For Sunday 1 November - 9:00 am

This week we will be celebrating All Saints.

For Sunday the 25th of October - 10:00 am Reformation Day and Church Shared Meal

It’s one thing to know about God, it’s another to know God. Although anyone can know something about God by considering nature, reading books, and talking with other people, it’s only possible to know God coming into a close relationship with him.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that talks about knowing God. As we think through this reading, we will consider how God leads us to know him by forgiving our sins. We will consider how we come into a close relationship with God primarily by trusting that in Christ Jesus we have God’s mercy, grace, and peace.

This Sunday we will meet at 10:00am for a service with Holy Communion. We will be celebrating the way that God constantly reforms the church by giving people the gift of faith. This Sunday there will be a shared meal after the church service.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 18th of October - 9:00 am

It’s not uncommon to find people who use their positions of authority to feather their own nests. In government and in the church, in sports clubs and in families, in business and in health care, people can be tempted to use the power they have to get their own way, and to further their own interests.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that deals with the temptation to abuse authority in the church. As we listen to this reading, we will consider how Jesus gives us a good example of the right exercise of authority. We will consider how Jesus uses his authority to save us from the tyranny of sin and death.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 11th of October - 10:00 am

Most of the time it’s difficult to welcome a close scrutiny of our lives: whether it’s an audit of our financial situation by an accountant, or a physical check up at the doctor, we can become uneasy about what might be revealed. This unease can turn into fear when it comes to the spiritual realm: having a guilty conscience can make us too scared to approach God with any confidence at all.

This Sunday we will be hearing a passage from the Bible that helps us when we are afraid of God. We will hear how Jesus has suffered the same sort of temptations that we face, and that he is able to sympathize with us. We will hear that it is Jesus who can give us the help that we need in approaching God with confidence, so that we can ask for all that we need to have joy in life.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00 am for a service with Holy Communion. There will be an unveiling of a plaque commemorating the old Lutheran Church in Bendigo at 9:45 am.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 4th of October - 9:00 am

Most people like to go to weddings, and to hear the bride and groom publicly promise to love each other faithfully as long as they both shall live. Even though we live in a world where many marriages end in divorce, the great hope with which most marriages begin is a sign of the joy and celebration that human love can bring.

This Sunday we will be hearing teaching from Jesus about marriage. Jesus was both a soft-hearted romantic and a hard-headed realist, and he knew that although a husband and wife can grow in love and commitment to each other, it is only God who can keep marriages together through the tough times.

As we listen to Jesus’ teaching, ‘What God has joined together, let no one separate’, we will consider how God helps us as married or as single people, to honour marriage in our world.

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00 am for a service with Holy Communion.

God’s blessing to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 27th of September - 10:00 am

When we are sick, it’s natural for us to experience a sense of isolation. If the sickness we experience is chronic, then it can be easy for us to fall into bitterness and despair, or to let the symptoms of our sickness dominate our thoughts and our conversation.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about what positive things we can do when we are sick. We will be hearing how God calls us from isolation back into community especially through the gift of prayer – both our own prayer to God, and the prayers of others on our behalf. As we listen to this teaching, we will consider how God lifts us out of despair and gives us the freedom to rejoice even in sickness.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00 am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school is in recess over the holidays.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 20th of September - 9:00 am

Although we don’t like it when other people boast, it can be easy enough for us to boast if we are given the opportunity; and although we don’t like it when other people exclude us, it can be easy enough for us to exclude others – especially if they are poor or ignorant or powerless – especially if they are children.

This Sunday we will be hearing readings from the Bible that deal with our natural propensity to boast and to exclude the powerless. As we listen to these readings, we consider how God changes our hearts by bringing us into his family through the forgiveness Christ gives. We will consider how God frees us to welcome the little ones, and so to welcome God himself.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00 am for a service with Holy Communion.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 13th of September - 10:00 am

Although it’s easy to speak, it’s not always easy to say things that are helpful or encouraging to other people. In fact, especially if we are feeling insecure about our own place in the world, we can find it next to impossible to give compliments or praise with any degree of sincerity.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that teaches about the way we should talk to others. As we listen to this teaching we will consider the way that God, by speaking his word of grace in Christ Jesus, frees us to be people who can give genuine praise and encouragement to others.

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

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 6th of September - 9:00 am

Bendigo Lutheran Church

In life in can be easy for us to look up to rich people – to see them as somehow better than the common run of humanity, and to show them a deference and respect that borders on the servile. On the other hand it can be easy for us to look down on the poor – to see them as somehow worse than other people, and to treat them with a disdain and contempt that borders on the arrogant.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that gives us a different way of looking at people. Instead of treating the rich with favoritism, and the poor with judgment, God calls us to show love for all people – and to give practical help to those whose need is greatest. As we think through this teaching, we will consider how God treats us generously by giving us grace in our need.

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s blessing to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 30th of August - 9:00 am

Sometimes we can do things – or have things done to us – that don’t make us feel so much guilty or ashamed as ‘dirty’. When we feel this way, it can be difficult to deal with: we want to be made clean, but we don’t know how.

This Sunday we will be hearing teaching that comes from Jesus that deals with this reality. Jesus talked about the evil intentions of the human heart – intentions that lead to actions that ‘defile’. He also provided a way for people to be made clean by God, so that they could live life to the full.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion: a service that cleanses and heals. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

The congregation meeting decided that service times are remaining as normal: 9am on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays; 10am on the 2nd and 4th Sundays.

For Sunday the 23rd of August - 10:00 am

One of the great gifts that Jesus gave the church is the Lord’s Supper. To look at the Lord’s Supper doesn’t seem like much: a few prayers over some bread and wine. But as we listen to Jesus’ words, ‘this is my body; this is my blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins’, then we can start to understand the power that is at work in this simple rite.

This Sunday we will be thinking through some of Jesus’ teaching on the Lord’s Supper. As we listen again to Jesus’ words we will consider how God draws us together to gives us forgiveness; we will consider how God draws us together to grow us in love for each other and for all people.

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

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

This Sunday there will be a discussion/vote regarding church times.

For Sunday the 16th of August - 9:00 am

It can be easy to worry about the future, without giving too much thought about how we live day to day. But wisdom comes in taking care of how we live each day, and entrusting or future into God’s hands.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that is an invitation to receive the way of life that wisdom gives. As we think through what this means, we will consider how God shares his wisdom with us by forgiving our sins, and so giving us hope for whatever life brings.

