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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260531T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260531T000000
DTSTAMP:20260410T100859
CREATED:20200830T121453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T030936Z
UID:10001618-1780185600-1780185600@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Samuel 2: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After the birth of her son\, Samuel\, Hannah prayed the following prayer: \n“Thanks to you\, LORD\, I am full of joy;\nthanks to you\, I can stand strong and proud.\nI can return the insults that were hurled at me\,\nand kick up my heels\, because you have set me free. \nThere is no other god like you\, LORD\,\nno one who can hold a candle to you;\nnot even the ancient rock is as dependable as you. \nI can tell the proud to stop their boasting;\ntell the arrogant to put a sock in it.\nYou\, LORD\, know us inside and out;\nyou see whether or not we live up to our words. \nYou\, LORD\, disarm the powerful\,\nand redistribute their strength to the helpless.\nThose who consumed to excess are now queuing at soup kitchens\,\nbut those who were deprived now feast in splendour.\nInfertile couples are having children\, one after the other\,\nwhile those who flaunted their children\nfind their families falling apart. \nLife is yours to give or to take\, LORD;\nyou can send someone to the land of the dead\,\nand you can bring them back again. \nYou\, LORD\, can make us or break us;\nyou can put us on a pedestal or knock us off.\nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities.\nYou can do all this because the earth is yours;\nyou set it up and you wrote the rules. \nTo those who are faithful\, you guarantee safe passage;\nthose who are corrupt soon lose sight of any light to steer by\,\nfor no matter how strong people are\,\nthey can’t make it alone. \nYou are the LORD!\nThose who try to obstruct you\nfind that it is like standing in the path of a train\nas you thunder towards your destination.\nYou\, LORD\, have the final word on all that is done on earth.\nYou will give strength and power to your chosen ruler.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 113			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You are the greatest\, LORD! \nWe\, your servants\, can’t stop singing your praises;\nthe mere mention of your name sets us singing! \nFrom now on and forever\,\nyour name will be held sacred\, LORD. \nFrom east to west\, from dawn to dusk\,\nyour name will inspire songs of praise. \nYou are ranked number one\, LORD\,\nway above even the greatest nations\,\noutshining even the sun and the stars. \nCan anyone compare with you\, LORD?\nIs there anyone else even close to your league?\nNot likely! You are seated so high\nthat you look down even to see the sky! \nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities. \nYou give the infertile couple a family\nfilling their lives with the laughter of children. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Romans 12: 9-16b			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	See to it that your love is for real and without pretence. Avoid corruption like the plague. Dig your heels in and don’t be budged from the side of good. Love one another\, and not just in theory but with warmth and friendly affection. If you need something to compete over\, see who can score the most points for treating everyone else like royalty. Don’t let your enthusiasm get slack\, but keep yourselves on the boil and work hard for the Lord. Celebrate in anticipation of all that is to come. When you are being put through the wringer\, tough it out\, and pray all the harder. Do what you can to help out other Christians who are in need\, and work at making strangers feel welcome and at home among you. \nWhen others persecute you\, wish them all the best and pray that God will look after them. Seek the best for them; don’t wish disaster on them. When others are celebrating\, celebrate with them. When others are hurting\, share the pain with them. Stay in tune with one another\, living a shared life based on common commitments. Don’t be full of yourselves\, but hang out with those who the world writes off as nobodies. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 1:39-57			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the angel told Mary that both she and her relative Elizabeth were going to have babies\, Mary took the first opportunity to make the trip to visit Elizabeth. Elizabeth lived with her husband Zechariah in a Judean town in the hills. Mary sang out as soon as she arrived at their house\, and when she heard the greeting\, Elizabeth felt the baby jump in her womb. The Holy Spirit welled up in Elizabeth and she cried out with joy\, saying: \n“You have been blessed like no other woman!\nAnd doubly blessed is the child in your womb!\nAnd what about me? Why am I so blessed\,\nthat my Lord’s own mother should knock at my door?\nThe moment your greeting reach my ears\,\nthe baby in my womb began bouncing with glee!\nClearly you are God’s favoured one\,\nbecause you believed what God said to you;\ntrusting God to follow through on every promise. \nMary too was bursting with joy. She said: \n“Let me turn the spotlight on God’s greatness!\nWith all that I am I dance with joy over God\, my saviour!\nGod has smiled upon me\, though I was no one special.\nNow I’ll be remembered forever as the favoured one.\nThe supreme God has done wonderful things for me.\nNo other name is in the same league as God’s. \nIn every generation\, those who treat God with respect\nare rewarded with showers of mercy.\nWith sleeves rolled up\, God has made a show of strength\,\nand sent packing those who were so full of themselves. \nGod has kicked the power mongers out of office\,\nand lifted the downtrodden back to their feet.\nGod has put on a feast for those who were hungry\,\nand slammed the door on the rich without giving them a bite. \nThe Lord’s servant Israel receives a helping hand.\nGod always remembers them with tender care.\nThis is exactly what God promised long ago\,\na vow made to Abraham and Sarah for every generation.” \nMary didn’t return home for about three months\, but stayed until Elizabeth’s baby was born. Elizabeth gave birth to a boy who was given the name John. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc45/2026-05-31/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/45.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20270531T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20270531T000000
DTSTAMP:20260410T100859
CREATED:20200830T121453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T030936Z
UID:10001619-1811721600-1811721600@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Samuel 2: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After the birth of her son\, Samuel\, Hannah prayed the following prayer: \n“Thanks to you\, LORD\, I am full of joy;\nthanks to you\, I can stand strong and proud.\nI can return the insults that were hurled at me\,\nand kick up my heels\, because you have set me free. \nThere is no other god like you\, LORD\,\nno one who can hold a candle to you;\nnot even the ancient rock is as dependable as you. \nI can tell the proud to stop their boasting;\ntell the arrogant to put a sock in it.\nYou\, LORD\, know us inside and out;\nyou see whether or not we live up to our words. \nYou\, LORD\, disarm the powerful\,\nand redistribute their strength to the helpless.\nThose who consumed to excess are now queuing at soup kitchens\,\nbut those who were deprived now feast in splendour.\nInfertile couples are having children\, one after the other\,\nwhile those who flaunted their children\nfind their families falling apart. \nLife is yours to give or to take\, LORD;\nyou can send someone to the land of the dead\,\nand you can bring them back again. \nYou\, LORD\, can make us or break us;\nyou can put us on a pedestal or knock us off.\nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities.\nYou can do all this because the earth is yours;\nyou set it up and you wrote the rules. \nTo those who are faithful\, you guarantee safe passage;\nthose who are corrupt soon lose sight of any light to steer by\,\nfor no matter how strong people are\,\nthey can’t make it alone. \nYou are the LORD!\nThose who try to obstruct you\nfind that it is like standing in the path of a train\nas you thunder towards your destination.\nYou\, LORD\, have the final word on all that is done on earth.\nYou will give strength and power to your chosen ruler.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 113			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You are the greatest\, LORD! \nWe\, your servants\, can’t stop singing your praises;\nthe mere mention of your name sets us singing! \nFrom now on and forever\,\nyour name will be held sacred\, LORD. \nFrom east to west\, from dawn to dusk\,\nyour name will inspire songs of praise. \nYou are ranked number one\, LORD\,\nway above even the greatest nations\,\noutshining even the sun and the stars. \nCan anyone compare with you\, LORD?\nIs there anyone else even close to your league?\nNot likely! You are seated so high\nthat you look down even to see the sky! \nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities. \nYou give the infertile couple a family\nfilling their lives with the laughter of children. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Romans 12: 9-16b			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	See to it that your love is for real and without pretence. Avoid corruption like the plague. Dig your heels in and don’t be budged from the side of good. Love one another\, and not just in theory but with warmth and friendly affection. If you need something to compete over\, see who can score the most points for treating everyone else like royalty. Don’t let your enthusiasm get slack\, but keep yourselves on the boil and work hard for the Lord. Celebrate in anticipation of all that is to come. When you are being put through the wringer\, tough it out\, and pray all the harder. Do what you can to help out other Christians who are in need\, and work at making strangers feel welcome and at home among you. \nWhen others persecute you\, wish them all the best and pray that God will look after them. Seek the best for them; don’t wish disaster on them. When others are celebrating\, celebrate with them. When others are hurting\, share the pain with them. Stay in tune with one another\, living a shared life based on common commitments. Don’t be full of yourselves\, but hang out with those who the world writes off as nobodies. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 1:39-57			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the angel told Mary that both she and her relative Elizabeth were going to have babies\, Mary took the first opportunity to make the trip to visit Elizabeth. Elizabeth lived with her husband Zechariah in a Judean town in the hills. Mary sang out as soon as she arrived at their house\, and when she heard the greeting\, Elizabeth felt the baby jump in her womb. The Holy Spirit welled up in Elizabeth and she cried out with joy\, saying: \n“You have been blessed like no other woman!\nAnd doubly blessed is the child in your womb!\nAnd what about me? Why am I so blessed\,\nthat my Lord’s own mother should knock at my door?\nThe moment your greeting reach my ears\,\nthe baby in my womb began bouncing with glee!\nClearly you are God’s favoured one\,\nbecause you believed what God said to you;\ntrusting God to follow through on every promise. \nMary too was bursting with joy. She said: \n“Let me turn the spotlight on God’s greatness!\nWith all that I am I dance with joy over God\, my saviour!\nGod has smiled upon me\, though I was no one special.\nNow I’ll be remembered forever as the favoured one.\nThe supreme God has done wonderful things for me.\nNo other name is in the same league as God’s. \nIn every generation\, those who treat God with respect\nare rewarded with showers of mercy.\nWith sleeves rolled up\, God has made a show of strength\,\nand sent packing those who were so full of themselves. \nGod has kicked the power mongers out of office\,\nand lifted the downtrodden back to their feet.\nGod has put on a feast for those who were hungry\,\nand slammed the door on the rich without giving them a bite. \nThe Lord’s servant Israel receives a helping hand.\nGod always remembers them with tender care.\nThis is exactly what God promised long ago\,\na vow made to Abraham and Sarah for every generation.” \nMary didn’t return home for about three months\, but stayed until Elizabeth’s baby was born. Elizabeth gave birth to a boy who was given the name John. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc45/2027-05-31/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/45.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280531T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20280531T000000
DTSTAMP:20260410T100859
CREATED:20200830T121453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T030936Z
UID:10001620-1843344000-1843344000@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Samuel 2: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After the birth of her son\, Samuel\, Hannah prayed the following prayer: \n“Thanks to you\, LORD\, I am full of joy;\nthanks to you\, I can stand strong and proud.\nI can return the insults that were hurled at me\,\nand kick up my heels\, because you have set me free. \nThere is no other god like you\, LORD\,\nno one who can hold a candle to you;\nnot even the ancient rock is as dependable as you. \nI can tell the proud to stop their boasting;\ntell the arrogant to put a sock in it.\nYou\, LORD\, know us inside and out;\nyou see whether or not we live up to our words. \nYou\, LORD\, disarm the powerful\,\nand redistribute their strength to the helpless.\nThose who consumed to excess are now queuing at soup kitchens\,\nbut those who were deprived now feast in splendour.\nInfertile couples are having children\, one after the other\,\nwhile those who flaunted their children\nfind their families falling apart. \nLife is yours to give or to take\, LORD;\nyou can send someone to the land of the dead\,\nand you can bring them back again. \nYou\, LORD\, can make us or break us;\nyou can put us on a pedestal or knock us off.\nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities.\nYou can do all this because the earth is yours;\nyou set it up and you wrote the rules. \nTo those who are faithful\, you guarantee safe passage;\nthose who are corrupt soon lose sight of any light to steer by\,\nfor no matter how strong people are\,\nthey can’t make it alone. \nYou are the LORD!\nThose who try to obstruct you\nfind that it is like standing in the path of a train\nas you thunder towards your destination.\nYou\, LORD\, have the final word on all that is done on earth.\nYou will give strength and power to your chosen ruler.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 113			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You are the greatest\, LORD! \nWe\, your servants\, can’t stop singing your praises;\nthe mere mention of your name sets us singing! \nFrom now on and forever\,\nyour name will be held sacred\, LORD. \nFrom east to west\, from dawn to dusk\,\nyour name will inspire songs of praise. \nYou are ranked number one\, LORD\,\nway above even the greatest nations\,\noutshining even the sun and the stars. \nCan anyone compare with you\, LORD?\nIs there anyone else even close to your league?\nNot likely! You are seated so high\nthat you look down even to see the sky! \nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities. \nYou give the infertile couple a family\nfilling their lives with the laughter of children. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Romans 12: 9-16b			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	See to it that your love is for real and without pretence. Avoid corruption like the plague. Dig your heels in and don’t be budged from the side of good. Love one another\, and not just in theory but with warmth and friendly affection. If you need something to compete over\, see who can score the most points for treating everyone else like royalty. Don’t let your enthusiasm get slack\, but keep yourselves on the boil and work hard for the Lord. Celebrate in anticipation of all that is to come. When you are being put through the wringer\, tough it out\, and pray all the harder. Do what you can to help out other Christians who are in need\, and work at making strangers feel welcome and at home among you. \nWhen others persecute you\, wish them all the best and pray that God will look after them. Seek the best for them; don’t wish disaster on them. When others are celebrating\, celebrate with them. When others are hurting\, share the pain with them. Stay in tune with one another\, living a shared life based on common commitments. Don’t be full of yourselves\, but hang out with those who the world writes off as nobodies. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 1:39-57			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the angel told Mary that both she and her relative Elizabeth were going to have babies\, Mary took the first opportunity to make the trip to visit Elizabeth. Elizabeth lived with her husband Zechariah in a Judean town in the hills. Mary sang out as soon as she arrived at their house\, and when she heard the greeting\, Elizabeth felt the baby jump in her womb. The Holy Spirit welled up in Elizabeth and she cried out with joy\, saying: \n“You have been blessed like no other woman!\nAnd doubly blessed is the child in your womb!\nAnd what about me? Why am I so blessed\,\nthat my Lord’s own mother should knock at my door?\nThe moment your greeting reach my ears\,\nthe baby in my womb began bouncing with glee!\nClearly you are God’s favoured one\,\nbecause you believed what God said to you;\ntrusting God to follow through on every promise. \nMary too was bursting with joy. She said: \n“Let me turn the spotlight on God’s greatness!\nWith all that I am I dance with joy over God\, my saviour!\nGod has smiled upon me\, though I was no one special.\nNow I’ll be remembered forever as the favoured one.\nThe supreme God has done wonderful things for me.\nNo other name is in the same league as God’s. \nIn every generation\, those who treat God with respect\nare rewarded with showers of mercy.\nWith sleeves rolled up\, God has made a show of strength\,\nand sent packing those who were so full of themselves. \nGod has kicked the power mongers out of office\,\nand lifted the downtrodden back to their feet.\nGod has put on a feast for those who were hungry\,\nand slammed the door on the rich without giving them a bite. \nThe Lord’s servant Israel receives a helping hand.\nGod always remembers them with tender care.\nThis is exactly what God promised long ago\,\na vow made to Abraham and Sarah for every generation.” \nMary didn’t return home for about three months\, but stayed until Elizabeth’s baby was born. Elizabeth gave birth to a boy who was given the name John. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc45/2028-05-31/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/45.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290531T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290531T000000
DTSTAMP:20260410T100859
CREATED:20200830T121453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T030936Z
UID:10002133-1874880000-1874880000@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Samuel 2: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After the birth of her son\, Samuel\, Hannah prayed the following prayer: \n“Thanks to you\, LORD\, I am full of joy;\nthanks to you\, I can stand strong and proud.\nI can return the insults that were hurled at me\,\nand kick up my heels\, because you have set me free. \nThere is no other god like you\, LORD\,\nno one who can hold a candle to you;\nnot even the ancient rock is as dependable as you. \nI can tell the proud to stop their boasting;\ntell the arrogant to put a sock in it.\nYou\, LORD\, know us inside and out;\nyou see whether or not we live up to our words. \nYou\, LORD\, disarm the powerful\,\nand redistribute their strength to the helpless.\nThose who consumed to excess are now queuing at soup kitchens\,\nbut those who were deprived now feast in splendour.\nInfertile couples are having children\, one after the other\,\nwhile those who flaunted their children\nfind their families falling apart. \nLife is yours to give or to take\, LORD;\nyou can send someone to the land of the dead\,\nand you can bring them back again. \nYou\, LORD\, can make us or break us;\nyou can put us on a pedestal or knock us off.\nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities.\nYou can do all this because the earth is yours;\nyou set it up and you wrote the rules. \nTo those who are faithful\, you guarantee safe passage;\nthose who are corrupt soon lose sight of any light to steer by\,\nfor no matter how strong people are\,\nthey can’t make it alone. \nYou are the LORD!\nThose who try to obstruct you\nfind that it is like standing in the path of a train\nas you thunder towards your destination.\nYou\, LORD\, have the final word on all that is done on earth.\nYou will give strength and power to your chosen ruler.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 113			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You are the greatest\, LORD! \nWe\, your servants\, can’t stop singing your praises;\nthe mere mention of your name sets us singing! \nFrom now on and forever\,\nyour name will be held sacred\, LORD. \nFrom east to west\, from dawn to dusk\,\nyour name will inspire songs of praise. \nYou are ranked number one\, LORD\,\nway above even the greatest nations\,\noutshining even the sun and the stars. \nCan anyone compare with you\, LORD?