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