gave to your ancestors.\nYou will be my people\,\nand I will be your God. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 42 & 43			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Like a wallaby searching for a waterhole\,\nI crave you\, God\, with every fibre of my being. \nEverything inside me thirsts for you\, God\,\nfor you\, the Living God.\nWhen will the drought break\nso I can be with you\, face to face. \nI’ve had nothing but tears to sustain me;\nday and night it’s been the same;\nI can’t shut out the jeers and taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nCherished memories flood my mind\,\nrubbing salt in the wound;\nmemories of past celebrations\nwhen I led the worship in your house.\nI can still hear the laughter and joyous singing;\nthe crowds celebrating your goodness. \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nI feel so defeated inside;\nI try to remind myself of your goodness\nas I walk along the beach to the river mouth\nand look towards the mountains. \nBut all I hear is the roar of waves\nand churning waters;\nI feel like chaos is breaking over me\nand sucking me down\, deeper and deeper. \nEvery day I read of your rock-solid love\, LORD;\nand every night I sing your songs\nand pray to you as the God of my life. \nBut still I find myself asking the question:\n“Why has your rock-solid love let me down?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery?” \nMy wounds are deep and painful\nbut the torture goes on;\nover and over I hear the taunts\,\n“Where is this God of yours?” \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \nClear my name\, God;\nside with me against these godless tormentors.\nRescue me from their lies and abuse. \nI trusted you to look after me\, God;\nwhy have you pushed me aside?\nWhy are so many out to get me\,\nmaking my life such a misery? \nLet your truth blaze like a beacon\nso I can see the way to go;\nlet it light up the path and lead me\nto your home on the sacred mountain. \nThen I will offer myself to you in worship\, God;\noffer myself with uninhibited joy.\nI will praise you with music and song\,\nO God\, my God! \nWhy do I feel so defeated?\nWhy am I so anxious and agitated?\nI tell myself not to give up hope\,\nfor you are my God and my help\nand I’ll be glad of that again. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  8th Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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?”\nI replied\, “Lord GOD\, only you can answer such a question.” \nThen the LORD told me to preach boldly to the bones\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD told me to call to the winds\, saying: \n“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.” \n 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. \nThen the LORD explained to me what it all meant: \n“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:\n“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.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 143			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Listen to my prayer\, LORD.\nI know you can be relied on to hear my cry for mercy\nand to do the right thing when you answer.\nI am at your service\, LORD\,\nbut please don’t put me on trial.\nYou can see that I’ve screwed up like everyone else. \nEnemies have been constantly on my tail\,\nstomping me into the dirt\nand leaving me for dead in some dark hellhole.\nThat’s why I’m so gutted.\nMy heart can’t take any more; it’s chucking in the towel. \nI think back on the good old days\nand remember all the great things you did\, LORD;\nI go over and over your achievements in my mind.\nI’m reaching out to you for help now.\nInside I am like a salt pan in the desert sun\,\ndesperately thirsting for you. \nAnswer me before it’s too late\, LORD;\nI can’t go on much longer.\nDon’t turn your back on me now\nor I’ll be headed straight for the grave.\nMay the morning bring news of your rock-solid love\nbecause I’ve put all my trust in you.\nShow me the track you want me to follow\nfor I’m offering my life to you.\nRescue me from my enemies\, LORD.\nI’ve fled to you seeking asylum. \nYou are my God;\nteach me what you want me to do.\nSend your Spirit to guide me\nsafely along the right track.\nLet me live\, LORD; your reputation hangs on it.\nDo the right thing\, as you always do\,\nand get me out of this danger.\nBe true to your rock-solid love and cut off my enemies.\nDestroy those who are trying to destroy me\nfor I live to serve you. \n©2013 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  9th Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-20			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Lift your voices\, all you children of Israel.\nSing and shout for joy!\nLet your hair down\, Jerusalem.\nCelebrate with all your heart! \nThe LORD has let you out of jail\nand forced your enemies to turn tail and run.\nThe one who rules over Israel – the LORD –\nis right alongside you\, so you have nothing to fear.\nNo disaster can touch you now. \nThe great day is coming\, Jerusalem\,\nwhen you will hear this message: \n“Relax! Don’t be afraid\, people of Zion.\nYour hands can stop trembling now!\nThe LORD\, your God\, is right alongside you;\na champion who always comes out on top.\nGod will be bursting with joy over you\,\ncelebrating as though it was always your birthday!\nGod will nourish you with love\nuntil the spring is back in your step.” \nThe LORD\, your God\, says to you: \n“I will bring your misfortune to an end;\nand set you free from its humiliation.\nThose who have kicked you around\nwill have me to deal with!\nI will rescue and reunite\nthe crippled and the refugees.\nNo longer will they be treated with contempt.\nI’ll see that they are honoured all over the world.\nWhen that time comes\,\nI will gather you together and bring you all home.\nWith your own eyes\nyou’ll see me restore all that is rightly yours.\nThen you will be honoured everywhere.\nEveryone on earth will sing your praises.\nI\, the LORD\, have spoken.” \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 98			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We sing like we’ve never sung before\, LORD\,\nbecause you have done fantastic things.\nWith your sleeves rolled up you got stuck in\nand came out on top. \nYour victory has made the headlines\, LORD\,\nnow the whole world can see that you were right all along. \nYou have never defaulted on your rock-solid love\,\nor your loyalty to your chosen people.\nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone has seen your victory. \nWith all the world\, LORD\, we raise a noisy celebration\,\nsinging our lungs out and shouting your praise. \nThe bands strike up in your honour\, LORD\,\nfilling the air with festive music.\nWith a brass fanfare and a dancing beat\nwe loudly celebrate your reign over us. \nThe whole creation joins in the celebration:\nthe ocean and its creatures roar their approval;\nthe land and its animals\, cheer and stomp;\nrivers and lakes give a standing ovation\,\nmountains and hills erupt in applause. \nWe put on the whole show in your presence\, LORD\,\ncelebrating your arrival as you finally bring justice.\nWith you in charge we know things will be put right;\nnow every one on earth will get a fair go. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  10th Reading: Romans 6: 3-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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. \nYou 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 114			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When we were led out of the land of slavery\n- the people of Israel\, coming out from under the foreign thumb -\nthe land of Judah became a sacred place\,\nthe land of Israel came under sovereign rule. \nThe wild sea took one look\, and turned tail and ran\,\nthe Jordan river backed off and headed the other way.\nThe mountains skipped like a rock wallaby;\nthe hills were as jumpy as a kelpie pup. \nWhat was it that made the wild sea turn tail?\nWhat was it that made the Jordan back off?\nWhat made the mountains quiver and jump?\nWhat made the hills shudder and shake? \nIt was awe of you\, LORD\, God of our ancestors.\nThe whole earth trembles in your presence.\nFor you are the one who melts rocks into pools of water;\nthe one who brings springs bubbling up from hard baked ground. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year A - 2026): Matthew 28: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSo 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. \nThey 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.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year B - 2027): Mark 16: 1-8			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nThe 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. \n©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Gospel Reading (Year C - 2025): Luke 24: 1-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	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.” \nSuddenly 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. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nThe Easter Homily of St John ChrysostomA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nGod Came BackA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Young Man in WhiteA sermon on Mark 16:1-8 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDo Not Be AfraidA sermon by Andrew Woff \n\n\n\nThis Changes EverythingA sermon on Mark 16:1-8  by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nFactoring the UnthinkableA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe Great Reversal Moves ForwardA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by David Devine\n\n\n\nA Backwards GlanceA sermon by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nLife and love in the face of deathA sermon by Roslyn Wright\n\n\n\nThe Failure of FailureA sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nHow Does It End?A sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nBy The Light Of A RumourA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nShowing UpA sermon by Joel Sierra\n\n\n\nA Question For Your TearsA sermon on John 20:11-18 by Edward L Taylor\n\n\n\nMoving On From CrucifyingA sermon on Luke 24:1-12 & Romans 6:3-11 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nDarkness Breaks SlowlyA sermon on Mark 16: 1-8 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc30/2031-04-12/
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