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UID:10001576-1794700800-1794787199@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Proper 28 - Year A
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Judges 4: 1-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The death of Ehud left the Israelite people leaderless\, and before long corruption and immorality had got the better of them again. The LORD couldn’t stand the sight of their evil ways\, and abandoned them to the advancing army of King Jabin of Canaan\, who ruled from the city of Hazor. King Jabin’s troops\, under the command of General Sisera\, were a hardened fighting unit equipped with the latest in military hardware. Their harsh and oppressive rule was like a boot on Israel’s throat for the next twenty years\, and the people cried out to the LORD for help. \nDuring that era\, a prophet named Deborah emerged as a leader in Israel. She was a fiery woman\, and the Israelite people looked to her to arbitrate whenever disputes and conflicts flared up among them. She based herself in the hill country of Ephraim and held her hearings under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel. The people came to her there\, and the place became known as the Palm of Deborah. \nOne day\, Deborah sent a message to a man named Barak telling him to report to her. Barak was the son of Abinoam\, and came from the town of Kadesh in Naphtali. When he arrived\, Deborah said to him: \n“I have a command for you from the LORD\, the God of Israel. You are to mobilise ten thousand soldiers from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun\, and take position at Mount Tabor. The LORD will incite Sisera\, the general of Jabin’s army\, to come out and tackle you. He will come with all his troops and his fancy military equipment\, and there will be a battle near the Kishon River. The LORD will hand you a complete victory over Sisera.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 123			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	It is to you that we look for help\, LORD;\nto you who rules from the throne of heaven! \nWhen people are injured\,\nthey look to the doctors for help;\nwhen they lie in hospital\,\nthey look to the nurses for compassion;\nand in the same way\nwe look to you\, the LORD our God:\nwe depend on your kindness and care. \nTreat us with compassion\, LORD\, treat us with compassion.\nWe’ve endured more than our fair share of contempt. \nWe have had an absolute gutful\nof being put down by the arrogant\nand treated like dirt by those who’ve got it easy. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Sisters and brothers\, there is really nothing much I can say about God’s ultimate timetable that you do not already know. You yourselves are up to speed with the fact that the day of the Lord will hit without warning like redback in a dark dunny. The propaganda machines will still be pumping out reports of secure borders and boom times ahead\, when suddenly the whole world will be turned on its head. It will be like the sudden rapid onset of labour for a pregnant woman: unpredictable\, intense\, and inescapable! \nBut\, my dear friends\, you are not in the dark about these things\, so that day won’t catch you off-guard like the red-back. Instead\, for all of you\, the lights have been turned on and bright light is now your natural habitat. We no longer live our lives stumbling around in the darkness\, so let us not laze around\, oblivious to what’s going on\, the way other people do. Instead\, let’s keep on our toes\, and be clear-headed. Those who drink themselves into a stupor and pass out\, dead to the world\, do so at night\, under the cover of darkness. But we are creatures of the light of the new day\, so let us keep our heads clear and our wits about us. Put on all the protection God has provided\, for our faith and love will protect our hearts better than a bullet-proof vest\, and our confident anticipation of being rescued into new life will protect our heads better than a crash helmet. God has not set us up for failure and punishment\, but to be rescued from all that into the life opened up for us by our Lord\, Jesus the Messiah. Jesus paid the ultimate price to secure that life for us\, so that whether we live until that day or die first\, we will be raised up to live with him. In light of all this\, keep on doing what I know you are doing: cheering one another on\, and helping one another to grow stronger. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Matthew 25: 14-30			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	While speaking to his followers\, Jesus said\, “Here is another illustration of what the culture of heaven will be like when the time comes: \n“A big-time entrepreneur decided to take an extended overseas holiday\, and to leave substantial investment funds in the hands of his three employees to do with as they saw fit. Taking account of the relative abilities of the three\, he gave one of them five million dollars\, one of them two million\, and the other\, one million. Then he cruised off and left them to it. The one who had received the five million got straight to work\, buying and selling\, and managed to generate a profit of another five million dollars. The one who had received the two million also managed to generate a hundred percent return. But the one who had received the one million went and locked the money in a safe and left it there. \nA long time later\, the boss returned without warning\, and called in the three to present their performance reports. The one who had received the five million reported first\, saying\, ‘Boss\, you gave me five million bucks to work with\, and I have doubled your money.’ \nThe boss replied\, ‘Well done. What I gave you was peanuts\, but you have earned my trust and admiration in your handling of it. Now I am going to put you in charge of much bigger things. Come and celebrate with me!’ \nThe one who had received the two million reported next\, saying\, ‘Boss\, you gave me two million bucks to work with\, and I have doubled your money.’ \nThe boss replied\, ‘Well done. What I gave you was peanuts\, but you have earned my trust and admiration in your handling of it. Now I am going to put you in charge of much bigger things. Come and celebrate with me!’ \nFinally\, the one who had received the one million made his report\, saying\, ‘Boss\, I knew how you were only too happy to reap the profits from other people’s work without contributing yourself\, and how harsh you are on those who fail; so I was afraid to take any risks. I kept your money locked away safely. Here\, have it back.’ \nAt that\, the boss went off his tree\, saying\, ‘You lousy gutless bludger! So you knew that I am only too happy to reap the profits from other people’s work\, did you? Well then you ought to have at least deposited my money in the bank where it would have earned me a bit of interest. So now I am taking your million and giving it to your mate with the ten million. Everyone with something to show for what they are given will be given even more and they will be rolling in it. But those with nothing to show will be stripped of even the little they have. As for you\, you worthless piece of garbage\, you’re out on your ear\, and I’ll put the word around so that you’ll never get another job. You can spend your days cursing and kicking yourself on the dole queue.’” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Zephaniah 1: 7\, 12-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD God comes! Let us all be silent!\nThe day of the LORD is dawning.\nThe LORD is ready to make the sacrifice\,\nand others have been invited to feed on it. \nListen to what the LORD has to say: \n“At that time\, I will march into the city\, searchlights blazing\,\nand hunt down those who will be punished;\nthose who pickle themselves in their hot tubs\nand smugly suggest\nthat I\, the LORD\, will never do anything\,\neither for good or for bad. \nTheir number is up.\nTheir wealth will be carried off.\nTheir fancy houses will be smashed to the ground.\nAll they have built up will come to nothing.\nI will not let them live in the mansions they built\nor enjoy the wine they carefully cellared.” \nThe great day of the LORD is almost upon us\,\napproaching at the speed of sound;\napproaching with a horrifying noise;\nbloodcurdling shouts and screams of fear. \nThat day will be a day of fury\,\na day of grief and tearing hair out\,\na day doom and disaster\,\na day of filthy darkness and gloom\,\na day of choking smoke and clouds of dust\,\na day of sirens and screams and the sounds of battle\,\na day when the defences will crumble\nand cities and strongholds will fall. \nThe LORD will decimate the people.\nThey will stagger around\, dazed and confused\,\nbecause they have offended the LORD with their evil ways.\nTheir blood will be poured out on the dirt;\ntheir dismembered bodies spread out like dung. \nDespite their millions and all their finery\,\nthey won’t be able to buy their way out of trouble\non the day of the LORD'S fury.\nThe LORD'S passion will set fire to the earth\nand incinerate it entirely.\nWith a terrifying completeness\,\nthe LORD will terminate life on earth. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 90: 1-8\, (9-11)\, 12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Lord\, in every generation\nyou have been house and home to us. \nYou are God\, and have been from time before time;\neven before you brought the mountains to birth;\neven before you created the planet or anything on it. \nYou tell us when our time is up\,\nand return us to the earth from which we came. \nFrom where you look\,\na thousand years is like the blink of an eye\,\nand the ancient past like yesterday. \nOur lives pass as if you had erased them completely;\nthey are gone like a dream.\nLike cut flowers they are fresh and new one day\,\nand faded memories the next. \nThe burning heat of your anger wipes us out;\nyour indignation cuts us down. \nYou have spelt out the charges against us\,\nand brought our hidden offences out into the open. \nDay by day\, the weight of you anger drains the life out of us\,\nand our years come to a close with a whimper. \nHow many years have we got?\nSeventy\, perhaps eighty if our health holds.\nBut even a long life is a grind\, all hard work and heartache\,\nand in no time it’s over and we’re gone for good. \nDoes anyone treat your anger with the respect it deserves?\nSurely the extent of your indignation over sin\nis matched only by the honour that is your due.\n\nSo teach us to value each and every day\nso that we will be wise enough to make the most of them. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have destined us for salvation\nthrough our Lord Jesus Christ. \nYou created the earth\nand entrusted it into our hands.\nYou called a people to be your own\,\nand when they were cruelly oppressed\nyou raised up your prophet\, Deborah\,\nand spoke through her of the day of deliverance. \nYou have spoken to us through your child\, Jesus\,\nteaching us to look to you and trust in your kindness\,\nand to be faithful stewards of your gifts.\nHe was scorned and mocked\nand died for us\, but was raised by you.\nYou have promised a day of judgment and deliverance\,\nwhen Christ will come\nas unexpectedly as a thief in the night\,\nto reveal the children of light\nand gather all who have been trustworthy\nwith what you have given\ninto his kingdom of joy. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your promise\nof a day when Christ will come\nto reveal the children of light\nand gather all who have been trustworthy\nwith what you have given\ninto his kingdom of joy. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have destined us for salvation\nthrough our Lord Jesus Christ. \nYou created the earth\nand entrusted it into our hands.\nYou called a people to be your own\,\nand when they were cruelly oppressed\nyou raised up your prophet\, Deborah\,\nand spoke through her of the day of deliverance. \nYou have spoken to us through your child\, Jesus\,\nteaching us to look to you and trust in your kindness\,\nand to be faithful stewards of your gifts.\nHe was scorned and mocked\nand died for us\, but was raised by you.\nYou have promised a day of judgment and deliverance\,\nwhen Christ will come\nas unexpectedly as a thief in the night\,\nto reveal the children of light\nand gather all who have been trustworthy\nwith what you have given\ninto his kingdom of joy. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	In the fullness of mercy\,\nGod has destined us not for wrath\nbut for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ\,\nwho died for us so that we may live with him. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, and live as children of the light.\nPut on the breastplate of faith and love\,\nand for a helmet\, the hope of salvation.\nMake the most of all God has given you\nand encourage one another in Christ. \nAnd may God’s hand be open to you in kindness;\nMay Christ Jesus welcome you into his joy;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit fill you with courage\, vigilance and faithfulness. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nWhat have you done with it all?A sermon on Matthew 25:14-30 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\n ‘Ave a go\, ya mug!A sermon on Matthew 25:14-30 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe parable of the unjust economic systemA sermon on Matthew 25:14-30 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nImagining GraceA sermon on Matthew 25:14-30 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap28/2026-11-15/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20291118T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20291118T235959
DTSTAMP:20260409T143243
CREATED:20200818T100253Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231224T231619Z
UID:10002087-1889654400-1889740799@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Proper 28 - Year A
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them\, plus prayers and sermons based on them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Judges 4: 1-7			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The death of Ehud left the Israelite people leaderless\, and before long corruption and immorality had got the better of them again. The LORD couldn’t stand the sight of their evil ways\, and abandoned them to the advancing army of King Jabin of Canaan\, who ruled from the city of Hazor. King Jabin’s troops\, under the command of General Sisera\, were a hardened fighting unit equipped with the latest in military hardware. Their harsh and oppressive rule was like a boot on Israel’s throat for the next twenty years\, and the people cried out to the LORD for help. \nDuring that era\, a prophet named Deborah emerged as a leader in Israel. She was a fiery woman\, and the Israelite people looked to her to arbitrate whenever disputes and conflicts flared up among them. She based herself in the hill country of Ephraim and held her hearings under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel. The people came to her there\, and the place became known as the Palm of Deborah. \nOne day\, Deborah sent a message to a man named Barak telling him to report to her. Barak was the son of Abinoam\, and came from the town of Kadesh in Naphtali. When he arrived\, Deborah said to him: \n“I have a command for you from the LORD\, the God of Israel. You are to mobilise ten thousand soldiers from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun\, and take position at Mount Tabor. The LORD will incite Sisera\, the general of Jabin’s army\, to come out and tackle you. He will come with all his troops and his fancy military equipment\, and there will be a battle near the Kishon River. The LORD will hand you a complete victory over Sisera.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 123			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	It is to you that we look for help\, LORD;\nto you who rules from the throne of heaven! \nWhen people are injured\,\nthey look to the doctors for help;\nwhen they lie in hospital\,\nthey look to the nurses for compassion;\nand in the same way\nwe look to you\, the LORD our God:\nwe depend on your kindness and care. \nTreat us with compassion\, LORD\, treat us with compassion.\nWe’ve endured more than our fair share of contempt. \nWe have had an absolute gutful\nof being put down by the arrogant\nand treated like dirt by those who’ve got it easy. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Sisters and brothers\, there is really nothing much I can say about God’s ultimate timetable that you do not already know. You yourselves are up to speed with the fact that the day of the Lord will hit without warning like redback in a dark dunny. The propaganda machines will still be pumping out reports of secure borders and boom times ahead\, when suddenly the whole world will be turned on its head. It will be like the sudden rapid onset of labour for a pregnant woman: unpredictable\, intense\, and inescapable! \nBut\, my dear friends\, you are not in the dark about these things\, so that day won’t catch you off-guard like the red-back. Instead\, for all of you\, the lights have been turned on and bright light is now your natural habitat. We no longer live our lives stumbling around in the darkness\, so let us not laze around\, oblivious to what’s going