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UID:10001592-1789257600-1789343999@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Proper 19 - 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				  Exodus 14: 19-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the Israelite people were caught between the Red Sea and the pursuing Egyptian army\, the angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites 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. \n©2002 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				  OR Exodus 15: 1b-11\, 20-21 (alternative canticle)			\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. \nOur 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				  Romans 14: 1-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Don’t put anyone down for being timid in their faith. Welcome them into the congregation\, and don’t give them a hard time for being hung up about things that cause you no concern. Some people believe that it is okay to eat anything\, while those who are more timid would rather eat only vegetables than risk eating meat that might not be kosher. Those who eat with confidence must not make fun of those who play it safe; and those who play it safe must not pass judgment on those who eat. The fact is that God has extended a welcome to both. What gives you the right to criticise the workers in someone else’s employ? They don’t rise or fall on your say so. It will be sorted out between them and their Lord directly\, not through you; and they will get the thumbs up\, because the Lord is quite capable of getting them to stand where they should without your help. \nSome people are of the opinion that certain days should be treated as special and sacred\, while others reckon that no day is any more important than any other. There are good arguments either way\, so let everyone faithfully practice what they believe to be right. Those who observe a particular day as special are celebrating it in honour of the Lord. Those who eat meat without asking questions are eating in honour of the Lord\, and you can see this in the way they thank God for the food. Likewise\, those who abstain from eating certain things are doing so in honour of the Lord\, for they too give thanks to God. \nYou see\, we are not our own bosses; we do not have the final say on how we are to live or die. We dance to the Lord’s tune in our lives\, and we will dance to the Lord’s tune when we die. We belong to the Lord for the entire journey. The Messiah made this possible by dying and returning to life again. Having been through it all\, he is now able to call the shots among everyone in life and in death. \nSo\, you there! Why would you write off another brother or sister as too lax? Or you: why would you look down your nose at another sister or brother for their lack of confidence? Everyone of us will have our day in court\, and it will be God who brings down the verdict on what we have done. As the scriptures say: \n“Every knee will bow to the Lord who lives\,\nand every tongue will sing the praises of God.” \nSo\, at the end of the day\, each and every one of us is accountable to God for the way we live our lives and the way we treat one another. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Matthew 18: 21-35			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	While Jesus was teaching his followers\, Peter raised a question: “Lord\, how many times should I forgive someone in the congregation who does the wrong thing by me? Is seven times enough second chances\, or should I draw the line before that?” \nJesus replied\, “Try seventy times seven and then some! Take it from me; you should still be forgiving when you can’t count any more!” \nHe went on to say: \n“That’s why this story is a good illustration of the culture of heaven. A corporate boss wanted to end his investment in a small single-operator subsidiary. He called up the operator and demanded repayment of almost one billion dollars. The operator was unable to pay\, and unable to adequately account for the money\, so the corporate boss ordered the repossession of the operator’s house and all his belongings\, casting him and his family into the street\, and began proceedings to have him arrested for fraud. But the operator fell to his knees and begged for mercy\, saying\, ‘Just give me a little more time and I will pay you the full billion.’ \nAnd in a sudden fit of compassion\, the corporate boss let him go and wrote off the entire debt. But later the same day\, the operator called in one of his own contractors who owed him just five grand. He grabbed him by the lapels\, pinned him to the wall\, and said\, ‘Cough up\, now!’ \nThe contractor fell to his knees and pleaded with him\, saying\, ‘Just give me a little more time and I will pay you every cent.’ \nBut the operator would have none of it\, and repossessed his house and all his belongings and had him and his family thrown out into the street. When some of his fellow contractors saw what had happened\, they were absolutely gutted\, and went to the big boss and blew the whistle on the operator. The boss called the operator back in and tore strips off him. ‘You scumbag! I wrote off your entire debt out of the goodness of my heart. Don’t you think you could have gone easy on your contractor the same as I went easy on you? At the very least you could have given him more time.’ \nAnd in anger the boss called in some of the boys and had the operator beaten to a pulp\, and then had the claim for the billion dollars served on him again. \nAnd you can take it from me\, that if you are not generous in your forgiveness of one another\, you can expect the same kind of response from the One we answer to in heaven.” \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				  Genesis 50: 15-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After Jacob’s funeral\, Joseph’s brothers began to worry that Joseph might still be carrying a grudge against them for selling him into slavery and faking his death all those years before. They were afraid that he might have just been waiting until their father was dead before taking his revenge. So they sent a message to Joseph\, saying\, “Shortly before he died\, your father put a message in his will for you\, saying\, ‘To my son\, Joseph\, I beg you to forgive your brothers for their horrendous crime against you and for all the hurt they caused you.’ So please forgive us for our crime against you. We too are in the service of the God of your father.” \nJoseph broke down in tears when he got the message. His brothers came and fell to their knees before him\, saying\, “We are here at your mercy to do whatever you demand of us.” \nBut Joseph spoke to them kindly and bent over backwards to reassure them\, saying\, “Relax! You’ve got nothing to fear from me. I’m not setting myself up as God\, so get up off your knees! I know you meant the worst for me then\, but God was at work to make the most of what you did. To this day\,  God is working through what you did to keep the growing multitude of God’s people safe. So don’t worry. I will personally set you up for life\, you and your families.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 103: (1-7)\, 8-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	With all our hearts\, we praise you\, LORD\,\nfrom the depths of our being\nwe name you as our one and only. \nWith all that we are we sings your praises\, LORD;\nhow could we ever forget all you have done for us? \nWhen we do wrong\, you forgive us;\nwhen we are sick\, you make us well;\nwhen our lives fall apart\, you put us back together. \nWith love and mercy\, you treat us like royalty;\nyou shower us with good things all our lives;\nyou makes us feel as young and free as an eagle. \nYou are there for those who are victimised\, LORD;\nyou clear their names and bring them justice. \nThrough Moses\, you let us know what you are on about;\nthrough Israel\, you let us see what you can do. \nYour mercy and generosity are extravagant\, LORD;\nyour patience and love are as solid as rock. \nWhen we do things that anger you\,\nyou don’t keep dredging them up forever. \nYou never deal with us as harshly as we deserve;\ndespite the wrong we have done\, you let us off lightly. \nWe could no more climb to the moon on a step ladder\nthan measure the limits of the love and loyalty\nyou show to those who respect you.\nWe could no more swim the ocean from pole to pole\nthan cover the distance you put between us and our sins. \nYour care and concern for those who honour you\nis as tender as that of parents for their children. \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\,\nwith every knee bowed\nand every tongue giving you praise\,\nfor in you is extravagant mercy\nand salvation from all that would destroy us. \nIn the first of your mighty wonders\, you created the earth\,\ndividing the watery chaos and bringing forth dry land.\nIn the days of Moses you divided the sea again\nand delivered your people from their oppressors\,\nleading them by fire and cloud to the land of freedom. \nIn your child\, Jesus the Christ\,\nyour reign of love and mercy has embraced all who live\nand even in our weaknesses you uphold us.\nHe was killed but lived again\nso that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead.\nNow whether we live or die we belong to you\nand in gratitude we share your love and mercy with all. \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 you thanks for your child\, Jesus\,\nwho died but lived again\,\nopening a way of escape for us through the waters of death.\nNow whether we live or die we belong to you\nand in gratitude we share your love and mercy with all. \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\,\nwith every knee bowed\nand every tongue giving you praise\,\nfor in you is extravagant mercy\nand salvation from all that would destroy us. \nIn the first of your mighty wonders\, you created the earth\,\ndividing the watery chaos and bringing forth dry land.\nIn the days of Moses you divided the sea again\nand delivered your people from their oppressors\,\nleading them by fire and cloud to the land of freedom. \nIn your child\, Jesus the Christ\,\nyour reign of love and mercy has embraced all who live\nand even in our weaknesses you uphold us.\nHe was killed but lived again\nso that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead.\nNow whether we live or die we belong to you\nand in gratitude we share your love and mercy with all. \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	The God who calls us to be a merciful people\nis overwhelmingly merciful to us.\nGod knows our weaknesses\nand lifts us when we fall. \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 into the world and live for Christ.\nWhatever you do\, do it in honour of the Lord\ngiving thanks to God.\nShow forgiveness to one another\nas in Christ you have received forgiveness. \nAnd may God provide an escape from all that threatens you;\nMay Christ Jesus shower mercy on you and through you;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit uphold you as you stand in Christ. \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\nConservatives v’s Progressives – the never ending struggleA sermon on Romans 14:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWaiting for a Way OutA sermon on Exodus 14:19-31 & Matthew 18:21-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Way Out when there is No Way OutA sermon on Exodus 14:19-31 & Matthew 18:21-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRadical Forgiveness in a World at WarA sermon on Exodus 14:19-31; Romans 14:1-12 & Matthew 18:21-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWho causes suffering when we fail to forgive?A sermon on Exodus 14:19-31 & Matthew 18:21-35 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nYou did what in honour of the Lord?!A sermon on Romans 14:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap19/2026-09-13/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290916T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290916T235959
DTSTAMP:20260409T061356
CREATED:20200824T045603Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231023T070422Z
UID:10002078-1884211200-1884297599@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:Proper 19 - 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				  Exodus 14: 19-31			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the Israelite people were caught between the Red Sea and the pursuing Egyptian army\, the angel of God who had been in front of the Israelites 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. \n©2002 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				  OR Exodus 15: 1b-11\, 20-21 (alternative canticle)			\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. \nOur 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				  Romans 14: 1-12			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	Don’t put anyone down for being timid in their faith. Welcome them into the congregation\, and don’t give them a hard time for being hung up about things that cause you no concern. Some people believe that it is okay to eat anything\, while those who are more timid would rather eat only vegetables than risk eating meat that might not be kosher. Those who eat with confidence must not make fun of those who play it safe; and those who play it safe must not pass judgment on those who eat. The fact is that God has extended a welcome to both. What gives you the right to criticise the workers in someone else’s employ? They don’t rise or fall on your say so. It will be sorted out between them and their Lord directly\, not through you; and they will get the thumbs up\, because the Lord is quite capable of getting them to stand where they should without your help. \nSome people are of the opinion that certain days should be treated as special and sacred\, while others reckon that no day is any more important than any other. There are good arguments either way\, so let everyone faithfully practice what they believe to be right. Those who observe a particular day as special are celebrating it in honour of the Lord. Those who eat meat without asking questions are eating in honour of the Lord\, and you can see this in the way they thank God for the food. Likewise\, those who abstain from eating certain things are doing so in honour of the Lord\, for they too give thanks to God. \nYou see\, we are not our own bosses; we do not have the final say on how we are to live or die. We dance to the Lord’s tune in our lives\, and we will dance to the Lord’s tune when we die. We belong to the Lord for the entire journey. The Messiah made this possible by dying and returning to life again. Having been through it all\, he is now able to call the shots among everyone in life and in death. \nSo\, you there! Why would you write off another brother or sister as too lax? Or you: why would you look down your nose at another sister or brother for their lack of confidence? Everyone of us will have our day in court\, and it will be God who brings down the verdict on what we have done. As the scriptures say: \n“Every knee will bow to the Lord who lives\,\nand every tongue will sing the praises of God.” \nSo\, at the end of the day\, each and every one of us is accountable to God for the way we live our lives and the way we treat one another. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Matthew 18: 21-35			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	While Jesus was teaching his followers\, Peter raised a question: “Lord\, how many times should I forgive someone in the congregation who does the wrong thing by me? Is seven times enough second chances\, or should I draw the line before that?” \nJesus replied\, “Try seventy times seven and then some! Take it from me; you should still be forgiving when you can’t count any more!” \nHe went on to say: \n“That’s why this story is a good illustration of the culture of heaven. A corporate boss wanted to end his investment in a small single-operator subsidiary. He called up the operator and demanded repayment of almost one billion dollars. The operator was unable to pay\, and unable to adequately account for the money\, so the corporate boss ordered the repossession of the operator’s house and all his belongings\, casting him and his family into the street\, and began proceedings to have him arrested for fraud. But the operator fell to his knees and begged for mercy\, saying\, ‘Just give me a little more time and I will pay you the full billion.’ \nAnd in a sudden fit of compassion\, the corporate boss let him go and wrote off the entire debt. But later the same day\, the operator called in one of his own contractors who owed him just five grand. He grabbed him by the lapels\, pinned him to the wall\, and said\, ‘Cough up\, now!’ \nThe contractor fell to his knees and pleaded with him\, saying\, ‘Just give me a little more time and I will pay you every cent.’ \nBut the operator would have none of it\, and repossessed his house and all his belongings and had him and his family thrown out into the street. When some of his fellow contractors saw what had happened\, they were absolutely gutted\, and went to the big boss and blew the whistle on the operator. The boss called the operator back in and tore strips off him. ‘You scumbag! I wrote off your entire debt out of the goodness of my heart. Don’t you think you could have gone easy on your contractor the same as I went easy on you? At the very least you could have given him more time.’ \nAnd in anger the boss called in some of the boys and had the operator beaten to a pulp\, and then had the claim for the billion dollars served on him again. \nAnd you can take it from me\, that if you are not generous in your forgiveness of one another\, you can expect the same kind of response from the One we answer to in heaven.” \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				  Genesis 50: 15-21			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After Jacob’s funeral\, Joseph’s brothers began to worry that Joseph might still be carrying a grudge against them for selling him into slavery and faking his death all those years before. They were afraid that he might have just been waiting until their father was dead before taking his revenge. So they sent a message to Joseph\, saying\, “Shortly before he died\, your father put a message in his will for you\, saying\, ‘To my son\, Joseph\, I beg you to forgive your brothers for their horrendous crime against you and for all the hurt they caused you.’ So please forgive us for our crime against you. We too are in the service of the God of your father.” \nJoseph broke down in tears when he got the message. His brothers came and fell to their knees before him\, saying\, “We are here at your mercy to do whatever you demand of us.” \nBut Joseph spoke to them kindly and bent over backwards to reassure them\, saying\, “Relax! You’ve got nothing to fear from me. I’m not setting myself up as God\, so get up off your knees! I know you meant the worst for me then\, but God was at work to make the most of what you did. To this day\,  God is working through what you did to keep the growing multitude of God’s people safe. So don’t worry. I will personally set you up for life\, you and your families.” \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 103: (1-7)\, 8-13			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	With all our hearts\, we praise you\, LORD\,\nfrom the depths of our being\nwe name you as our one and only. \nWith all that we are we sings your praises\, LORD;\nhow could we ever forget all you have done for us? \nWhen we do wrong\, you forgive us;\nwhen we are sick\, you make us well;\nwhen our lives fall apart\, you put us back together. \nWith love and mercy\, you treat us like royalty;\nyou shower us with good things all our lives;\nyou makes us feel as young and free as an eagle. \nYou are there for those who are victimised\, LORD;\nyou clear their names and bring them justice. \nThrough Moses\, you let us know what you are on about;\nthrough Israel\, you let us see what you can do. \nYour mercy and generosity are extravagant\, LORD;\nyour patience and love are as solid as rock. \nWhen we do things that anger you\,\nyou don’t keep dredging them up forever. \nYou never deal with us as harshly as we deserve;\ndespite the wrong we have done\, you let us off lightly. \nWe could no more climb to the moon on a step ladder\nthan measure the limits of the love and loyalty\nyou show to those who respect you.\nWe could no more swim the ocean from pole to pole\nthan cover the distance you put between us and our sins. \nYour care and concern for those who honour you\nis as tender as that of parents for their children. \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\,\nwith every knee bowed\nand every tongue giving you praise\,\nfor in you is extravagant mercy\nand salvation from all that would destroy us. \nIn the first of your mighty wonders\, you created the earth\,\ndividing the watery chaos and bringing forth dry land.\nIn the days of Moses you divided the sea again\nand delivered your people from their oppressors\,\nleading them by fire and cloud to the land of freedom. \nIn your child\, Jesus the Christ\,\nyour reign of love and mercy has embraced all who live\nand even in our weaknesses you uphold us.\nHe was killed but lived again\nso that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead.\nNow whether we live or die we belong to you\nand in gratitude we share your love and mercy with all. \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 you thanks for your child\, Jesus\,\nwho died but lived again\,\nopening a way of escape for us through the waters of death.\nNow whether we live or die we belong to you\nand in gratitude we share your love and mercy with all. \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\,\nwith every knee bowed\nand every tongue giving you praise\,\nfor in you is extravagant mercy\nand salvation from all that would destroy us. \nIn the first of your mighty wonders\, you created the earth\,\ndividing the watery chaos and bringing forth dry land.\nIn the days of Moses you divided the sea again\nand delivered your people from their oppressors\,\nleading them by fire and cloud to the land of freedom. \nIn your child\, Jesus the Christ\,\nyour reign of love and mercy has embraced all who live\nand even in our weaknesses you uphold us.\nHe was killed but lived again\nso that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead.\nNow whether we live or die we belong to you\nand in gratitude we share your love and mercy with all. \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	The God who calls us to be a merciful people\nis overwhelmingly merciful to us.\nGod knows our weaknesses\nand lifts us when we fall. \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 into the world and live for Christ.\nWhatever you do\, do it in honour of the Lord\ngiving thanks to God.\nShow forgiveness to one another\nas in Christ you have received forgiveness. \nAnd may God provide an escape from all that threatens you;\nMay Christ Jesus shower mercy on you and through you;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit uphold you as you stand in Christ. \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\nConservatives v’s Progressives – the never ending struggleA sermon on Romans 14:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWaiting for a Way OutA sermon on Exodus 14:19-31 & Matthew 18:21-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Way Out when there is No Way OutA sermon on Exodus 14:19-31 & Matthew 18:21-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nRadical Forgiveness in a World at WarA sermon on Exodus 14:19-31; Romans 14:1-12 & Matthew 18:21-35 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWho causes suffering when we fail to forgive?A sermon on Exodus 14:19-31 & Matthew 18:21-35 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nYou did what in honour of the Lord?!A sermon on Romans 14:1-12 by Nathan Nettleton
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap19/2029-09-16/
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