For Sunday 16th November, 8.30am

This Sunday (16/11) Divine Service will begin at 8.30am.

As we enter the second last Sunday of the Church year, our thoughts continue to be on end times, and in particular, St Paul's admonition in 1 Thessalonians for us to be alert and self-controlled, encouraging one another and building each other up. Clearly this is not a call for the church to become a mutual admiration society. Instead it is a call for us to live with the end in sight. To live in such a way that we do not fall asleep through the neglect of our faith or allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to fall asleep and therefore be lost to the Lord. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For 2nd & 9th November

My apologies for not posting these times earlier.

Service times as follows:

Sunday 2nd November - The Festival of the Reformation will be observed with Divine Service beginning at 8.30am.

Sunday 9th November - Service will begin at 11.00am

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 26th October - 11.00am

It seems to be a natural inclination of ours to try to get God to specify just how much 'we have to do.' Not wanting to go beyond the letter of the Law, we join with the Pharisee who asked Jesus, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Jesus' answer simply reveals that the whole law of God, as well as each individual law, is dead without 'love to God and neighbour' lying behind it and within it. Confronted with this simple, yet profound reality, we must realise our inability to live up to this great commandment. Even the bare minimum is too much for us to do ourselves.

This recognition leads us to our Saviour, who loved us and God perfectly by giving up His life for our salvation.

How do we then love God and neighbour? We'll be thinking this through this coming Sunday.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

Upcoming services

Service times for the next few weeks are as follows:

Sunday 21st September: 8.30am

Sunday 28th September: 11.00am

Sunday 5th October: 8.30am (please note Daylight Savings begins this weekend)

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

They're here!!!

At 5.55am today Moses' four brothers and his sister touched down in Melbourne to join their brother for a new life in Asutralia. After one hiccup after another there was much rejoicing and thanksgiving as we met these amazing young people. The weary travellers were supposed to arrive at 12.30am but at about 2.30am we discovered they had been stranded in Dubai. Unable to contact anyone at that hour we had a nervous wait for the next flight and thank God for answering our prayers and delivering them!

What a day! Forty-five minutes sleep in 48 hours and a family expanding from 4 to 9 in the blink of an eye! (It'll be 10 in a few weeks!)

The entourage of supportive friends couldn't contain themselves - declaring that God is indeed great!

Enjoy these couple of photos - hopefully there'll be more in the Shepp News on Monday.

For Sunday 14th September - 11.00am

Our Service will begin at 11.00am this Sunday (14/9) and will be a time of great rejoicing as we celebrate God's work among our congregation. We will witness the baptism of Jack Donaldson, receive quite a number of people into membership, and praise God for finally uniting Moses with his siblings. Our thanksgiving will be followed by lunch together.

With respect to Moses' siblings, here's the most up to date news:

IOM have confirmed that after the hiccup of last week, Moses' siblings will be boarding a plane at 4.15pm in Kampala today (11/9) and God willing, will arrive in Melbourne at 12.30am on the 13th September. Please keep them in your prayers as they make this final leg of what has been a long journey.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt

For Sunday 7th September - 8.30am

As we remember our earthly fathers this Sunday we will also have a chance to consider how it is that we are blessed to have a heavenly Father.

While we all clearly fail to live up to the 'rules of the family', we who have 'put on Christ' in holy baptism (Romans 13:8-14) have also received adoption and acceptance into the family of God. As those who have been forgiven in Jesus we are therefore freed to come before God with the confidence of children who come to their Father for all they need.

Divine service will begin at 8.30am.

God's peace,
Pastor Matt