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

Jesus lived as a servant to all people. He was able to do this because he was completely secure about who he was. Unlike normal human beings, who compete and compare, and who quarrel about who is the most important, Jesus simply rested in the approval he had from his Father in heaven. Because he rested in this approval, he was free gladly to stoop down and serve those in need.

This Sunday we will be hearing about Jesus’ servant attitude. We will be hearing about how Jesus willingly went to his suffering and death, trusting that he would be more than vindicated in his life of love. And we will be hearing about how Jesus shares this servant attitude with us, as we trust that with him we have the love and the approval of our Father in heaven.

This week we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. Our children will be having some special involvement in this Palm Sunday celebration.

God’s peace,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

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

This Sunday we will be celebrating ‘The Annunciation’ – that is, we will be remembering with thanks to God the time when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.

One of the things we will be thinking about is how Mary is a model to us of living with faith in God. Before Mary had done anything special, God showed his grace to her; when Mary heard God’s word, she simply trusted God; and through her faithful reception of God’s word she bore Jesus, the saviour of our world. As we faithfully receive God’s word, which he graciously gives us, we too can bring the light of Christ into the world today.

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

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

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

Bendigo Lutheran Church

One of the most controversial things that Jesus did was welcome sinful people to his table. Even though Jesus was above reproach (so much so that his enemies had to think up false accusations against him), he welcomed people whose faults were obvious to all. When Jesus did this he was not showing his approval of sinful behaviour; instead he was showing that God is merciful to those who turn to him for forgiveness and healing.

This Sunday we will be hearing one of Jesus’ most famous parables – the parable of the prodigal son. Jesus told this parable to people who were grumbling because of the way he welcomed sinners. As we hear this parable we will think through the way that God welcomes us, even when our motivations for returning to him are mixed. We will also think through the fact that God gives us all the gifts he has so that we may live joyfully together as God’s people.

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

Sunday 11th March 2007 - 10:00am

Pastor Fraser will lead the service this Sunday with Holy Communion at 10am in Bendigo.

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

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am. For this week I'm including a summary of the readings:

GENESIS 15:1-12,17,18: This vision given to Abraham repeats and affirms the promises made to him previously when God called him to leave Haran. Abram asked, 'What will you give me?' because as yet there was no natural heir to give credence to a future land occupied by his descendants. Abram had followed common Mesopotamian custom in naming Eliezer (his slave) as heir in the absence of a natural heir. The answer to the matter of descendants lay in counting the stars. Abram's 'belief' of God's promise expresses the response God always looks for and honours with his fulfilment of promises. The answer to the question of land is given in the establishment of a covenant. The cutting in two of the sacrifices expressed the curses which might fall upon whichever party should break the covenant agreement. The passing of fire and smoke demonstrated the Lord's own presence and his assumption of the curses to himself personally. Thus God took full responsibility for the fulfilment of the promise. The huge territory promised, from Egypt to the Euphrates, only came about in King David's time.

PHILLIPAINS 3:17 - 4:1: There are always those in the church who agree to the teaching of salvation by the cross of Christ, yet wish to live for the pleasures of earthly appetites. Paul tells the Philippians not to follow this way of destruction to which those people are inevitably heading. The sure hopeful expectation of heaven, deeply imbedded in Christian faith, cannot help but move the believer to a life of willing obedience to Christ. This foreshadows the future eternal joy. Christians therefore, unswayed by worldly example, remain single-mindedly firm in the Lord.

LUKE 13:31-35: Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, knowing that he would suffer and die. The messengers from Herod were probably trying to head Jesus off from Jerusalem. However, Jesus' determination to continue in accordance with his own plans recognises that his time to die was not in Herod's hands, but his Father's. It had to be that he should die in Jerusalem because of its hardness against God's messengers. His piteous concern for the inhabitants still recognises their inability to repent. Hence they would only greet him one day in judgment.

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

This week we will be hearing one of the most powerful promises that the Bible makes: ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’. This is a universal promise that God makes to every person, and it’s a promise that shows how gracious, merciful; and compassionate God is.

This promise is very important for us to hear because we sometimes do things that we know are wrong. Maybe in moments of weakness we say hurtful things to people that we love, or we selfishly keep for ourselves things we should share, or we break trust with people who are relying on us. In these situations we may experience God’s disapproval, and we may fear being honest with God about our behaviour. But in these situations we are also free to trust that in Christ Jesus, who was tempted but never sinned, we have access to God’s grace and peace.

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,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Pancake Tuesday (the 20th of February) and Ash Wednesday (the 21st of February)

Tuesday the 20th from &;00-8:30pm is an open house at the Pearce's for Pancakes. It's a social event, and members and friends are welcome.

On Wednesday the 21st there will be an Ash Wednesday service at the church at 7:30pm. This special service marks the beginning of Lent.

Hymns for Sunday the 18th of February - 9:00am

This Sunday we will be celebrating the Transfiguration (although I'll be preaching mainly on the Gospel reading for what would have been the 7th Sunday after the Epiphany). The service will be the Service Alternative Form. The hymns will be:

222 Thou whose almighty word
858 Make me a channel of your peace
152 Fairest Lord Jesus
747 How good Lord to be here

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

This Sunday we will be hearing some of the most confronting and difficult of Jesus’ teachings. These include his commands that we love our enemies, that we refrain from condemning other people, and that we forgive those who hurt us.

While we may acknowledge that Jesus’ teaching has the ring of truth, and that the world would be a far better place if we lived according to Jesus’ teaching, we also have to acknowledge that obeying his teaching doesn’t come naturally. No matter how hard we try by our own strength, we will never be perfect examples of Jesus’ teaching in our words and actions.

There has only been one person who lived up to Jesus’ teaching, and that is Jesus himself. It’s as we place our trust in Jesus that we experience his power in our lives, and that we receive strength from God to love, to give, and to forgive.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am to listen to God’s Word, to give thanks to God, to pray, and to receive the Lord’s Supper. As we do this we will experience the gracious presence of God with us to help us and heal us. Our Sunday school will meet at around 9:45am.

God’s peace,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Service Order and Hymns for Sunday the 11th of February 10:00am

This Sunday we'll be using the Service with Communion (p.6 in the Hymnal).

The hymns will be:
270 The law of God v1,2,5,6
265 How blest are they
837 Feed us now
266 God's Word is our great heritage

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

All human beings meditate – we all spend time every day daydreaming or thinking about things that are important to us. What we daydream about – what we spend our time thinking about - has a big influence on what we end up saying and doing. In fact it seems fait to say that a person’s words and actions are the best evidence there is as to what they’ve been thinking about.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about meditation. We will be hearing about the way that God gives us refreshment and strength as we spend time thinking about the teaching that he gives. As the Holy Spirit leads us to think about God’s word to us, our way of life changes, and God brings us home on the path that leads to eternal life.

This Sunday we will meet at 10:00am. As we receive Holy Communion we will have an opportunity to meditate on the word of God made present to us in the body and blood of Christ. Our Sunday school will meet at about 10:45am, and our AGM will follow the service.

God’s peace,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Sunday the 4th of February - 9:00am

Jesus had a powerful way of bringing people into spiritual reality. To those who thought that they had the right stuff to be true followers of his, he was devastatingly tough. He put the bar so high that they could never get over it. To those who acknowledged their weakness and need, however, he was kind and gentle. Instead of giving them a test to see if they were up to being his followers, he simply called them to be with him.

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that describes Jesus calling St Peter to follow him. St Peter knew that he was a real sinner, and that he was not good enough to be with Jesus. In fact he asked the Lord to go away from him. But Jesus looked beyond St Peter’s weakness, and saw the sort of person that God could make him. Jesus called St Peter, who was a fisherman, to take up a new job of catching people for God’s kingdom.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am. We will be thinking about the way that Jesus calls us to be with him, not because we are good enough for God, but because God is gracious. And we will celebrate the mercy and love of God as we receive Holy Communion. Our Sunday School starts up again this week, and will be on at about 9:45am.

God’s peace,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Annual General Meeting 11th February 2007

Our AGM will be following the 10am Service on 11th February 2007.

The Book of Reports - incorporating the Agenda, Reports, Financial Report and proposed 2007 Budget are available from the Narthex at Church.

If you would like a soft copy emailed to you please let me know on schultz1@chariot.net.au.

I encourage all members to attend, the meeting last year went for 33 minutes!

Paul Schultz
Chairman

For the 28th of January

As Christians we believe and teach that God freely saves people from the bitterness, the hate, and the misery that leads to unending death. But we also believe that God saves people for incorporation into a new community that is based on love. In fact God gives individual people the gift of faith so that they may begin life in a new community– a community that is transformed by the love of Christ.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about this love. We will be hearing about what this love is: that this love is patient and kind, that this love rejoices in what is right, and that this love is eternal. We will also hear about what this love isn’t: that this love isn’t jealous or boastful or arrogant or rude. Most importantly we will be hearing about how God gives us this love as a gift, and how we experience this love in our day to day lives.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am to listen to God’s Word, to bring our thanks and praise to God, and to receive God’s love in the Lord’s Supper.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 7th of January

Most of us feel a naturally affinity with people who speak our language and share our culture. Most of us also feel a natural suspicion of people who speak another language, or who have customs that are foreign to us. Usually the experience of these different feelings doesn’t stop us getting on together in society, but sometimes racial vilification and even violence can occur. It’s then that we wonder about the hope of people of different races living together in harmony.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about the way God brings people from different races into a real and lasting unity. Through the Jews, and in particular through Jesus, God has brought his commands and promises into our whole world. This means that all people, no matter what their ethnic background, are loved by God, and are called by him to be members of his family. As we place our trust in Christ we get a new way of appreciating the unique aspects of our own culture, while being free to welcome and give thanks for what people of different cultures bring to us.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am. We will be experiencing the unity that God gives as we together receive the Body and Blood of Christ.

For Sunday the 31st of December

One recipe for misery is to know God’s rules without knowing God. If we have no relationship with God, but do have some knowledge of God’s laws, then God can seem to be a killjoy – to be someone who has created a world full of fun, but who will not let us enjoy it. Living with this experience can lead us to have a deep resentment toward God – a resentment that is fuelled by fear and guilt.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about the way God makes us his friends, and so gives us knowledge of who he is. We will be hearing about the way that God gives us joy as he leads us to live with gratitude, and as he frees us to experience his closeness to us in our communal life in the church.

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

For Sunday the 24th of December

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and we will be thinking about what the Bible means when it says that ‘all generations’ will call her ‘blessed’. As we hear about Mary’s trust in God’s word, we will hear how God made her a blessing to the people around her, and how God worked through her to bring his blessing to the whole world.

One of the ways Mary’s story encourages us is that it shows us how God keeps us from temptation, and delivers us from evil. Mary’s story reminds us that by God’s grace we can distinguish between good and evil, that we can be thankful to God for his protection, and that we encourage and support all people in need.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am for a service with Holy Communion. Our Service of Readings and Carols will be at 7:30pm, and our Christmas Day service will be at 9:00am.

Christmas 2006

This year at Bendigo we will be having a Christmas Eve Service at 7:30pm on Sunday the 24th of December. Our Christmas Day Service will be at 9:00am on the 25th of December.

The Christmas Eve Service will be a traditional Service of Readings and Carols.

The Christmas Day Service will be the Service with Communion.

For Sunday the 17th of December

Most of us have to live with worry. It’s not that we enjoy being anxious, it’s just that worry comes naturally to us, and when we are faced with people or situations that cause us concern, we can become weighed down.

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about how God frees us from worry. One of the readings we will hear comes from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where he encourages God’s people to rejoice in the Lord always. St Paul, who had plenty to worry about, spoke from experience when he assured the Christians in Philippi that the Lord is near, and that the Lord will hear the prayers of his faithful people. St Paul had experienced that fact that God gives his peace to those who speak their anxiety to him in prayer; we too can share in this experience as we take our worry to God.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am. We will experience the closeness of God as we listen to God’s word, as we pray together, and as we celebrate Holy Communion.

For Sunday the 10th of December

Bendigo Lutheran Church: Children’s Christmas

This Sunday is a special day for us: the children’s Christmas service. Every year we have a service in which the children dress up as different characters in the Christmas story, and act out their parts as the story is told. This simple and fun retelling of the great story of Christ’s birth not only helps give the children happy and vivid memories of Christmas, it also gives joy to the rest of the congregation as they watch the story unfold, and as they take their part in singing the carols.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am. Because of the children’s involvement our service will be a little different from the usual: we will only have one Bible reading, and the sermon will be a bit shorter. In the sermon we will be thinking through the way God completes the work of faith that he has started in us. We will be thinking through the way God grows us in knowledge of, and insight into, his love.

This Sunday we will be celebrating Holy Communion.

God’s peace to you,

Fraser Pearce, Pastor