Billabong: a quiet backwater; a place of refreshment, of hospitality.
This is a worship resource following the Revised Common Lectionary. I hope that you find this to be a ‘billabong’ as you resource yourself for worship, both public and private. Traditionally, billabongs were not owned, but cared for by all who who used them. Similarly, I see myself not “owning a resource” but offering hospitality. Enjoy your visit, and journey on refreshed.
With the exception noted below, the material on this web site is of my making. When you include any of these resources in printed orders of worship, pew sheets and similar publications for congregational use, please include an acknowledgement, such as, “© Jeff Shrowder (https://thebillabong.info) Used with permission.”
Some material has been included from other sources and has been designated by appropriate attribution, which should be properly acknowledged in use.
The PSALMS INDEX is a table showing the psalms in the three-year cycle. It’s pretty well repopulated with links to the relevant pages as they are created. Please let me know of any broken links you find.
The hymn suggestions come from Together in Song (Subtitled Australian Hymn Book 2 – published 1999)
Here’s a list of AUSTRALIAN HYMNWRITERS and HYMNS in Together in Song.
File names and headings reference the COCU Index of the Lectionary, published in 1974 by an ecumenical body in the USA. It paved the way for the Common Lectionary (in 1983), and the RCL (in 1994). (From the link in the sidebar you can download a PDF file containing the RCL Lectionary for the current year, marked with the COCU Index and a fuller explanation of its intent and worth. Many thanks to the Rev’d John Maynard for the work from which it is derived.)
The Billabong is a work in progress. Please let me know of any errors or omissions.
About the Author…
I’m a Minister of the Word (now retired) in the Uniting Church in Australia, in rural Victoria. I have a particular passion for the Old Testament, but I’m also passionate about sharing the Psalms in a variety of ways in our worship.
In addition, I have enjoyed creating other worship resources, particularly, but not exclusively, for lay people engaged in planning and leading worship in a variety of contexts. With the flexibility of retirement I occasionally work on further developing these resources. Jeff Shrowder
Prayers are with you during the dry-patch. So much of what you do seems inspired and I hope you will with all the 4 “Rs” in place: rested, restored, refreshed, and renewed. God bless you and thank you.
Elaine,
Thank you for your prayers and concern; both are greatly appreciated.
Peace,
Jeff
Thanks for your inspired writing. I would like to use your poems from time to time in my printed liturgies for “Worship on Thursday” and I would like the correct copyright information please. Joan Stott
Thank you, Joan, for your interest The Billabong. I am glad to hear that these materials are able to be used in your worship. An attribution such as: “© Jeff Shrowder. Used with permission” would be appropriate.
Blessings.
Hi Geoff,
Where do I find the list of hymns now?
Pretty much the same way as of old: on the menu line hover your cursor over ‘The Weeks Ahead’, from the resulting drop-down menu select the week you want and that page will come up complete with the hymn suggestions as previously.
Alternatively, on the Home page click on “More…” at the bottom of the material presented in the post introducing the current week. I hope this helps.
In this new iteration of The Billabong I despensed with calendar dates: it was a high maintenance aspect of the old web site and prone to errors – often. I can now spend more time revising, expanding and creating.
Peace,
Jeff
Thanks for your ongoing useful resource, Jeff.
Just a note for this Sunday – I, the Lord of sea and sky is TiS 658, not 688.
Best wishes,
Robert
Thank you, Robert, both for you comment and your correction. Coincidentally, I had just finished attending to that little problem when I noticed a new comment had been posted – yours. 🙂
Peace,
Jeff
Hi Jeff.
I like your new layout and I hope it makes life easier for you in maintaining and updating it. And thanks for your kind generosity.
One little problem – in Advent 1B and 2B, the content for Advent 1A and 2A appears.
Regards,
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Glad you like the ‘new look’. Yes, others have also pointed out my lapse with Advent 1B and 2B. I’ll fix that soon. I’m doing this away from home at the moment and the WIFi is a bit ‘spotty’.