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00 am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45 am.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

The vote concerning church times has been postponed until the 23rd of August

For Sunday the 9th of August - 10:00 am - Vote

In life we naturally imitate the people that we spend time with. Our accent, our mannerisms, even the behavior that we find acceptable or unacceptable is shaped by the people who are close to us.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that talks about imitating God. As we think through this reading, we will consider how spending time with God shapes us to be people who do not let anger rule us, who speak the truth, who work honestly, and who are ready to forgive.

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

This Sunday there will be a vote after the service about proposed changes to the service times.

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 2nd of August - 9:00 am

Sometimes in life we work out how to act by the job we have to do: when we are students we learn the school rules by listening to the teacher and our fellow students; when we are in a sports team we learn our part in the game by talking with the coach and the other team members; and when we are in the workforce we learn our role in the business by talking with our boss and our fellow work mates.

In the church we learn how to act by listening to the calling that God has given us, and by living at peace with each other.

This Sunday we will be listening to a reading from the Bible that talks about how God has called Christian people to live at peace and in unity. As we think through what this reading means, we will consider how God gives us the strength to live in humility and patience.

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at around 9:45 am.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 26th of July - 10:00 am

Two basic questions can reveal a lot about what we hold as most important in life. The first is: What do we crave? The second is: What do we fear? Thinking seriously about what we crave and what we fear can reveal that we hold things like the approval of others, or financial security, as the be all and end all of life; but are things like human approval or financial security of ultimate importance?

This Sunday we will be hearing readings from the Bible that teach about the way God deals with our cravings and fears. As we think through these readings we will consider how God leads us to fear and love Him above all else, and so gives us freedom and joy that is unending.

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

God’s blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 19th of July - 9:00 am

When we are tired and worn out, we can want to escape the demands and responsibilities of everyday life. Especially when we experience constant contact with people who demand our attention, we can feel the strong desire to get away from it all.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that talks about the desire that Jesus and his companions felt to get away on their own. We will also hear that even as Jesus retreated from public life, he was moved with compassion to help people in need. As we think through Jesus’ actions, we will consider how God continues to show compassion to us, and we will explore ways that we can share Jesus’ compassion with others.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s blessing to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 5th of July - 9:00am

A lay reading service is on in bendigo this Sunday at 9:00am.

God's blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 21st of June - 9:00 am

It’s natural, when we suffer, to experience questions about God and the meaning of life. Especially if the suffering we experience seems endless and meaningless, we can conclude that there is no God, or that God does not care about us, or that God can do nothing to help us.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that describes the sufferings of a man called Job. As we listen to this reading, we will think about the questions that Job and his family and friends had for God. As we consider God’s response to Job, we will think through how God shows us love and care by speaking to us in our suffering. We will also consider how God leads us, through our suffering, to be people who can empathize with others, and who can pray for them in their need.

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. Our Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 14th of June - 10:00 am

Sometimes we can get the idea that spiritual life has nothing to do with bodily living – we can think that what really counts are our intentions and our understanding, rather than our actions.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that talks about how important our actions are to God, and that talks about how we must give account to God for what we do with our bodies. As we think through this teaching we will consider how God calls us to be humble people by leading us to acknowledge our faults, and by encouraging us to do what is true, good, and beautiful.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 7th of June - 9:00 am

This Sunday we will be celebrating a festival called ‘Trinity Sunday’. At this festival we will celebrate a mysterious reality: the reality that God is one, but that God is not alone; the reality that the one God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

As we celebrate this mysterious reality, we will meditate on the way that God our Father leads us by the Holy Spirit to place our trust in Jesus Christ. We will meditate on the way that God shares his glory with us, by leading us to share in his own eternal life.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 31st of May - 9:00 am

Bendigo Lutheran Church

There’s nothing quite like coming home, especially when we are welcomed back by people who know us well, who love us, and who share a history of joys and sorrows with us. The experience of homecoming in such a situation can give us a deep sense of peace and security, and can be one of the great joys of life. It can also be a clue to what our life with God is about.

This Sunday we will be celebrating the festival of Pentecost – we will be celebrating the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church. As we meditate on the Bible readings for the day, we will consider how the Holy Spirit brings home God’s mercy and love into our hearts, and how the Holy Spirit brings us to our true and lasting home with God our Father.

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00am. In our service a number of people will be welcomed to First Communion; to membership in the congregation; and to serve as acolytes. Our Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 24th of May - 10:00am

If we hear the word 'holy' we can associate it with 'goodness' or even 'morality'. We can think a holy person is someone who is especially good - or we can even think a holy person is someone who is stuck up and thinks that they are better than others.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible where Jesus talks about holiness. As we think through Jesus' teaching, we will consider how God makes us holy by giving us his word. We will also consider how holiness is more than morality, and how God calls us to be people who do not glorify ourselves, but God.

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

For Wednesday the 20th of May - 7:00pm

We'll be having an Ascesion Vespers service this Wednesday at 7:00pm.

For Sunday the 17th of May - 9:00 am

It’s a curious fact that the things in life that are really good for us can be difficult to pursue - at least at first. For example: we all know that the activities of eating well and exercising regularly not only are good for our health, but also can contribute to our happiness in life. Yet starting a diet and sticking to it, or starting an exercise regimen and persevering can seem to take super human strength. It can take years of self-discipline before a healthy way of living comes naturally.

This week we will be hearing teaching from the Bible about God’s commands – especially about the command to love each other. This command can seem like a real burden, and it can seem harder to keep than a strict diet. Yet as we think though Jesus’ teaching we will consider how God gives us the freedom to love each other by showing us his love. We will consider how God moves us from being people who fear what is good, to be people who freely live out God’s love and peace.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 10th of May - 10:00 am

Most people pray at some time. Most people also sometimes doubt whether God actually hears their prayers, or whether He cares about them at all. In fact most people, caught between the desire to pray and doubt about prayer, find it very difficult to persevere in a disciplined life of prayer.

This week we will be hearing a reading from the Bible in which Jesus gives us encouragement to pray. As we think through what Jesus says, we will consider how God gives us His Word so that we may become the sort of people who can pray well. We will consider how God gives us the freedom to pray wisely as people who love God, ourselves, and others.

