Year
A
Proper 17
Sunday
31 August 2014
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 you meet us in our suffering
and the fire of your love and compassion burns forever.
In
the first of your mighty wonders
you created the earth and made
it holy.
You heard the cries of your oppressed people
and from
the blazing power of your presence
you sent Moses and Aaron to
lead them to freedom.
Once again, in your child, Jesus,
you
have come down to deliver us.
He suffered at the hands of the
authorities in Jerusalem,
and was killed,
but you overcome
evil with good
and raised him to new life on the third day.
And
now you have called us to follow him,
taking up the cross and
relinquishing our lives,
so that united with him we may enter your
life -
the life which is worth more than the world
itself.
Therefore with .....
©2002
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Short
Preface
(for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with
fixed prefaces)
We give you thanks for the fire of your love
which burns forever,
making all places holy with the power of your
presence
and leading us into your life
which is worth more than
the world itself.
©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 you meet us in our suffering
and
the fire of your love and compassion burns forever.
In the
first of your mighty wonders
you created the earth and made it
holy.
You heard the cries of your oppressed people
and from the
blazing power of your presence
you sent Moses and Aaron to lead
them to freedom.
Once again, in your child, Jesus,
you have
come down to deliver us.
He suffered at the hands of the
authorities in Jerusalem,
and was killed,
but you overcome
evil with good
and raised him to new life on the third day.
And
now you have called us to follow him,
taking up the cross and
relinquishing our lives,
so that united with him we may enter your
life -
the life which is worth more than the world
itself.
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
The blazing fire of God’s
presence refines us,
but in mercy it does not destroy us.
God
does not repay evil for evil,
but comes to deliver us and restore
us to life.
Sisters and Brothers,
........your
sins are forgiven;
................be
at peace.
©2002 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Commission
& Benediction
Go now and follow Jesus in
the way of the cross.
Rejoice in hope,
hold fast to what is
good,
persevere in prayer.
Do not be overcome by evil,
but
overcome evil with good.
As far as is possible, live peaceably
with all.
And may God hear your cries and deliver you;
May
Christ Jesus repay you with fullness of life;
And may the Holy
Spirit be with you always
........nourishing
you in love and hope.
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 17 - Year
A - Sunday 31 August 2014
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.
* Exodus 3:
1-15
........Moses
married the daughter of a Midianite priest named Jethro, and worked
for him droving his sheep. One day he drove the sheep across the
desert to graze them on the slopes of Mount Sinai, the mountain of
God. While he was there, he saw a bush burst into flames and the
messenger of the LORD appeared in the fire. As
Moses watched the fire, he was amazed to see that although the fire
was intense, the bush was not being burned up and reduced to ash, so
he decided to go closer to see if he could work out what was going
on. Having got Moses’ attention, God called to him out of the
bush, “Moses! Moses!”
........“At
your service,” Moses replied.
........“Don’t
come any closer!” God said. “And take your boots off,
because you are standing on a sacred site. I am the God of your
ancestors; the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.”
........At that, Moses
pulled his coat over his face because he was afraid to stand face to
face with God. Then the LORD said:
“I have seen how my people have been chewed up and spat out in Egypt. I have heard their desperate cries for help as the slave-drivers work them into the ground. The truth is, I know what their suffering is like, and I have come down to break them free, and to bring them up out of the land of slavery. I will bring them into good land of wide open spaces, a land rich with milk and honey. It is presently occupied by the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, but I will give it to my people. The cries of the Israelites have gotten through to me, and I have seen how the tyrants are grinding them into the dirt. So come on Moses, up and at it. I will send you to the king of Egypt to bring my people, the Israelites, out of slavery in his country.”
........But Moses said to God, “Hang
on a minute! Why me? I must be about the least qualified person on
the face of the earth for the job of negotiating with the king of
Egypt for the release of the Israelites from slavery!”
........But
God replied, “I will be with you! And this is how you will know
that I have been with you: when you have got the people out of Egypt,
you will worship me right here on this mountain.”
........But
Moses continued to protest, saying, “If I go to the Israelites
and try to tell them that the God of their ancestors has sent me to
them, they’ll never believe me. They will say, ‘And what
name does this God go by?’ What am I to tell them
then?”
........God replied, “I
AM who I AM.
So you go and tell the Israelites that the one named I AM
the LORD has sent you to them. And you
can further tell them that the LORD, the God of
their ancestors; the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob, has sent you to them. This is my name forever; this is how I
am to be addressed from now on.”
©2002
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Psalm 105: 1-6, 23-26, 45c
We
shout your name and give you thanks, LORD;
........we
will tell everyone what you have done for us.
We sing your praises
in your presence,
........and
publicise your wonderful achievements.
We put your name up in
lights, your name alone;
........our
hearts burst with joy when we approach you.
It is you we want most
of all, you and your strength;
........we
try to keep near to you all the time.
Like all the descendants
of Abraham and Jacob,
........and all
your chosen children,
we remember all the astonishing things you
have done
........and the
breath-taking wisdom of your decisions.
Your people turned up
in Egypt;
........yes, Jacob migrated
to Africa.
You let them breed there like rabbits,
LORD,
........and
they grew stronger than the native population.
The Egyptians grew
fearful and bitter
........and
plotted to force your people into slavery.
You sent your
trusty worker, Moses,
........and his
chosen right hand man, Aaron.
You are the greatest,
LORD!
©2002 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Romans 12: 9-21
........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.
........When
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. Don’t go getting over-inflated opinions about how
smart you all are.
........If anyone
does the wrong thing by you, don’t go trying to pay them back
in kind. Instead, take a deep breath and find a way to respond that
anyone else would think of as going above and beyond the call of
common decency. Do all that can be done at your end to live at peace
with everyone else in the society around you. My dear friends, never
take the law into your own hands to get revenge. Leave it up to God
to sort the offenders out. As the scripture says, “Vengeance is
my job, says the Lord, and I will give them what is coming to
them.” So, follow the proverb instead: “If those who hate
you are hungry, give them a feed; if they are thirsty, pour them a
beer; because that’s the way to spark a meltdown in their
heads.” Do not let what is evil get the upper hand over you,
but get the upper hand over what is evil by doing what is
good.
©2002 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Matthew 16: 21-28
........Once
his disciples had identified him as the Messiah, Jesus began to make
it clear to them that he would have to go to Jerusalem where he would
be put through the wringer by the politicians, the priests and the
religious lawyers. He told them that he would be executed there, but
that three days later he would be raised to life. But Peter would
have none of it. He pulled Jesus aside and gave him a piece of his
mind, saying, “God forbid! Lord, this can’t be allowed to
happen to you!”
........But
Jesus turned on Peter, saying, “Get out of my face, you satan!
You’re like a roadblock in my path because you have got no idea
what God is on about. You’re just pursuing the same things as
everyone else.”
........Then he
spelt it out to his disciples, saying:
“Anyone who intends to come with me has to hand over the keys, sign their own death warrant, and then do as I do. If you try to hold on to control of your life you’ll end up losing the lot. But if you let go, even if you pay the ultimate price for your commitment to me, you’ll discover real life. What’s the point of getting control of the whole world if getting it kills you. There’s no trade-in on a burned out soul. The New Human is going to arrive on the scene, full of the glory of God and surrounded by the angels, and he will see that everyone is paid what they deserve for what they have done. I kid you not, there are some people around now who will live to see the New Human arrive and take charge.”
©2002 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Alternative
Hebrew Bible Lections themed to the Gospel Lection
*
Jeremiah 15: 15-21
Jeremiah poured out his
complaint to the LORD, saying:
Come on, LORD, you know what is going on here;
........don’t forget it is for you I am copping this abuse.
Don’t keep giving my enemies second chances;
........dish out a harsh dose of justice before they finish me off.
When I first came across your words,
........I consumed them with great gusto;
they were the best thing I had ever tasted;
........they were a feast for my whole being!
Being named as one who belongs to you
........filled me with pride, O LORD, ruler of everything.
But now I don’t get invited to parties any more,
........and I’ve got nothing to smile about.
Doing what you asked of me cost me all my friends
........because you made me so serious and angry.
Why must I live with this constant pain?
........Why does my wound fester and refuse to heal?
The fact is, you are like a mirage in the desert, God,
........all promise but no action.
This is what the LORD said in response to Jeremiah’s complaint:
If you wake up to yourself and get back on track,
........I will accept you and put you back on your feet.
If you choose your words well and cut the cheap whinging,
........then you can continue to speak on my behalf.
Then the people will come seeking you,
........instead of you always crawling to them.
I will give you a thick skin, like a steel plated wall,
........to protect you from these people.
They can attack you all they like,
........but they won’t be able to bring you down
because I am on your side
........to keep you safe and see you through.
................I am the LORD, and I give you my word.
I will break the grip of these evil people and set you free;
........I will rescue you from their ruthless hands
................and bring you back to where you belong.
©2002 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Psalm 26: 1-8
Clear my name, LORD.
........I’ve
been true to my word;
........I’ve
staked everything on you and stood my ground.
Check me out
thoroughly, LORD;
........weigh
up my every thought and desire.
I keep myself focussed on your
rock-solid love,
........and I stay
in step with you all the time.
I don’t hang around with
worthless scum;
........and I keep
clear of those who talk the talk
........but
never walk the walk.
I can’t stand corrupt
company,
........and I keep my
distance from liars and cheats.
There’s no blood to wash
off my hands;
........I can dance
round your altar with a clear conscience
........singing
a song of thanks to you, O LORD,
................and
telling the stories of the great things you’ve done.
O
LORD, I love the temple you call your
own,
........the place where we can
bask in your presence.
©2002 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net