8th December 2013

Second Sunday of Advent
8 December 2013

This morning – Third of the Sermon series:
'John the Baptist' - No Greater Prophet' –
Theme: 'A Great Focus' (Matthew 3: 1-12)

 THIS MORNING'S SONG'S OF PRAISE:

408, 332, 514, 313, 519, 172.

FIRST BIBLE READING:

Isaiah 11: 1-10;
'The longed-for Messiah' (NIV)

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together,and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

SECOND BIBLE READING:

Romans 15: 4-13;
'Good news for the Gentiles' (GNB)

Everything written in the Scriptures was written to ach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us. And may God, the source of patience and encouragement, enable you to have the same point of view among yourselves by following the example of Christ Jesus, so that all of you together may praise with one voice the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you. For I tell you that Christ's life of service was on behalf of the Jews, to show that God is aithful, to make his promises to their ancestors come true, and to enable even the Gentiles to praise God for his mercy. As the Scripture says,
'And so I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to you'.
Again it says, 'Rejoice, Gentiles, with God's people!'
And again, 'Praise the Lord, all Gentiles; praise him, all peoples!'
And again, Isaiah says, 'A descendant of Jesse will appear; he will come to rule the Gentiles, and they will put their hope in him'.
May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

GOSPEL READING:

Matthew 3: 1-12;
'The kingdom of heaven is at hand!' (NIV)

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near'. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: 'A voice of one calling in the desert, "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him"'.
John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptising, he said to them: 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
And do not think you can say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father". I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already
at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
'I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire'.

NOTES ON THE READINGS:

ISAIAH 11:1-10:
Amid disaster prophesied for the Kingdom of Judah, Isaiah here prophesies a glorious future hope. This disaster will bring low the line of kings descended from David. This death of the kingship is depicted as the all but dead stump of Jesse, David's father. However, out of the original line will come a ruler who will rule in perfect power, wisdom and knowledge, because the Spirit of the Lord will be upon him. In this way righteousness and peace will prevail in the rule of the earth. Harmony will also be restored in the creation. No king ever met this description in Jewish history. Christ, our Lord, has demonstrated his messianic kingship and will continue to fulfil this prophecy into the coming of the new heaven and the new earth.

MATTHEW 3:1-12:
The recurring requirement of John the Baptist's call for preparation for the coming Messiah is 'repentance'. At that time, when non-Jews wished to be received into the Jewish faith, it was necessary for them to be baptised with water. John thereby forcefully indicated to those who came to hear him that it was not simply enough to be Jewish children of Abraham in order to be admitted to the messianic kingdom. Ordinary people and Pharisees alike were called upon to repent, expressed in baptism and a change in life. God's judgment was indeed met by the Messiah. Whoever comes to him needs to receive renewal of heart and life.

Bible readings for Sunday 15th December:
Isaiah 35: 1-10, James 5: 7-10, Mathew 11: 2-11

Announcements:
1. This week in the Lord's Service - 8th - 15th Dec:
Thursday - 12 noon - Ladies F'ship Group luncheon at Fe Tepper's, 1 Somerset Court, Bannockburn.
Saturday - 10.00 am - 11.00 am - 'Sing - along' time for those who wish to learn songs for the Sunday.
Saturday - 11.00 am to 12 noon - Choir practice.

Next Sunday - 9.30 am - Public Divine service - (Non- Communion) –
Sermon series continues 'John the Baptist - No Greater Prophet' -
Theme - 'A Great Danger'.(Matthew 11: 2 -11).
Next Sunday - Sunday School led by Claire Menzel.

2. Confirmation Class:
Last Wednesday was the last of the Confirmation classes for the year until resuming early 2014.

3. 'A Hearing Heart' (Resource) :
An LCA publication 'A Hearing Heart' - The art of hermeneutics by Rev Dr Greg Lockwood, an overview of the basic understanding of divine and human aspects of Holy Scripture and as a useful resource leading up to the issue of women's ordination in the church, is being made available to members. The cost of the booklet is $5.00. Members are encouraged to read through this and a list has been made available in the front foyer for members to place their names if they wish to obtain a copy.
Three copies of the booklet will also be available to borrow from our church library.

3. 'Empower' Training:
A leadership training day, run jointly by LYV /LSF for young people and adults to learn about and support young adult ministry will be held at St Phillips Lutheran Church, Tarneit on Saturday, 1st March, 2014, from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm. Please see not board near kitchen for cost etc. Registration forms & elective/ session details available from front foyer.

Coming up for your diary:
Tuesday 17th December - 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm - fellowship worship service with Holy Communion - Afternoon tea to follow. All welcome to come along!
Tuesday 17th December -6.30 pm -Church Council.
Tuesday 31st December - 7.30 pm - Greater Geelong combined New Year's Eve worship service with Holy Communion at 'Our Redeemer'. Members are invited to bring a plate of
food to share.
Friday 31st January - 9.30 am - Worship Team.