For the next 2 Sundays - 30th Sept & 7th October

I won't be able to post on the blog for the next couple of weeks, so I thought I'd post all the details for worship now.

Sunday 30th September - 11.00am

On the 30th we will be celebrating LCA Sunday as we pray for the Lutheran Church of Australia, give thanks for the blessings that flow to us through the LCA, and consider what it means for us to be synod.

The sermon will be based on Romans 12 :3-13 and will explore what it means to be part of the body of Christ. The readings will follow the regular lectionary for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost:

Amos 6:1a,4-7 Woe to the complacent
1 Timothy 6:6-19 Pastoral advice to Timothy
Luke 16:19-31 Parable of the rich man and Lazarus

Sunday 7th October - 11.00am

We will be privileged to have Pastor Zweck preach for us on the 7th October. His sermon will be based on the second reading.

Here are all three readings for your preparation:

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 The righteous will live by faith
2 Timothy 1:1-14 Encouragement to be faithful
Luke 17:5-10 Faith and duty

Don't forget that we'll be having a community lunch at church following the service - bring something to share and enjoy each others' company.

God's peace be with you in these coming weeks,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday the 23rd September - 8.30am

Talk about coming at things out of left field! Next Sunday's gospel reading (Luke 16:1-13) records Jesus' parable of the shrewd manager and you certainly can't accuse Him of using sterotypes to make a point.

Jesus takes the example of this man who is sacked by his employer with little prospect of another job and no hope of support. Before he finishes up the manager uses his position and authority to ensure he will have 'supporters' while unemployed. How? By ripping off his boss by writing down debts to secure the friendship of those who owed the money! What's most suprising is the fact that Jesus praises this man's shrewdness!

But fear not, Jesus is not promoting dodgy business practices. He highlights the astuteness of the dishonest manager as the quality to be emulated by Christians when addressing their spiritual future. The children of light (disciples of Christ) are often not as industrious at pursuing eternal life as the children of this world are in getting ahead!

So in the sermon we'll be thinking about how we can be prepared for the time when our 'employment' in this world comes to an end.

Divine Service will begin at 8.30am.

The Lord be with you all throughout this week,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday the 16th September - 11.00am

This coming Sunday (16/9) we will be hearing two much loved parables spoken by our Lord - the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin from Luke 15.

Jesus proclaims two things very clearly in these parables. The first point He makes is that sinners are lost. In other words, sin separates people from God.

The second great teaching is that God grieves over that separation to the point that he goes looking for those sinners who are lost until they are found and restored. God pays no concern to the cost - even being prepared to go in search of one sheep out of the hundred. Ninety-nine out of a hundred is not a good enough result - the Lord desires that all people will be saved.

CS Lewis famously reflected on this gracious seeking of God as He referred to our Heavenly Father as the 'Hound of heaven' who doggedly refuses to give up searching us out.

The parables both finish with Jesus expressing great joy and delight as even one human soul is recovered. It's a beautiful image as we are told that the angels join in the celebration in heaven over one sinner who repents! Do we always give God this joy?

Why not take time to mull over the readings in your preparation for worship this week:

Exodus 32.7–14
1 Timothy 1.12–17
Luke 15.1–10

The Psalm is 51:1-10

Divine Service will begin at 11.00am. See you there!

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday the 9th September - 8.30am

I'm just back from Victorian District pastors' conference and so the Blog has been neglected until now.

Divine Service for this Sunday (9/9) will begin at 8.30am. I'll be preaching on Deuteronomy 30:15-20 as we consider what it means that God calls us to 'Choose life'. This phrase has been bandied around for years, from pro-life groups through to the pop group Wham - it's been used in many contexts. But as far as God is concerned, choosing life is about choosing to live as in God's presence, to dwell in His Word, and to live in His forgiving love. We'll be exploring what this means for us on Sunday.

Until then,

the Lord be with you,
Pastor Matt