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

Sunday 30th June - 8.30am

This Sunday service begins at 8.30am with the gospel continuing in Luke, chapter 9. As Jesus is approached by two men who express a desire to follow Him, He makes it clear that discipleship is not just a matter of words or "properly ordered priorities". This is first commandment stuff - we are the fear, love and trust in God above all things!

Impossible, you say? Well that's kinda the point! None of us fear, love and trust God as we ought. Despite our best intentions, our discipleship is always less than perfect and our following is far from what it should be - especially when the rubber hits the road.

Rather than despairing of this, our Heavenly Father would have us flee to the One who fulfilled all things on our behalf, receive forgiveness and life through His obedience, and follow in the way of repentance.

Here are the readings as you prepare for worship:

1 Kings 19:15,16,19-21 The call of Elisha
Galatians 5:1,13-25 Freedom in Christ to live by the Spirit
Luke 9:51-62 The cost of following Jesus

The peace of the Lord Jesus be with you,
Pastor Matt

Sunday 23rd June - 8.30am

Hi everyone - worship is at 8.30am this week.

This Sunday's gospel reading from Luke 8 takes us to the 'wrong side' of the Jordan as Jesus comes across the Gerasene man who is possessed by a legion of demons. With very little fuss and without ANY of the Hollywood exaggeration normally associated with exorcisms, Jesus speaks and the man is freed from the hellish torment he has been enduring for years. The demons depart and possess a herd of pigs who flee into the depths of the sea.

A great story of deliverance and one you would expect to have been received with thanksgiving and praise. But no. Instead the people come flocking to see what has happened and then, filled with fear, they beg Jesus to go away! What motivates their fear? Is it Jesus' power? Or is it their fear of further loss if more of their livestock are the collateral damage of another exorcism?

God forbid that we should respond to Jesus' power to forgive and free us from sin, death and the Devil with this faithless kind of fear. Yes, there is a cost to discipleship (as Jesus will tell us in the next chapter). But that cost is about letting go of things that lead to death and embracing the way of the cross, that leads to eternal life. It's about letting go our own, self-styled Christianity and being swept up in the true faith that trusts in Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation.

The healed Gerasene man got it - and Jesus sent him off to tell everyone what God had done for him. I pray you will receive the same liberation from sin, death and the Devil tomorrow as we gather in the presence of the risen Lord Jesus who continues to call us to life out of the graveyard of this world.

Here are the readings:
Isaiah 65:1-9 The Lord will punish the rebellious but save those who serve him.
Galatians 3:23-29 We are Christ's, justified by faith
Luke 8:26-39 Jesus heals a man with demons

See you all at 8.30am!
Pastor Matt

Sunday 16th June - 11am

Service starts at 11am this coming Sunday (16 June).

Well this week we continue in chapter 7 of Luke's gospel, reading from verse 36.

Jesus is invited into the home of Simon the Pharisee for dinner. As Jesus kicks back at the table, a known SINNER, an unclean woman, lays at Jesus' feet, washing them with her tears, wiping them with her hair, and annointing His feet with incredibly expensive myrhh.

How could Jesus allow such a SINNER come near Him, let alone touch Him like this? That's the question on Simon's mind. And maybe it's the question on your's too. We can handle Jesus forgiving 'respectable' sinners - those who's sins don't make our skin crawl - but not the really, really bad and terrible sinners! How can Jesus forgive them, be near them and love them?????

As Jesus tells the parable of the two debtors (or as I like to call it, the parable of the amazingly, fantasmagorical, gracious, generous, forgiving and merciful Creditor ie. God!) He makes it clear that we are all indebted to God because of our sin and in need of His mercy. But more than that He makes it clear that having recognised our sin and received forgiveness as a gift, love of God will flow in our lives as a sign of the faith He has given us.

"Your sins are forgiven" Jesus says to the woman. "Go, YOUR FAITH has saved you!"

Awesome stuff - faith trusting in the promise and mercy of God; forgiveness making new and inspiring love; and it all flows out of God's work in Christ alone. Doesn't depend on you. Doesn't depend on your holiness and righteousness. DOESN'T EVEN DEPEND ON HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THE LORD. It depends on JESUS!

Here are the readings for your preparation - it's not too hard to figure out how they all hang together!

2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:10,13-15 Nathan's message: You are the man!

Galatians 2:15-21 Jews and Gentiles are saved by faith

Luke 7:36 - 8:3 A sinful woman forgiven; women followers

You might like to watch this video as you think about the gospel reading as well....

Sunday 9th June - 8.30am

Service begins at 8.30am this week.

Here are the readings for your preparation:

1 Kings 17:8-24 Elijah and the widow in Zarephath

Galatians 1:11-24 Paul called by God himself

Luke 7:11-17 Jesus raises a widow's son from death

  

The sermon is based on the reading from 1 Kings, but I highly recommend the following video which discusses the gospel reading. It's well worth watching!

 

 

 

God's peace be with you,

Pastor Matt