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:20250405T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20251004T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20260404T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20261003T160000 END:DAYLIGHT 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 END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260719T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260719T235959 DTSTAMP:20260407T222645 CREATED:20230828T002533Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230828T002535Z UID:10002064-1784419200-1784505599@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 11 - 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 Genesis 28: 10-19a \n \n\n \n \n \n Jacob was travelling from Beer-sheba to Haran\, and was camping out each night on the way. One night he set up camp in a suitable place\, and bedded himself down using a rock that he found there for a headrest. In a dream he saw a ramp spanning the gap between earth and heaven\, and God’s messengers were using the ramp to go up and down between the two. As he looked at it\, the LORD came and stood beside him and said: \n“I am the LORD\, the God of your fathers\, Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your descendants the land on which you are now camped. Your descendants will multiply like a cloud of dust\, spreading out in all directions and settling all over the world. Life will be better for all the peoples of the world because of you and your descendants. And you can know for sure that I am with you. I will look after you wherever you go and I will get you safely back to this land. I will stick with you and make good on all my promises to you.” \nJacob woke up suddenly and said\, “No bull\, the LORD is right here in this place\, and I didn’t realise it!” And he was shaking in his boots at the thought of it. “This place makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck\,” he said. “This must fair dinkum be the house of God – the front gate of heaven itself!” \nSo when Jacob got up early the next morning\, he took the stone he had used for a headrest and set it up as a monument. He poured oil on top of it to dedicate it to the LORD. He named the place ‘Bethel’\, which means ‘House of God’. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 139: 1-12\, 23-24 \n \n\n \n \n \n You have taken a good hard look at me\, LORD\,\nand you know exactly what makes me tick. \nYou know when I’ve got my feet up and when I’m on the job;\nyou can read my mind like an open book. \nYou see where I am going and where I stop\,\nand you know all about what I do and why. \nYou know exactly what I am going to say\, LORD\,\neven before I open my mouth. \nYou are in front of me\, behind me\, beside me;\nyour hand on my shoulder at every turn. \nAll this is more than I can get my head around;\nI pinch myself\, and struggle to take it in. \nCould I hide from your spirit if I wanted to?\nIs there anywhere I could go to escape you? \nIf I sped into outer space\, you’d be there;\nif I curled up in the bowels of the earth\, you’d be there. \nIf I took to the skies and pursued the dawn;\ncrossed the globe and never came back;\nI’d be no further from your reach;\nyou’d hold me tight and guide me just as easily. \nIf I hide in the shadows\nand plead with the darkness to cover me\,\nyou can still see me as clear as day\,\nfor light and dark are all the same to you. \nTake a good hard look at me\, God;\ncheck me out and read my thoughts.\nDig out anything corrupt in me\,\nand set my feet on the tracks that have proven true. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 8: 12-25 \n \n\n \n \n \n The truth is\, brothers and sisters\, that we owe nothing to the preoccupations of our former life. We need no longer have our lives dictated by the mindless pursuit of fashionable dreams and selfish desires. After all\, the attraction was fatal. But thanks to God’s Spirit\, we can now be rid of all that — give it a decent burial and get on with our new lives. All those who dance to the Spirit’s tune are God’s beloved children. We were not sold into slavery where we would grovel timidly in the dust\, afraid to put a foot wrong. Rather we were adopted into a family full of love and joy. Like eager children crying\, “Daddy! Mummy!” we come running to God\, and with loving arms\, God’s Spirit gathers us up\, demonstrating clearly to whom we belong. And since we are children of God\, we are actually on the same footing as Christ. With him we will inherit all that has been kept in trust for God’s children. But we have to take the good with the bad\, and we know the price he paid. We need to be willing to cop it on the chin with him now if we want to share the glory with him later. \nIn my opinion\, the worst that our current situation can dish up pales into insignificance next to the glory that is about to be brought out from under wraps. The whole creation is