BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//LaughingBird - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:LaughingBird X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://laughingbird.net X-WR-CALDESC:Events for LaughingBird REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Australia/Melbourne BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20270403T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20271002T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20280401T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20280930T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20290331T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20291006T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20300406T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20301005T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20310405T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20311004T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20320403T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20321002T160000 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20281029T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20281029T235959 DTSTAMP:20260406T022656 CREATED:20221114T005120Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251123T041217Z UID:10001972-1856390400-1856476799@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 25 - Year C 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 Joel 2: 23-32 \n \n\n \n \n \n Shout for joy\, you who call the holy city home.\nCelebrate the goodness of the LORD your God.\nThe LORD has done the right thing by you\,\nsending you good rains\, just like in the old days;\nautumn and spring rains right on cue. \nYour silos will bulge with grain.\nYour vats will overflow with wine and olive oil. \nI\, the LORD your God\, will make up for the bad years;\nfor the seasons when locusts destroyed everything in sight.\nI sent them like an invading army\,\nswarming over your land\,\nstripping your crops bare. \nBut now you will have more than you can eat\,\nand will gladly give credit to me\, the LORD your God.\nI have done amazing things for you.\nYou will never be humiliated again. \nYou\, my people\, will know that I am among you\,\nand that I\, the LORD\, am your one and only God.\nYou are my people\,\nand you will never be humiliated again. \nThen\, after that\, I will do even more:\nI will pour out my Spirit on everyone.\nYour sons and your daughters will speak as prophets.\nThe elderly among you will dream dreams\,\nand the young will see visions. \nIn those days\, I will even pour out my Spirit\nupon men and women whose rights no one cares about. \nI will perform miraculous signs in the sky and on the earth\,\nblood\, and fire\, and clouds of smoke. \nThe sun will go black and the moon blood-red\nbefore the dawning\nof my awesome and glorious day. \nAnd everyone who cries out to me will be rescued\,\nfor there will be survivors on my holy mountain\nand in my holy city.\nI\, the LORD\, have promised this\,\nand among the survivors will be the people I have called. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 65 \n \n\n \n \n \n You deserve all the credit we can give you\, O God.\nWe will gather on your holy mountain\nand make good on all we have promised you. \nYou are the one who answers prayers\nand everyone on earth will turn to you.\nWhen we are weighed down by our guilt\,\nyou wipe away the record of our wrongs. \nWhat a privilege it is to be among your chosen ones;\nto be invited to live in your presence.\nEverything we could want is provided\nhere in your sacred temple. \nYou take action in awesome ways\, O God;\nyou step in and rescue us when we call.\nYou are the answer to the hopes of people everywhere\,\nin every land and across the seas. \nYou rolled up your sleeves\nand lifted the mountains into place.\nYou tamed the angry seas\,\nsilencing both roaring waves\nand frenzied crowds. \nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone is mind-boggled by what you do.\nDawn and sunset join their voices\nas all the earth shouts for joy. \nYou tend the earth like a garden\,\nenriching the soil and keeping it watered.\nYour rivers never run dry\, God\,\nand the fields you have plowed\nyield a bumper harvest to feed your people. \nYou level the uneven ground\nand nourish the soil;\nyou water it with softening showers\nand set the seeds growing and flourishing. \nThe year is crowned with a bumper harvest\nand everything you touch is bursting with life. \nWilderness fields erupt in flower\,\nmountains and hills pour forth joy;\npaddocks are clothed with healthy flocks\,\nbarren land is ablaze with golden grain. \nAll of them shout for joy;\nall the earth breaks into song. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Timothy 4: 6-8\, 16-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n Timothy\, I am passing the baton on to you now. My time is up. The last few drops of my life are being poured out as a final offering to God. I have given my best in the struggle. I have run the full course that was set before me. I have kept the faith\, no matter how tough the going got. The event has been judged by the Lord\, who always gets it right\, and all that lies ahead of me now is the medal ceremony. On that day\, the Lord will hang the medal around my neck to show that I have made the grade. And there on the podium\, receiving their medals alongside me\, will be everyone else who has eagerly awaited the Lord’s arrival. \nAt my first committal hearing\, there was no one taking my side. Everyone bolted and left me in the lurch. God forgive them! The Lord was there for me though\, standing along side me and giving me strength. That made it possible for me to get the message out; to broadcast it in full for those who had never heard it before. Then\, and countless times since\, the Lord rescued me from the midst of the circling sharks so that I might safely enter the kingdom of heaven. \nAll the glory belongs to the Lord!\nAlways has\, always will!\nAnd so say all of us! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 18: 9-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus told a story to some people who held a very high opinion of their own moral character and a very low opinion of everybody else. He said\, “Two men went into the place of worship to pray. One of them was a member of the devoutly religious Pharisee party\, while the other was working as a debt collector for the Roman occupation forces and so was despised as a traitor. The religious man struck a pose in full view of everybody and prayed out loud\, saying\, ‘God\, I give you thanks that I am not dishonest\, corrupt or perverted like other people. I especially thank you that I am not like that traitor over there. I fast religiously twice a week\, and donate ten percent of all my income to you.’ \n“Meanwhile the traitor fell to his knees in a quiet corner and\, with his face buried in his hands\, prayed\, ‘God\, I know that I have failed you. Please have mercy on me!’” \n“You can take it from me\,” said Jesus\, “that it was this second man rather than the other who was in the good books with God when he headed for home. The fact is that those who big-note themselves will end up with egg all over their faces\, while those who remain down to earth and presume nothing will be promoted by God.” \n©2001 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 Sirach 35: 12-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Lord God has shown enormous generosity to you\,\nso be as generous as you can in your offerings to God. \nInvest in the Lord and the returns are guaranteed.\nWhatever you give\, you’ll get back many times over. \nBut don’t ever try to buy God’s favour.\nThe Lord will never accept a bribe or a kick-back. \nThe Lord hands down justice with a perfectly even hand\,\njudging each case fairly and never playing favourites. \nGod is no bleeding heart who always believes the poor\,\nbut anyone who has been wronged will have their case heard. \nThe Lord will never dismiss anyone without a fair hearing.\nEven the most down and out\n– those with no rights\, no family\, and no influence –\nwill have their grievances heard by God. \n©2004 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Jeremiah 14: 7-10\, 19-22 \n \n\n \n \n \n Take on our case\, LORD\,\neven though we are as guilty as hell.\nDefend us for the sake of your own reputation\,\neven though we have a long record of treachery\nand we have done the wrong thing by you. \nYou are known as the hope of our nation\,\nas the one who always saves us.\nDon’t let yourself be seen as a mere blow-in in your own land;\nas an outside observer\, watching on\, but uninvolved. \nWhy should you be seen as a toothless tiger\,\nas an armed soldier who doesn’t know which side he’s on?\nCome on\, LORD\, you have made your base here.\nEveryone associates your name with us.\nDon’t give up on us now! \nWhat you have said about us is all true\, LORD;\nthat we are unfaithful;\nthat we have itchy feet and are always going astray.\nYou have said that you are sick of the sight of us\,\nand that you will not overlook our offences\nor hold back on punishing us as we deserve. \nHave you written us off completely\, LORD?\nDo you now hate and despise us?\nSurely you would never knock us down\nand leave us with no chance to get back on our feet?\nWe look for peace\, but we look in vain.\nWe wait for healing and rebuilding\,\nbut all we hear are threats of terror. \nWe have confessed our crimes\, LORD.\nWe did do the wrong thing by you\,\nand we continued the atrocities of our ancestors. \nDon’t give up on us\, LORD.\nYour reputation is at stake here.\nDon’t give yourself and your authority a bad name\nby breaking the alliance you made with us. \nHow useless are the things other nations put their trust in!\nCan their idols bring even a drop of rain?\nAren’t you the one in charge\, O LORD our God?\nYou are our only hope!\nYou are the one who makes things happen! \n©2004 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 84: 1-7 \n \n\n \n \n \n The place where you live is just exquisite\,\nO LORD\, ruler of all!\nWith everything inside me\, I long to be there;\nI go all weak at the very thought of it.\nI want to be there\, body and soul\,\nsinging my heart out for you\, O God of life. \nEven the birds find a home in your house;\nthere are nests in every nook and cranny\nwhere pigeons and sparrows raise their young.\nBird song and incense rise together\nto honour you\, Sovereign God\, ruler of all.\nHow privileged are those who live in your house;\njoyous songs of praise are forever on their lips. \nThose who have tapped into your strength\nhave got it made.\nThe highway to heaven begins within them;\na direct route to your holy presence. \nThey are like people who can find water in the desert;\nthey drink from life giving springs\nthat no drought can ever dry up.\nThey go from strength to strength\,\nand will see you face to face on your holy mountain. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have dealt wondrously with us\nand saved us for your heavenly kingdom. \nWith awesome power you created the earth\nand everything you touch comes alive;\ngrain abounds and vats overflow with wine and oil.\nYou called a people to be your own\nand you filled them with the plenty of your house. \nIn Jesus the Christ\, your son and our brother\,\nyou proclaimed the vindication\nof those who humbled themselves\,\ncasting themselves on your mercy\nand looking to you for strength to run the race.\nWhen he was crucified by those who would exalt themselves\,\nyou raised him from the dead\,\nand gave him the crown of righteousness.\nThrough him\, you pour out your spirit like rain on all flesh\nand your people bring forth a wonderful harvest\nof visions\, prophesies\, and songs of praise. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 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 thank you that you vindicate those who humble themselves\,\nand that you now pour out your spirit like rain on all flesh\nbringing forth in your people a wonderful harvest\nof visions\, prophesies\, and songs of praise. \n©2001 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 dealt wondrously with us\nand saved us for your heavenly kingdom. \nWith awesome power you created the earth\nand everything you touch comes alive;\ngrain abounds and vats overflow with wine and oil.\nYou called a people to be your own\nand you filled them with the plenty of your house. \nIn Jesus the Christ\, your son and our brother\,\nyou proclaimed the vindication\nof those who humbled themselves\,\ncasting themselves on your mercy\nand looking to you for strength to run the race.\nWhen he was crucified by those who would exalt themselves\,\nyou raised him from the dead\,\nand gave him the crown of righteousness.\nThrough him\, you pour out your spirit like rain on all flesh\nand your people bring forth a wonderful harvest\nof visions\, prophesies\, and songs of praise. \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©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved\,\nfor Christ has promised\nthat those who humble themselves\nand cry out to the Lord for mercy\nwill be justified. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, rejoicing in the Lord your God.\nFight the good fight;\nfinish the race;\nkeep the faith. \nAnd may God rescue you from every evil attack;\nMay Christ Jesus reserve for you the crown of righteousness;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit flood you with grace\nand overflow in you with visions and dreams of glory. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nSelf-Esteem for SinnersA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWounded by GodA sermon on Joel 2. 23-32 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nThe Pharisee\, the Tax Collector and JoelA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 & Joel 2: 23-32 by Ian Cook\n\n\n\nStand Out RighteousnessA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCompetitive Entry ScoreA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThank God I am not like other peopleA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/cp25/2028-10-29/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P25.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20311026T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20311026T235959 DTSTAMP:20260406T022656 CREATED:20221114T005120Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251123T041217Z UID:10002986-1950739200-1950825599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 25 - Year C 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 Joel 2: 23-32 \n \n\n \n \n \n Shout for joy\, you who call the holy city home.\nCelebrate the goodness of the LORD your God.\nThe LORD has done the right thing by you\,\nsending you good rains\, just like in the old days;\nautumn and spring rains right on cue. \nYour silos will bulge with grain.\nYour vats will overflow with wine and olive oil. \nI\, the LORD your God\, will make up for the bad years;\nfor the seasons when locusts destroyed everything in sight.\nI sent them like an invading army\,\nswarming over your land\,\nstripping your crops bare. \nBut now you will have more than you can eat\,\nand will gladly give credit to me\, the LORD your God.\nI have done amazing things for you.\nYou will never be humiliated again. \nYou\, my people\, will know that I am among you\,\nand that I\, the LORD\, am your one and only God.\nYou are my people\,\nand you will never be humiliated again. \nThen\, after that\, I will do even more:\nI will pour out my Spirit on everyone.\nYour sons and your daughters will speak as prophets.\nThe elderly among you will dream dreams\,\nand the young will see visions. \nIn those days\, I will even pour out my Spirit\nupon men and women whose rights no one cares about. \nI will perform miraculous signs in the sky and on the earth\,\nblood\, and fire\, and clouds of smoke. \nThe sun will go black and the moon blood-red\nbefore the dawning\nof my awesome and glorious day. \nAnd everyone who cries out to me will be rescued\,\nfor there will be survivors on my holy mountain\nand in my holy city.\nI\, the LORD\, have promised this\,\nand among the survivors will be the people I have called. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 65 \n \n\n \n \n \n You deserve all the credit we can give you\, O God.\nWe will gather on your holy mountain\nand make good on all we have promised you. \nYou are the one who answers prayers\nand everyone on earth will turn to you.\nWhen we are weighed down by our guilt\,\nyou wipe away the record of our wrongs. \nWhat a privilege it is to be among your chosen ones;\nto be invited to live in your presence.