Service times November 2010

Service times for November and December 5 are as follows:

7th November - Service with Communion (8.30am)
14th November - Service with Communion (11am) guest preacher Pastor Graham Zweck
21st November - Service of the Word(8.30am)
28th November - Service with Communion (11am) guest preacher Pastor Allan Heppner
5th December - Service of the Word (8.30am)

God bless you all,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 26th September - 11.00am

God has blessed our congregation abundantly in the way He has added to our number over the past few years. We've got to the stage where we are overflowing and while we wait for a new church, we've had to make short term arrangements to worship in a larger building to accommodate our growing number (93 at worship on 12 Sept.!)

From this Sunday (26th Sept.) we will be hiring St David's Uniting Church in King Street, Shepparton for weekly worship. It's just around the corner from St Paul's and will provide space for many more to join us in receiving God's grace through word and sacrament.

Here's a map showing where St David's is in relation to our current church:


View Larger Map

This Sunday we will begin in new surrounds with the baptism of Garang Deng.

I do hope you can join us. Service will begin at 11am.

God bless,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 19th September - 8.30am

This Sunday worship will begin at 8.30am at our church in Fahey Street.

I mention the location because as of the 26th September we will be renting St David's Uniting Church in King Street for weekly worship due to the fact that we have outgrown our current building and are not yet in a position to build our new church. More details will be posted early next week.

I'm planning to preach on the gospel reading from Luke 16:1-13, the parable of the shrewd manager and offer the reflections here from our LCA worship resources:

Jesus is talking to the affluent here, people who are so wrapped up in their pursuit of money and consumer material goods that they don't bother giving time to pursue their eternal welfare before it is too late. This illustrative story does not praise dubious practice in business. Jesus uses the astuteness of the dishonest manager as the quality to be emulated by Christians when addressing their spiritual needs. The children of light (disciples of Christ) are not as industrious by and large at pursuing eternal life as the children of this world are in getting ahead! The second comparison is in faithfulness of stewardship. Christ makes the point that Christian service needs to be directed single-mindedly to the Lord, not mixed also with material greed.

God bless,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 5th September - 8.30am

This Sunday service begins at 8.30am in Shepparton. Given that Sunday is Fathers' Day, the gospel reading from Luke 14 is likely to challenge us as Jesus declares that whoever follows Him must hate their father, etc.

Rather than closing our ears to this difficult reading, there is much blessing as we consider how Jesus calls us to keep our priorities in check as we walk as His disciples. It's essentially a first commandment text reminder us to fear, love and trust God above all things!

See you Sunday.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 29th August - 11am

This coming Sunday (29/8) is the fifth Sunday of the month and falls out of our regular pattern of service times. Worship will begin at 11am and will include Sunday School as usual.

Here are the readings for your preparation:

Proverbs 25:6,7 The wisdom of humility
Hebrews 13:1-8,15,16 Obligations in community, home, and church
Luke 14:1,7-14 Humility and hospitality

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 8th August - 11am

My apologies for the late posting!

Service tomorrow will begin at 11am and will be followed by our monthly shared lunch.

See you then.

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

For Sunday 1st August - 8.30am

This Sunday service begins at 8.30am. I look forward to being together in worship once more, receiving the rich mercies from our Lord through Word and Sacrament.

Here are the service details and a reflection from the LC-MS worship department:

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12–14; 2:18–26
Colossians 3:1–11
Luke 12:13–21

Faith in Christ Is Rich toward God

To live for earthly things “is vanity and a striving after wind,” and work that is driven by such vanity “is an unhappy business” (Eccl. 1:14; 2:23). The man who lives like that has nothing to show for “all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun. . . . All his days are full of sorrow” (Eccl. 2:22–23). So, too, your “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5), makes a god out of that which cannot give you life or happiness. For “one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). But “Christ who is your life” (Col. 3:4), in giving you Himself, gives you all the wealth of heaven. Instead of striving to lay up treasures for yourself, be “rich toward God” in Him (Luke 12:21).

God's peace,

Pastor Matt

For the 4th & 11th & 18th July

Service on the 4th July will begin at 8.30am.

READINGS:

Isaiah 66:10-14 Rejoice with Jerusalem

Galatians 6:7-16 Do good to all

Luke 10:1-11,16-20 Jesus sends out the seventy

Service on the 11th July will begin at 11am.

READINGS:

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

Service on the 18th July will begin at 8.30am.

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

For Sunday 27th June, 11am

Oops, I did it again! No, I'm not promoting Britney Spears' ditties, I'm apologising for neglecting the blog again for the last month or so. But knowing that I'm forgiven by grace through faith in Christ our Lord, I'm not going to dwell on my failings!

Instead I'm going to tell you to come along and receive this same gift at worship this Sunday which will begin at 11am.

We will commemorate the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession - the central document of our Lutheran Confessions and one of the clearest expositions of the true Christian faith ever penned.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honour and might forever. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:12-16

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 30th May

This Sunday we have planned a parish service which will take place at the home of Roger and Lyn Reid, a place known as Moroco West Station, approximately 25 km east of Mathoura. Service will begin at approximately 10.30am - but please be flexible as we have a couple of bus loads coming from Shepparton.

A light lunch will be provided after the service.

If you would like directions or more info, please give me a call on 5821 5206.

Hope to see you there.

God bless,
Pastor Matt

They're all here...finally!

Melania's sister, brother in law and nephews and nieces finally arrived this morning, landing in Melbourne at 5.05am. At last this family which has been separated for 17 years can start to make a life together again. Thanks to all those who have supported them and are continuing to do so in so many ways.



The quality of this video is not the best due to some problems converting it, but you get the idea.

God bless,
Pastor Matt

Sunday 16th May

There will be no service in Shepparton this week as we are visiting the Warrnambool congregation for the weekend and doing a fundraising presentation for the SW zone of our District.

Service next week (23rd May) will be at 11am for our Pentecost celebrations.

Pastor Matt

A joyful reunion

Melania is reunited with her mother after 17 years of separation!

Melania's brother and sister were only babies when she was separated from them. The younger two boys were not even born - so it was a reunion and an introduction!

For Sunday 9th May - 11am

In order to ensure I'm keeping up with posting, I thought I'd publish next Sunday's service times without too much comment this week! It looks like being a hectic one with Melania's mother and siblings arriving Tuesday morning direct from the refugee camp in Tanzania. It will be a time of thanksgiving and joy!

Service next Sunday will begin at 11am.

Here are the readings for your preparation:

Acts 16:9-15 Paul takes the good news to Philippi

Revelation 21:10,22 - 22:5 The new Jerusalem

John 14:23-29 'I am going to the Father'

God's blessing on your week,
Pastor Matt