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

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 3rd of May - 9:00 am

‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ is one of the most familiar hymns sung in churches and at funerals. The imagery is memorable, especially for rural Australians who are used to seeing sheep grazing (even if they are not so used to seeing Shepherds at work).

This week we will be singing ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’, and we will be hearing a reading from the Bible where Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. As we think through the imagery and the teaching of the hymn and the reading, we will consider how God leads us in life. We will consider how God is with us even in the dark places of life, so that we do not need to be overcome with fear or anxiety.

This week we will be meeting together for a Lay Reading service at 9:00 am.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 26th of April - 10:00 am

Because so many of the Christians in Australia come from a European background, it can sometimes be easy to forget that Christianity did not begin in Europe. In fact, of course, Christianity began in Israel, Jesus and the first Christians were Jewish, and more than half of the Bible was first written in Hebrew, the traditional language of the Jews.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that deals with the Jewish origins of Christianity. As we think through what this means for us in Bendigo now, we will consider how the life, death, and resurrection of the Jesus gives us a ‘key’ to understand the Bible. We will also consider how God calls people from all nations to turn away from sin, and to receive forgiveness in Jesus’ name.

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

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 19th of April - 9:00 am

One of the great teachings of Christianity is that God loves all people, and that God calls his people to show self-sacrificial love for others. One of the great tragedies of Christianity is that no Christian has been able to live this calling perfectly. Every Christian is to some extent a hypocrite – holding to a high ideal, but failing to live up to it in reality.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that deals with this situation. As we think through what the Bible says, we will consider how God calls his people to acknowledge both the high ideals of Christian life, and the sad reality of sin. We will consider how God frees his people from despair by giving them the gift of humility: the gift of acknowledging that with Christ there is forgiveness.

This Sunday will we be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Easter Times

Tuesday the 7th of April 7:30pm Tenebrae – Psalms and Darkness

Thursday the 9th of April 7:30pm Maundy Thursday

Friday the 10th of April 9:00am (Castlemaine 11:00am) Good Friday

Sunday the 12th of April 10:00am (Castlemaine 8:00am) Easter Sunday

Easter Message

It can be easy to get down in life, to give up being thoughtful about other people, and to care only about ourselves. Living this way doesn’t bring much joy, but it can seem unrealistic to hope for any other way.

One of the things we celebrate at Easter is the way that God brings hope out of such situations of despair, and so gives us the gift of joy in life.

On the first ‘Good Friday’ – the day of Jesus’ crucifixion - it seemed as if the forces of despair, and even of death, had won another victory. But on the first Easter Sunday – the day of Jesus’ resurrection – God showed that compassion and love cannot be held down by death. Jesus’ life of hope and love was vindicated in his victory over the grave.

Even today anyone can trust this message, and experience the power of God to bring hope and joy to situations of despair.

As our congregation celebrates the death and the resurrection of Christ, we will pray for all the people of this community – that God will bless all with the gift of hope.

God’s blessings to you!

For Sunday the 5th of April - 9:00 am - Remember the end of Daylight Savings!

Sometimes it’s possible to get the idea that compassion is only an emotional response to seeing a person in need. Sometimes we can forget that to experience compassion is to take some share in the sufferings of others, and to help them carry their burden.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible about the compassion of Christ. We will be hearing how Jesus showed true compassion by sharing our suffering – even to the point of dying on a cross. As we think though what this means, we will consider how God leads us to show true compassion to others. We will consider how God, in leading us to share in the sufferings of others, most mysteriously gives us life to the full.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. There will be a children’s procession with palms as we celebrate Palm Sunday.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

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

In life, many people can get to know about us: our doctors can get to know about our health; our accountants can get to know about our finances; our mechanics can get to know about the cars we drive. But it is only the people who live with us and love us who can properly get to know us. This is because it is only in the interplay of love, of forgiveness, of reconciliation, and of shared suffering that we truly get to know other people.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about how we get to know God. While we can learn many things about God both from studying the world and from listening to God’s word, it is only in receiving God’s forgiveness in Christ that we get to know God. And it is only in receiving God’s forgiveness that we are free to show real love for others.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45 am.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor.

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

Most of us have an inbuilt desire not simply to set ourselves apart from others, but to think that we are somehow superior. For example: most of us don’t need too much prompting in conversation to talk about ourselves in a flattering way, but to view the words and actions of others as evidence of their ignorance, stupidity, or even of their  downright evil motivations.

 

This Sunday we will listen to a reading from the Bible that deals with this human desire to be boastful. As we think through what the Bible says, we will consider how God frees us from useless boasting by giving us the gift of faith – a gift that we receive not because we are somehow superior to others, but because God is gracious and good.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00 am for a service with Holy Communion. Sunday school will be meeting at about 10:45 am, and First Communion Instruction will meet at about 11:15 am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 15th of March - 9:00 am

Laws can be funny things. On the one hand, they can be a drag – they can hold us back from doing what we’d really like to do. On the other hand, they can be very helpful – they can make it easier to live together in a community, and can protect us from violence and the loss of property.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing the laws that God gave his chosen people. As we think through what the ‘Ten Commandments’ have to say to us today, we will consider how God’s laws can be both a heavy burden and also a path to freedom. We will also consider how Jesus’ forgiveness changes our hearts so that we become people who love each other, and so who spontaneously do what the law requires.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 8th of March - 10:00 am

Shame is one of the great motivating forces in life. The words we use, the clothes we wear, and the things we do are all more or less calculated to make us fit in, and to ensure that we don’t attract the critical attention of other people. In fact, most of us would rather do something that we believe is wrong, than suffer the humiliation of appearing stupid, or ugly, or weak, or poor in the eyes of other people.

 

This Sunday we are going to hear a reading from the Bible where Jesus talks about the shameful death that he would suffer, and where he calls those who would follow him to share his shame. As we think through this reading, we will consider how what is shameful in the eyes of the world is transformed by God’s love into something beautiful.

 

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

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 1st of March - 9:00 am

No matter how much we value our independence, it’s also natural to want to belong, and to want to have a place where we feel at home. But it’s not always possible to find a place where we are loved, where can learn to forgive and be forgiven, and where we can be challenged to use our unique gifts for the benefit of others.

