Year A
Second Sunday of Advent
Sunday 5 December 2010


Eucharistic Preface

Let us lift up our hearts.
........We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
........It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for your reign draws near
with the promise of justice, peace and security for all.

You created the earth and its inhabitants,
and through the voice of the prophets crying in the desert,
you called us to prepare the way for your coming.
Through the scriptures,
you spoke words of steadfastness and encouragement,
filling us with hope in your visions of peace.

You came to us in your child, Jesus
— the new branch growing from the stump of Jesse’s line —
and baptised us with Holy Spirit and fire.
Though he was killed, you raised him to life,
and clothed him in righteousness and faithfulness
so that as his reign dawns,
justice may sprout on the earth,
peace outlast the moon,
and the knowledge of your wonderful grace
wash over the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Therefore with .....

©2004 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net



Short Preface
(for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)

We give you thanks for your words of steadfastness and encouragement,
that fill us with hope for the day
when justice will sprout on the earth,
peace outlast the moon,
and the knowledge of your wonderful grace
wash over the earth as the waters cover the sea.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net




General Prayer of Thanksgiving
(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
for your reign draws near
with the promise of justice, peace and security for all.

You created the earth and its inhabitants,
and through the voice of the prophets crying in the desert,
you called us to prepare the way for your coming.
Through the scriptures,
you spoke words of steadfastness and encouragement,
filling us with hope in your visions of peace.

You came to us in your child, Jesus
— the new branch growing from the stump of Jesse’s line —
and baptised us with Holy Spirit and fire.
Though he was killed, you raised him to life,
and clothed him in righteousness and faithfulness
so that as his reign dawns,
justice may sprout on the earth,
peace outlast the moon,
and the knowledge of your wonderful grace
wash over the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

©2004 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net




Declaration of Grace / Absolution

Christ Jesus has become a servant of all
so that we might glorify God for his mercy.
All who repent, confessing their sins,
are baptised in the love and mercy of God.

Sisters and Brothers,
........your sins are forgiven;
................be at peace.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net




Commission & Benediction

Go now and prepare the way of the Lord.
Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you,
and bear fruits worthy of repentance.

And may God grant you harmony with one another;
May Christ Jesus fill you with joy and peace in believing;
And may the Holy Spirit empower you and fill you with hope.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
........In the name of Christ. Amen.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net






Paraphrases of the Scripture Lections
for the 2nd Sunday of Advent - Year A - Sunday 5 December 2010
 Lections 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.


* Isaiah 11: 1-10

Like a green shoot sprouting from a tree stump,
........the family of David will again produce a king.

The Spirit of the LORD will be with him,
........giving him wisdom and insight,
........making him strong and perceptive,
........filling him with knowledge and respect for God.

Treating the LORD with due respect
........will be the new king’s greatest delight.

He will not judge by appearances
........or act on the basis of rumour.
He will do the right thing by the poor
........and be fair those who can’t fight for themselves.
His words will strike like lightening,
........and wipe out evil and corruption.

His reputation will be built on
........honesty, loyalty and a passion for doing right.

The dingo and the lamb will play together;
........the hawk and the pigeon will share a nest;
the crocodile and the wallaby will eat together,
........and a little child will lead them around like pets.

Foxes and chooks will forage together;
........their cubs and chickens will snuggle up to sleep;
................and sharks will go vegetarian.

A gurgling baby will play with a Tiger snake;
........toddlers will stick their hands into bee hives unharmed.

There will be no killing or maiming on the LORD’s holy mountain.
........Just as water fills the oceans,
................so will the earth be full of people
........................who know and love the LORD.

When that day comes, the revival of David’s line will be like a flag around which all the world’s people’s will gather. All nations will look to the one king for guidance and he will live and reign in splendour and glory.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net



* Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19

Send us a wise ruler, O God,
........one who takes after you in justice and honesty;
one who does the right thing by everybody,
........and is vigilant in ensuring justice for the poor;
one who will stand up for the disadvantaged,
........provide a way out of the poverty trap,
................and stomp on those who exploit the vulnerable.

Then the whole land will know prosperity and integrity;
........the mountains, the valleys, the hills, the plains.

Send us a wise ruler, O God,
........who will outlive the sun and moon,
................who will rule forever, generation after generation.

May your chosen one give life to the land
........like the spring rains in the wheat country.
May the people yield a bumper crop of honesty,
........and may peace be as dependable
................as the southern cross in the night sky.

More power to you, LORD, God of our land;
........only you can do such incredible things.

May the mere mention of your name
........inspire praise from everyone, forever.
May the whole earth be full of your glory.
........Too right!

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net



* Romans 15: 4-13

........The writings that we have received from times past were written to teach us what we need to know. The unchanging and inspiring message of the scriptures fills us with courage and hope. I pray that God — rock-solid and inspirational — will unite you and enable you to get along with one another, showing each other the same sort of trust and respect that Christ Jesus shows to everyone. That sort of peaceful shared life will ring out a message, as clear as a bell, giving all the glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So welcome and accept one another as openly as Christ has welcomed and accepted you, and may all the credit go to God!
........You can be sure of this: Christ accepted both insiders and outsiders. It is true that he came to serve the people of Israel, who had always had inside access to the truth of God, so as to make good on the promises made to their ancestors. But it is also true that he came so that the outsiders might encounter the mercy of God and get into the swing of giving credit and thanks to God too. The scriptures spoke of it in these words:

“I will speak the truth about you among the outsiders,
........I will sing your praises and honour your name.”
In another place it is written:
“You outsiders, come and celebrate with God’s people.”
Similarly, another piece of scripture says:
“All you outsiders, sing the praises of God;
........let all peoples everywhere honour the Lord.”
And the prophet Isaiah wrote:
“The root of David’s family will sprout again,
........producing the one who will give the outsiders hope;
........the one who will rule over all people everywhere.”
I pray that God, the hope-giver, will see to it that your faith produces a flood of joy and peace that fills your lives and spills over into an unshakeable confidence energised by the Holy Spirit.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net



* Matthew 3: 1-12

........While Jesus was living at home in Galilee, John the baptiser showed up in the Judean desert preaching to the people. This was the guts of his message: “Turn your lives around, for the realm of heaven has drawn near.”
........The prophet Isaiah had spoken about John when he said,
“In the desert a voice is shouting:
‘The Lord is coming!
........Get the road ready.
........Clear the track, straighten it out for him.’”
........John was dressed in rough clothes made of camel hair and animal skins. He lived on bush tucker — grasshoppers and wild honey. People came flocking to John from Jerusalem, from all the rural districts of Judea, and from up and down the Jordan valley. They owned up to their wrongdoing and were baptised by John in the Jordan River, promising to mend their ways.
........But when John saw that members of the religious groups known as the Pharisees and the Sadducees were coming to him for baptism, he bellowed, “You slippery bunch of snakes! What makes you think that running down here for a quick bath will get you off scot free when the judgment comes? You’ve got to walk the walk. Show by your actions that you’ve turned your lives around as you say you have. And don’t presume you’ve got the inside running just because you can trace your family tree back to Abraham. I’m telling you straight, descendants of Abraham are thick on the ground and, at the snap of a finger, God could turn these rocks into a few more. Family trees count for nothing; it is what sort of fruit the tree bears that matters. If the fruit is rubbish, God will have no hesitation sending the chain saws in to cut the tree off at the ground and toss it on the fire.”
........“I’m only baptising you with water. After me comes the One who is way out of my league — I’d be honoured just to carry his boots. It won’t be just water that he’ll be immersing you in. He’ll baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. He’s ready to start with his flame thrower in hand. He’ll release an uncontrollable fire into the dry bushland of your lives, completely incinerating the rubbish and germinating the good seeds that lie in wait for that day.”

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net