For Sunday the 21st October - 11.00am

Persistence is often lauded as a wonderful quality on the football field, in academic endeavours, and even in the business world. Those who persist in the face of adversity and impending failure are seen as courageous and an inspiration to us all. I guess that's because it's so easy to simply give up when things seem stacked against us.

In this week's Gospel reading Jesus tells a parable to encourage us to be persistent also in prayer. In an age when we are encouraged to question our faith if it doesn't seem 'to work' immediately, Jesus calls us not to lose heart, but to keep bringing our petitions before our loving Heavenly Father in confidence. He goes on to assure us that not only does God hear the prayers of His people, but He will answer them for our good and blessing. A timely promise for us as we continue to pray that God would deliver us from drought and hardship.

The readings this week are:

Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob wrestles with God
2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:5 Responsibilities of the pastor
Luke 18:1-8 Parable of the widow and the judge

Divine Service will begin at 11.00am.

God's peace be with you,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday the 29th July - 10.00am

PARISH SERVICE THIS WEEK BEGINNING AT 10AM IN SHEPPARTON

When Jesus' disciples asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" He gave them a very simple, and yet profound gift - the Lord's Prayer. In this prayer we are taught that our God and Father delights to have us ask for all we need. But even more than that, in the midst of all our false notions of God, the Lord's Prayer teaches us Who it is we pray to, and what sort of confidence we should have as we approach Him on our knees. This will be our focus on Sunday.

Remember we're having a parish service this week which will begin at 10am at St Paul's, Shepparton. The service will be followed by lunch (bring along a plate to share) and then the Shepp vs Echuca 10 pin bowling challenge! I look forward to seeing you all there.

For your preparation for worship, the readings are as follows:

Genesis 18:20-32

Colossians 2:6-15

Luke 11:1-13

The Psalm is Ps 138.

God's peace be with you,

Pastor Matt

For Sunday the 15th July - 11.00am

This coming Sunday (15/7) we will be hearing the parable of the Good Samaritan. All too often this parable is disconnected from the reason Jesus told it - to point to our inability to live up to the Law of God which demands that if we want to earn eternal life we must 'love the Lord our God with all our all heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. And love our neighbour as ourselves.' (Luke 10:27)

The unpredjudiced love and care the Samaritan shows for the injured man in the parable is indeed the standard required of us all, but how often we fail in this! If we want to earn eternal life by our own efforts, despair and hell are all that await us.

Thanks be to God that our Good Samaritan, Jesus Himself, carries us who are beaten to within an inch of our lives by sin, dresses our wounds with His forgiveness, and pays the whole price for our healing. Renewed by His gracious love, we are able to begin to 'go and do likewise', sharing the mercy we have received with others. We can only begin to be good Samaritans, once The Good Samaritan has restored us to life from certain death.

The readings for Sunday are:

Psalm 25:1-10

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

God's peace be with you,

Pastor Matt

For Sunday the 8th July - 8.30am

This coming Sunday we will be gathering for Divine Service at 8.30am. The assigned reading from St Luke's gospel tells of how the Lord Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples to proclaim forgiveness, life and salvation in His name. When the disciples returned they expressed great joy over the success of their missionary journey and the powerful deeds they were able to perform in Jesus' name.

Success and the spectacular always impresses us - perhaps even seduces us. How easy it is to be intoxicated by power and to find ourselves lusting over the spectacular.

While Jesus acknolwedges He has given authority to His disciples, He urges them not to get carried away over these things. He points out to us all that the far greater gift and reason for joy is the fact that through faith in Him, their names are written in heaven.

For your preparation, the readings are:
Psalm 66:1-9

Isaiah 66:10-14
Galatians 6:1-16
Luke 10:1-11; 16-20

God's peace be with you,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday the 1st July - 11.00am

This morning in Shepparton a small band of regulars joined with me to pray Matins and commemorate the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. We gave thanks for God's preservation of the gospel through the fearless confession of His faithful servants throughout the ages, and especially during the Reformation.

This gospel brings us God's free gift of forgiveness, life and salvation through faith in Jesus. It frees us from enslavement to the Law and so it liberates us from sin and death which come as a result of our failure to keep the Law. This coming Sunday (1st of July) we will be hearing what this freedom means for our daily lives and rejoicing in the privilege we have to serve God as a result of our status as free people who are led by the Holy Spirit.

The readings are:
1 Kings 19:15,16,19-21
Galatians 5:1,13-25
Luke 9:51-62

I'll be preaching on the second reading.

In the meantime, this Friday (June 29) is the Feast of St Peter and St Paul. You might like to take time on that day to reflect on God's work through these apostles in proclaiming the gospel.

Here's an explanation of why they're commemorated together:

'The two great apostles whose ministry embraced the whole Jewish and Gentile world have been associated in Christian devotion since earliest times. The date chosen to commemorate the two apostles seems to be not the day of their martyrdom but the anniversary of a joint observance in their honour. The day of Peter and Paul is one of the oldest saints' days. Tradition says that Peter went to Rome and was martyred there (c. 64) by being crucified upside down. The Scriptures leave Paul in Rome, but tradition asserts that he went to Spain and returned to Rome where he was beheaded in the persecution under Nero.' (Contemporary Worship 6: The Church Year, Calendar and Lectionary, 1973)

Readings for the Feast are:
Ezekiel 34:11-16 God Himself will shepherd His people
1 Corinthians 3:16-23 All belong to Christ
Mark 8:27-35 Peter's confession

Almighty God, whose apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your church, instructed by their teaching and example, may be knit together by your Spirit and always stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt Anker