New website for St Paul's

We are slowly putting together a website for the church where you will find not only up to date information regarding worship times, but also info regarding what we believe, teach and confess; sermons; bible study opportunities and more.

You can find the website at

http://www.sheppartonlutheranchurch.org/

Blog not being updated

As communication methods change, it's important for us to keep on top of them and make adjustments in order to grab hold of the opportunities we have to proclaim Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of sins.

Over the past year or so we have found that Facebook is a far more effective tool in communicating service times and other announcements for our congregation and visitors. That's why this blog has not been regularly updated. While I will keep it live, I don't expect to be updating the blog very regularly and encourage you to follow our Facebook page for regular updates.

It can be found at:

https://www.facebook.com/shepplutheran

I believe you can visit this page even if you don't have a Facebook account.

God's rich blessings to you all in Christ,
Pastor Matt

Here are some photos from the consecration of our new church - an awesome 3 hour service and afternoon of great food and even better fellowship!

 

Consecration of new church!

This Sunday - 9th November - our new church will be consecrated with much thanksgiving and rejoicing. Service will begin at 10am at 54 POPLAR AVENUE and will be followed by lunch in the new St Paul's African House. I look forward to seeing you there.

God bless!

End of an era and new beginnings

This Sunday - 12 October - we will officially close the church in Fahey Street as a place for Divine Service. This will give us the opportunity to thank God for His faithful service to His people through this building since 1967 and to honour this during the rite of closing. It will also help prepare us for our new beginnings at the new church in Poplar Avenue. Service begins at 11am at Fahey Street and will be followed by a BBQ lunch - ALL WELCOME!

After the BBQ everybody is encouraged to travel to the new church where we will have our first opportunity to tour the completed building together. At this time we will also gather to take an important photograph outside the new church - so please plan to be there!

 

YOU ARE INVITED!

Members of St Paul's Lutheran Church in Shepparton would like to thank all members of the LCA who have so generously supported the building of a new church for our growing congregation. Your prayers, financial contribution...s, visits and words of encouragement have blessed us over the past years and encouraged us to move forward in faith. It's with joy that we can report that both the new church and St Paul's African House are nearing completion and the church will be consecrated at a service on Sunday 9th November at 10am. A warm invitation is extended to all our friends from around the LCA to join us for the service and lunch to follow. RSVP is essential by 10 October for catering purposes. Email: laryssa.anker@gmail.com

 

A video of the cross being placed on top of our new church

St Paul's on the news!

On Monday evening the local news program Weeknights aired a story on our new church. Click below to watch - it begins at about the 4 minute mark.

 

Sunday 4th May -- 8.30am

 

Service this Sunday begins at 8.30am.

 

We won't be acknowledging the day as 'Star Wars Day' (May the 4th be with you!) but instead will continue our celebration of Easter as we hear the account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Having seen their Lord crucified, dead and buried, and even having heard of the resurrection, these two disciples leave Jerusalem in despair and sadness. You see they have forgotten the Scriptures and what they point to and so all this news about Jesus and His dying and rising is just a confused mess to them. But when Jesus arrives on the scene He simply reminds them of what the Scriptures proclaimed and promised. He uses the very same word of God we have at our disposal today - and by the power of the Holy Spirit these two disciples suddenly recognise not only the Lord in their midst, but also everything that He has accomplished for them!

 

See you at 8.30am.

Pastor Matt

SERVICES FOR HOLY WEEK

 

SERVICE TIMES AND READINGS

FOR HOLY WEEK

 

MAUNDY THURSDAY - SERVICE WITH HOLY COMMUNION 8PM

Exodus 12:1-4, 11-14 The institution of the Passover

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 The institution of the Lord's supper

John 13:1-17,31b-35 Jesus washes his disciples' feet

 

GOOD FRIDAY - SERVICE AT 11AM

Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 The Suffering Servant of God

Hebrews 10:16-25 Jesus, our priest and sacrifice

John 18:1 - 19:42  The passion according to St John

 

THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD - SERVICE WITH HOLY COMMUNION 11AM

Acts 10:34-43 Summary of Jesus' life and ministry

Colossians 3:1-4 Your life is hidden with Christ in God

Matthew 28:1-10 The first Easter morning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worship times - November 2013 to February 2014

This blog will not be updated over the next few months so please take note of the worship times in the list below. All of these services will take place at St David's in King Street.

God bless you all!

DATE	SERVICE TIME
17/11/13	11am
24/11/13	11am Tatachilla visit & LUNCH
24/11/13	2.30pm – Sudanese Service
1/12/13	11am
8/12/13	11am
15/12/13	11am
22/12/13	6.30pm – Children’s Christmas Service
24/12/13	6.30pm – CHRISTMAS EVE
25/12/13	11am - CHRISTMAS DAY
29/12/2013	11am
5/01/14	11am
12/01/14	11am
19/01/14	11am
26/01/14	11am
2/02/14	11am
9/02/14	11am

Sunday 10th November - 11am

My apologies for being SUPER late this week in posting.

Service tomorrow (10 November) begins at 11am - so much good stuff in the readings it was hard to pick which text to preach on. Read them and enjoy!

Job 19:23-27a I know that my Redeemer lives

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5,13-17 Stand firm as you wait for the coming of our Lord

Luke 20:27-38 The question about rising from death

See you in the morning.

Pastor Matt

Sunday 3rd November - 8.30am

This weekend our choir is singing in Warracknabeal (in fact I'm on the bus right now and they're already singing God's praises!)

BUT

worship will continue in Shepparton so make sure you don't miss out on receiving God's grace. Service begins at 8.30am.