hanging out for this\, for the day when the names are read out and the children of God come into their own. Until then\, the whole creation is stuck in a rut\, unable to make any progress. The creation didn’t bring this on itself\, but rather it is being held in check so that\, rather than hurtling headlong to destruction\, the entire creation can be set free from its devastating addictions and be delivered into the glorious freedom that belongs to the children of God. \nThe time of deliverance is near. After a long pregnancy\, the whole creation is now groaning and shuddering in the final stages of labour. And we are not just witnesses to this birth. We ourselves\, having been impregnated by the Spirit\, are labouring to bring the new life within us to fruition. For then\, with our bodies set free\, our longing to be God’s children will be fulfilled. This joyous expectancy ensures that our deliverance will come. If there was never to be anything more than our present reality\, these longings within us would be in vain. But we are eager to see a promised new reality\, and this hope sustains us. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 13: 24-30\, 36-43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus used another story to teach the crowd\, saying\, “Here is a good illustration of the culture of heaven. A farmer planted his fields with good quality seed. But that night\, while all the workers were asleep\, some mongrel came and dumped a load of weed seeds on the field\, and then cleared off before anybody saw what had happened. So when the crop came up and the grain began to form\, there were weeds coming up everywhere among it. The farmer’s workers came to him and said\, ‘That was clean seed you sowed\, wasn’t it\, Boss? How come we’ve now got weeds all through the crop?’ \nThe farmer replied\, ‘Some mongrel has tried to sabotage it!’ \nThe workers asked\, ‘Do you want us to get stuck in and pull the weeds out?’ \nBut the farmer replied\, ‘No\, it’s not worth the risk. You’ll uproot half the wheat crop trying to get them out. Just let them both grow together until harvest time\, and then I’ll tell the harvesters to pull the weeds out first and bundle them up for burning. The good wheat can then be harvested and stored in my silo.’” \nWhen Jesus had finished teaching the crowd\, he went into the house with his closest followers. They asked him to explain the story about the weeds to them. He said\, “The farmer who planted the good seeds in the story represents the New Human. The field is the world\, and the good quality seeds are the people who are part of the new culture. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one\, and the mongrel who sowed them is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the age – the grand finale – and the harvesters are God’s angels. The scene where the weeds are gathered up and thrown on the fire is just like what will happen at the end of the age. The New Human will send his angels to weed out of his culture all that cause corruption and participate in evil\, and throw them into the incinerator. They’ll be cursing and kicking themselves then! After that\, those who stayed on the right track will be seen in all their glory\, shining like the sun in the new culture of their Father. Don’t miss what I’m saying: if you’ve got ears\, use them!” \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 Wisdom of Solomon 12: 13\, 16-19 (alt) \n \n\n \n \n \n Lord\, everything and everybody is under your care.\nThere is no other god to whom you have to answer\nor prove that you have been fair to everyone. \nIt is your strength that results in things being put right.\nIt is because you are in charge of everything\nthat you are free to show mercy to all. \nWhen people question whether you are up to the job\,\nyou blow away their doubts with a show of strength.\nIf anyone has the gall to challenge your power\,\nyou put them back in their place quick smart. \nAlthough your power and authority are supreme\,\nyou are gentle and compassionate in judging us.\nYou are more than capable of wiping us out if you wished\,\nbut you show great tolerance in your rule over us. \nIn these things you have set an example for us\,\nshowing us that those who are passionate for what is right\nmust also be gentle on others.\nYou have given your children every reason for hope\,\nbecause you give us the chance to turn our backs on corruption\nand get our lives back on track with you. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Isaiah 44: 6-8 (alt) \n \n\n \n \n \n I am the LORD\, the commander of everything;\nyour ruler who puts things right for you.\nI am the whole story\, from beginning to end;\nthe one and only God. \nCan anyone match me? Let’s hear from them!\nLet them take the stand and set out their case.\nIn all the years since I set up the nation\,\ndid they ever predict what was about to happen?\nWhat’s going to happen next then?\nLet’s hear from them. \nMy people\, don’t worry. You’ve got nothing to fear.\nHaven’t I always kept you informed?\nYou are my witnesses!\nIs there any other god besides me?\nIs there any other rock you can depend on?\nNo way! Not even one.\nAnd I ought to know! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 86: 11-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n Teach me how to stick to your track\, LORD\,\nso I won’t stray from your path of truth.\nKeep my heart focussed on adoring you alone. \nO Lord my God\, I thank you with all my heart;\nI will always name you as the to whom all the glory is due. \nYour love for me is the best\, and absolutely rock-solid;\nyou saved me when my whole being was plunging into the abyss. \nA crass and arrogant mob are out to get me\, God;\na bunch of thugs are trying to bump me off\,\nand they couldn’t care less about you. \nBut I know that you\, Lord\,\nare a compassionate and generous God\,\nslow to anger\, and rich in love and loyalty. \nI am your servant\, Lord\,\nand my mother was your servant too.\nTake note of me\, and treat me with compassion;\nsave me and give me strength. \nGive me a sign that you are on my side;\nsomething that will be seen by those who hate me\nand send them off with their tails between their legs. \nYou\, LORD\, have come to my help;\nyou have given me comfort. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have formed in us the first fruits of your Spirit\,\na harvest that will prevail when evil is uprooted. \nIt was your labour that brought forth creation\,\nand your love that formed the families of the earth.\nYou revealed yourself to Jacob\,\npromising that for all who are led by your Spirit\,\nevery place would be filled with your presence. \nIn Jesus Christ you have thrown open the gate of heaven\nand adopted us as your beloved children.\nThough all creation yet groans in pain\,\nChrist suffers with us\,\nenduring death on the cross\,\nso that we might be glorified with him.\nHis Spirit groans within us as we await the end of the age\nwhen your children will be revealed and\,\nwith our bodies redeemed\,\nwe will shine like the sun in your Kingdom. \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 thank you for adopting us as your beloved children\nwho at the end of the age when evil is uprooted\,\nwill be revealed with our bodies redeemed\,\nshining like the sun in your Kingdom. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have formed in us the first fruits of your Spirit\,\na harvest that will prevail when evil is uprooted. \nIt was your labour that brought forth creation\,\nand your love that formed the families of the earth.\nYou revealed yourself to Jacob\,\npromising that for all who are led by your Spirit\,\nevery place would be filled with your presence. \nIn Jesus Christ you have thrown open the gate of heaven\nand adopted us as your beloved children.\nThough all creation yet groans in pain\,\nChrist suffers with us\,\nenduring death on the cross\,\nso that we might be glorified with him.\nHis Spirit groans within us as we await the end of the age\nwhen your children will be revealed and\,\nwith our bodies redeemed\,\nwe will shine like the sun in your Kingdom. \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 God has searched our hearts\, testing and judging our thoughts\,\nbut through our hope in Christ we are saved.\nWe have been adopted as children of God\nand given freedom and glory.\nOur redemption has begun. \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 with your hope set on Christ.\nAs children of God\, let the Spirit of God lead you\nand let your righteousness shine like the sun\nuntil darkness and light are one. \nAnd wherever you go\,\nwhether you scale the heavens or plunge to the depths\,\nmay God’s presence be inescapably with you;\nMay Christ Jesus welcome you into his inheritance;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit assure you that you are God’s children. \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\nThe labour pains of adoption!?A sermon on Romans 8:12-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nEven the darkness in not dark to youA sermon on Genesis 28: 10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12; 23-4; Romans 8: 12-25 & Matthew 13: 24-30; 36-43 by Jill Manton\n\n\n\nThe Temptation to WeedA sermon on Matthew 13: 24-30; 36-43 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Certain PlaceA sermon on Genesis 28:10-22 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nJacob the Trickster vs the nice ChristiansA sermon on Genesis 28:1-19a and Matthew 13:24-30\, 36-43 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nStairway to Heaven or Highway to Hell?A sermon on Genesis 28:10-22 by Orestes Roca URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap11/2026-07-19/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/P11.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290722T000000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20290722T235959 DTSTAMP:20260407T222645 CREATED:20230828T002533Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230828T002535Z UID:10002065-1879372800-1879459199@laughingbird.net SUMMARY:Proper 11 - 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 Genesis 28: 10-19a \n \n\n \n \n \n Jacob was travelling from Beer-sheba to Haran\, and was camping out each night on the way. One night he set up camp in a suitable place\, and bedded himself down using a rock that he found there for a headrest. In a dream he saw a ramp spanning the gap between earth and heaven\, and God’s messengers were using the ramp to go up and down between the two. As he looked at it\, the LORD came and stood beside him and said: \n“I am the LORD\, the God of your fathers\, Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your descendants the land on which you are now camped. Your descendants will multiply like a cloud of dust\, spreading out in all directions and settling all over the world. Life will be better for all the peoples of the world because of you and your descendants. And you can know for sure that I am with you. I will look after you wherever you go and I will get you safely back to this land. I will stick with you and make good on all my promises to you.” \nJacob woke up suddenly and said\, “No bull\, the LORD is right here in this place\, and I didn’t realise it!” And he was shaking in his boots at the thought of it. “This place makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck\,” he said. “This must fair dinkum be the house of God – the front gate of heaven itself!” \nSo when Jacob got up early the next morning\, he took the stone he had used for a headrest and set it up as a monument. He poured oil on top of it to dedicate it to the LORD. He named the place ‘Bethel’\, which means ‘House of God’. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton Laughingbird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 139: 1-12\, 23-24 \n \n\n \n \n \n You have taken a good hard look at me\, LORD\,\nand you know exactly what makes me tick. \nYou know when I’ve got my feet up and when I’m on the job;\nyou can read my mind like an open book. \nYou see where I am going and where I stop\,\nand you know all about what I do and why. \nYou know exactly what I am going to say\, LORD\,\neven before I open my mouth. \nYou are in front of me\, behind me\, beside me;\nyour hand on my shoulder at every turn. \nAll this is more than I can get my head around;\nI pinch myself\, and struggle to take it in. \nCould I hide from your spirit if I wanted to?\nIs there anywhere I could go to escape you? \nIf I sped into outer space\, you’d be there;\nif I curled up in the bowels of the earth\, you’d be there. \nIf I took to the skies and pursued the dawn;\ncrossed the globe and never came back;\nI’d be no further from your reach;\nyou’d hold me tight and guide me just as easily. \nIf I hide in the shadows\nand plead with the darkness to cover me\,\nyou can still see me as clear as day\,\nfor light and dark are all the same to you. \nTake a good hard look at me\, God;\ncheck me out and read my thoughts.\nDig out anything corrupt in me\,\nand set my feet on the tracks that have proven true. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Romans 8: 12-25 \n \n\n \n \n \n The truth is\, brothers and sisters\, that we owe nothing to the preoccupations of our former life. We need no longer have our lives dictated by the mindless pursuit of fashionable dreams and selfish desires. After all\, the attraction was fatal. But thanks to God’s Spirit\, we can now be rid of all that — give it a decent burial and get on with our new lives. All those who dance to the Spirit’s tune are God’s beloved children. We were not sold into slavery where we would grovel timidly in the dust\, afraid to put a foot wrong. Rather we were adopted into a family full of love and joy. Like eager children crying\, “Daddy! Mummy!” we come running to God\, and with loving arms\, God’s Spirit gathers us up\, demonstrating clearly to whom we belong. And since we are children of God\, we are actually on the same footing as Christ. With him we will inherit all that has been kept in trust for God’s children. But we have to take the good with the bad\, and we know the price he paid. We need to be willing to cop it on the chin with him now if we want to share the glory with him later. \nIn my opinion\, the worst that our current situation can dish up pales into insignificance next to the glory that is about to be brought out from under wraps. The whole creation is hanging out for this\, for the day when the names are read out and the children of God come into their own. Until then\, the whole creation is stuck in a rut\, unable to make any progress. The creation didn’t bring this on itself\, but rather it is being held in check so that\, rather than hurtling headlong to destruction\, the entire creation can be set free from its devastating addictions and be delivered into the glorious freedom that belongs to the children of God. \nThe time of deliverance is near. After a long pregnancy\, the whole creation is now groaning and shuddering in the final stages of labour. And we are not just witnesses to this birth. We ourselves\, having been impregnated by the Spirit\, are labouring to bring the new life within us to fruition. For then\, with our bodies set free\, our longing to be God’s children will be fulfilled. This joyous expectancy ensures that our deliverance will come. If there was never to be anything more than our present reality\, these longings within us would be in vain. But we are eager to see a promised new reality\, and this hope sustains us. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Matthew 13: 24-30\, 36-43 \n \n\n \n \n \n Jesus used another story to teach the crowd\, saying\, “Here is a good illustration of the culture of heaven. A farmer planted his fields with good quality seed. But that night\, while all the workers were asleep\, some mongrel came and dumped a load of weed seeds on the field\, and then cleared off before anybody saw what had happened. So when the crop came up and the grain began to form\, there were weeds coming up everywhere among it. The farmer’s workers came to him and said\, ‘That was clean seed you sowed\, wasn’t it\, Boss? How come we’ve now got weeds all through the crop?’ \nThe farmer replied\, ‘Some mongrel has tried to sabotage it!’ \nThe workers asked\, ‘Do you want us to get stuck in and pull the weeds out?’ \nBut the farmer replied\, ‘No\, it’s not worth the risk. You’ll uproot half the wheat crop trying to get them out. Just let them both grow together until harvest time\, and then I’ll tell the harvesters to pull the weeds out first and bundle them up for burning. The good wheat can then be harvested and stored in my silo.’” \nWhen Jesus had finished teaching the crowd\, he went into the house with his closest followers. They asked him to explain the story about the weeds to them. He said\, “The farmer who planted the good seeds in the story represents the New Human. The field is the world\, and the good quality seeds are the people who are part of the new culture. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one\, and the mongrel who sowed them is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the age – the grand finale – and the harvesters are God’s angels. The scene where the weeds are gathered up and thrown on the fire is just like what will happen at the end of the age. The New Human will send his angels to weed out of his culture all that cause corruption and participate in evil\, and throw them into the incinerator. They’ll be cursing and kicking themselves then! After that\, those who stayed on the right track will be seen in all their glory\, shining like the sun in the new culture of their Father. Don’t miss what I’m saying: if you’ve got ears\, use them!” \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 Wisdom of Solomon 12: 13\, 16-19 (alt) \n \n\n \n \n \n Lord\, everything and everybody is under your care.\nThere is no other god to whom you have to answer\nor prove that you have been fair to everyone. \nIt is your strength that results in things being put right.\nIt is because you are in charge of everything\nthat you are free to show mercy to all. \nWhen people question whether you are up to the job\,\nyou blow away their doubts with a show of strength.\nIf anyone has the gall to challenge your power\,\nyou put them back in their place quick smart. \nAlthough your power and authority are supreme\,\nyou are gentle and compassionate in judging us.\nYou are more than capable of wiping us out if you wished\,\nbut you show great tolerance in your rule over us. \nIn these things you have set an example for us\,\nshowing us that those who are passionate for what is right\nmust also be gentle on others.\nYou have given your children every reason for hope\,\nbecause you give us the chance to turn our backs on corruption\nand get our lives back on track with you. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n OR Isaiah 44: 6-8 (alt) \n \n\n \n \n \n I am the LORD\, the commander of everything;\nyour ruler who puts things right for you.\nI am the whole story\, from beginning to end;\nthe one and only God. \nCan anyone match me? Let’s hear from them!\nLet them take the stand and set out their case.\nIn all the years since I set up the nation\,\ndid they ever predict what was about to happen?\nWhat’s going to happen next then?\nLet’s hear from them. \nMy people\, don’t worry. You’ve got nothing to fear.\nHaven’t I always kept you informed?\nYou are my witnesses!\nIs there any other god besides me?\nIs there any other rock you can depend on?\nNo way! Not even one.\nAnd I ought to know! \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n Psalm 86: 11-17 \n \n\n \n \n \n Teach me how to stick to your track\, LORD\,\nso I won’t stray from your path of truth.\nKeep my heart focussed on adoring you alone. \nO Lord my God\, I thank you with all my heart;\nI will always name you as the to whom all the glory is due. \nYour love for me is the best\, and absolutely rock-solid;\nyou saved me when my whole being was plunging into the abyss. \nA crass and arrogant mob are out to get me\, God;\na bunch of thugs are trying to bump me off\,\nand they couldn’t care less about you. \nBut I know that you\, Lord\,\nare a compassionate and generous God\,\nslow to anger\, and rich in love and loyalty. \nI am your servant\, Lord\,\nand my mother was your servant too.\nTake note of me\, and treat me with compassion;\nsave me and give me strength. \nGive me a sign that you are on my side;\nsomething that will be seen by those who hate me\nand send them off with their tails between their legs. \nYou\, LORD\, have come to my help;\nyou have given me comfort. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\nPrayers\n\n\n \n\n \n \n Eucharistic Preface \n \n\n \n \n \n Let us lift up our hearts.\nWe lift them to the Lord.\nLet us give thanks to the Lord our God.\nIt is right to give our thanks and praise. \nIt is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have formed in us the first fruits of your Spirit\,\na harvest that will prevail when evil is uprooted. \nIt was your labour that brought forth creation\,\nand your love that formed the families of the earth.\nYou revealed yourself to Jacob\,\npromising that for all who are led by your Spirit\,\nevery place would be filled with your presence. \nIn Jesus Christ you have thrown open the gate of heaven\nand adopted us as your beloved children.\nThough all creation yet groans in pain\,\nChrist suffers with us\,\nenduring death on the cross\,\nso that we might be glorified with him.\nHis Spirit groans within us as we await the end of the age\nwhen your children will be revealed and\,\nwith our bodies redeemed\,\nwe will shine like the sun in your Kingdom. \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 thank you for adopting us as your beloved children\nwho at the end of the age when evil is uprooted\,\nwill be revealed with our bodies redeemed\,\nshining like the sun in your Kingdom. \n©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n General Prayer of Thanksgiving \n \n\n \n \n \n (Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)\n\nWe give you all thanks and praise\, O God\,\nfor you have formed in us the first fruits of your Spirit\,\na harvest that will prevail when evil is uprooted. \nIt was your labour that brought forth creation\,\nand your love that formed the families of the earth.\nYou revealed yourself to Jacob\,\npromising that for all who are led by your Spirit\,\nevery place would be filled with your presence. \nIn Jesus Christ you have thrown open the gate of heaven\nand adopted us as your beloved children.\nThough all creation yet groans in pain\,\nChrist suffers with us\,\nenduring death on the cross\,\nso that we might be glorified with him.\nHis Spirit groans within us as we await the end of the age\nwhen your children will be revealed and\,\nwith our bodies redeemed\,\nwe will shine like the sun in your Kingdom. \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 God has searched our hearts\, testing and judging our thoughts\,\nbut through our hope in Christ we are saved.\nWe have been adopted as children of God\nand given freedom and glory.\nOur redemption has begun. \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 with your hope set on Christ.\nAs children of God\, let the Spirit of God lead you\nand let your righteousness shine like the sun\nuntil darkness and light are one. \nAnd wherever you go\,\nwhether you scale the heavens or plunge to the depths\,\nmay God’s presence be inescapably with you;\nMay Christ Jesus welcome you into his inheritance;\nAnd may the Holy Spirit assure you that you are God’s children. \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\nThe labour pains of adoption!?A sermon on Romans 8:12-25 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nEven the darkness in not dark to youA sermon on Genesis 28: 10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12; 23-4; Romans 8: 12-25 & Matthew 13: 24-30; 36-43 by Jill Manton\n\n\n\nThe Temptation to WeedA sermon on Matthew 13: 24-30; 36-43 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nA Certain PlaceA sermon on Genesis 28:10-22 by Nathan Nettleton\n\n\n\nJacob the Trickster vs the nice ChristiansA sermon on Genesis 28:1-19a and Matthew 13:24-30\, 36-43 by Alison Sampson\n\n\n\nStairway to Heaven or Highway to Hell?A sermon on Genesis 28:10-22 by Orestes Roca URL:https://laughingbird.net/occasion/ap11/2029-07-22/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://laughingbird.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/P11.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR