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!