\nIs there anyone else even close to your league?\nNot likely! You are seated so high\nthat you look down even to see the sky! \nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities. \nYou give the infertile couple a family\nfilling their lives with the laughter of children. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Romans 12: 9-16b			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	See to it that your love is for real and without pretence. Avoid corruption like the plague. Dig your heels in and don’t be budged from the side of good. Love one another\, and not just in theory but with warmth and friendly affection. If you need something to compete over\, see who can score the most points for treating everyone else like royalty. Don’t let your enthusiasm get slack\, but keep yourselves on the boil and work hard for the Lord. Celebrate in anticipation of all that is to come. When you are being put through the wringer\, tough it out\, and pray all the harder. Do what you can to help out other Christians who are in need\, and work at making strangers feel welcome and at home among you. \nWhen others persecute you\, wish them all the best and pray that God will look after them. Seek the best for them; don’t wish disaster on them. When others are celebrating\, celebrate with them. When others are hurting\, share the pain with them. Stay in tune with one another\, living a shared life based on common commitments. Don’t be full of yourselves\, but hang out with those who the world writes off as nobodies. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 1:39-57			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the angel told Mary that both she and her relative Elizabeth were going to have babies\, Mary took the first opportunity to make the trip to visit Elizabeth. Elizabeth lived with her husband Zechariah in a Judean town in the hills. Mary sang out as soon as she arrived at their house\, and when she heard the greeting\, Elizabeth felt the baby jump in her womb. The Holy Spirit welled up in Elizabeth and she cried out with joy\, saying: \n“You have been blessed like no other woman!\nAnd doubly blessed is the child in your womb!\nAnd what about me? Why am I so blessed\,\nthat my Lord’s own mother should knock at my door?\nThe moment your greeting reach my ears\,\nthe baby in my womb began bouncing with glee!\nClearly you are God’s favoured one\,\nbecause you believed what God said to you;\ntrusting God to follow through on every promise. \nMary too was bursting with joy. She said: \n“Let me turn the spotlight on God’s greatness!\nWith all that I am I dance with joy over God\, my saviour!\nGod has smiled upon me\, though I was no one special.\nNow I’ll be remembered forever as the favoured one.\nThe supreme God has done wonderful things for me.\nNo other name is in the same league as God’s. \nIn every generation\, those who treat God with respect\nare rewarded with showers of mercy.\nWith sleeves rolled up\, God has made a show of strength\,\nand sent packing those who were so full of themselves. \nGod has kicked the power mongers out of office\,\nand lifted the downtrodden back to their feet.\nGod has put on a feast for those who were hungry\,\nand slammed the door on the rich without giving them a bite. \nThe Lord’s servant Israel receives a helping hand.\nGod always remembers them with tender care.\nThis is exactly what God promised long ago\,\na vow made to Abraham and Sarah for every generation.” \nMary didn’t return home for about three months\, but stayed until Elizabeth’s baby was born. Elizabeth gave birth to a boy who was given the name John. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc45/2029-05-31/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/45.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300531T000000
DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20300531T000000
DTSTAMP:20260410T100859
CREATED:20200830T121453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T030936Z
UID:10002965-1906416000-1906416000@laughingbird.net
SUMMARY:The Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
DESCRIPTION:Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary\, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them. \n\n\n\nBible Readings (paraphrased)\n\n\n\nLections from The Revised Common Lectionary. Copyright 1992 by the Consultation on Common Texts(CCT) P.O. Box 340003\, Room 381\, Nashville\, TN 37203-0003\, USA. Used with Permission. \n\n\n	\n\n		\n			\n				  1 Samuel 2: 1-10			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	After the birth of her son\, Samuel\, Hannah prayed the following prayer: \n“Thanks to you\, LORD\, I am full of joy;\nthanks to you\, I can stand strong and proud.\nI can return the insults that were hurled at me\,\nand kick up my heels\, because you have set me free. \nThere is no other god like you\, LORD\,\nno one who can hold a candle to you;\nnot even the ancient rock is as dependable as you. \nI can tell the proud to stop their boasting;\ntell the arrogant to put a sock in it.\nYou\, LORD\, know us inside and out;\nyou see whether or not we live up to our words. \nYou\, LORD\, disarm the powerful\,\nand redistribute their strength to the helpless.\nThose who consumed to excess are now queuing at soup kitchens\,\nbut those who were deprived now feast in splendour.\nInfertile couples are having children\, one after the other\,\nwhile those who flaunted their children\nfind their families falling apart. \nLife is yours to give or to take\, LORD;\nyou can send someone to the land of the dead\,\nand you can bring them back again. \nYou\, LORD\, can make us or break us;\nyou can put us on a pedestal or knock us off.\nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities.\nYou can do all this because the earth is yours;\nyou set it up and you wrote the rules. \nTo those who are faithful\, you guarantee safe passage;\nthose who are corrupt soon lose sight of any light to steer by\,\nfor no matter how strong people are\,\nthey can’t make it alone. \nYou are the LORD!\nThose who try to obstruct you\nfind that it is like standing in the path of a train\nas you thunder towards your destination.\nYou\, LORD\, have the final word on all that is done on earth.\nYou will give strength and power to your chosen ruler.” \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Psalm 113			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	You are the greatest\, LORD! \nWe\, your servants\, can’t stop singing your praises;\nthe mere mention of your name sets us singing! \nFrom now on and forever\,\nyour name will be held sacred\, LORD. \nFrom east to west\, from dawn to dusk\,\nyour name will inspire songs of praise. \nYou are ranked number one\, LORD\,\nway above even the greatest nations\,\noutshining even the sun and the stars. \nCan anyone compare with you\, LORD?\nIs there anyone else even close to your league?\nNot likely! You are seated so high\nthat you look down even to see the sky! \nYou lift up those who have been trodden into the dirt;\nyou put the poor and outcast back on their feet.\nYou give them a place among the guests of honour\,\na seat with the dignitaries and celebrities. \nYou give the infertile couple a family\nfilling their lives with the laughter of children. \nYou are the greatest\, LORD! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Romans 12: 9-16b			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	See to it that your love is for real and without pretence. Avoid corruption like the plague. Dig your heels in and don’t be budged from the side of good. Love one another\, and not just in theory but with warmth and friendly affection. If you need something to compete over\, see who can score the most points for treating everyone else like royalty. Don’t let your enthusiasm get slack\, but keep yourselves on the boil and work hard for the Lord. Celebrate in anticipation of all that is to come. When you are being put through the wringer\, tough it out\, and pray all the harder. Do what you can to help out other Christians who are in need\, and work at making strangers feel welcome and at home among you. \nWhen others persecute you\, wish them all the best and pray that God will look after them. Seek the best for them; don’t wish disaster on them. When others are celebrating\, celebrate with them. When others are hurting\, share the pain with them. Stay in tune with one another\, living a shared life based on common commitments. Don’t be full of yourselves\, but hang out with those who the world writes off as nobodies. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n			\n	\n		\n\n		\n			\n				  Luke 1:39-57			\n		\n\n		\n		 \n \n	When the angel told Mary that both she and her relative Elizabeth were going to have babies\, Mary took the first opportunity to make the trip to visit Elizabeth. Elizabeth lived with her husband Zechariah in a Judean town in the hills. Mary sang out as soon as she arrived at their house\, and when she heard the greeting\, Elizabeth felt the baby jump in her womb. The Holy Spirit welled up in Elizabeth and she cried out with joy\, saying: \n“You have been blessed like no other woman!\nAnd doubly blessed is the child in your womb!\nAnd what about me? Why am I so blessed\,\nthat my Lord’s own mother should knock at my door?\nThe moment your greeting reach my ears\,\nthe baby in my womb began bouncing with glee!\nClearly you are God’s favoured one\,\nbecause you believed what God said to you;\ntrusting God to follow through on every promise. \nMary too was bursting with joy. She said: \n“Let me turn the spotlight on God’s greatness!\nWith all that I am I dance with joy over God\, my saviour!\nGod has smiled upon me\, though I was no one special.\nNow I’ll be remembered forever as the favoured one.\nThe supreme God has done wonderful things for me.\nNo other name is in the same league as God’s. \nIn every generation\, those who treat God with respect\nare rewarded with showers of mercy.\nWith sleeves rolled up\, God has made a show of strength\,\nand sent packing those who were so full of themselves. \nGod has kicked the power mongers out of office\,\nand lifted the downtrodden back to their feet.\nGod has put on a feast for those who were hungry\,\nand slammed the door on the rich without giving them a bite. \nThe Lord’s servant Israel receives a helping hand.\nGod always remembers them with tender care.\nThis is exactly what God promised long ago\,\na vow made to Abraham and Sarah for every generation.” \nMary didn’t return home for about three months\, but stayed until Elizabeth’s baby was born. Elizabeth gave birth to a boy who was given the name John. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/abc45/2030-05-31/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/45.png
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