For Sunday the 29th of April - 9:00am

Every once in a while in church we hear readings from Scripture that give us the opportunity to reflect on the reality of racial division in our world, and to consider the way that God brings about lasting unity among people of different languages, cultures, skin colours, and customs.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the book of Revelation, where the writer has a vision of heaven, with people from every ‘nation, tribe, people and language’ gathered before God in thanksgiving and praise.

As we meditate on this vision, we will think through how God brings people together in our world, and especially how he creates unity at the Lord’s Supper, where people from different backgrounds eat from the one bread and drink from the one cup. We will also think about the way that Jesus, who was sacrificed like a lamb, shows his pastoral leadership by bringing together one flock of people around his table.

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00am. The Sunday School will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s peace,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 22nd of April - 10:00am

Better late than never!

One of the things we read in the Bible is how closely Jesus identifies himself with the Church. It’s not simply that the people of the Church are his followers, who more or less subscribe to and live by his teachings. It’s that the Church somehow is Jesus’ body, his presence in this world.

This Sunday we will be hearing about the conversion of Saul – a man who was violent in his opposition to the Church, but who encountered the risen Lord, and who changed to became ‘Paul’, the great missionary to people of all nations. We will be hearing about how Paul became a member of the body of Christ through receiving the gift of baptism, and we will be hearing about how God worked through Paul to bring many people into the life of faith in Christ. As a congregation we will consider how Paul’s story can help us to understand what God has done for us in our baptism, and we will consider how Paul’s example can help us understand the changes that God works in our lives.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am for a service with Holy Communion. Our Sunday school will meet at about 10:45am.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Sunday the 15th of April - 9:00am

Bendigo Lutheran Church

For the nest few weeks we will be celebrating the events of the first Easter, and hearing accounts from the Bible of Jesus’ appearance to his disciples. This week we will be hearing about how one of the disciples, Thomas, doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead.

The Bible does not say exactly why Thomas doubted that Jesus was alive. We know that his fellow disciples, who had seen the Lord, could not persuade him to believe. It was only when Jesus appeared directly before Thomas that he could say to Jesus, ‘My Lord and my God’.

This week as a church we will be thinking through the different things that cause us to doubt the resurrection of Jesus, and we will be hearing how Jesus assures us of God’s blessing in our lives. We will especially be focusing on the way Jesus’ word of peace and forgiveness frees us to join with Thomas in confessing that Jesus is our Lord and God.

We will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with communion. Sunday school is in recess during the holidays.

God's peace,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Easter Services

Here's a brief overview of our Easter celebrations this year.

1. On Tuesday the 3rd of April at 7:30pm we will be having a brief ‘Tenebrae’ service – this is a reflective service using darkness, candles, psalms, and prayer.
2. On Thursday the 5th of April at 7:30pm we will be having our Maundy Thursday service – this service celebrates Jesus’ institution of Holy Communion, and ends with the altar being stripped bare in darkness as we prepare for Good Friday.
3. On Friday the 6th of April at 9:00am (11:00am in Castlemaine) we will be celebrating the death of Christ on the Cross as a sacrifice for our sins.
4. On Sunday the 8th of April at 10:00am (8:00am in Castlemaine) we will be celebrating the resurrection of the Lord. This will also be a special day in the life of our congregation as different people will be baptised or welcomed to communion.

The three services from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday are designed to work together as one whole celebration, but if you are only able to make it to one or two, you will still have an opportunity to hear God’s Word and to receive the Lord’s Supper.

God Bless

Pastor Fraser