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