This Sunday we will listen to a part of the Bible that teaches about baptism. As we reflect on this teaching, we will consider God joins us into his family, the church, through the gift of baptism. We will consider how God, through baptism, provides us with a true home, where we may receive his love and forgiveness.

This Sunday we will be meeting for a service with Holy Communion at 9:00 a.m. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45 a.m.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

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

Encouragement for a challenging journey

Life issues are often challenging -  bushfires, drought, finances, health, relationships are all current challenges for people around us.   Biblical leaders also faced challenging issues.  A unique meeting of Moses, Elijah and Jesus, three leaders who experienced major challenges, is reported in the Gospel for Transfiguration Sunday.  God the Father’s encouragement on that occasion provides help for us also as we face life’s challenges.  Hearing the Father, listening to Jesus, and receiving Jesus' comforting and strengthening company on our journey all provide much-needed help.

 

For Sunday the 15th of February - 9:00 am

When we see athletes competing in a final, we see the end result of sometimes years of hard discipline and training. When we see an athlete win a great victory, we know that lots of hard work went into making the victory a reality.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that uses the imagery of athletes competing against each other. As we think about this imagery, we will consider how God is training us to live lives of great service and love toward each other. We will consider how God gives us ways to discipline our lives, so that we miss out on nothing of lasting value.

This Sunday we will be meeting for a service with communion at 9:00 am. We will be remembering in prayer the needs of our city, and especially the needs of those people who have suffered loss because of the fires.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 8th of February - 10:00 am (AGM Sunday)

All of us at some stage face the temptation to give up:  to give up on friendships, to give up on marriage, to give up on God, to give up even in life. When we are tempted to give up, it can be of little help to be told that we should try harder to persevere. After all, when we are weak we don’t need advice, we need strength.

This Sunday we will be hearing a passage from Isaiah 40 talks about the reality of human weakness in the face of struggle, but that also talks about the fact that God has the strength to carry us through the difficult times. As we think through what the Bible says, we will think about practical ways that we can trust God in life, and so experience God’s help when we are weak.

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

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 1st of February (!) - 9:00 am

Bendigo Lutheran Church

When we love someone, we can find the strength to forego freedoms that may seem very important. When we love someone enough to marry them, we forego the freedom to be with anyone else. When we have children, we love them enough to forego the freedom to sleep undisturbed through the night.  And when God gives us the experience of love for his faithful people, we forego the freedom to say and do things as we want. We experience the fact that a truer and deeper freedom is found in considering the needs of others.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about how God fills us with love for others so that we can experience the freedom that God gives. As we think through God’s word to us, we will consider the opportunities that God gives us to show love, and to experience the liberation that this brings.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school begins again at about 9:45am.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 25th of January - 10:00 am

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00 am for a Responsive Service with Holy Communion. The sermon will be based on a reading from Jonah, and we will be thinking through the way God wills all people to receive his gift of life and peace.

God's blessings to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 18th of January - 9:00am

This Sunday we will again be having a simple Service of the Word.

God's blessings to you!

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 11th of January - 10:00am

This Sunday we will be having a simple Service of the Word.

God bless you!

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 4th of January - 9:00am

It’s no secret that people from different cultural backgrounds can have difficulty understanding each other. It’s not just the language barrier that can create problems. Differences in dress, in skin color, in values, and even in diet can create unease and suspicion in the human community.

 

This Sunday we will be listening to readings from the Bible that talk about the cultural divisions in humanity. As we listen to these readings, we will consider how God overcomes the problems inherent in these divisions by bringing unity in Christ. We will also consider how the unity God creates among different human cultures shows us something about the unity in God.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school is in recess over the holidays.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

 

For Sunday the 14th of December - 10:00am

When it comes to thinking about how we can live a spiritual life, it comes naturally to think about the things we should be doing: the books we should be reading; the meditation we should be practicing; or the attitudes we should be cultivating. While thinking about these things can be helpful, the most important thing to consider is what God has done and is doing.

 

At church this Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about God’s action. As we listen to the Bible, especially as Christmas time approaches, we will think about God taking the initiative – we will think about God coming into our world and our lives to bring his gifts of faith, hope, and love.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am for a service with Communion. A special part of this service will be the kids’ Christmas presentation – a traditional retelling of the Christmas story complete with Mary and Joseph, angels and shepherds, and perhaps sheep and donkeys!

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

 

For Sunday the 7th of December - 9:00am

Doing the right thing doesn’t always win us friends. In fact often doing the right thing can show up the laziness or the corruption of the people that we work with or that we live with, and it can win us enemies. It’s then that we can feel like giving up, and going along with what everyone else is doing.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing passages from the Bible that encourage us to do what is right. We will hear that God is creating a new world where it is ‘at home’ to do what is right. We will also hear that we can prepare for this world by acknowledging our own need for the forgiveness that Jesus brings.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will be meeting at about 9:45am, and they will rehearse for the Christmas play.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 30th of November - 9:00am

Living without a thought to the future can feel like freedom, until we experience the consequences. So, eating and drinking as we please can feel like freedom, until we experience what happens to our health; spending what we like when we like can feel like freedom, until we experience what happens to our finances; and living without a care for our spiritual life can feel like freedom, until we experience what happens to our relationships in life – especially our relationship with God.

 This Sunday we will be hearing teaching from Jesus, where he warns us to take account of our future. As we listen to this teaching, we will think about how God keeps us alert so that we do not miss out on receiving the many good things that God gives in Christ.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with communion. Baby Oliver Robins will be welcomed into God’s family through holy baptism at this service.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 16th of November - 9:00 am

Any wise employer wants their workers to be good and trustworthy: they want their workers to be able to be left in charge of business, and to prosper.  Any wise employer also realizes that it is right and fair to promote good and trustworthy workers, and to reprimand or fire workers who are corrupt and lazy.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a parable from Jesus that uses imagery from the world of business, and that contrasts trustworthy and lazy workers. Jesus gets his disciples to consider how they have been put in charge of God’s gifts, and that they will be rewarded for making faithful use of what is in their charge. He also warns his disciples that the lazy and corrupt will face punishment.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am. As we think though Jesus’ parable we will consider how God has given us gifts, including the great gift of forgiveness. We will consider how we make wise use of the gift of God’s forgiveness by investing it in the relationships in our lives.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

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

Bendigo Lutheran Church

 

Human beings have, throughout history, been tempted to think that religiosity and spirituality are in themselves pleasing to God. In reality there’s a great degree of self-delusion in cultivating spirituality while we treat other people with contempt; or in cultivating religiosity while we act set up institutions that are built on injustice.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that calls God’s people to acknowledge their self-delusion, and to turn from contemptuous and unjust behavior. As we think through this reading, we will consider how God shares his own justice with us, so that we may behave justly towards others.

 

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

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 26th of October 'Reformation' - 10:00 am

Even a quick overview of the history of the last two thousand years will reveal that the church has never been perfect, and that it has always been in need of reform. Even today, Christian people need to be constantly called back to the central message of the Gospel: the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus, and the power of this forgiveness to change us into people who love God and others.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing readings from the Bible that deal with the forgiveness that God gives through Jesus. As we reflect on these readings, we will consider how we get to know God’s will intuitively as we receive God’s forgiveness. We will consider how God frees us from the anxiety and self-centeredness of a bad conscience, so that we can serve and love other people.

 

This Sunday we will meet at 10:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday School will meet at about 10:45am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 19th of October - 9:00am

There is a natural interest in discussing the way that religious faith relates to politics. This is because both religion and politics deal with important questions about the way human beings should live. As history shows, however, problems arise when politics is used to suppress the free expression of religious belief, or when religion is used to suppress the free expression of political belief.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing readings from the Bible that deal with the relationship between religion and politics. As we reflect on these readings we will consider how God works in different ways in the world and in the church. We will especially think through how we human beings, made in God’s image, are free to love and serve God and all people in the church and in the world.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. Our Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 12th of October - 10:00am

Whenever human beings get together, conflict will sooner or later arise. We see this reality in families, clubs, political associations, and also within churches. If the conflict is not dealt with, then divisions can form that may, in time, lead to the tearing apart of communities.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that addresses conflict between two women in a Christian congregation. As we listen to this reading, we will consider how this conflict was dealt with, and we will think through how we can deal with the stress and anxiety that conflict can cause in our own lives. We will especially think about the way Christ’s presence with us can bring us peace when we feel anxious.

 

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

After morning tea we will be having our congregational meeting to discuss the renovation of the kitchen.

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 21st of September - 9:00 am

When we work, we get paid. Or at least we should – that’s justice. But when someone decides to be generous to us, then we do not need to worry about what we deserve – we are fee simply to receive. And we truly experience the meaning of generosity when we receive with gratitude, not comparing what we have been given with what others have been given.

This Sunday we will be hearing a parable that Jesus told about God’s generosity.

As we reflect on the parable, we will consider how God is leading us to be thankful for what we have received. We will also consider how useless it is to complain about God’s generosity to others. And we will give thanks to God, and so experience the joy that comes from receiving good gifts from God.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am. The Sunday school is in recess over the holidays.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 14th of September - 10:00am

Normally if someone close to us hurts us or betrays us, then we feel bitter or angry. We go over in our minds the things they said or did, and can become consumed by resentment. Over time we can even become cynical and despondent – believing that the hope of kind and loving relationships is a fantasy and not a reality. When we fall into this state, we need God to lift us out.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness. He teaches that God does not become cynical towards us, but shows his great hope in freely offering us forgiveness over and over again. As we receive this forgiveness, we are able to forgive the people that hurt us, and we are even able to begin to see how God can draw good things out of the deepest hurts in life.

 

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

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 7th of September - 9:00am

Living in fractured relationships is very debilitating, as we witness in relationships around us every day - and often enough also within ourselves.   Fractured relationships result in people getting hurt.  Healing both broken relationships and fractured people is the aim of godly reconciliation, and forgiveness is God's way of restoring relationships and people.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that talks about God’s reconciling love.  We will hear that God regards healthy relationships so highly that he has provided a step-by-step reconciliation process, and he invites all of us to follow it.  This is a delicate restoration process which seeks the wellbeing of individuals and communities by protecting people's reputation through respecting their privacy and confidentiality.  Its aim is nothing less than life-long reconciliation and peace in relationships between people, and between people and God.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. Pastor Allan Heppner will be visiting from Melbourne, and will be delivering the sermon.

For Sunday the 24th of August - 10:00am

Often in life it can be difficult to see our way ahead. Especially when we face crisis points in work or in health or in family relationships, we can experience a deep need to know God’s will for our lives, and to live by this knowledge.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that speaks about knowing God’s will. As we reflect on the reading, we will consider how God gives us freedom to choose different paths. We will also consider how we learn the mind of God as we present ourselves wholly to God’s service – especially as we present ourselves to God as people who need his mercy and forgiveness.

 

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

For Sunday the 17th of August - 9:00 am

Sometimes it can feel as if God turns his back on our pleas for help. Especially when things are desperate, then it can seem as if God is refusing even to listen to our heartfelt cries for mercy.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible where a woman makes a heartfelt plea to Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus at first refuses to answer her, but as she physically puts herself in his way, where he cannot avoid her, she gets the hearing that she wants. Jesus honours her trust in him, and her daughter is healed.

 

As we think about what this reading means, we will consider how God is always merciful and compassionate, and how he leads us to be humble before him so that he can lift us up.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 10th of August - 10:00am

It’s not uncommon for Christian people to experience times in their life when they feel abandoned by God.  Especially when things are rough, then it can seem that God is far away, and that there is no hope.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that talks about a time when Jesus disciples were apart from him – when they were stuck in a boat that was being battered on the sea. We will hear that when Jesus did come to them, walking on the sea, they could not believe it – until he called one of them to come to him, across the water.

 

As we reflect on this reading we will consider how Jesus calls each one of us to place our trust in him, to receive his gift of salvation, and to experience the peace that only he can give, even in the midst of rough times.

 

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

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 3rd of August - 9:00am

Last Sunday at Bethlehem Lutheran Church we celebrated the baptism of Daniel Victor Ambrose Pearce. Daniel is the fourth child of Pastor Fraser and his wife Margaret. Keeping with an old Lutheran tradition Daniel’s name wasn’t revealed until the ceremony.  The only people who knew his name beforehand were his parents, the pastor who baptized Daniel, and the people at Country Cakes who made the cake for the celebration!

After the baptism the celebrations continued with a community lunch in the church hall. Although it was a cold day, the many friends, the roasts, the wine, and the thanks to God for the gift of life gave the afternoon warmth and joy.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. We will be hearing from the bible about the love God calls his people to show for all, including for those who reject God and mock his compassion and holiness. Our Sunday school will be meeting at about 9:45am.

For Sunday the 27th of July - 10:00am

The last words Jesus spoke to his specially chosen followers were: ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’

 

Since the very beginning of the church, people have come into fellowship with God and each other through receiving the gift of baptism, and through listening attentively to Jesus’ teaching.

 

This Sunday we will be celebrating another baptism, and we will see again how God continues to show his love in this world. We will experience how God continues to bring people together to live in a community where the forgiveness, love, and the holiness of God can be shared.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am for a service with Holy Communion. Afterward we will be celebrating with a community lunch.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 20th of June - 9:00 am

Suffering is an unavoidable part of life – but when we are going through suffering it can seem utterly meaningless, and it can fill us with despair. When we despair we can start to behave in ways that destroy our own lives and the relationships with the people that we love.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that deals with the topic of suffering. We will hear that the Bible contrasts suffering not with pleasure or health, but with the glory that God will reveal in us. As we think though this surprising comparison, we will consider how God gives us the gift of hope, and so saves us from the destruction that can come from despair.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00 am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at 9:45 am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Baby Pearce

Please join me in giving thanks to God for the safe arrival of a baby boy at 11:09 last Sunday evening (06/07/08).

Fraser

For pictures go to http://epistolaeobscurorumvirorum.blogspot.com/

For Sunday the 13th of July - 10:00 am

A simple fact of life is that it is not possible to have a good relationship with somebody that we don’t trust. No matter how much pleasure we may otherwise find their company, without the foundation of trust, real and lasting friendship cannot grow.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about our relationship with God. As we think through the reading we will consider how God wins our trust. We will especially focus on Jesus’ self-sacrificial love, and how this frees us to be people who have a good relationship with God.

 

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

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 6th of June - 9:00 am

It’s a very common experience for people to have good intentions, but not to follow through on them. More than this: most people experience times in their lives when they are seemingly powerless to resist doing things that they know are wrong and harmful. What’s going on?

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that talks about the inner conflict that human beings experience: a conflict of willing the good but doing the evil. As we think through what this means in our lives today, we will consider how God is leading us in humility to admit that we are powerless to save ourselves. This will prepare us to receive the mercy and love of the one who can save us: Jesus Christ, whose gracious presence we will receive in Holy Communion.

 

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school is in recess over the holidays.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

 

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

In life it is often very easy to settle for second best, or less. Especially when we think that our hopes are unrealistic, then we can be tempted to take opportunities for second- rate happiness as they present themselves. The problem is that when we go down this path we can start to feel unhappy with the kind of people we become – especially if start doing things that we know are wrong in order to grab some apparent joy in life.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible about the choices that we have in life. As we reflect on the reading, we will think through the way that God encourages us to have high hopes for our lives, and to trust that in Christ we will freely receive what will give us lasting joy. We will think through the way that God frees us to love ourselves and others, and so to find that our high hopes are never disappointed.

 

This Sunday we meet for a service with Holy Communion at 9:00am. Our Sunday school is in recess over the holidays.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

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

Sometimes people talk about Jesus as if he was a good person who gave sound advice about how to live well. A very different picture, however, emerges from the Gospels – those books of the Bible that tell the story of Jesus’ teaching and life. While it is true that Jesus was good, and that he did give helpful teaching, it is also true that the Jesus of the Gospels is not a tame figure that we can dismiss with mild approval.

 

This week we will be hearing a reading from the Gospels in which Jesus makes a claim on our personal allegiance. He gives a warning that only those who are willing to make following him their absolute number one priority –even above family, even above life itself – are worthy to be his disciples. As we think through what this means, we will consider how important it is to be called by Jesus, and to follow him in humility.

 

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

 

God’s peace,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 15th of June - 9:00am

Not one leader in the church serves God and the people perfectly. All have weaknesses, some have noticeable faults, some even do wicked and deeply wounding things that drive people away from the church, and lead them, if not openly to hate God, then to give up trusting that God is good.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible about Jesus sending out his disciples, and we will be focusing on the fact that one of the disciples he sent was Judas – the one who would betray him. As we think through what this might mean, we will consider how God builds us up in love even as we suffer the disappointment and hurt of betrayal by those who should care for us. We will consider how our one hope is in Christ Jesus, who was willing to suffer for us even when we were enemies of God.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

 

God’s peace,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 8th of June - 10:00am

This Sunday we will be celebrating the baptism of Luca Evans. Come and join us for this special event in the life of our congregation.

For Sunday the 1st of June - 9:00am

We are all familiar with people who speak out against evils in society, but who go on to show very human weaknesses. So we hear that a television evangelist who preaches against pornography has been hiring prostitutes. Or we hear that a campaigner for peace has been charged with assault. Or we hear that an environmental activist has a lifestyle of conspicuous consumption. It’s all very human.

 

This Sunday we will hear Jesus’ teaching about the need to be honest and real when it comes to moral standards. Jesus encourages us to promote what is good and to reject what is evil, but to do so in a spirit of humility. Since we can be tempted to do the very things we speak against, we do well to trust in God’s mercy, and to refrain from condemning people who fall into sin.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday School will meet at about 9:45am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 25th of May - 10:00am

All of us have some experience of conscience – of having the need to make moral judgments about what we are about to do, or about what we have done. In fact even when we would rather not have to think about being accountable for our actions, conscience can intrude like an unwelcome guest, and keep nagging us to do what is right and avoid what is wrong.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing readings from the Scriptures that help us understand what conscience is, and how God’s word gives us peace when we experience an uneasy conscience. We will especially think through the way that God leads us in humility by freeing us to obey our conscience as it is informed by God’s mercy and love.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am for a service with communion. The Sunday school will meet at 10:45am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 18th of May - 9:00am

Whether the universe has any discernable meaning continues to be a controversial question in our society. While scientists describe in great detail the way in which living things grow and change, the question of why there is something rather than nothing remains beyond the reach of human thought.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing the account of the creation from the book of Genesis. In this account God brings creation into being by speaking his word, and considers all that he has made ‘good’. As we think through what this means, we will consider how God continues to speak to us today, and so bring his blessing and peace into our lives.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. We will also be hosting an ecumenical service at 5:00pm.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 11th of May - 10:00 a.m.

This Sunday our congregation will be holding its church camp at Hall's Gap, but there will still be a service with communion at the normal time of 10:00 a.m.

God's peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 4th of May - 9:00 a.m.

Just to let you know that this Sunday we are meeting at 9:00a.m. for the responsive service with communion.

For Thursday the 1st of May - 7:30p.m.

Today many churches are celebrating the festival of the Ascension. This festival celebrates the way that Jesus lives and reigns over all that there is as a human being and yet also as God.

 

The reality of Jesus’ reign as both God and a human being is deeply mysterious, and can seem preposterous until we consider our own experience as human beings in this world. Not only can we human beings comprehend in our minds the vastness of the universe, we can also experience a deep desire for joy that transcends earthly realities- that transcends even death. These sorts of experiences can open us to hearing the teaching that through Jesus we are called to share in the life of God.

 

This evening we will be meeting at 7:30pm to celebrate Jesus’ Ascension. We will also be meeting this Sunday at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 27th of April - 10:00am

One of the gifts that God gives his people is hope. Hope is not simply a wish that things will turn out well. It is the conviction that God calls each one of us into a new way of living that will have no end – that the things we say and do have a meaning that not even death can destroy.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible where Christians are encouraged to be prepared to give the reason for the hope they have. As we receive this encouragement, we will consider some of the reasons for the hope that we have, and we will think through the ways that God gives us hope even in the face of great difficulties.

 

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

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 20th of April - 9:00am

One of the great temptations in life is to become bitter toward those people who have said or done things to hurt us. If we give in to this temptation, we can become trapped in a cycle of anger, and this can leave us depressed, and unable to get on with living life joyfully.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that shows us a different way to deal with the temptation to become bitter. We will hear how, as we pray in Jesus’ name, God frees us to show mercy and forgiveness to those who have hurt us. We will hear how through this God brings us into a heavenly way of life, and leads us to share his blessings with others.

 

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 13th of April - 10:00am

The name that we have is an important part of who we are. We are instinctively tuned in to hear our name when it is spoken, and we rightly want others to associate good things with our name. If people react with disgust or anger when they hear our name, we want to put things right, and to make sure that our name carries with it our good reputation.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing one of the famous prayers from the Bible – Psalm 23. In this prayer the Lord is pictured as a good shepherd, who does good things for his people in order that his name may be honoured. As we reflect on this prayer, we will consider what the Lord’s name means, and why it is important to God that all people understand that he is slow to anger, and that he willingly shows unwavering love for those who honour him.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am for a service with Holy Communion. We will also be welcoming a new member into our church family through holy baptism.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

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

For Sunday the 2nd of March - 9:00am

Sometimes in life it can be tempting to think that people deserve all the suffering that they endure. Whether we think in terms of ‘karma’ or ‘just deserts’, the results can be the same: we can withdraw from people in their suffering, and can congratulate ourselves on being somehow better than most.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible where Jesus’ disciples are tempted to view a man’s suffering as the result of his (or his parent’s) sin. Jesus does not see things this way. Instead, by his words and actions he shows that God can use human suffering to bring about his healing, truth, and life.

 

As we think about Jesus’ teaching and action, we will consider how God is calling us to show compassion to all people in their suffering.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00amfor a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will be meeting at about 9:45am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, pastor

For Sunday the 24th of February - 10:00am

One of the central teachings of the Church is that God is love. This means that God is always patient, kind, and gentle, and that His justice and mercy are freely offered to all.

 

Another central teaching of the Church is that God’s love is not just an idea or a concept, but that it is a reality: that God has proved His love for the world by sending Jesus, who willingly took all the evil in the world upon himself. God has shown this love even to people who hate Him, or who despise and mock the Church.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing about the way that God has shown his love, and we will be considering what this means for all people, and especially for those who are reconciled to God.

 

We will be meeting at 10:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will be meeting at about 10:45am. The AGM of our church will follow the service.

 

God’s peace,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 17th of February - 9:00am

When we go to see a doctor, we want more than a diagnosis of what is wrong. We also want to receive some form of treatment to help with our disease. While we know that sometimes doctors will tell us news that we don’t want to hear, in the end we hope that we can be brought back to health and to the full enjoyment of life.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible in which Jesus assures us that he came not simply to tell us what is wrong with our lives, but to save us. Like a good doctor, Jesus does give a diagnosis of what is wrong, but he also freely gives us the mercy and healing that we need to live at peace with God and each other.  As we trust Jesus’ word to us, we experience the reality of his healing power in our lives.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 10th of February - 10:00am

We all have times when we experience the temptation to do things that we know are wrong. During such times we can easily find good reasons to give in to temptation. What’s more, especially if no one is watching us, it can seem that giving in to temptation is no big deal.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible stories of temptation. We will be hearing about Adam and Eve fell for the temptation to define for themselves what makes something good or evil. We will also be hearing about how Jesus stood up to the temptation of Satan. As we reflect on what the Bible says, we will consider how God, by showing his mercy to us in Christ Jesus, gives us the freedom to turn away from ugly and harmful behavior. We will experience how God frees us to love each other and all people.

 

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

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

 

For Sunday the 3rd of February - 9:00am

It’s natural for people to want to be happy, and to aim for the things in life that they think will bring satisfaction and joy. It’s also natural for people to have conflicting ideas about what will bring happiness, and to have fights and arguments when these ideas are worked out in practice.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing teaching from Jesus about the happy life. As we hear this teaching, we will consider that it is not simply good advice from a spiritual genius, but that it shows us God’s face – that it shows us the beauty and the goodness of God. We will also think through the way that God gives peace and unity by leading us in the life of joy.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion, and for the bapstim of Claire Elizabeth McGee.  The Sunday school will also be resuming this week.

 

God’s peace,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 27th of January - 10:00am

Sometimes it can be difficult to see what keeps people going to church Sunday by Sunday. Pastors of churches are, after all, not usually magnetic personalities who draw people into church by force of their own charisma. And most church services would hardly be called entertaining –at least not in the sense that blockbuster movies or professional sports matches can be entertaining. So why are churches still around, and why do people still go to church?

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that talks about God’s wisdom being revealed in the crucifixion of Jesus. As we think through what this means, we’ll consider how God continues to use seemingly weak and unattractive things –even the rather ordinary aspects of church life- to reveal the depths of his love for us.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am. As we receive Holy Communion, we will experience how God’s love draws us together and frees us to love one another - we will experience how God continues to grow and sustain his church by his compassionate love.

God’s peace,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 20th of January - 9:00am

One of the temptations we face in life is to blame others for our own problems.  It can be especially tempting to pick on people who are weaker than us, and to make them pay for the dissatisfaction or frustration we may feel in life. In the history of our world this sort of attitude has played itself out on a national scale in cruel persecutions and genocides, but the same reality can be seen on a smaller scale in households, workplaces, and even churches.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that speaks about Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’. As we think through this reading, we will consider the way that God deals with our temptation to blame others by providing us with a true sacrificial victim. Jesus does not simply take the blame that we want to pass to others, but transforms us to be people who are able to take responsibility for our own actions.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. Our Sunday school is in recess over the school holidays.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 13th of January - 10:00am

Just a short note so that you know the service time for this Sunday!

For Sunday the 6th of January - 9:00am

This Sunday we will be meeting to celebrate Epiphany - the Light of God shining to the nations. We will be having the Service Alternative Form. Sunday school is in recess over the holiday break.

God's peace!

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Christmas Day - 10:00am

Our Christmas Day service will be the Service with Holy Communion, and will be at 10:00am.

God's peace,

Fraser Pearce

For Christmas Eve - 7:30pm

This Christmas Eve our Service of Lessons and Carols will be at 7:30pm.

Here's the massage that will appear in this weeks Advertiser from our congregation:

One of the greatest mysteries of Christmas is that Jesus, through whom everything that exists was made, humbled himself to become a human being, born as a tiny baby to the Virgin Mary. This mystery seems so preposterous that, were it not for the fact that it has the miraculous power to change our hearts and lives, we would write it off as foolishness.

 

At our little church in Spring Gully we will, more that two thousand years after first Christmas, celebrate the birth of Jesus. On Christmas Eve we will gather to hear the Christmas story and to sing songs and carols that joyfully proclaim the meaning of Christmas. On Christmas Day we will gather to celebrate Holy Communion, and to receive again God’s gracious presence in our world.

 

Our prayer this Christmas is that God will give all the people of Bendigo his gifts of peace and joy, and that our world will have the healing and rest that comes from trusting God.

 

God’s peace to you!

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 23rd of December -10:00am

This Sunday we will be having a Service with Communion. I'll be preaching on the Gospel reading. In the afternoon will be the baptism of Micah Jay Harrigan at the Seymour congregation.

God's peace,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 16th of December - 9:00am

This Sunday we will be having our children’s Christmas presentation. In this presentation we will hear the Christmas story from the Bible, and we’ll see the children dressed up to take their different roles as they act out the story.

One of the messages from the Christmas story that we will be focusing on is the message of patience. God’s people before Jesus was born were patiently waiting for the birth of one who would bring God’s justice into the world. With Jesus’ birth, God showed his justice by giving all people access to his mercy, forgiveness, and peace. As we receive all that Jesus has to give us, we patiently wait for God to grow his love and joy in our own lives.

This Sunday our special Children’s Christmas presentation service is at 9:00am. It will also be a service with Holy Communion.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

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

When we live with hope, then we can face even the toughest situations with a measure of peace, and even with a measure of joy. When we have no hope, however, then even the most affluent living conditions can leave us feeling aimless, despondent, and depressed.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible about hope, and especially about the hope that God gives us of a life of harmony with each other, with creation, and with himself. As we hear this reading, we will consider the way that God gives us faith so that we can experience harmony as we serve each other.

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, to rehearse for the Christmas presentation.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday December the 2nd - 9:00am

In life we all have some understanding that the ways we think, speak, and act have real consequences for our relationships and for our environment. It’s a fact that often we don’t like to think about theses consequences, but even inconvenient truths cannot be avoided indefinitely, and eventually we must come to terms with the results of our behaviour.

This Sunday we will be hearing a warning that Jesus gave to his disciples about the fact that a time of judgment would come. As we listen to this warning, we’ll consider what faithful and unfaithful responses to this warning might look like, and we’ll think about the ways that God frees us to live authentic lives.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am. On Sunday evening there will also be an ecumenical service at 6:00pm at St Therese’s Catholic Church.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 25th of November - 10:00am

Sometimes it can seem that God is not great. Especially when we or others close to us are suffering, we can get angry at God, and wish that he did not exist. It’s also often the case that when we experience the reality of our own guilt – the reality of our conscience inconveniently reminding us of what we’ve done or of what we should be doing – then we can wish that God would leave us alone.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that says, ‘The Lord is our righteousness”. As we think though what this phrase might mean, we’ll consider some of the ways that God shows us his suffering love and his endless mercy. We’ll consider the way that Christ takes human anger on himself, and gives his peace and forgiveness in return.

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

For Sunday the 18th of November - 9:00am

One of the important teachings of the Bible is that work, even apparently menial labor, is significant to God, and is rewarded by him. This teaching can be particularly helpful to hear when we feel weighed down by the daily tasks of studying, taking care of children, keeping the house clean, or dealing with difficult work mates or employers. As our attention is drawn to the fact that God sees our work and rewards it, we can receive strength from God to help us work cheerfully and conscientiously.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that gives encouragement to all able-bodied Christians to work rather than to be idle. As we reflect on this reading we will think about how it relates to our life as a congregation, and also how it gives us inspiration to help those who are not able to work.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at about 9:45am.

God’s peace,

Fraser Pearce, pastor

For Sunday the 11th of November - 10:00am

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about the purpose that God has in mind when he calls us through the good news about Jesus. It’s not that God wants us to be people who feel superior to others, or to be people who smugly judge others who think or act in different ways. The purpose that God has in mind when he calls us through the goods news about Jesus is that he wants to share with us the glory – the mercy, the life, and the love – that is in Jesus.

This Sunday, as we maintain the traditions that have been handed on to us by the Lord and by the Apostles, we will again receive the good news about Jesus, and we will experience the way that God frees us to love each other, and to be at peace with all people of good will.

This Sunday our service starts at 10:00am. Our church picnic will start at about 11:30am.

God’s peace,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor