Sunday 4th August - 11am

Service begins at 11am this Sunday and will be followed by a shared lunch. ALL WELCOME!

This week our gospel reading jumps forward to Luke's 12th chapter as Jesus responds a man in the crowd who wants Him to solve a family dispute over inheritance. With the Lord of life standing before him, the man in the crowd is preoccupied with getting his fair share of the money! It's like being granted an audience with a king and the best you can do is ask him for a glass of water! 

What a wasted opportunity and what a fatally distracted heart that is so focused on earthly wealth that it misses the eternal treasure sitting in front of him!

The readings for Sunday are below:
Ecclesiastes 1:2,12-14; 2:18-23 Only in God does life have meaning
Colossians 3:1-11 The old life and the new
Luke 12:13-21 The parable of the rich fool

See you on Sunday.
Pastor Matt

Sunday 28th July - 8.30am

It's been a full week that is rapidly drawing to a close and the readings for Sunday almost provide too much great stuff to fit into a couple hundred words for this week's post! Leaving aside the wonderful gospel reminders in the epistle, I'm going to take up Jesus' teaching on prayer from Luke 11 with help from the Old Testament reading retelling Abraham's audacious prayer for the people of Sodom. If only we would all be so bold in prayer!

Service begins at 8.30am.

Here are the readings
Genesis 18:20-32 Abraham pleads for Sodom
Colossians 2:6-15 Not philosophy or legalism, but Christ
Luke 11:1-13 Jesus' teaching on prayer

Every blessing in Christ until Sunday!
Pastor Matt

Sunday 21st July - 11am

Some great texts this week, full of God's promises and full of His grace and mercy. From the promise of a son to the elderly Abraham and Sarah, to the awesome reminder that we have peace with God through the blood of Jesus in the epistle reading, right through to the familiar words of the gospel retelling the story of Jesus' visit to the home of Mary and Martha.

These dear saints both love their Lord and want to 'do' what is fitting and proper as His disciples. Martha, the hostess par excellence, gets busy in the kitchen cooking up a storm. It's interesting that Luke uses the Greek word diakonia to refer to the work she was doing in the kitchen. Interesting because this word is just about always associated with the 'good works' that Christians 'do' in response to the love and mercy that God has 'done' to them in Christ.

Anyway, Martha gets all steamed up because as she goes about her diakonia Mary is 'doing' nothing but sitting at Jesus' feet and listening to His words. Martha is indignant. She is serving the Lord. Doing the right thing. Showing her love for Jesus. And what's Mary doing??? NOTHING but listening to Jesus. And what's worse according to Martha is the fact that Jesus is sitting there letting this inequitable state of affairs continue!

Martha's diakonia, her good works, drives her to judge her sister (my sister has left me to do all the work) and to judge God (don't you care?).

Jesus responds tenderly but firmly, pointing out that Martha's got things messed up. She is putting all the emphasis on her good works and letting them get in the way of her hearing the word of the Lord. One thing is necessary, says Jesus, one thing is needed for salvation. And it isn't hospitality or service of any kind. The only thing that is needed is hearing the word of the Lord which grants faith in the works of Christ and brings the promise of forgiveness, life and salvation.

Good works follow - of course they do - but they do not come first. While Martha is the hostess par excellence, Mary is the disciple par excellence - listening to the word of the Lord and resting in the peace His presence brings.

Come along on Sunday and be a Mary!

Here are the readings:
Genesis 18:1-10a A son promised to old Abraham and Sarah
Colossians 1:15-28 The supremacy of Christ; Paul a servant
Luke 10:38-42 Jesus visits Mary and Martha

God's peace to you all,
Pastor Matt

Service is at 8.30am this week. Despite the fog and frosts that will dampen the start to the day, the church will be warm and dry and the readings provide great encouragement in the mercy of God who comes and tends to those who are beaten and broken by sin, death and the Devil.

Here are the readings and I recommend the video below in preparation for worship (Pastor Fisk has managed to do some sort of Jedi mind thingo and read my mind in regard to my sermon! The video makes for a nice summary - and has fireworks too!)

Deuteronomy 30:9-14 A call to obey God whose word is very near
Colossians 1:1-14 Paul's thanksgiving and prayer
Luke 10:25-37 The parable of the good Samaritan

Sunday 7th July - 11am with lunch to follow

So this week our gospel reading moves into the early verses of Luke chapter 10 and it's impressive stuff! Jesus sends out the seventy-two disciples to preach that the Kingdom of God has come near to all who hear these words because whoever receives the disciples Jesus sends, receives Jesus himself.

The 72 are told they are not to rely on anything except the word of God. Some places will receive the word with joy, but others will reject it and drive them out of town. And if they don't want the Kingdom God is offering them, the disciples are to shake the dust of that town off their feet.

Grace is on offer - rich and free - but many will choose condemnation instead.

When the disciples return to Jesus, they're excited. This stuff works!! They can't wait to tell Jesus that even demons submit to their ministry in His name! Impressive deeds were done. Powerful things took place. And now the disciples are fired up!

But rather than allow them to get carried away in their enthusiasm, Jesus offers a quiet word of perspective. It's all well and good to have protection from the enemy, even to be immune to poisonous snakes and scorpions, but NONE of this compares to the wonderful joy that their names are written in heaven!

So often Christians get carried away with the spectacular. Preachers who appear to have the power to perform miracles. Congregations who amass to themselves great numbers of worshippers, impressive worship bands, fancy programs and services that would make Andrew Lloyd Webber envious!

But to be carried away with such things is to miss the point. The kingdom of God has come near to us in the same preached word the 72 were given. Whether the preacher is a great orator or one who nervously ascends the pulpit each week, the focus of the Christian is to be on the word that is proclaimed. The Word that declares you are forgiven through faith in Christ alone. The Word that declares you righteous for the sake of Jesus. The Word that writes your name in heaven itself.

If you want to get impressed by anything, be impressed that God works through a humble word proclaimed by an unimpressive preacher. Be impressed that in the midst of our ordinary life together as God's people, this same Word is securing your place in heaven. Be impressed that God's Kingdom is still coming near to you as Christ is proclaimed and forgiveness, life and salvation become yours - not because the church has a rockin' band or fancy light show or powerful pastor - but because Jesus is present in the Word.

Make sure you have a look at these readings as you prepare for worship at 11am this Sunday (7th July):
Isaiah 66:10-14 Rejoice with Jerusalem
Galatians 6:1-16 Do good to all
Luke 10:1-20 Jesus sends out the seventy

God's blessing to you all,
Pastor Matt