For Sunday 20th September - 11am

This Sunday Divine Service will begin at 11.00am.

We will hear the familiar words of Jesus where he said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." Together with the second reading from the epistle of St James, we will be reminded of the danger of following our inner desires to be and to have more and more, without concern for our motives.

Jesus calls us not to seek prestige and power and position, but to delight in the opportunity to serve as we have been served by Him through the free gift of forgiveness and life received in His name.

See you Sunday.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 6th September - 11am

This Sunday we will meet for Divine Service from 11am.

We will hear the wonderful example of the Syro-Phoenician woman who had faith in even the smallest 'scraps' of the Lord's mercy. Because she accepted she was truly undeserving, she was grateful for whatever the Lord could 'throw her way' and the result of her faith was the healing of her daughter.

We too need healing and we too deserve nothing but the judgment of God. Will we have faith in the 'scraps' of mercy that come our way as Jesus serves us through Word and Sacrament?

Sunday School will meet at around 11.45am.

Please note that as it is Fathers' Day, we will not be holding our congregational lunch this month.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 30th August - 8.30am

This Sunday we will celebrate Refugee and Migrant Sunday as we give thanks to God for bringing us together in this parish from around the world and uniting us as one family in Christ. We will take the opportunity to acknowledge our diverse roots and to pray particularly for the countrymen and women of our members who are still suffering as refugees around the world.

The readings for your preparation are:

Song of Solomon 2:8-13 Springtime love song
James 1:17-27 Listening and doing
Mark 7:1-8,14,15,21-23 What makes people unclean

The following flags reveal just how diverse our origins are in this parish, and just how blessed we are to be together in this place.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 23rd August - 8.30am

Divine service this week will begin at 8.30am.

I'm preaching on the epistle reading from Ephesians 6:10-20 as we consider the implications of our call to spiritual warfare. One word comes up again and again as St Paul points to the tactics we are to utilise in this war - stand!

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 16th August - 11am

So often we act as though the greatest wisdom in life consists in milking every last scrap of self indulgent pleasure out of our days, with little regard for how it impacts us more deeply. Even in the church people often succumb to the false notion that what they do with their bodies, for example, has little impact on their spiritual well being. Such an approach to life often suggests that wisdom lies in juggling daily 'pleasures' with spiritual 'duties'.

Who'd have thought that true wisdom would come in ordering our whole lives according to the word of God and the praises of His goodness in our Lord Jesus?

As the psalmist (and the writer of Proverbs) says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. True wisdom comes through a knowledge of our standing before God as sinners, utterly dependent on His grace and mercy in Christ.

This week I'll be preaching on Ephesians 5:15-20 where St Paul calls us to "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

Service will begin at 11am.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 9th August - 8.30am

This week Divine Service will begin at 8.30am.

The readings are:
2 Samuel 18:5-9,15,31-33 The death of David's son Absalom
Ephesians 4:25 - 5:2 Be imitators of God
John 6:35,41-51 Jesus the bread of life

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 2nd August - 11.00am

This Sunday Divine Service will begin at 11.00am.

Jonathan Krause from Australian Lutheran World Service will be our guest this week and will speak after the service about the work our church does through this agency. There will be an opportunity to support ALWS through a retiring offering.

We'll have a chance to speak more with Jonathan over lunch together.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt