Sunday the 30th of March - Fifth Sunday - 9:00am

Just a reminder that this Sunday is a Fifth Sunday, and so the service will be at 9:00am.

Easter Sunday - 10:00am

Over the next few days in Bendigo many churches will be celebrating the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  It can seem peculiar to celebrate events that are in themselves distasteful and even repulsive. This is especially the case with the celebration of Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday. Yet Christian people celebrate even Jesus’ death because they trust that it was not in vain – because they trust that Jesus showed his love in his willingness to suffer death, and that by his death he took away the sin of the world.

 

A simple analogy can make things clearer:  Just as bitter medicine is good because of the healing that it gives, so Jesus’ death is good because of the forgiveness and peace that it brings to the world.

 

The greatest celebration this weekend will be the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. This is a celebration of the fact that Jesus was not simply resuscitated, but that he was the first person to rise to a new and unending life. This truth is at the very centre of the Christian faith, and is the great message of good news and hope that the church proclaims to the world.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. As part of our celebration we will receive the gift of new life in Holy Communion.

 

God’s peace to you as you celebrate Easter,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Easter Services

Here are the times for the Easter Services this year.

Palm Sunday (the 16th of March) 9:00am
All children attending are welcome to take part in the procession

Holy Tuesday (the 18th of March) 7:30pm
A simple, short service of darkness, candles, and psalms

Maundy Thursday (the 20th of March) 7:30pm
A communion service, including the stripping of the altar

Good Friday (the 21st of March) 9:00am
Remembering the Lord’s suffering and death

Easter Sunday (the 23rd of March) 10:00am
Celebrating the Resurrection of Christ

God bless you with peace and joy as you celebrate Easter!

For Sunday the 16th of March - 9:00am (Palm Sunday)

Bendigo Lutheran Church

 

Al human beings need to feel welcomed and loved by other people. When we have a place that we belong, we can experience peace and happiness that money cannot buy. At the same time we have a need to feel extraordinary – that we are not just one of the herd, but that we are significant and unique individuals with our own path of life. Fitting these two needs together can be very difficult, and can lead to some rather destructive behavior – such as dominating and abusing people who are weaker than we are.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that shows us how Jesus brought belonging and being extraordinary together. We will hear how Jesus, who, as the Son of God, was utterly unique, acted with great humility, serving those weaker than himself. We will also hear how Jesus shares this attitude with us, by calling us as individuals to share in God’s glory, and so to be free to show humble love.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with communion. It’s Palm Sunday, and the kids will be involved in a special procession during the service.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 9th of March - 10:00am

In life, families work well when parents show their children unconditional love, and when their children receive this love in simple trust. Problems start to develop in families when parents start putting conditions on their love, and when children start to think that they have to earn the love of their parents. When this happens, bitterness, jealousy, and anger start to appear, and families start to break apart under the strain.

 

How families work in everyday life can give us a clue to our life with God. This Sunday we will be hearing readings from the Bible that encourage us to trust that we have God’s unconditional love in Christ. As we hear this encouragement, we will receive God’s love for us, and so experience how God saves us from the bitterness, jealousy, and anger that might otherwise consume us.

 

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

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor