Easter 2 (Year B) – Not living in fear

8 April 2018

Our first reading from Acts seems so different to our Gospel reading from John.  Both give an account of Jesus’ disciples gathered together after his death and resurrection – but what a difference there is in their character.   In Acts we read: With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the… Read more

Easter Sunday (Year B)

1 April 2018

Do you know what the 10 greatest fears are: FEAR OF FLYING FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING FEAR OF HEIGHTS FEAR OF THE DARK FEAR OF INTIMACY FEAR OF DEATH FEAR OF FAILURE FEAR OF REJECTION FEAR OF SPIDERS FEAR OF COMMITMENT I was rather surprised to see that fear of spiders was so low down… Read more

Easter Sunday Dawn Service-Our Lives Rebooted (Year B)

1 April 2018

Every now and then as I’m working on my computer it begins to slow down and get really sluggish. Things take longer to process – programs take longer to open.  And I realise that what I need to do is turn it off and turn it back on again to refresh it.  Sometimes our lives… Read more

Good Friday: It is finished (Year B)

30 March 2018

We wonder why Jesus ministry had to end this way. Why was it necessary for Jesus to die? They are very reasonable questions, but they are not questions that we would ask if we truly understand what Jesus promised. Take St Peter for example.  Jesus prophesied that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many… Read more

Maundy Thursday (Year B)

29 March 2018

Betrayal seems to be so common place these days in the public sphere. In politics we have seen Prime Ministers betrayed by their parties ousting them for someone more popular.  In relationships we’ve seen families betrayed such as our former Deputy Prime Minister betraying his wife and family.  In the celebrity world we have seen… Read more

Palm Sunday- My rights (Year B)

25 March 2018

The greater good is a common expression which indicates that you are doing something that most likely will not benefit you but many people.  Palm Sunday is an example of Jesus choosing the greater good rather than his own good.  On Palm Sunday we celebrate what is called Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  But this… Read more

4th Sunday in Lent- God’s Masterpieces (Year B)

11 March 2018

I asked a year 12 student recently what their plans were for next year when they finish High School.  It was like I had asked them to prove the existence of God or to explain the meaning of life.  They had that look in their eyes that screamed – I have no idea what I’m… Read more

3rd Sunday in Lent-How foolish! (Year B)

4 March 2018

There are several Bible verses that I would call my favourite.  Today’s reading includes one of those:  Paul wrote, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles,”   Paul knew that there was an offensive side to the Christian message to those who didn’t understand – or as he called… Read more

Follow the leader

25 February 2018

One of the features of Australian politics over the past 10 years has been the instability of leadership.  In the past 10 or so years we have had the deposing of the Rudd, Gillard, Rudd Government of the Labor Party and the Abbott Turnbull deposing in the Liberal Party.  In recent times we have seen… Read more

Jesus predicts Peter’s denial

21 February 2018

As a parent I would always try to give a word of encouragement to my children before a big event.   Whether it was a sporting event or before an exam at school – I would give a word of encouragement.   “You’re going to do well” – “I have complete trust in you” – Just do… Read more

Hating sin, loving the sinner

18 February 2018

The story of Noah’s ark is a favourite among many people, particularly young children.  It is a story that is best known for the images of all the different animals lining up, two by two, to enter the ark to escape the coming flood.  It’s a story that brings out pictures of joyful scenes, happy… Read more

Faith in low times

11 February 2018

High and low experiences are part of everyday life.  When a couple gets married they vow to love each other “in sickness and in health – for better and for worse – for richer and for poorer.  It acknowledges that even in marriage there can be the highs and lows; so too in the life… Read more

True healing

4 February 2018

One of the things that I miss about my first Parish in Minyip, a rural country town in the Wimmera, is going out at night and just looking up at the night sky.  Away from the city lights you could see so much more than in metro areas.  If you looked long enough you would… Read more

True Authority

28 January 2018

American Artist Andy Warhol once said: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”, It’s where we get the saying “15 minutes of fame”. Today it seems that fame is not that uncommon with Social Media enabling people to post videos and pictures of themselves to be seen around the world by anyone…. Read more

Our merciful God

21 January 2018

Today’s Old Testament reading only gives us part of the story of Jonah’s call.  If we didn’t know the whole story of Jonah we might believe that Jonah is an exemplary servant of God who responds instantly to God’s call like Andrew, Peter, James and John in our Gospel reading.  God gave Jonah instructions to… Read more

Speak Lord your servant is listening

14 January 2018

We often hear comments that we live in godless times.  We have this image that our country was once considered a Christian country but we are slowly watching the census figures heading to below 50% of the population.  But as we look at our Old Testament reading we find that periods of darkness in relation… Read more

Finding Jesus

7 January 2018

Christmas is well and truly over for most people. Most have taken down their Christmas trees and are finishing off leftover ham and mince pies. (Ringwood) Our Christmas Tree is still up as officially Christmas season continues till Epiphany, January 6th, the original date of Christmas until the 4th Century. Many have returned to work…. Read more

Waiting for our Saviour

31 December 2017

The year ended in similar way to how it began. In January a driver used his car to drive through the streets of Melbourne killing 6 and injuring many more. In December a driver used his car to drive through the streets of Melbourne injuring almost 20 people. Throughout the year there have been many… Read more

Looking again to the manger

25 December 2017

I wonder what would have happened if Jesus were born in today’s world. In all our busyness would we have responded like the Shepherds and said: Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place. So they went with haste. Would we have been too busy? Would we want to… Read more

Our gift wrapped Saviour

24 December 2017

Christmas is a very exciting time for adults and children – for everyone. It’s a highlight of the year and part of the excitement is the giving and receiving of gifts. But it’s getting harder and harder to think of gifts to give. It seems these days that our friends and family have everything they… Read more

Expect the unexpected.

20 December 2017

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in… Read more

Peeling back the layers of Christmas

17 December 2017

I was getting my car serviced during the week and I overheard a couple of the staff chatting at the coffee machine. One said to the other – “so, are you ready for the silly-season”. You’ve probably heard similar references to Christmas including those such as – I can’t wait for Christmas to be over… Read more

Winners and Losers

10 December 2017

We live in a society that seems to be more and more categorised into winners and losers. The recent postal survey on Same Sex Marriage is a classic example. It didn’t solve the issue or bring about a consensus on the matter – it simply created winners and losers. And so we keep hearing the… Read more

Waiting and watching.

3 December 2017

We look again to God with anxious eyes this Advent. With all the difficulties in the world sometimes we can feel so inadequate in trying to make the world a better place. What difference do we make in the world? Sometimes the world’s problems seem so big that it’s like “David and Goliath” – but… Read more

Love comes to life

26 November 2017

Have you ever invited someone to church and they responded that if they ever entered a church the walls would come crashing down? Usually they say that because they believe that their way of life is more than God or the church can tolerate. In the world people have often thought the same believing the… Read more

We are family

5 November 2017

There is a saying – blood is thicker than water. It is said to indicate that when it comes to loyalties family comes first. Families in the Lutheran Church has always been important too. You may have one or more family tree books so you can trace your genealogy and work out who that 2nd… Read more

In God’s Image

22 October 2017

I love it when a baby is born and there is a scramble to identify family images in the child. Whose nose does he have? Whose eyes does she have? And as the child grows it’s interesting to watch certain mannerisms that begin to develop from both sides of the family. As parents it’s lovely… Read more

The invitation

15 October 2017

Having been involved in the preparation for our daughter Grace’s wedding earlier this year this reading today took on a new meaning for me. Usually people only see the end result of months, maybe years, of preparation that goes into the big day. Making sure everything is just right so that the day is perfect… Read more

Stewards of God’s vineyard

8 October 2017

Often when watching Current Affairs on TV you’ll see a story about a tenant of a rented property who has trashed the house and left it in a disgusting mess owing on rent. They are terrible stories of disrespect for another person’s property and a lack of appreciation for another person’s generosity towards them. In… Read more

By what authority?

1 October 2017

There is not much doubt that the church has little to no authority in today’s modern world. In Luther’s time the church was very powerful. The Pope was a person with great authority not only in the church but also in the world. Luther actually challenged the worldly power of the church when he taught… Read more

Is God Unfair?

24 September 2017

Sometimes life just isn’t fair? It’s one of the hard realities we learn early on. You can learn it in kindergarten when that child won’t share with you. You can learn it in primary school when the other children won’t play with you or you’re not invited to a birthday party. You can learn it… Read more

Forgive us our sins

17 September 2017

On the first Tuesday of every month many Australians nervously await the announcement from the Reserve Bank regarding what they are doing about interest rates. Our nation’s debt is so high that even a small rise of .25% will send many mortgages into default and households with huge credit card debts into arrears. The latest… Read more

Christian Conflict Resolution

10 September 2017

Jesus deals with a very sensitive topic today – the topic of conflict within the church. Conflict doesn’t have to be a negative experience in the church or in any form of relationship. Rather it can be an opportunity to delve deeper into a relationship. Jesus provides advice for resolving conflicts among church members which… Read more

FATHER’S DAY AND THE GIFT OF OUR FATHERS

4 September 2017

Today is Father’s Day, and given that fathers and fatherhood are in crisis in our modern western culture today, I thought I’d go “off script” so to speak, and talk a little about why fathers matter, and the unique blessings fathers provide for their families. In so doing please understand that I am not criticising… Read more

Jesus, Son of God – what does this mean?

27 August 2017

Getting into places is getting more difficult these days. At the footy you have to go through bag searches and body scans which takes such a long time. If you drive there you have even more difficulty with all the bollards that have been placed around areas to prevent the latest terrorist attacks of driving… Read more

God’s “un-fairness”

20 August 2017

Today’s encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon is often misread and even misunderstood. People are often left scratching their heads wondering about Jesus’ treatment of this woman pleading for Jesus to heal her daughter. They often ask why Jesus denies her request at first. But as I… Read more

The Deafening Silence of God.

13 August 2017

People often ask me how I became a Christian and then later on becoming a pastor. They seem a little disappointed with my answer thinking I had this huge mountain top experience or where God appeared to me in a vision to convert me and then tell me to become a pastor. Becoming a Christian;… Read more

How did he do that?

6 August 2017

I was watching the TV show – America’s Got Talent a couple of weeks ago and they had a magician as one of their acts. They chained him up and put handcuffs on him and then placed him inside a wooden box in a hole that had been previous dug. The men outside the hole… Read more

Kingdom Parables

30 July 2017

Jesus today continues his teaching in Parables and gives us 5 ways to imagine the Kingdom of Heaven: Like a mustard seed; like yeast in flour; like treasure hidden in a field; like a priceless pearl; and like a net that catches all kinds of fish. These are not just a repeat of each other… Read more

Evil mixed with good

23 July 2017

‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ That is a question that has been asked of God since the beginning of time. ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ As we hear the creation story… Read more

Generous or irresponsible Sower?

16 July 2017

When I found out that my first Parish was going to be a country town in the Wimmera called Minyip I was contacted by the chairman to see if my family and I would like to come up for a weekend to be shown around the town where I would be the Pastor. The chairman… Read more

Regretting our actions

9 July 2017

The news this week has been dominated with violence in sport where people have reacted in ways that they say was not to cause hurt but it did. It began with Richmond footballer Bachar Houli who knocked out a player when he got frustrated with him grabbing onto him. The next week Melbourne footballer Tom… Read more

The Welcoming Community

2 July 2017

Traditionally many houses have at their front door a mat for visitors to wipe their feet on. Invariably there is written on the mat “welcome”. Hence we get the term “Welcome Mat”. But then, just next to the doorbell is a different message to visitors arriving. It is a sign that says “Do Not Knock”…. Read more

Dealing with sin through Baptism

25 June 2017

The story of Isaac and Ishmael is an interesting story. God had promised Abraham a son with his wife Sarah from which would become a great nation – so numerous that no one could count them – like sand on a beach or the stars in the sky. The problem is that Abraham is nearing… Read more

God’s Mission

18 June 2017

Although last year’s census has not yet released the results for religious beliefs – it is expected that there will be a drastic decline in the number of people who identify as Christian. Part of this view is because the option of “no religion” was placed at the top of the list of options. Perhaps… Read more

Saving the best till last

11 June 2017

There is a saying that you “leave the best till last”. Sometimes it can be misused to cover up an oversight like when you’re thanking a group of people and realise you’ve missed someone and add them in later telling them “I was leaving the best till last”. Often when eating dinner I might use… Read more

God’s gift to us

4 June 2017

Every year in our household birthdays and Christmas are becoming harder and harder to find a gift to give. As children grow older and no longer scream for the latest toy that all their friends have it’s hard to find a personal gift. In this day and age with credit cards we find that people… Read more

Ascension Sunday

28 May 2017

Another week and another terrorist attack. This latest one being a bomb exploded at a concert intended for young people. The intention was to cause maximum harm to quite vulnerable children including an 8 year old there with her mother and sister to watch the concert. Over 20 dead and many more injured. The following… Read more

Confirmation Sunday

28 May 2017

I was watching the news a couple weeks ago where an item came up that in one way made me laugh but in another way made me sad. It spoke about a cyclist Luka Pibernik from Slovenia riding in the Giro D’Italia cycling race who threw his arms up in victory when he crossed the… Read more

The Unknown God made known

21 May 2017

When people find out that I am a Pastor I come across so many people who tell me that they aren’t Christian but they are spiritual people. Sometimes they even say they don’t believe in God but are spiritual. I think by spiritual they probably mean similar to what Paul encountered today when he visited… Read more

Jesus is the Way

14 May 2017

There’s a knock at the door. You open the door and there is a nicely groomed couple perhaps with a young child with them. They greet you with a smile and you suspect what it’s about. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are there to share with you about their faith. I admire their commitment and courage to… Read more

Jesus our Gate

7 May 2017

I’m always intrigued about the image used for our relationship with God that focuses on sheep and shepherd. Whereas there are some endearing pictures of Jesus the Good Shepherd carrying the lost sheep home on his shoulders the reality is that sheep are not that glamorous as an image. Sheep are considered as dumb animals…. Read more

Recognising Jesus by faith.

30 April 2017

Have you ever stopped to think about how amazing God’s creation is? I find the colours and variety in nature amazing. God could have created a world full of bland experiences but chose to have colour and beauty imbedded in his creation. God could have chosen one type of fish, one type of bird, one… Read more

Eternal Life – not a scam

16 April 2017

Rarely a day goes by when I don’t receive an email trying to lure me into a scam. They range from Lotteries that I have won that I did not enter. Or beautiful Russian women that somehow got my email address and tell me how much they want to meet me. Then there are the… Read more

Seeing by believing

16 April 2017

The resurrection cab be a confusing story and apparently was equally confusing for those who were present at the time. Mary Magdalene, whose life had been transformed by Jesus, came to the tomb early in the morning. Despite what Jesus may have said about rising from the dead, it is clear that Mary had come… Read more

Destined to die – destined for eternal life.

14 April 2017

At our community meal a few weeks ago I was chatting with one of our guest who was enjoying his cup of coffee after his meal. We have lots of chats about politics, religion and sport – the 3 topics that you say you shouldn’t talk about. As he was sipping his coffee I made… Read more

True Evangelism

13 April 2017

Evangelism is a word that is on the tips of the tongues of all churches. Churches are feeling the pressure of declining memberships and are looking at ways to attract new members. There are many reasons why people no longer feel that church is part of their life. People are too busy for church. Church… Read more

Quick Change

9 April 2017

There is a saying that if you don’t like Melbourne weather, just wait half an hour and it will change. I’ve found myself these past few weeks starting off the day with jumper and heater – only to be ripping them off before midday and putting the air conditioning on and then getting home and… Read more

Jesus, the final Word.

2 April 2017

Today’s gospel reading is again a very long reading but at the heart of message is the question or statement made by both Mary and Martha and also the crowd to Jesus. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Mary came where Jesus was and… Read more

Big isn’t always better

26 March 2017

On the front page of the Knox Leader newspaper there was an article which really interested me. And its opening paragraph read: RELIGION is booming in Knox with people flocking to weekend services and the city’s biggest churches looking at major expansion plans to cope with demand. Knox’s CityLife Church is creating a new $11… Read more

Is the Lord among us or not?

19 March 2017

What do you expect when you come along to church? Do you expect to come away feeling like you’ve just had the most amazing experience ever being blessed by being in the presence of God? Do you feel like you’ve had that mountain top experience like Peter, James and John when Jesus appeared before them… Read more

The journey of faith

12 March 2017

Our Bible reading today includes one of the most well-known bible verses – John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. It is often referred to as the Gospel in a nutshell. It contains… Read more

Living with temptation

5 March 2017

It is interesting that immediately after such an important moment of Jesus’ life – God’s public announcement at Jesus’ baptism – this is my Son whom I love – that he then faced a major upheaval in his life. God’s Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days where he was tempted by… Read more

Listen to HIM.

26 February 2017

Over the past few weeks we have heard Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It has had some challenging commands like turning the other cheek and loving your enemy. We heard that being angry breaks the command “do not murder”. They were hard and challenging. Now we hear one more command directly from God himself. And… Read more

Hidden greatness

19 February 2017

My father and I often have quite interesting discussions on politics and world news. My father comes from a Middle Eastern background so his solution to crime is quite simplistic. If they steal something – cut off their hands. They won’t steal again. That sort of logic is rife in our society and not just… Read more

Keeping the Spirit of the Law

12 February 2017

Sometimes I find the 10 commandments very easy. After all, I’ve never murdered anyone. I love my parents. I have been faithful in my marriage. I don’t bear false witness against my neighbour. I have never coveted my neighbour’s house or my neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or… Read more

Pass the salt please

5 February 2017

When I read the bible reading for today the first thing I did was googled “can salt lose its saltiness. Apart from the bible reading I’ve never heard of it before – and apparently no one else had either. According to the responses that I read it was said – salt simply can’t lose its… Read more

True Greatness from God

29 January 2017

The phrase which we heard over and over again during the American Presidential campaign by Donald Trump and in his inauguration speech was “make America great”. And he said that the way he was going to do that was by “putting Americans first”. Making America Great – Putting Americans First. Basically he is saying that… Read more

An uneasy call

22 January 2017

230 years ago a fleet of 11 ships was sent from England to Australia to establish a penal colony for the sending of prisoners. On January 26th this week we remember that occasion as we commemorate Australia Day. Just 50 years later Lutherans in Prussia would set sail to Australia to avoid becoming prisoners in… Read more

What will 2016 be remembered for?

1 January 2017

What will 2016 be remembered for? For many it will be one of the worst years of terrorist attacks. It’s estimated around 1500 have been killed and 3500 injured in terrorist attacks around the world. Or perhaps it will be remembered for the celebrity deaths such as Carrie Fischer and her mother Debbie Reynolds, singers… Read more

True God and True Human

18 December 2016

On the surface it seems that Joseph has 2 choices. He can abide by the Law of Moses and hand over Mary to be judged with the likely result being Mary is stoned to death for adultery. Maybe this is why Jesus has so much compassion for the woman caught in adultery during his mission… Read more

Should we expect another?

11 December 2016

Have you ever bought something you’ve seen advertised and then been disappointed once you’ve gotten it home? Over the years I’ve fallen for a few items on TV shopping. As I’m pounding my way on the cross-trainer at the gym there is an ad on the TV above me showing people standing on a vibrating… Read more

The God of all hope

4 December 2016

Of all the qualities that Paul could have assigned to God it’s interesting that he refers to God as a God of hope. We live in a world where hope is sought after so badly in so many ways because people want to be sure about their future. Knowing that their future is secure gives… Read more

Hope for Christians

13 November 2016

Sometimes you get a bible reading where it’s really hard to say “this is the Gospel of the Lord – praise to you O Christ”. Today’s Gospel reading appears to be one of them. Jesus speaks about terrible times ahead for the world but then says that Christians will not only be part of the… Read more

God of the opposites

6 November 2016

In the Superman comics there is a planet called Bizarro World. It is a world where everything is the opposite of planet earth. Instead of being a round planet it is a cube. Instead of loving beauty they praise ugliness. As I read the Gospel today it seems to me that Jesus is describing Bizarro… Read more

50 years of Unity

30 October 2016

Quite often when I attend a Lutheran function I have to explain how a person with a surname like mine ended up, not just in the Lutheran Church but as a Pastor of the Lutheran Church. Surnames are an important heritage of the Lutheran Church because it identifies you with a particular family line that… Read more

Being made right before God

23 October 2016

Is the Pharisee’s prayer that bad? On the surface he sounds like a good and righteous man who does more than most. He observes the evils of the world around him and doesn’t get involved. He gives thanks to God that he is not like the rest of humanity: greedy dishonest, adulterous….”  He is a… Read more

Nagging God with prayer

16 October 2016

If you’re a parent then the chances are you’ve experienced the supermarket meltdown where your child has had a tantrum because they really want that chocolate that the supermarket has strategically placed at the checkout. Or if you’re not a parent then perhaps you’ve seen a struggling parent with their child. You’ve carefully avoided the… Read more

Jesus brings justice

2 October 2016

A new and controversial law was passed in Victoria this week. People who drop their pants to show their backside in public face up to six months in jail with new laws introduced to ban the cheeky practice known as “mooning”. First-time offenders face up to two months in jail while repeat offenders could spend… Read more

Reversal of fortunes

25 September 2016

Once again we have a story that seems to be about money. One could easily be led to believe from this parable that the poor go to heaven and the rich go to hell. But the rich man wasn’t judged because he was rich and neither was the poor man rewarded because he was poor…. Read more

Pentecost 18

18 September 2016

One cannot help but call the manager in our parable today a rogue. Firstly he has mismanaged his master’s accounts. How, we don’t know. But then, when his mismanagement is discovered and he is sacked, he uses his master’s accounts to provide for his own future. When he is found out you would think that… Read more

Even worst of sinners are forgiven

11 September 2016

September 11 always brings back haunting memories of the day we woke to hear about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. It’s been 15 years since it happened but to many it is like it only happened yesterday. To date we still feel the effects. The heightened security. You go to the football… Read more

A love hate relationship

4 September 2016

Have you ever been caught out by an unexpected cost? Have you ever bought a cheap printer for your computer only to find that when the ink runs out the replacement costs more than the price you paid for the printer? Or have you ever bought something cheap off the internet only to find it… Read more

The seat of honour

28 August 2016

The Olympics are over and now the fallout has begun. Australia won 29 medals in Rio, at a cost of $11,434,910 per medal. People are now starting to ask questions demanding answers and accountability and whose fault for our lack of success. We expected better. We ended up 10th we expected 5th and many are… Read more