The gospel reading is from Luke 19 which retells the gracious encounter of Jesus with Zaccheus the tax collector....He didn't wait for Zaccheus to get his act together or reform his behaviour, but instead came into Zaccheus' house in grace and mercy. Having received these blessed gifts, Zaccheus is a new man living out the mercy he has received from God. The same thing is on offer for you so come and rejoice that the Lord still comes and sits with us.

God bless you all!
Pastor Matt

Sunday 27th October - 11am

Tomorrow we commemorate the Reformation of the church and give thanks to God for the restoration of the gospel to God's people. We celebrate this day not to glorify Lutheran or Melancthon or other reformers, but to celebrate that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. And how do we know this? Because we rely on the word of God alone as the only source and norm for teaching and life - and the central message of that Word is Jesus and the forgiveness He won for all on the cross.

We'll be gathering for worship at 11am and will be privileged to witness grace being poured out on Miles and Marita in holy baptism. All this celebrating will continue after the service with our annual, Longest Lutheran Lunch - this year the theme for the lunch is 'Feast of Nations!'

All welcome - forgiveness, life and salvation are free gifts from our loving God, and the lunch is just as free!

Sunday 20 October - 8.30am

Apologies for the very late post.

Worship begins at 8.30am tomorrow morning and I'm preaching on the Old Testament reading from Genesis 32 where Jacob wrestles with God. Like the persistent widow in the gospel reading, Jacob hangs on to God and refuses to let go until God blesses him.

How much more blessed are we to know that in Christ, God holds on to us in everything that we wrestle with in this life. Jacob got lots of things wrong in his life, but one thing he got just right. He hung around long enough - even when all looked lost - for God to bless him in faith.

Following service tomorrow there will be a meeting regarding a possible change to church times. Please be there to contribute to the discussion and decision making.

God bless,
Pastor Matt 

Sunday 13th October - 11am

This Sunday worship begins at 11am and will include a memorial rite that will proclaim God's goodness and mercy in Christ to us all, and especially to the Parnell family.

The gospel reading tells the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers from Luke 17. Too often this text is used as little more than a heavy dose of Law, demanding that you be thankful like the single leper who returned to Jesus and fell at His feet in thanksgiving and praise.

But think about it....that single, healed leper returned to Jesus because by faith he knew Jesus had so much more to offer. He returned in thanksgiving because He recognised the presence of God and His mercy and could do nothing else but return and worship Him. And the really cool thing - when he returned to Jesus he got a whole lot more than physical healing - he received forgiveness, life and salvation!

Of course we are to be thankful. But true thanksgiving flows only when we know who Jesus is as our Saviour, when we know our desperate need for Him all the time, and when we see with faith what He has done for us on the cross.

Come to worship and give thanks - and receive those same gifts - forgiveness, life and salvation!

God bless,
Pastor Matt

TIME CHANGE - 6th OCTOBER

Due to the start of daylight savings, service time for Sunday 6th October has been changed. Please note that worship will begin at 11am.

More details will be posted shortly.

Sunday September 29 - 11am

The festival of St Michael and All Angels falls on this Sunday and so gives us an opportunity to reflect on who the angels are, what God's intentions are for them, and how blessed we are by a God who not only defeats the devil through the blood of His one and only Son, but who continues to look out for us through His angels as the devil and his minions try to take us out in their death throes.

There is so much confusion about who and what angels are that this is a great opportunity to reflect on the biblical picture. There'll be no bare bottomed cherubs, or stately older ladies with deep voices, or fairy like creatures featuring in our service on Sunday! And by the way, humans DO NOT become angels when they die, and angels do not become human - they were created by God as His heavenly messengers and the protectors of His people.

Come along and hear more (and for those who've got the time, please read this excellent brochure on what the bible says about angels...... All about....Angels

Here are the readings:
Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3 Michael and the guardian angels
Revelation 12:7-12 Michael and his angels fight the dragon
Luke 10:17-20 Jesus foresees the fall of Satan

See you in worship!
Pastor Matt

Sunday 22nd September - 11am

Service begins at 11am this week and I'm going to be tackling a difficult parable in the sermon. The text is Luke 16:1-13, but don't expect to hear the final word on the entire parable. I am going to focus on verse 8 where Jesus says, "“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light."

With the end in sight, the manager in our parable does everything he is able to do in order to ensure he will survive after the judgement of his master comes crashing down on him. The question is, do we live in the same way and with equal shrewdness knowing that Jesus as assured us that the end is coming?

Here are the rest of the readings for your preparation:
Amos 8:4-7 Against swindlers and exploiters
1 Timothy 2:1-7 The church is to pray for all people
Luke 16:1-13 The parable of the shrewd manager

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

15th September - 8.30am

This Sunday service will begin at 8.30am after quite a few weeks of 11 o'clock services - but don't let that keep you away because this week's readings are full of grace and mercy and the joy of heaven over even one sinner who repents.

The parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin are in focus this week and if we can get past a superficial reading of them, we'll soon realise just how radical Jesus words were to the Pharisees who were caught up in self-righteousness.

Who on earth would leave behind 99 sheep in dangerous territory to seek out that one ratbag sheep who keeps wandering off? Who loves each lamb so much that He will risk all for the sake of even one?

The answer of course is that no earthly shepherd would do such a thing - but the Good Shepherd has and does just that for you and me! He seeks out and saves, He never gives up, and He has you and me in His sights! Not because we've got our act together or look respectable, but because of His great love.

Here are the readings:
Exodus 32:7-14 Moses pleads for the people and the Lord relents
1 Timothy 1:12-17 Gratitude for God's mercy
Luke 15:1-10 The lost sheep and the lost coin

See you in worship.
Pastor Matt