Year
C
Third Sunday of
Pascha
14 April 2013
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 alone are worthy to
receive
all power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honour
and glory and praise.
With your powerful voice and glorious
light
you created the heavens and the earth.
In mercy and love
you saved a people from the pit of slavery,
and commissioned them
to bring your name before all the world.
Your child,
Jesus, lived your compassion to the full
and called us to follow
him.
When he was killed
by those who would murder your
Way,
you raised him to life again
and enthroned him as the
centre of heaven’s worship.
He meets us in our
uncertainty,
redeeming even our failures and betrayals,
offering
forgiveness
and removing the scales from our eyes,
so that we
might recognise you in everything,
and express our love in worship
and service.
Therefore with .....
©2001
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Short
Preface
(for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with
fixed prefaces)
We thank for your Son, Jesus,
who redeems
even our failures and betrayals,
and removes the scales from our
eyes,
so that we might recognise you in all the earth,
and
express our love in worship and service.
©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 you alone are worthy to receive
all
power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and
praise.
With your powerful voice and glorious light
you
created the heavens and the earth.
In mercy and love you saved a
people from the pit of slavery,
and commissioned them
to bring
your name before all the world.
Your child, Jesus, lived your
compassion to the full
and called us to follow him.
When he was
killed
by those who would murder your Way,
you raised him to
life again
and enthroned him as the centre of heaven’s
worship.
He meets us in our uncertainty,
redeeming even our
failures and betrayals,
offering forgiveness
and removing the
scales from our eyes,
so that we might recognise you in
everything,
and express our love in worship and
service.
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.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Declaration
of Grace / Absolution
Awesome
is our God
whose anger passes quickly,
and whose mercy lasts a
lifetime.
Sisters and Brothers,
........your
sins are forgiven;
................be
at peace.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Commission
& Benediction
Go now and follow the risen
Christ.
Love God and nourish the faith of God’s little
ones.
Make Christ known to all people
for God has chosen you as
an instrument
to lead others into the way of mercy and love.
And
may God change your anguish into a joyful dance;
May Christ Jesus
lead you from betrayal to mission;
And may the Holy Spirit fill
you
........with light and love and
purpose.
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 Third Sunday
of Pascha - Year C - 14 April 2013
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.
* Acts 9: 1-6, (7-20)
........Saul
was the ringleader of a violent campaign of terror directed against
the followers of Jesus. He went to the high priest and got permission
to go to Damascus to hunt down anyone who had joined the Way of the
Lord there. The high priest gave him a letter of referral to show to
the leaders of the Damascus Synagogues, and authorised him to bring
the culprits, men or women, back to Jerusalem in chains. Saul wasted
no time in heading off, but just as he got within sight of Damascus,
there was a blinding flash of light that knocked him right out of the
saddle. As he hit the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul,
Saul, why have you got it in for me?”
........Saul
replied, “Who are you, Lord?”
........The
voice came back, saying, “I am Jesus — the one you are seeking to
crush. Now I want you to get up and go into the city and then wait
for further instructions.”
........The
people who were travelling with Saul stood there gob-smacked, because
they could hear the voice but they couldn’t see who was speaking.
Saul picked himself up from the ground and rubbed his eyes, but he
couldn’t see a thing. He had been completely blinded and had to be
led into Damascus by the hand. For the next three days he felt as
weak as a kitten. He couldn’t eat or drink anything and he couldn’t
see at all.
........Now
in Damascus, there lived a man named Ananias who was a follower of
Jesus. The Lord called out to him in a vision: “Ananias.”
........He
answered, “Yes, Lord. I’m here.”
........The
Lord said to him, “I want you to get yourself over to Judas’
house in Straight Street. Ask there for a man named Saul who is from
Tarsus. Even as we speak he is praying, and in a vision he has seen
you come and lay hands on him so that he might regain his
sight.”
........But
Ananias protested, “Lord, you’ve got to be kidding. Everyone has
heard stories about this man and about the atrocities he has
committed against your people in Jerusalem. And the word is that he’s
here on the authority of the chief priests to hunt down anybody who
declares allegiance to you.”
........But
the Lord insisted: “Go and do as I say. I have chosen this man to
work for me. He will be instrumental in bringing me to the attention
of people everywhere — kings and commoners, Jews and Gentiles. He
will pay a high price for switching his allegiance to me, but I
myself will give him fair warning of what he is going to be put
through.”
........So
Ananias went to the house he had been sent to and found Saul there.
He placed his hands on his head and said, “Saul, my brother, the
Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me to you so
that you may regain the use of your eyes and be filled with the Holy
Spirit.”
........The
words were barely out of his mouth when something looking like scales
fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see normally again. He got up
and was baptised straight away. After a good meal, he could feel his
strength returning.
........Saul
spent several days in Damascus with the followers of Jesus. Without
delay, he began to speak out about Jesus in the synagogues, saying,
“He is the Son of God.”
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Psalm 30
I’ll be singing your praises, every
chance I get, LORD,
........because
you got me out of deep trouble
................and
spared me the gloating of my enemies.
I pleaded for help, LORD
God,
........and you stepped in and
healed me.
They were nearly ready to pronounce me
dead
........but your brought me
back, LORD;
you put me back on my
feet
........when I was about to be
carried to the morgue.
So I’m singing your
praises,
........and I’m
encouraging everyone to do the same;
................to
name you with joyful thanks.
We manage to get you angry at
times,
........but it blows over in a
moment
................because your
mercy keeps on keeping on.
........We
may have an evening of bitter tears,
................but
by morning your mercy has us smiling again.
I was guilty of
taking your goodness for granted;
........I
thought I had it made.
You had put me on top of the
world
........but I got all too full
of myself.
You stepped aside — made me stand alone —
........and
I turned to jelly!
I realised how much I needed you,
LORD,
........and
in my panic I begged you for mercy.
“What good is my blood
to you?” I cried.
........“How
will it help if I’m in the grave?
Can a corpse sing your
praises?
........Will a gravestone
publicise your goodness?
Give me another chance,
LORD.
........Please,
LORD, bail me out one more time.”
And
sure enough, you did, LORD.
........You
turned my tears to laughter;
........you
set my dragging feet dancing;
........you
dusted me off and dressed me up for a party.
So now I’m singing
your praises
........from the bottom
of my heart,
................and no
one can shut me up!
You are my God, LORD,
........and
I’m eternally grateful.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Revelation 5: 11-14
........I
had a vision of a huge crowd of angels circling around heaven’s
throne. There were thousands and millions of them; trillions perhaps,
more than anyone could count. I heard their voices swelling, joining
with the four awesome creatures and the twenty four elders in a
mighty song:
........“The Lamb
who was slaughtered deserves all we can offer:
................power
and wealth,
................wisdom
and strength,
................honour
and glory and every good thing!
Then I heard every creature
everywhere joining in the song — from heaven and earth, from under
the earth, from the waves of the seas — their voices rose as
one:
........“To you who sits
on the throne,
................and to
the Lamb,
........................we
give it all:
........blessing and
honour,
................glory and
strength,
........................forever
and ever and ever!”
And at that, the four awesome creatures
said, “And so say all of us!”
And the twenty four elders fell
to their knees and worshipped.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
John 21: 1-19
........One
of the places where Jesus appeared to his followers after his
resurrection was at Lake Galilee. A few of them had gathered there:
Simon Peter; Thomas the Twin; Nathaniel, who came from Cana in
Galilee; the two sons of Zebedee; and a couple of others. Simon Peter
had decided to go fishing, and the rest of them had said, “You can
count us in. We’ll come too.” They spent the night in the boat,
but they didn’t catch a thing.
........They
were heading back in to shore as the sun came up, when they saw a man
standing on the beach. It was Jesus, but they didn’t recognise him.
Jesus called out to them, “Morning boys! How are the fish
biting?”
........“We haven’t
caught a thing,” they replied.
........Jesus
said, “Try casting off the right hand side of the boat instead.
You’ll find some there.”
........So
they did, and suddenly there were fish everywhere — more than they
could pull in. The disciple with whom Jesus had been most intimate
said to Peter, “It’s got to be the Lord!”
........Simon
Peter had been stripped for work, but when he heard it was the Lord,
he threw his shirt back on, dived into the sea, and struck out for
the shore. They weren’t far off the beach — no more than a
hundred metres — so the rest of them dragged the boat in with the
load of fish.
........When they
arrived on the beach, they found that Jesus had a fire going and was
baking some damper-bread and barbecuing some fish. He looked up and
said to them, “Put on some of the fish you’ve just
caught.”
........Simon Peter
dragged in the catch. There were a hundred and fifty three fish in
all, most of them whoppers. It was surprising that the fishing tackle
was still intact after landing them all. Jesus said, “Breakfast’s
ready. Come and get it!”
........Some
of the disciples half wanted to say, “Who are you?” but none
dared because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus divided up the bread
among them and then did the same with the fish. This was the third
time the disciples had seen Jesus alive since he had been raised from
the dead.
........When they had
finished eating breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son
of John, do you love me above anyone else?”
........Simon
Peter replied, “Yes, Lord. You know I do.”
........Jesus
said to him, “Then feed my lambs.”
........Then
he asked him again, “Simon, son of John, do you love
me?”
........He replied, “Yes,
Lord; you know that I love you.”
........Jesus
said to him, “Well, take care of my sheep.”
........Jesus
asked him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love
me?”
........Peter was starting to
feel hurt that Jesus kept questioning his love, and the third time he
replied, “Lord, you know everything. You know how much I love
you.”
........Jesus said to him,
“Feed my sheep. I kid you not, Simon, when you were a young bloke,
you dressed however you liked and went wherever you wanted. But when
you are an old man, you’ll put your hands up when you’re told to,
you’ll wear what’s issued to you, and you’ll be taken places
you don’t want to go.” (In saying this, Jesus was foreshadowing
the kind of death Simon Peter would eventually face in his honouring
of God.) After that, Jesus simply said, “Follow me.”
©2001
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net