Year
C
Proper 14
Sunday
11 August 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 it is your good pleasure to
open the Kingdom to us.
The worlds were created by your
word
and the heavens testify that you are just.
Through your
law and prophets
you called your people from their
hypocrisy,
refusing to accept our offerings or hear our prayers
until we showed a willingness to obey you.
Through Jesus
Christ, your child and our saviour,
you called us to travel
lightly
as strangers and foreigners on the earth,
putting our
hopes in you alone
and always ready to welcome your future.
When
he was killed by those
whose hands were full of blood,
you
raised him to new life
so that he might prepare a new world
for
those who put their faith in your promises,
giving away their
riches on earth
and treasuring heaven in their hearts.
Therefore
with .....
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Short
Preface
(for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with
fixed prefaces)
We thank you are preparing a heavenly city
for those who put their faith in your promises,
giving away
their riches on earth
and treasuring heaven in their
hearts.
©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 it is your good pleasure to open the
Kingdom to us.
The worlds were created by your word
and the
heavens testify that you are just.
Through your law and
prophets
you called your people from their hypocrisy,
refusing
to accept our offerings or hear our prayers
until we showed a
willingness to obey you.
Through Jesus Christ, your child and
our saviour,
you called us to travel lightly
as strangers and
foreigners on the earth,
putting our hopes in you alone
and
always ready to welcome your future.
When he was killed by those
whose hands were full of blood,
you raised him to new life
so
that he might prepare a new world
for those who put their faith
in your promises,
giving away their riches on earth
and
treasuring heaven in their hearts.
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
God is
not ashamed to be called your God.
Though your sins are like
scarlet they shall be like snow;
though they are like crimson,
they shall be like wool.
Sisters and Brothers,
........your
sins are forgiven;
................be
at peace.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Commission
& Benediction
Go now like those prepared for
the Lord to return.
Cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek
justice, rescue the oppressed.
Give freely to those in need
and
let your treasure be in the things of heaven
And may God not
be ashamed to be called your God;
May Christ Jesus find you
attentive and well prepared;
And may the Holy Spirit give you the
assurance
........of all that has
been promised to you.
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 Proper 14 - Year
C - Sunday 11 August 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.
* Isaiah 1: 1, 10-20
........During
the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, as kings of Judah
the LORD spoke through Isaiah, the son of Amoz.
This is a message Isaiah was given about Judah and Jerusalem.
Listen
to what I say, for I am the LORD.
........You
rulers are no better than the rulers of Sodom!
You people are no
better than the people of Gomorrah!
........So
take note of what I have to say.
What do I care for all your
sacrifices?
........I have had a
gutful of them.
If I see one more burnt offering
........—
be it a ram or a grain-fed calf —
................I
think I’ll puke.
I can’t stand all this blood you keep
offering
........from slaughtered
bulls, lambs and goats.
What on earth makes you
think
........that this is the way to
please me?
Get out of my temple and stay out.
........Your
gifts are wasted;
................Your
incense is nothing but a smokescreen.
I can’t stand all your
sacred days and special gatherings;
........your
pomp and ceremony doesn’t hide your evil ways.
You can
fill your calender with special events
........to
celebrate this, that and the other thing,
................but
I despise them deep in my guts.
They have drained my
patience;
........I can’t put
up with even one more.
You can raise your hands to me in
prayer,
........but I’ll look
away;
You can pray till you’re blue in the face
........but
I’ll block my ears.
All I see on your hands is
blood;
........all I hear in your
prayers is excuses.
Clean up your act;
........scrub
yourselves clean, inside and out;
................don’t
let me see any more corruption from you.
Quit your
evil,
........learn to do the right
thing;
make justice your goal,
........prevent
the use and abuse of people;
stand up for the
vulnerable,
........take sides with
the forgotten.
Come on, let’s sort this out.
........I
am the LORD. Listen to me.
Your sins are as
red as scarlet,
........but they will
be white as snow;
they are crimson like blood,
........but
they will be like fresh-cut wool.
If you are willing to
cooperate with my ways
........you’ll
feast like kings;
but if you dig your heels in and defy
me
........you’ll be
slaughtered like cattle.
I am the LORD. You
have been warned.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Psalm 50: 1-8, 22-23
You, LORD,
are the mighty God.
........Wherever
the sun shines, from horizon to horizon,
................you
call the earth to attention.
From the spectacular beauty of
your holy mountain,
........you
approach us in a blaze of glory.
You come with the full
fanfare;
........flashes of fire in
front of you;
................thunder
storming all around you.
You call the earth and sky to sit as
a jury,
........and set out the
charges against your people.
You call the
accused:
........those who swore
their faithfulness to you,
................and
signed themselves to a binding alliance.
The whole universe
honours you as the judge,
........and
affirms the honesty of your court.
We belong to you and you
call us to listen.
........You set
out the case against us, your chosen people.
................You
are God; our God.
It is not our sacrifices you
condemn;
........the gifts we are
constantly offering.
But you set us straight in no uncertain
terms;
........we have ignored
you,
................offering gifts
instead of ourselves.
