Year A
Proper 9
Sunday 3 July 2011
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 with the passion of a lover
you have delivered us from slavery to sin and death.
You are the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth,
and it is your Word that brings life into bloom.
You called your servant Rebekah to leave family and country,
and, from the offspring of her loving union with Isaac,
you brought forth a people to delight in your ways.
You sent among us your child, Jesus the Christ,
and in him you revealed yourself to us.
Though we were burdened and wearied by sin
and unable to dance to your song,
in gentleness and humility
he lifted our burdens
and showed us the way of wisdom.
When he was killed,
you raised him to life,
rescuing us from our bodies of death
and giving us rest for our souls.
Therefore with .....
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Short Preface
(for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with fixed prefaces)
We give you thanks that though we were burdened and wearied by sin,
and unable to dance to your song,
in gentleness and humility
your Son Jesus has lifted our burdens
and showed us the way of wisdom.
©2002 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 with the passion of a lover
you have delivered us from slavery to sin and death.
You are the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth,
and it is your Word that brings life into bloom.
You called your servant Rebekah to leave family and country,
and, from the offspring of her loving union with Isaac,
you brought forth a people to delight in your ways.
You sent among us your child, Jesus the Christ,
and in him you revealed yourself to us.
Though we were burdened and wearied by sin
and unable to dance to your song,
in gentleness and humility
he lifted our burdens
and showed us the way of wisdom.
When he was killed,
you raised him to life,
rescuing us from our bodies of death
and giving us rest for our souls.
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.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Declaration of Grace / Absolution
Who will deliver us from this body of death,
and from the law of sin at work within us?
Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lifts the heavy burden of sin we are carrying
and gives rest to our souls.
Sisters and Brothers,
........your sins are forgiven;
................be at peace.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Commission & Benediction
Go now at the call of Christ.
Take his yoke upon you and learn from him;
Dance when he sings and mourn when he cries.
Be generous in your hospitality to all.
And may God greatly bless you;
May Christ Jesus reveal the fullness of God to you;
And may the Holy Spirit lift your burdens and give you rest.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
........In the name of Christ. Amen.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Paraphrases of the Scripture Lections
for Proper 9 - Year A - Sunday 3 July 2011
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.
* Genesis 24: 34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Abraham’s trusted servant addressed Rebekah’s family, saying:
“I work for Abraham and he has sent me here. The LORD has set my boss up very nicely. He has become a very wealthy man, with huge holdings of livestock, investments in silver and gold, a large workforce, and convoys of transport animals. My boss and his wife Sarah became the parents of a son in their old age, and they have signed over their entire fortune to him. My boss has given me the job of finding a suitable wife for his son, but he made me promise that I would not let him marry one of the local Canaanite girls. Instead he has sent me to find a wife for his son from here among his own relatives.........So the family called Rebekah and asked her, “Are you willing to go with this man?”
“So, when I pulled up at the spring here today, I prayed that the God of my boss would put me on the right track. I said, ‘O LORD, I have arrived here at this spring where the young women come to collect water. I will ask the first one who comes for a drink, and she will offer me a drink and offer to draw water for my camels as well. LORD, let her be the one you have chosen to be the bride of my boss’s son.’
‘Even before I finished my prayer, Rebekah came out to fill her water container. After she had gone down to the spring and collected her water, I asked her for a drink. Without hesitation she offered me a drink from her water container and then offered to draw more water for my camels. So I accepted the drink and she watered my camels. Then I asked her whose daughter she was, and she told me that her father was Bethuel, the son of Nahor and Milcah. I knew then that she came from among my boss’s relatives, so I put on her the ring and the jewellery he had sent. Then I bowed my head and gave thanks to the LORD, the God who my boss Abraham worships. The LORD had put me on the right track so that I could find a suitable wife for my boss’s son from among his own people.
Now then, let me know whether you will do the right thing by my boss. Or if not, tell me straight, so that I will know which way to turn.”
“Sister, may you become the mother of millions;With that, Rebekah and the servant girls who were going with her got up and were seated on the camels. They set off, following Abraham’s servant as he headed for home; mission accomplished.
........may your descendants triumph in everything they do.”
“Come now, my darling, my lovely one,
........come away with me.
The outdoors will welcome us,
........for the cold wet winter has released its grip.
Wildflowers explode with colour
........and the air is filled with song;
Bellbird calls ring through the bush
........like the summons to a wedding.
Berries and grapes ripen with promise
........and every flower adds it fragrance
........to the wafting breeze.
So come, my darling, my lovely one,
........come away with me.”
“What is it about people these days? They are like a bunch of kids pointing the finger at each other in the school yard:Then and there, Jesus broke into prayer, saying:
‘We were ready to laugh and play with you,When John the Baptiser was around, he was a teetotaller, and would often go without food; and people accused him of being a fanatic and a wowser. Then the New Human came, always ready to share a meal and a drink, and what do they say about him? They say he’s a pisspot, a slave to his stomach, and that he’s too close to people whose lifestyles are beyond the pale! But at the end of the day, wisdom will have proved herself in practice.”
........but you told us to get serious.
We asked you over to do homework together,
........but you told us to lighten up.’
“Father, Lord of earth and sky, thank you for keeping the religious experts and the sophisticated intellectuals in the dark about these matters, while at the same time making them as plain as day to the average toddler. But of course, Father, such reckless generosity is typical of the way you like to do things!”Then, turning to the crowd again, Jesus said:
“My Father has put the whole show in my hands, and it all hangs on the strength of our relationship. No one really knows what makes the Son tick except the Father, and no one really knows what makes the Father tick except the Son. Anyone else can only know if the Son chooses to let them in on it.
“If you are worn out and overloaded, come to me, and I will let you put your feet up. Come and work for me, and take a leaf out of my book. I am gentle on people, and down-to-earth; and with me your whole being will be able to relax. The job I will give you is piece of cake. The load I will ask you to bear is a feather-weight.”