Sunday, 20 January 2013

Service times

Please note the following service times over the coming weeks:

Sunday 27th January - 11am
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 - 11am
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

Sunday 10th February - 11am
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 - 8pm

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

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

Sunday 20th January - 8.30am

This Sunday service begins at 8.30am 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

Wednesday, 2 January 2013

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 8.30am.

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

Thursday, 27 December 2012

Sunday 30th December - 11am

Service this Sunday - 30th December - will begin at 11am.

I came across the following, written by Bishop Phillip 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

Friday, 14 December 2012

Christmas service times

The members at St Paul's Lutheran Church, Shepparton 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:

A service of lessons and carols - Sunday 16th December, 11am
Children's Christmas Service - Sunday 23rd December, 6.30pm
Christmas Day Service with Holy Communion - 25th December, 11am

Service on Sunday 30th December will also begin at 11am.

May the peace of the Christ child fill your hearts and lives this Christmas,
Pastor Matt

Saturday, 10 November 2012

Sunday 11th November - 11am

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 11am 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?'

See you at 11am. Please note that there's no lunch this week - stayed tuned for a HUGE weekend next weekend and remember that we've changed service time for the 18th - it will be 11am as well.

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

Bless you!
Pastor Matt