Sunday 30th December - 8.30am

Service this Sunday - 30th December - will begin at 8.30am.

I came across the following, written by Bishop Philip Lok of the Lutheran Church of Singapore. Bishop Lok has been a friend to the LCA and our churches are partners in the gospel in various locations throughout SE Asia. I'm sure you'll agree that his comments bring the reality of Immanuel - God with us - into real life perspective very well.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14a)

In the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy in the US, where a gunman entered an elementary school and massacred 27 people, including 20 children below the age of 10, Governor Dan Malloy said in a press conference, "Evil visited this community today."

In times of inexplicable sufferings like the Newtown incident, or the destruction of typhoon Bopha which left over 1000 people dead in the Philippines, or even when one of our friends succumbed to cancer, most of us would struggle to offer an appropriate response to those in pain.

But in this season of Christmas, we are reminded that statements like, “Evil visited this community today”, should never be the concluding remark to any suffering or tragedy. As followers of the Christ Child, we must be comforted by the fact that, “God visited this world 2000 years ago.” The Incarnation – Word became flesh – assures us that the Almighty God fully understands our pain for He once ‘moved into our neighbourhood.’ (The Message) As a matter of fact, he even suffered for us and with us.

As another year comes to a close, we give thanks to our God for His grace that carried us. If we truly believe that our God is the Emmanuel, then we must also move with confidence into the new year. Let us be the messengers of God who carry the message of hope and life to the weary world. We need to tell the good news of a God who visited us many years ago.

Bishop Philip Lok

Christmas services

The members at Trinity Lutheran Church, Echuca invite you to join them as they celebrate and give thanks for the birth of their Saviour, Jesus Christ over the coming days. There are a number of services - some of which are at irregular times - so please note them below:

Children's Christmas Service - Sunday 16th December. 6.30pm

A service of lessons and carols - Sunday 23rd December, 8.30am

Christmas Day Service with Holy Communion - 25th December, 8.30am

Service on Sunday 30th December will also begin at 8.30am.

May the peace of the Christ child fill your hearts and lives this Christmas,

Pastor Matt

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry for not posting recently - I am trying to ensure the blog is updated each week but the last few weeks have flown by without me giving it a thought.

Service begins at 8.30am this week. The Old Testament and Gospel readings challenge us to examine ourselves in light of the first commandment, asking the question 'do we fear, love and trust God more than anything else? Or are we relying on our reputation or our good works or our religiosity?'

Here are the readings: 
1 Kings 17:8-16 Elijah and the widow of Zarephath

Hebrews 9:24-28 Christ's sacrifice takes away sins

Mark 12:38-44 The widow's generous offering

On another note, a HUGE thank you to Dani and Tina for the magnificent feast they put on for our Longest Lutheran Lunch! What a great day and what delicious food. Thanks Dani and Tina and the rest of your crew for serving us so well.

See you all at 8.30am

Bless you!

Pastor Matt

Sunday 21st October - 11am

Service for this Sunday - 21st October - will begin at 11am and will be led by Pastor Graham Zweck due to pastor's attendance at the Victorian District Convention in Portland.

Here are the readings for your preparation:

Isaiah 53:4-12 The suffering servant

Hebrews 5:1-10 Jesus our great high priest

Mark 10:35-45 The request of James and John

Please remember that our celebration of the Longest Lutheran Lunch is almost upon us - scheduled to follow our 11am service on 4th November. We will be treated to an authentic Indian menu with members Dani and Tina being assisted by our 'international guest cook' direct from southern India! It promises to be a great day.

Blessings,

Pastor Matt

Shepparton Police Remembrance Day service

Sunday 7th October - 11am

Service this week will begin at 11am and will be followed by our monthly shared lunch. Everyone is very welcome to join us!

Please remember that daylight savings begins this Saturday evening, so turn your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed.

Here are the readings for your preparation:

Genesis 2:18-24 The creation of woman

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 God has spoken through his Son

Mark 10:2-16 Jesus teaches about divorce, and blesses children

 

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 30th September - 8.30am

Service this Sunday will begin at 8.30am.

Here are the readings (and my apologies for a very short post!) 
 

Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29 Moses chooses 70 leaders

James 5:13-20 Prayer offered in faith

Mark 9:38-50 Acting in Jesus' name; temptations to sin

If you're available on Friday you have two options for worship. The first is in Moama as Pastor Graham leads the nursing home service at Southern Cross. Please call him if you are after details.

The second opportunity is at 11am in Shepparton when I will be leading the annual National Police Remembrance Day service in my role as Police Chaplain. The service will be held at St Bredan's in Knight Street and will be followed by morning tea. All are welcome to come and support our local police members on this important day.

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 23rd September - 8.30am

This Sunday worship will begin at 8.30am.

The gospel reading from Mark 9 records Jesus' second passion prediction in Mark's gospel and as usual, it is accompanied by teaching on discipleship. It's that uncomfortable passage that declares "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all."

To emphasise his point, Jesus takes a little child and embraces him and declares the mystery that whoever welcomes a little one such as this, welcomes the Father and the Son.

How much trouble would we be in if our salvation depended on our ability to perfectly welcome and love and serve? Thanks be to God that our Lord Jesus - the first born Son of God - humbled Himself and became the very last to serve us and embrace us with his forgiving love poured out on the cross!

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 2nd September - 11am

Service this week begins at 11am

I'm preaching on James 1:17-27 where we are called to be doers of the word - not falling into the trap of listening but not hearing. I like the way James uses the image of looking into a mirror and almost immediately forgetting what we look like to describe what it's like to listen to God's word, but not really hear it.

How often don't we Christians do that? Having glimpsed not only our sinful self in the mirror of God's word, we catch sight of our reflection in the Living Word as the forgiven, much loved and holy children of God and then we immediately forget and live as though we were no different than the godless souls who have no hope. In the vein of that old adage - actions speak louder than words - we are encouraged to shut up and simply be the people of God!

Have a read of the passage before coming along this week - there's so much packed into these few verses and I'm only going to be able to touch on a little of it - so being well prepared will help you to get so much more out of it.


By the way, Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there! May you be blessed in this holy calling by God our Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ.


I'm looking forward to being together in the Lord's presence.
Pastor Matt

Sunday 26th August - 8.30am

This Sunday service begins at 8.30am.

I'm going to preaching on that well known text from Ephesians 6 which speaks about the important topic of spiritual warfare. Contrary to popular thoughts on this topic, spiritual warfare is not about chasing down demons or demonstrating our abilities in overcoming Satan. The fact is Satan has been defeated by our Lord Jesus and we are now involved in a 'mop up excercise'. But far from going looking for the battle, St Paul encourages us to simply stand guard, clothed in the gifts of our baptism, engaging in spiritual battle through our prayers for those we are called to love and serve.

Our only offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. And this weapon is wielded most powerfully when it guides our praying and strengthens our confidences in Jesus' vicotry over sin and death and even the Devil himself.

If you would like to hear some excellent comments on spiritual warfare, I can recommend nothing more highly than the lectures of Dr John Kleinig which are available at JWK spiritual warfare 1 and JWK spiritual warfare 2

The readings for your preparation are:

Joshua 24:1,2a,14-18 Joshua affirms: We will serve the Lord

Ephesians 6:10-20 Put on God's armour

John 6:56-69 Jesus has the words of eternal life

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 19th August - 11am

This Sunday - 19th August - service will begin at 11am.

We continue with our contemplation of the 6th chapter of John's gospel and hear Jesus' mysterious and yet wonderful invitation to eat His flesh and drink His blood and receive eternal life!

READINGS:

Proverbs 9:1-6 The invitation of Wisdom

Ephesians 5:15-20 Live as wise Spirit-filled people

John 6:51-58 Jesus' flesh and blood gives life

God's peace,

Pastor  Matt

Sunday 12th August - 8.30am

My apologies for yet another 11th hour post!

Service with Holy Communion will begin at 8.30am tomorrow and will be followed by a parish meeting to discuss the future parish manse. There'll be a cuppa after the meeting.

God bless,
Pastor Matt

Sunday 5th August - 11am

Sorry for the late notice but as per our regular schedule, service will be at 11am this week with lunch to follow.

Hope to see you there.

God's peace
Pastor Matt

Sunday 10th June - 8.30am

Service this week (10 June) begins at 8.30am.

The readings for the week are:

Genesis 3:8-15 Human disobedience and God's judgment

2 Corinthians 4:13 - 5:1 The glory to come far exceeds our troubles

Mark 3:20-35 Questions about Jesus' power

But I'm looking like preaching on the Psalm which is 130.

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 27th May - 8.30am

This Sunday we celebrate the festival of Pentecost and give thanks to God for the gift of His Spirit who calls us by the Gospel, enlightens us with His gifts, sanctifies us and keeps us in true faith.

Service will begin at 8.30am

Here are the readings for your preparation: 

Acts 2:1-21 The coming of the Holy Spirit 

Romans 8:22-27 As we live in hope, the Spirit intercedes for us 

John 15:26,27; 16:4b-15 The work of the Spirit of truth

God's peace and blessing to you until we are together on Sunday,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 13th May - 8.30am

Hi everyone.

I pray your week is going well and look forward to seeing you at worship this Sunday at 8.30am.

Here are the readings for Sunday:

Acts 10:44-48 The Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit

1 John 5:1-6 Faith gives us victory over the world

John 15:9-17 Jesus calls us his friends

I'm planning to preach on what it means for Jesus to call us His friends.

Don't forget to say Happy Mother's Day to your Mum on Sunday!

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 6th May - 11am

Service this week will begin at 11am.

Here are the readings for your preparation:

Acts 8:26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian

1 John 4:7-21 Love one another, as God loved us

John 15:1-8 The true vine and the fruitful branches

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

LUTHERANS IN AFRICA

In February this year we were privileged to have Pastor James May from Lutherans in Africa visit us. Pastor May spent time teaching, preaching and sharing stories of how the gospel is transforming whole communities he serves in Africa.

His latest newsletter contains some reflections on his time with us and I encourage you to have a read. You can find it here:

Click here to open LIA newsletter 

Remember that we decided at our parish AGM to support Lutherans in Africa to provide a training workshop for 20 pastors. We are almost half way to raising the funds for this important work and if you would like to know more, please email me.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt 

Sunday 29th April - 8.30am

This Sunday is officially known as Good Shepherd Sunday with a special emphasis on the way Jesus, our Good Shepherd, lays down His life for the sake of His sheep.

Service will begin at 8.30am

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

Service times for 15th & 22nd April

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

And may His resurrection victory continue to give you joy and peace with the Father well beyond your Easter celebrations.

Service times over the next couple of weeks are as follows:

Sunday 15th April
Service of the Word, beginning at 11am

Sunday 22nd April
Service with Holy Communion, beginning at 8.30am

God's peace be with you,
Pastor Matt

Palm Sunday and Holy Week

Service times for the coming week:

Palm Sunday (1 April) - 11am followed by a shared lunch

Maundy Thursday (5 April) - 6pm - Service with Communion & Stripping of the Altar
Good Friday (6 April) - 8.30am - Meditation on the Passion of our Lord
Easter Sunday (8 April) - 8.30am - Service with Communion

God's grace and peace to you as you again remember the passion of our Lord.
Pastor Matt

Sunday 4th March - 11am

After a month of abnormal service times we are finally back to our regular pattern!

Service this week will begin at 11am and it will be the third installment of our series on the chief parts of the Catechism. After taking a detour via Baptism last week, this Sunday we will be hearing about God's work for us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit through the Creed.

Remember to keep your reading up of the catechism each night!

God bless the rest of your week.
Pastor Matt

Sunday 26th February - 10am Parish Service

My apologies for the late posting again this week.

There will be NO service in Echuca this week (26/2), but fret not! After a relaxing drive across to Shepparton, you can join us for a parish service with worship beginning at 10am and being followed by our Parish AGM and then a shared lunch.

Here are the readings:

Genesis 9:8-17 God's covenant with Noah
1 Peter 3:18-22 The flood a symbol of baptism
Mark 1:9-15 The baptism, temptation, and preaching of Jesus

The sermon will be the second in our Lenten series, looking at the six chief parts of Luther's Small Catechism.

Look forward to seeing you there.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

Sunday 12th February - 8.30am

Service this week begins at 8.30am.

Here are the readings for your preparation:
2 Kings 5:1-14 The healing of Naaman the Syrian
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul's self-denial in the cause of the gospel
Mark 1:40-45 Jesus heals a man with leprosy

Don't forget our AGM next week (19/2) after a 10am service.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

Sunday 5th February - 10am

This Sunday there will be NO SERVICE in Echuca as we are having a PARISH MISSION FESTIVAL in Shepparton, which will begin at 10am.

Our guest preacher will be Pastor James May. Pastor May serves the organisation: Lutherans in Africa (http://www.lutheransinafrica.com) and is visiting us for a few days.

The 10am service will be followed by a shared lunch and then Pastor May will speak about his work in Africa, training evangelists and pastors from Lutheran Churches in a number of countries.

I look forward to seeing you there.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

Sunday 29th January - 8.30am

This Sunday we will gather for worship at 8.30am for a Service with Holy Communion. With the new school year beginning in the following week, we will take the opportunity to pray for and bless our students and teachers as they embark on another year of learning.

The readings assigned for this Sunday are:

Deuteronomy 18:15-20 The Lord promises a prophet like Moses

1Corinthians 8:1-13 Christian freedom & love for others

Mark 1:21-28 Jesus teaches with authority

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 15th Janauary - 11am

This coming Sunday, the second Sunday after Epiphany, we gather together for worship at 11am. Here are the readings for your preparation:

1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20) The Lord reveals himself to Samuel
1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
John 1:43-51 We have found the Messiah

God's blessing and peace for the week ahead,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 8th January - 8.30am

This Sunday, 8th January, we will celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord. Joining with the wise men in bowing down before the Saviour of the world, bundled up in our flesh and blood, and praising God for this wonderful gift to all people.

Service will begin at 8.30am.

God's peace,
Pastor matt