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Event Series Event Series: Proper 9 – Year B

Proper 9 – Year B

7 July All day

Below you will find the Bible readings set for this occasion in the Revised Common Lectionary, with our Australian idiomatic paraphrases of them, plus prayers and sermons based on them.

Bible Readings (paraphrased)

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.

After David had been king of Judah for some time, the leaders of the tribes of Israel came to meet with him at Hebron. They addressed him, saying:
“Look, we are family – your own flesh and blood. For a long time, even though Saul was officially our king, it has been you that we all looked up to, and you that we took our marching orders from. The LORD promised that it was only a matter of time before you would rule Israel and be the caretaker of all God’s people.”

During this meeting at Hebron, the tribal elders of Israel negotiated a deal with David and signed it in a sacred ceremony, with the LORD as their witness. As part of the deal they crowned David king of Israel, pouring sacred olive oil on his head to show that he was the chosen one.

David was thirty years old when he became king, and his reign lasted forty years. For the first seven and a half years, while based in Hebron, he only ruled over Judah. Then for a further thirty-three years he ruled over both Israel and Judah from his new capital in Jerusalem.  The fortified centre of Jerusalem had held out against David, but he eventually captured it and moved in, declaring it to be the city of David. He had the city rebuilt around it starting from the landfill area on the east side.

David’s position was becoming stronger all the time, because the LORD, the ruler of everything, was on his side.

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Great is the LORD – worthy of our highest praise —
and great is the city where God lives.
The mountain of God’s presence
is a spectacular sacred site,
a source of joy for all the earth.
On Mount Zion stands the city of the great Ruler.
There in God’s sheltering presence
we have been given a place of safety.

Rulers of nations, despots and tyrants,
united to overthrow God’s dominion,
but one look at God’s sure defence
and their arrogant plans were blown.
In sheer panic, they took off in all directions.
They were as shaken as a woman in labour,
or a storm-tossed ship smashed on the reef.

We had heard of God’s great city,
and now we have seen it with our own eyes
The LORD who rules over everything
will see that this city stands firm forever.

O God, here in your holy Temple,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
Your reputation, O God, spreads throughout the earth,
and wherever you are named,
people shout for joy.
Your rule of justice has the last word everywhere.
Let Mount Zion celebrate,
and every city and town throw a party
because God’s decisions
bring justice and righteousness.

Come, let us walk around the holy mountain.
Let us examine our God from every angle.
Count up the towers of safety.
Inspect the sheltering places
within the presence of God.
Pass all this on to your children
and your children’s children
so that they too will know that this is our God.
This God is our God forever and ever,
the God who will lead us in peace
for all time to come. 

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

There was a certain person — a Christian person who I know well — who fourteen years ago was swept up into the heights of heaven. I’m not sure whether this was a physical experience or an ecstatic vision. Only God really knows.

As I say, God only knows whether or not it was a whole-body thing, but this certain person was snatched up into Paradise, and there he heard things that are too wonderful for words, things that he dare not repeat to a living soul. Now if you want to hear about such amazing things, then I’m willing to talk freely about this certain person, but I don’t want to go blowing my own trumpet. Of course if you want me to talk about weaknesses I could talk about myself all night!

Mind you, there is no reason to think I’d end up with egg on my face if I did talk big about my own experiences. It would be the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but don’t get me started! I’d rather let my actions do the talking for me. Let me be judged simply by the value of what I teach and what I do. Any spectacular revelations I may have experienced in the past should not inflate your opinion of me.

And believe me, God has seen to it that they haven’t given me an over inflated opinion of myself. To balance them out and keep my feet firmly on the ground, I have been given a special gift — a real thorn in the flesh, a condition that torments me and causes great anguish in my body. Satan used it to try to derail me, but it is probably what has kept me on track. Of course I couldn’t see that at first. Three times I put everything else aside and gave all my time and energy to seeking the Lord for healing and deliverance. But the Lord said to me, “My generous love is enough for you. Your weakness clears the deck and opens you to my strength.”

So then, if it means that Christ’s strength will be all the more active in me, I will gladly wear my weaknesses like a badge of honour. Indeed, given the opportunity to talk about them, you can’t shut me up! So nowadays, what ever comes my way — failure, bad-mouthing, tough times, harassment, tragedy —I take it all in my stride and just allow Christ to come to the fore. You see, it is when I am at my weakest that I find the greatest strength.

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Jesus returned to his Nazareth, his hometown, and his closest followers went with him. On the Sabbath he gave a public lecture in the local synagogue. Many of those who attended were surprised and impressed by what he had to say. “Who would have guessed that a local lad would have done so well?” they said. “Where did he pick up such wisdom? And look at the miraculous things he does with just a touch of his hands!”

But the next minute they were getting their noses out of joint. “Who does he think he is? Mr Big-shot! He’s just a carpenter – Mary’s boy – no better than any of us. We know his brothers – James, Justin, Jude and Simon. His sisters all live here, and they’re no different from us.” So they ended up resenting him.

Jesus responded to all this, saying, “It’s always the way. Prophets are appreciated everywhere except at home among the friends and relations they grew up with.”

There was very little he could do there. He laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them, but that was about it. He couldn’t get over how stubborn and skeptical they were, so he moved on and did a teaching tour through the neighbouring towns.

Jesus called his chosen twelve together and sent them out in pairs. He commissioned them to deal with any spirit of evil they might encounter. He gave them orders to travel lightly and live simply – no carting luggage around or buying things along the way. He told them, “If anyone invites you to stay in their home, do so until it’s time to move on. No shopping around for a better place! And if you arrive somewhere and they refuse to welcome you in or hear what you have to say, just move on. Turn your backs and walk away. Scratch their names off your map and forget them.”

So they hit the road. Everywhere they went they preached with enthusiasm, calling people to turn their lives around and get back on track. They flushed out numerous demons, and healed a lot of people of various illnesses, anointing them with oil and praying that God would make them whole.

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prior to the revision of the Lectionary in 1992, the 1st reading and the psalm that responded to it were chosen to link thematically with the gospel reading. After hearing the critique of those who said that the Hebrew Scriptures, from which the first reading is usually chosen, should be allowed to speak with their own voice rather than just add support to the gospel reading, the Lectionary was revised so that during Ordinary Time, the 1st reading runs in its own semi-continuous series, working through various books of the Hebrew Bible. The older themed series continues to be available as an alternative.

The weekly prayers offered here at LaughingBird Resources are based on the four readings above, and do not draw on the themed 1st reading and psalm.

A voice spoke to me and said, “Ezekiel, young man, stand up on your feet and listen to what I have to say to you.”

When I heard this, a spirit moved inside me and stood me up on my feet, and I heard the voice speaking to me. The voice said to me:

“Young man, I am sending you to my people. They are a nation of scabs who turned against me. Just like their ancestors, they have repeatedly done the wrong thing by me and they are continuing to do so. This latest generation is the most callous and pigheaded yet. I am sending you to them, and it is your job to announce whatever the Lord GOD has to say to them. Maybe they will listen, maybe they won’t, because they are such a defiant mob. Either way, they will be left in no doubt that there has been a prophet among them.”

©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

It is to you that we look for help, LORD;
to you who rules from the throne of heaven!

When people are injured,
they look to the doctors for help;
when they lie in hospital,
they look to the nurses for compassion;
and in the same way
we look to you, the LORD our God:
we depend on your kindness and care.

Treat us with compassion, LORD, treat us with compassion.
We’ve endured more than our fair share of contempt.

We have had an absolute gutful
of being put down by the arrogant
and treated like dirt by those who’ve got it easy.

©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Prayers

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,
— joy of all the earth —
for your grace is sufficient for us,
and your strength is always there in our weakness.

You created the heavens and the earth and all that live in them
and gave yourself to us to be our guide forever.
You gave your people great leaders, like David,
to shepherd them in peace and righteousness.

Your son, Jesus, came teaching with astounding wisdom
and bringing freedom and healing at the touch of his hands.
Like the prophets he was not honoured in his own town,
and was crucified by his own nation,
but you raised him from the dead,
displaying your perfect power in his weakness.
Now he has entrusted us with his mission
of casting out evil and proclaiming your steadfast love
from the holy mountain to the ends of the earth.

Therefore with .....

©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We give thanks for your son, Jesus,
whose trusted your perfect power in his weakness on the cross,
and who has entrusted us with his mission
of casting out evil and proclaiming your steadfast love
from the holy mountain to the ends of the earth.

©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

We give you all thanks and praise, O God,
— joy of all the earth —
for your grace is sufficient for us,
and your strength is always there in our weakness.

You created the heavens and the earth and all that live in them
and gave yourself to us to be our guide forever.
You gave your people great leaders, like David,
to shepherd them in peace and righteousness.

Your son, Jesus, came teaching with astounding wisdom
and bringing freedom and healing at the touch of his hands.
Like the prophets he was not honoured in his own town,
and was crucified by his own nation,
but you raised him from the dead,
displaying your perfect power in his weakness.
Now he has entrusted us with his mission
of casting out evil and proclaiming your steadfast love
from the holy mountain to the ends of the earth.

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.

©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Jesus Christ sent out his apostles to call us all to repentance.
God has promised that all who turn to Christ for mercy
will receive forgiveness for sin,
for in our weakness, God’s strength is sufficient.

Sisters and Brothers,
  your sins are forgiven;
    be at peace.

©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Go now, and wherever people will hear you,
proclaim the life-changing love of God.
Do not fear your weakness,
for when you are weakest, Christ’s strength is known.
Travel lightly, live simply,
and honour those who welcome the gospel.

And may God be your protection and safe haven;
May the power of Christ Jesus dwell in you;
and may the Holy Spirit be your guide forever.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
   In the name of Christ. Amen.

©2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Sermons

Sermons will open in new tabs from our SYCBaps church website.

  1. Don’t Count on Applause
    A sermon on Mark 6:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton
  2. Shoot the Messenger
    A sermon on Mark 6:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton
  3. “Trusting God” for People who Have Everything
    A sermon on Mark 6: 1-13, 14-15, 21-23 & 2 Corinthians 12: 2-10 by Andrew Woff
  4. Making the Covenant – Making the Church
    A sermon on 2 Samuel 5: 1-5, 9-10 by Nathan Nettleton
  5. The Stumbling Stone Sermon
    A sermon on Mark 6:1-13 by Samara Pitt
  6. Picketing the Church
    A sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13 & 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 by Nathan Nettleton
  7. Thorns, Warts and All
    A sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 & Mark 6:1-13 by Nathan Nettleton

Details

Date:
7 July
Series: