Service times

Please note the following service times over the coming weeks:

Sunday 27th January - 8.30am
Nehemiah 8:1-3,5,6,8-10 Ezra reads the law to the people

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a You are the body of Christ

Luke 4:14-21 Jesus proclaims God's word at Nazareth

 
Sunday 3rd February - 10am
Jeremiah 1:4-10 God appoints Jeremiah as a prophet to the nations

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 The way of love

Luke 4:21-30 Jesus is rejected by his home town

 

Congregational AGM to follow service, then lunch

Sunday 10th February - 8.30am
Exodus 34:29-35 The shining face of Moses

2 Corinthians 3:12 - 4:2 We reflect the glory of the Lord

Luke 9:28-36 The transfiguration of Jesus

Ash Wednesday - 13th February - 6pm
Joel 2:1,2,12-17 A call to repentance

2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6:10 Be reconciled to God

Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 Giving to the poor, praying, and fasting

The Lord Jesus be with you!

Pastor Matt

Sunday 20th January - 11am

This Sunday service begins at 11am with the gospel reading reminding us of Jesus' continued revelation as the Son of God through His reluctant miracle at the wedding at Cana.

Just as the Lord served those who gathered to celebrate His gift of marriage on that occasion, we look forward to His service of us in the Holy Supper.

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

Sunday 6th January

Well the new year has begun, Christmas is behind us and the Festival of the Epiphany is on our doorstep. Service on Sunday will begin at 11am and will be followed by a shared lunch.

I'll probably be challenging some of your long held beliefs about the 'wise men' this week so if you want to avoid a shock, you could watch this video first...

A happy and blessed new year to you all!

Pastor Matt

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