You warn us that when you pass
sentence,
........there is nowhere to
make further appeal.
You are honoured when we express our
gratitude,
........not when we fob
you off with gifts.
It is those who get back on the right
track
........who you lead into the
land of freedom.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16
........Faith
is the capacity to put all your eggs in the one basket, when even the
existence of the basket must be taken on trust and hope. It was the
ability to take decisive action based on faith alone that made our
forebears such memorable heroes. Even our belief that the universe
came into existence on God’s say-so is based solely on faith.
The existence of material things might be provable, but the belief
that their origins lie in something that is not accessible to
scientific observation can only be grounded in faith.
........It
was the exercise of faith that enabled Abraham to cooperate when God
called him to uproot himself and emigrate. He was to be given a new
and permanent home, but when he set out, he had no idea where he was
headed. It was faith that kept him going, even when, on arrival in
the land that had been promised to him, he had to camp like a refugee
and see his son Isaac and grandson Jacob doing the same. What he
inherited and passed on to them was a promise that was yet to be made
good. He was sustained by a vision of the city that would be founded,
designed and built by God.
........It
was the exercise of faith that enabled Sarah and Abraham to go ahead
and have a child, even though they had grown old without ever before
being able to have one. They believed that God could be trusted to
keep promises. As a result, this one shrivelled old couple became the
parents of a line of descendants that is now as uncountable as the
stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the beach.
........All
those we remember as the early heroes of faith went to their graves
without having seen the promises fulfilled, but still trusting in
God. They were glad to have just caught a glimpse of what was coming,
and that vision was enough to sustain them. They freely admitted that
they were on the earth as outsiders and guests. This attitude made it
clear that they were still expecting to eventually find their true
home. If they had regarded themselves as truly belonging to the
places they had come from, there was nothing to stop them from going
back. It is clear that the reason they didn’t was that their
hearts were set on a better country — a piece of heaven itself.
It is no wonder that God is proud to be known as their God. And their
faith will be vindicated, for God has made ready a city for
them.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Luke 12: 32-40
Jesus said to his followers:
“You lot may seem small and helpless, but don’t be afraid. God conceived you in love and is only too happy to give you the kingdom. Simplify your lives. Off-load your possessions and share generously with people in need. Commit yourselves to a new investment strategy, putting all your eggs in God’s basket. Such investments are not subject to the vagaries of the market. If the treasures your heart is set on are all in God, they are totally fire-proof. Nothing can ever devalue them. The fact is that wherever you make your greatest investment, your passion and energy will inevitably follow.
“Keep your boots on! Keep the lights on! Be ready for action at any moment. Be like diligent workers who are not sure when their boss will be back from his honeymoon, but are determined to be hard at work whenever he shows up. They will be glad they didn’t slack off but kept themselves industrious, because you can bet that when he comes he will throw a party for them — all on the house — and give them a generous end-of-year bonus. It won’t make any difference whether he arrives early or late in the shift, if he finds them on the job, they’ll have every reason to be thankful.
“Think about it. No one would ever let their houses get burgled if the house-breakers worked set hours and made appointments. You have got to be on the ready all the time, because you have no way of knowing when the Son of Humanity is going to show up.”
©2001
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Alternative
Hebrew Bible Lections themed to the Gospel Lection
*
Genesis 15: 1-6
........The
LORD spoke to Abram in a vision, saying, “Abram,
don’t you worry about a thing. I am your armour-plated
protection and you will be greatly rewarded for your loyalty to
me.”
........But Abram said,
“Thank you, Lord GOD, but the only thing I
really want is the one thing you’ve never given me: children. I
have longed for children of my own but you have not given me any.
When I die, there will be no one to carry on my family name, and
since the only person born in my house is Eliezer, my Turkish
servant; he will inherit everything I own.
........But
the LORD spoke to Abram again, saying, “Eliezer
will not be your heir. You will be able to pass on your property to a
child of your own.”
........The
LORD took Abram outside and said, “Look at
the night sky, Abram. See if you can count how many stars there are.
You can’t? Well, your descendants will be as uncountable as the
stars in the night sky.”
........Abram
took the LORD’s word on trust, and for that
the LORD regarded him as a good man.
©2001
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Psalm 33: 12-22
What more could a country want
than to have you as their God?
........To
be your cherished people, LORD, is the best thing
in life.
You keep your eye on the whole earth;
........you
see each and every one of us.
Though you are seated in power,
LORD,
........you
concern yourself with all who live on earth.
You shaped us, inside
and out,
........and you watch
everything we do with interest.
No army can guarantee our
safety;
........the toughest fighter
is not invincible.
Pinning our hopes on military might is
futile;
........brute force cannot
make life worth living.
It is you, LORD,
who watches over all who respect you;
........you,
whose love and loyalty give us confidence.
You are our only hope
when death closes in;
........our
only security when times are tough.
We put our trust in you,
LORD;
........you
alone can help and protect us.
Because of you, our hearts are
bursting with joy;
........your name
stands out and fills us with confidence.
Surround us with your
love, LORD.
........We’ve
pinned all our hopes on you
................and
on your rock-solid love.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net