\nEverything we could want is provided\nhere in your sacred temple. \nYou take action in awesome ways\, O God;\nyou step in and rescue us when we call.\nYou are the answer to the hopes of people everywhere\,\nin every land and across the seas. \nYou rolled up your sleeves\nand lifted the mountains into place.\nYou tamed the angry seas\,\nsilencing both roaring waves\nand frenzied crowds. \nFrom one end of the earth to the other\,\neveryone is mind-boggled by what you do.\nDawn and sunset join their voices\nas all the earth shouts for joy. \nYou tend the earth like a garden\,\nenriching the soil and keeping it watered.\nYour rivers never run dry\, God\,\nand the fields you have plowed\nyield a bumper harvest to feed your people. \nYou level the uneven ground\nand nourish the soil;\nyou water it with softening showers\nand set the seeds growing and flourishing. \nThe year is crowned with a bumper harvest\nand everything you touch is bursting with life. \nWilderness fields erupt in flower\,\nmountains and hills pour forth joy;\npaddocks are clothed with healthy flocks\,\nbarren land is ablaze with golden grain. \nAll of them shout for joy;\nall the earth breaks into song. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n 2 Timothy 4: 6-8\, 16-18 \n \n\n \n \n \n Timothy\, I am passing the baton on to you now. My time is up. The last few drops of my life are being poured out as a final offering to God. I have given my best in the struggle. I have run the full course that was set before me. I have kept the faith\, no matter how tough the going got. The event has been judged by the Lord\, who always gets it right\, and all that lies ahead of me now is the medal ceremony. On that day\, the Lord will hang the medal around my neck to show that I have made the grade. And there on the podium\, receiving their medals alongside me\, will be everyone else who has eagerly awaited the Lord’s arrival. \nAt my first committal hearing\, there was no one taking my side. Everyone bolted and left me in the lurch. God forgive them! The Lord was there for me though\, standing along side me and giving me strength. That made it possible for me to get the message out; to broadcast it in full for those who had never heard it before. Then\, and countless times since\, the Lord rescued me from the midst of the circling sharks so that I might safely enter the kingdom of heaven. \nAll the glory belongs to the Lord!\nAlways has\, always will!\nAnd so say all of us! \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Luke 18: 9-14 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus told a story to some people who held a very high opinion of their own moral character and a very low opinion of everybody else. He said\, “Two men went into the place of worship to pray. One of them was a member of the devoutly religious Pharisee party\, while the other was working as a debt collector for the Roman occupation forces and so was despised as a traitor. The religious man struck a pose in full view of everybody and prayed out loud\, saying\, ‘God\, I give you thanks that I am not dishonest\, corrupt or perverted like other people. I especially thank you that I am not like that traitor over there. I fast religiously twice a week\, and donate ten percent of all my income to you.’ \n“Meanwhile the traitor fell to his knees in a quiet corner and\, with his face buried in his hands\, prayed\, ‘God\, I know that I have failed you. Please have mercy on me!’” \n“You can take it from me\,” said Jesus\, “that it was this second man rather than the other who was in the good books with God when he headed for home. The fact is that those who big-note themselves will end up with egg all over their faces\, while those who remain down to earth and presume nothing will be promoted by God.” \n©2001 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 Sirach 35: 12-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n The Lord God has shown enormous generosity to you\,\nso be as generous as you can in your offerings to God. \nInvest in the Lord and the returns are guaranteed.\nWhatever you give\, you’ll get back many times over. \nBut don’t ever try to buy God’s favour.\nThe Lord will never accept a bribe or a kick-back. \nThe Lord hands down justice with a perfectly even hand\,\njudging each case fairly and never playing favourites. \nGod is no bleeding heart who always believes the poor\,\nbut anyone who has been wronged will have their case heard. \nThe Lord will never dismiss anyone without a fair hearing.\nEven the most down and out\n– those with no rights\, no family\, and no influence –\nwill have their grievances heard by God. \n©2004 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Jeremiah 14: 7-10\, 19-22 \n \n\n \n \n \n Take on our case\, LORD\,\neven though we are as guilty as hell.\nDefend us for the sake of your own reputation\,\neven though we have a long record of treachery\nand we have done the wrong thing by you. \nYou are known as the hope of our nation\,\nas the one who always saves us.\nDon’t let yourself be seen as a mere blow-in in your own land;\nas an outside observer\, watching on\, but uninvolved. \nWhy should you be seen as a toothless tiger\,\nas an armed soldier who doesn’t know which side he’s on?\nCome on\, LORD\, you have made your base here.\nEveryone associates your name with us.\nDon’t give up on us now! \nWhat you have said about us is all true\, LORD;\nthat we are unfaithful;\nthat we have itchy feet and are always going astray.\nYou have said that you are sick of the sight of us\,\nand that you will not overlook our offences\nor hold back on punishing us as we deserve. \nHave you written us off completely\, LORD?\nDo you now hate and despise us?\nSurely you would never knock us down\nand leave us with no chance to get back on our feet?\nWe look for peace\, but we look in vain.\nWe wait for healing and rebuilding\,\nbut all we hear are threats of terror. \nWe have confessed our crimes\, LORD.\nWe did do the wrong thing by you\,\nand we continued the atrocities of our ancestors. \nDon’t give up on us\, LORD.\nYour reputation is at stake here.\nDon’t give yourself and your authority a bad name\nby breaking the alliance you made with us. \nHow useless are the things other nations put their trust in!\nCan their idols bring even a drop of rain?\nAren’t you the one in charge\, O LORD our God?\nYou are our only hope!\nYou are the one who makes things happen! \n©2004 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 84: 1-7 \n \n\n \n \n \n The place where you live is just exquisite\,\nO LORD\, ruler of all!\nWith everything inside me\, I long to be there;\nI go all weak at the very thought of it.\nI want to be there\, body and soul\,\nsinging my heart out for you\, O God of life. \nEven the birds find a home in your house;\nthere are nests in every nook and cranny\nwhere pigeons and sparrows raise their young.\nBird song and incense rise together\nto honour you\, Sovereign God\, ruler of all.\nHow privileged are those who live in your house;\njoyous songs of praise are forever on their lips. \nThose who have tapped into your strength\nhave got it made.\nThe highway to heaven begins within them;\na direct route to your holy presence. \nThey are like people who can find water in the desert;\nthey drink from life giving springs\nthat no drought can ever dry up.\nThey go from strength to strength\,\nand will see you face to face on your holy mountain. \n©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have dealt wondrously with us\nand saved us for your heavenly kingdom. \nWith awesome power you created the earth\nand everything you touch comes alive;\ngrain abounds and vats overflow with wine and oil.\nYou called a people to be your own\nand you filled them with the plenty of your house. \nIn Jesus the Christ\, your son and our brother\,\nyou proclaimed the vindication\nof those who humbled themselves\,\ncasting themselves on your mercy\nand looking to you for strength to run the race.\nWhen he was crucified by those who would exalt themselves\,\nyou raised him from the dead\,\nand gave him the crown of righteousness.\nThrough him\, you pour out your spirit like rain on all flesh\nand your people bring forth a wonderful harvest\nof visions\, prophesies\, and songs of praise. \nTherefore with ..... \n©2001 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 thank you that you vindicate those who humble themselves\,\nand that you now pour out your spirit like rain on all flesh\nbringing forth in your people a wonderful harvest\nof visions\, prophesies\, and songs of praise. \n©2001 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 dealt wondrously with us\nand saved us for your heavenly kingdom. \nWith awesome power you created the earth\nand everything you touch comes alive;\ngrain abounds and vats overflow with wine and oil.\nYou called a people to be your own\nand you filled them with the plenty of your house. \nIn Jesus the Christ\, your son and our brother\,\nyou proclaimed the vindication\nof those who humbled themselves\,\ncasting themselves on your mercy\nand looking to you for strength to run the race.\nWhen he was crucified by those who would exalt themselves\,\nyou raised him from the dead\,\nand gave him the crown of righteousness.\nThrough him\, you pour out your spirit like rain on all flesh\nand your people bring forth a wonderful harvest\nof visions\, prophesies\, and songs of praise. \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©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Declaration of Grace / Absolution \n \n\n \n \n \n Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved\,\nfor Christ has promised\nthat those who humble themselves\nand cry out to the Lord for mercy\nwill be justified. \nSisters and Brothers\,\n  your sins are forgiven;\n    be at peace. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Commission & Benediction \n \n\n \n \n \n Go now\, rejoicing in the Lord your God.\nFight the good fight;\nfinish the race;\nkeep the faith. \nAnd may God rescue you from every evil attack;\nMay Christ Jesus reserve for you the crown of righteousness;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit flood you with grace\nand overflow in you with visions and dreams of glory. \nWe go in peace to love and serve the Lord\,\n   In the name of Christ. Amen. \n©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nSermons\n\n\n\nSermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website. \n\n\n\n\nSelf-Esteem for SinnersA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nWounded by GodA sermon on Joel 2. 23-32 by Garry Deverell\n\n\n\nThe Pharisee\, the Tax Collector and JoelA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 & Joel 2: 23-32 by Ian Cook\n\n\n\nStand Out RighteousnessA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nCompetitive Entry ScoreA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nThank God I am not like other peopleA sermon on Luke 18: 9-14 by Nathan Nettleton URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/cp25/2031-10-26/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/P25.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR