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