Year
A
Proper 20
Sunday
21 September 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 provide for the needs of
your people
with a generosity beyond our comprehension.
In
the first of your mighty wonders you created the earth
and filled
it with good things.
When you led your people out of slavery,
you
heard their cries in the desert
and gave them food from heaven
so
that they might eat and give thanks to you.
So too, you feed
us through your child, Jesus,
the bread of heaven,
who came to
nourish us and strengthen us in the faith.
Though he was killed,
you raised him to life,
and now he gives himself with scandalous
extravagance
to all who respond to his call,
the early comers
and late comers alike.
So now for us, through your gracious gift
of faith,
to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Therefore
with .....
©2002 Nathan Nettleton
www.laughingbird.net
Short
Preface
(for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with
fixed prefaces)
We give you thanks for the bread of heaven
which you give with scandalous extravagance
to all who
respond to your call,
so that for us, to live is Christ and to die
is gain.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton
www.laughingbird.net
General
Prayer of Thanksgiving
(Preface reformatted for use
apart from communion)
We give you all
thanks and praise, O God,
for you provide for the needs of your
people
with a generosity beyond our comprehension.
In the
first of your mighty wonders you created the earth
and filled it
with good things.
When you led your people out of slavery,
you
heard their cries in the desert
and gave them food from heaven
and
water from the rock.
So too, you came among us in your child,
Jesus,
to nourish us and strengthen us in the faith.
Though he
was killed, you raised him to life,
and now he gives himself with
scandalous extravagance
to all who respond to his call,
the
early comers and late comers alike.
So now for us, through your
gracious gift of faith,
to live is Christ and to die is
gain.
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
www.laughingbird.net
Declaration
of Grace / Absolution
All who respond to Godís
call to repentance
are embraced in the generous mercy of
God.
Whether you responded to Godís call at the first
opportunity,
or whether you are responding for the first time
now,
Godís gracious forgiveness is yours, in Jesus
Christ.
Sisters and Brothers,
........your
sins are forgiven;
................be
at peace.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton
www.laughingbird.net
Commission
& Benediction
Go out in the strength of
Godís gracious gifts.
Live lives worthy of the gospel of
Christ.
Stand firm in one spirit.
Strive with one mind for the
faith of the gospel.
And may the power and the presence of God
go with you.
May the Call of Christ lead you into fruitful
labour.
And may the Holy Spirit fill you with the joy of
grace.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
........In
the name of Christ. Amen.
©2002
Nathan Nettleton www.laughingbird.net
Paraphrases of the
Scripture Lections
for Proper
20 - Year A - Sunday 21 September 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 16: 2-15
........Once
they were on their own in the outback, the Israelite people began to
worry about how they were going to survive, and the whole crowd
started whinging and criticising Moses and Aaron. The people were
saying, ìWe would have been better off waiting for the LORD
to kill us back in Egypt. At least there was always a pot of stew on
the boil there, and as much bread as we could eat. But you two have
dragged us out into the scrub so that you can starve us all to death
out here.î
........Then the
LORD said to Moses, ìI am going to make
bread fall from the sky like rain for you. Each day the people are to
go out and collect enough for that day only. I am going to test out
the people to see whether or not they will do what I tell them. They
are not to stockpile it except on the day before the Sabbath day off,
when there will be twice as much as usual for them to collect and
prepare.î
........So Moses and
Aaron spoke to the people saying, ìYou have been whinging
about the LORD, and the LORD
has heard you and is going to do something about your complaint. This
evening you will be convinced that it was the LORD
who got you out of the land of slavery, and in the morning you will
witness the glory of the LORD. So stop giving us
a hard time.î
........And Moses
added, ìYou will know that it is the LORDís
doing when you have meat for dinner in the evening and all the bread
you can eat in the morning, because the LORD has
listened to your complaints and responded. Then you will realise that
we had nothing to do with it, and that your whinging has not been
about us but about the LORD.î
........Then
Moses said to Aaron, ìGive this message to the whole Israelite
congregation: ëDraw close to the LORD, for
the LORD has listened to your
complaints.íî
........And
even as Aaron was addressing the gathered people, they looked out
across the desert and witnessed an awesome display of the LORDís
glory in the cloud.
........The LORD
spoke to Moses and said, ìBecause I have listened to the
peopleís problems, I want you to give them this message: ëAt
sundown you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have
plenty of bread. Then you will know for sure that I am the LORD
your God.î
........That
evening, an enormous flock of game birds came in and settled all over
the camp where the people could pick them off with ease. Then in the
morning, the ground was covered in dew, and as the dew dried, it left
a layer of fine flaky stuff on the ground. It looked like a light
sprinkling of snow on the desert floor. When the people saw it, they
had no idea what it was and began asking one another, ìWhat on
earth is this stuff?î
........Moses
told them, ìThis is the bread the LORD has
provided for you to gather up and eat.î
©2002
Nathan Nettleton www.laughingbird.net
* Psalm
105: 1-6, 37-45
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.
You led Israel out of
slavery,
........carrying off money
and goods,
................and every
one of them made it out safely.
The local people were glad to see
the last of them,
........because
they were terrified of them.
You rolled out a cloud like a
blanket for them,
........and lit up
the night with a fire.
They asked for meat and you gave them
quail;
........all they could eat,
you dropped from the sky.
You opened a rock and water poured
out,
........flowing like a river in
the desert.
You were true to your word, LORD,
........just
as you promised your trusty worker, Abraham.
Your led your chosen
people to freedom,
........laughing
and singing with joy.
You gave them lands as a
gift
........and made them rich at
the expense of others.
In return you asked that they follow what
you said,
........and stick to doing
things your way.
You are the greatest, LORD!
©2002
Nathan Nettleton www.laughingbird.net
*
Philippians 1: 21-30
........I
am on a winner whether I live or die, because for me living is
positively full of the Messiah and dying is full of positives! If I
was to go on living in the here and now, that would allow me to keep
working and score a few more goals. I donít know which to wish
for! If I was given a say in it, Iíd be hard pressed to choose
between them. On the one hand, I can hardly wait for the day when I
shuffle off this mortal coil to be with the Messiah. That will be the
ultimate! But on the other hand I know it would be better for you if
I were to stick with you. Because I know that that is the case, Iím
pretty sure that I will be sticking around and continuing to get
stuck into it with all of you, helping you to grow in the faith and
enjoy it to the full. My arriving among you again will give you even
more cause to trumpet on about being on the winning side with Jesus
the Messiah, and Iíll get to share in the celebrations with
you.
........One thing though! See to
it that as a community, your common life measures up to the message
we proclaim about the Messiah. If it does, I wonít have to
worry about whether I make it back to be with you or whether I only
ever get to hear occasional news of you. Either way I will know that
you are standing firm in one spirit and working together shoulder to
shoulder with your minds set on the one goal of fully living out the
faith we talk about. And I will know that you are not backing down in
the least before the threats that are being made against you. Such a
life will stand as a warning to those who are out to get you,
pointing to the terrifying fate which awaits them and to the life of
salvation which awaits you. This, of course, is all Godís
doing. God has been generous enough to not only allow you to live
with your trust in Christ, but to give you the privilege of suffering
for the Messiah as well. That is why you are now up against it so
severely. I was up against the same things last time you saw me ó
I still am ó and now itís your turn to share in it for
the sake of the Messiah.
©2002 Nathan
Nettleton www.laughingbird.net
* Matthew
20: 1-16
While teaching his followers, Jesus said:
ìHere is a good illustration of the kingdom of heaven. A building contractor turned up at his job site first thing in the morning and found a queue of casual labourers at the gate looking for work. He offered to pay them the award wage for a dayís labour, and on that understanding, they signed on for the day and got stuck into it. At morning smoko, the boss wandered out the front gate and found another group of labourers standing around with nothing to do, so he said to them, ëCome and work the rest of the day on my site, and Iíll pay you whatever is right.í
....They signed on and got stuck into it. At lunchtime and again at afternoon smoko, the boss went down to the gate and signed on still more labourers. About an hour before they were due to down tools, the boss went down to the gate again and found still more unemployed labourers. He said to them, ëWhat are you doing standing around here with your hands in your pockets?í
....They replied, ëWeíre out of work and nothing has come up for us today.í
....The boss said to them, ëThe dayís not done. Sign on here and you can work on my site for the rest of the shift.í
....At knock-off time, the building contractor said to his leading hand, ëCall the labourers into the site office and give them their wages, starting with those who signed on last and working through to those who signed on first thing.í
....When those who had only been on the job for an hour reported in, they were each paid the award wage for a full dayís labour. So when those who had been hired first came in, they figured that they would get a substantial bonus; but each of them was also paid the award wage for a day. When they saw what they had been paid, they were ropeable, and sent one of their number in to take it up with the boss, saying, ëSome of these blokes barely worked an hour, and youíre treating them as though they were worth the same as us who worked our guts out in the blazing sun for the whole day.í
....But the boss replied, ëIíve done nothing wrong by you, Mister. You signed on for the usual daily wage didnít you? Well, thatís what Iíve paid you, so put it in your wallet and get off home. I can pay the latecomers as much as you if I want. Itís my site and my money, so I can do what I like with them, canít I? Or are you offended by my generosity?íî
ìAnd so things will be completely
different,î Jesus concluded. ìThe last will be first,
and the first will be last.î
©2002
Nathan Nettleton www.laughingbird.net
Alternative
Hebrew Bible Lections themed to the Gospel Lection
*
Jonah 3:10 - 4:11
........When
the people of Nineveh called a day of repentance, God saw that they
really were turning away from evil and getting their lives back on
track, and had a change of heart. The disaster that God had been
planning for the people of Nineveh was cancelled.
........But
this outcome was the last thing that Jonah wanted to see, and his
anger raged like a bushfire. In a fiery prayer, he said, ìStuff
it all, LORD! Right from the start I said you
couldnít be trusted to destroy Nineveh! This is exactly what I
was trying to avoid by running away in the first place. I knew that
you were a God who is compassionate and generous, as eager to forgive
as any mother. Your love and loyalty always hold back your anger, and
given half a reason you withhold sentence and let everyone off the
hook. Well LORD, Iíve had a gutful of it.
Just kill me now and get it over with. Iíd rather die than
live, if this is how it is going to be.î
........The
LORD replied, ìDo you think this burning
anger is justified?î
........But
Jonah just stormed out of the city, heading east, and made a camp for
himself in the bush. He plonked himself down on the ground and waited
to see what would become of the city.
........The
LORD gave a small tree the job of growing up to
provide Jonah with shade in an effort to cool his head, so Jonah was
pretty happy about the tree. But before the sun came up the next
morning, God gave a grub the job of boring into the tree so that it
shrivelled up. When the sun rose in the sky, God gave a hot muggy
wind the job of blowing on Jonah. With the heat of the sun boring
into his head, Jonah was almost passing out from heatstroke and
wishing he could just die and get it over with. He said to himself,
ìI would be better off dead anyway.î
........The
LORD said to Jonah, ìDo you think this
burning anger is justified over losing the tree?î
........And
Jonah snarled back, ìIt is perfectly justified, even if it
kills me!î
........Then the
LORD said:
ìYou felt a wave of compassion for the tree,
.....whose greatness was no thanks to anything you did,
..........and who was born one night and perished the next.
So what makes you think that I should not have compassion
.....for the great city of Nineveh,
whose streets are home to a hundred and twenty thousand people
.....who left to their own devices wouldnít know which way to turn
..........and whose animals live there too?î
©2002 Nathan
Nettleton www.laughingbird.net
* Psalm
145: 1-8
We will declare you to be the greatest, God
our king,
........and put your name
up in lights forever.
Every day, without fail, we will sing
your praises,
........we will honour
your name now and forever.
You are wonderful, LORD;
you deserve the highest praise,
........and
your greatness is more than we can comprehend.
Each generation
tells the next what you have done,
........and
speaks with awe about your accomplishments.
We will fill our
minds with your splendour and glory,
........and
with the stories of your amazing exploits.
We will publicise
the news of your mighty deeds
........and
let everyone know how great you are.
Then everyone will
celebrate your generous love;
........and
applaud your justice with singing and dancing.
You are
generous and compassionate, LORD;
........slow
to anger, and rich in love and loyalty.
©2002
Nathan Nettleton www.laughingbird.net