on\, the way other people do. Instead\, let’s keep on our toes\, and be clear-headed. Those who drink themselves into a stupor and pass out\, dead to the world\, do so at night\, under the cover of darkness. But we are creatures of the light of the new day\, so let us keep our heads clear and our wits about us. Put on all the protection God has provided\, for our faith and love will protect our hearts better than a bullet-proof vest\, and our confident anticipation of being rescued into new life will protect our heads better than a crash helmet. God has not set us up for failure and punishment\, but to be rescued from all that into the life opened up for us by our Lord\, Jesus the Messiah. Jesus paid the ultimate price to secure that life for us\, so that whether we live until that day or die first\, we will be raised up to live with him. In light of all this\, keep on doing what I know you are doing: cheering one another on\, and helping one another to grow stronger. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Matthew 25: 14-30			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	While speaking to his followers\, Jesus said\, “Here is another illustration of what the culture of heaven will be like when the time comes: \n“A big-time entrepreneur decided to take an extended overseas holiday\, and to leave substantial investment funds in the hands of his three employees to do with as they saw fit. Taking account of the relative abilities of the three\, he gave one of them five million dollars\, one of them two million\, and the other\, one million. Then he cruised off and left them to it. The one who had received the five million got straight to work\, buying and selling\, and managed to generate a profit of another five million dollars. The one who had received the two million also managed to generate a hundred percent return. But the one who had received the one million went and locked the money in a safe and left it there. \nA long time later\, the boss returned without warning\, and called in the three to present their performance reports. The one who had received the five million reported first\, saying\, ‘Boss\, you gave me five million bucks to work with\, and I have doubled your money.’ \nThe boss replied\, ‘Well done. What I gave you was peanuts\, but you have earned my trust and admiration in your handling of it. Now I am going to put you in charge of much bigger things. Come and celebrate with me!’ \nThe one who had received the two million reported next\, saying\, ‘Boss\, you gave me two million bucks to work with\, and I have doubled your money.’ \nThe boss replied\, ‘Well done. What I gave you was peanuts\, but you have earned my trust and admiration in your handling of it. Now I am going to put you in charge of much bigger things. Come and celebrate with me!’ \nFinally\, the one who had received the one million made his report\, saying\, ‘Boss\, I knew how you were only too happy to reap the profits from other people’s work without contributing yourself\, and how harsh you are on those who fail; so I was afraid to take any risks. I kept your money locked away safely. Here\, have it back.’ \nAt that\, the boss went off his tree\, saying\, ‘You lousy gutless bludger! So you knew that I am only too happy to reap the profits from other people’s work\, did you? Well then you ought to have at least deposited my money in the bank where it would have earned me a bit of interest. So now I am taking your million and giving it to your mate with the ten million. Everyone with something to show for what they are given will be given even more and they will be rolling in it. But those with nothing to show will be stripped of even the little they have. As for you\, you worthless piece of garbage\, you’re out on your ear\, and I’ll put the word around so that you’ll never get another job. You can spend your days cursing and kicking yourself on the dole queue.’” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Below are the alternative 1st Reading and Psalm themed to the Gospel lection			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992\, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures\, from which the first reading is usually chosen\, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading\, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time\, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series\, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative. \nThe weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above\, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm. \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Zephaniah 1: 7\, 12-18			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	The LORD God comes! Let us all be silent!\nThe day of the LORD is dawning.\nThe LORD is ready to make the sacrifice\,\nand others have been invited to feed on it. \nListen to what the LORD has to say: \n“At that time\, I will march into the city\, searchlights blazing\,\nand hunt down those who will be punished;\nthose who pickle themselves in their hot tubs\nand smugly suggest\nthat I\, the LORD\, will never do anything\,\neither for good or for bad. \nTheir number is up.\nTheir wealth will be carried off.\nTheir fancy houses will be smashed to the ground.\nAll they have built up will come to nothing.\nI will not let them live in the mansions they built\nor enjoy the wine they carefully cellared.” \nThe great day of the LORD is almost upon us\,\napproaching at the speed of sound;\napproaching with a horrifying noise;\nbloodcurdling shouts and screams of fear. \nThat day will be a day of fury\,\na day of grief and tearing hair out\,\na day doom and disaster\,\na day of filthy darkness and gloom\,\na day of choking smoke and clouds of dust\,\na day of sirens and screams and the sounds of battle\,\na day when the defences will crumble\nand cities and strongholds will fall. \nThe LORD will decimate the people.\nThey will stagger around\, dazed and confused\,\nbecause they have offended the LORD with their evil ways.\nTheir blood will be poured out on the dirt;\ntheir dismembered bodies spread out like dung. \nDespite their millions and all their finery\,\nthey won’t be able to buy their way out of trouble\non the day of the LORD'S fury.\nThe LORD'S passion will set fire to the earth\nand incinerate it entirely.\nWith a terrifying completeness\,\nthe LORD will terminate life on earth. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 90: 1-8\, (9-11)\, 12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Lord\, in every generation\nyou have been house and home to us. \nYou are God\, and have been from time before time;\neven before you brought the mountains to birth;\neven before you created the planet or anything on it. \nYou tell us when our time is up\,\nand return us to the earth from which we came. \nFrom where you look\,\na thousand years is like the blink of an eye\,\nand the ancient past like yesterday. \nOur lives pass as if you had erased them completely;\nthey are gone like a dream.\nLike cut flowers they are fresh and new one day\,\nand faded memories the next. \nThe burning heat of your anger wipes us out;\nyour indignation cuts us down. \nYou have spelt out the charges against us\,\nand brought our hidden offences out into the open. \nDay by day\, the weight of you anger drains the life out of us\,\nand our years come to a close with a whimper. \nHow many years have we got?\nSeventy\, perhaps eighty if our health holds.\nBut even a long life is a grind\, all hard work and heartache\,\nand in no time it’s over and we’re gone for good. \nDoes anyone treat your anger with the respect it deserves?\nSurely the extent of your indignation over sin\nis matched only by the honour that is your due.\n\nSo teach us to value each and every day\nso that we will be wise enough to make the most of them. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  Eucharistic Preface			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have destined us for salvation\nthrough our Lord Jesus Christ. \nYou created the earth\nand entrusted it into our hands.\nYou called a people to be your own\,\nand when they were cruelly oppressed\nyou raised up your prophet\, Deborah\,\nand spoke through her of the day of deliverance. \nYou have spoken to us through your child\, Jesus\,\nteaching us to look to you and trust in your kindness\,\nand to be faithful stewards of your gifts.\nHe was scorned and mocked\nand died for us\, but was raised by you.\nYou have promised a day of judgment and deliverance\,\nwhen Christ will come\nas unexpectedly as a thief in the night\,\nto reveal the children of light\nand gather all who have been trustworthy\nwith what you have given\ninto his kingdom of joy. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Short Preface (for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	We give thanks for your promise\nof a day when Christ will come\nto reveal the children of light\nand gather all who have been trustworthy\nwith what you have given\ninto his kingdom of joy. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  General Prayer of Thanksgiving			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have destined us for salvation\nthrough our Lord Jesus Christ. \nYou created the earth\nand entrusted it into our hands.\nYou called a people to be your own\,\nand when they were cruelly oppressed\nyou raised up your prophet\, Deborah\,\nand spoke through her of the day of deliverance. \nYou have spoken to us through your child\, Jesus\,\nteaching us to look to you and trust in your kindness\,\nand to be faithful stewards of your gifts.\nHe was scorned and mocked\nand died for us\, but was raised by you.\nYou have promised a day of judgment and deliverance\,\nwhen Christ will come\nas unexpectedly as a thief in the night\,\nto reveal the children of light\nand gather all who have been trustworthy\nwith what you have given\ninto his kingdom of joy. \nTherefore\, with our hearts lifted high\,\nwe offer you thanks and praise at all times\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord\,\nwho lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit\,\none God\, for ever and ever.\nAmen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Declaration of Grace / Absolution			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	In the fullness of mercy\,\nGod has destined us not for wrath\nbut for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ\,\nwho died for us so that we may live with him. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Commission & Benediction			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Go now\, and live as children of the light.\nPut on the breastplate of faith and love\,\nand for a helmet\, the hope of salvation.\nMake the most of all God has given you\nand encourage one another in Christ. \nAnd may God’s hand be open to you in kindness;\nMay Christ Jesus welcome you into his joy;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit fill you with courage\, vigilance and faithfulness. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n	\n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nWhat have you done with it all?A sermon on Matthew 25:14-30 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\n ‘Ave a go\, ya mug!A sermon on Matthew 25:14-30 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThe parable of the unjust economic systemA sermon on Matthew 25:14-30 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nImagining GraceA sermon on Matthew 25:14-30 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap28/2029-11-18/
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