1st December 2013
This morning – Second of the Sermon series –
'John the Baptist - No Greater Prophet' -
Theme: 'A Great Beginning'
(Luke 1: 5-25 (26-60)
First Sunday of Advent
1 December 2013
THIS MORNING'S SONG'S OF PRAISE:
20, 514, 36, 453, 'Song of Zechariah', 220.
FIRST BIBLE READING:
Isaiah 2: 1-5
'God's kingdom of peace.' (GNB),
Here is the message which God gave to Isaiah son of Amoz about Judah and Jerusalem:
In days to come the mountain where the Temple stands will be the highest one of all, towering above all the hills. Many nations will come streaming to it, and their people will say, 'Let us go up the hill of the Lord, to the Temple of Israel's God. He will teach us what he wants us to do; we will walk in the paths he has chosen. For the Lord's teaching comes from Jerusalem; from Zion he speaks to his people'.
He will settle disputes among great nations. They will hammer their swords into ploughs and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will never again go to war, never prepare for battle again.
Now, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light which the Lord gives us!
SECOND BIBLE READING:
Romans 13: 11-14
'Our salvation is near.' (NIV),
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
GOSPEL READING:
Matthew 24: 36-44
'No one knows the day or the hour.' (GNB);
Jesus said: 'No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come - neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows. The coming of the Son of Man will be like what happened in the time of Noah. In the days before the flood people ate and drank, men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat; yet they did not realize what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away.
That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes. At that time two men will be working in a field: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind.
Two women will be at a mill grinding meal: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind. Watch out, then, because you do not know what day your Lord will come. If the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, you can be sure that he would stay awake and not let the thief break into his house. So then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him'.
NOTES ON THE READINGS:
ISAIAH 2: 1-5:
In Isaiah's time the national ungodliness would never draw foreigners to the temple to learn of the true God. The term 'mountain of the Lord' means the Jerusalem temple, for places of worship were always located on elevations, eg Mount Zion, Mount Olympus. Isaiah thus predicts that despite the aberration of that particular time the temple of the Lord would assume an elevation above all religions. In this way nations would flock to learn and be enlightened by the word of the Lord. Peace would be arbitrated among human belligerents by this process. What an incentive for Christians to answer the scriptural call unceasingly to bring the gospel of the healing Messiah, Jesus Christ, to the nations until he comes to fulfil the prophecy in its finality!
ROMANS 13: 11-14:
Even in the church's infancy in Rome, believers needed reminding and encouragement to make the most of their opportunities in preparedness for Christ's coming.
The night will soon give way to the eternal day.
Therefore Christians need urgently to recognise the danger of spiritual separation from the Lord through loss of self-control in pleasure or anger.
'Putting on' the Lord means to be 'up and doing' in continual prayerful meditation in his word, with resultant living which reflects God's light and repels the darkness of evil.
MATTHEW 24: 36-44:
These words of Jesus stress the unexpectedness of his second coming. While according to his human nature even he did not know when that day would be, yet be assured that in God's mind it is set and will happen. People in the time of Noah, instead of repenting, simply carried on with life as normal, disregarding their opportunity for a life together with God. It was not so much their wicked immorality as their purposeful blindness which left them unprepared when the flood came. So with the ones received by the Lord and those left when he comes. If one knows that the day will inevitably come, one watches and is not caught unprepared, thus losing all eternally.
Bible readings for Sunday 8th December:
Isaiah 11: 1-10, Romans 15: 4-13, Matthew 3: 1-12
Announcements:
1. This week in the Lord's Service - 1st - 8th Dec:
This morning - Elections meeting - after worship.
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 - (With Holy Communion) - Sermon series continues
'John the Baptist - No Greater Prophet' - Theme - 'A Great Focus'.
Next Sunday - Guest speaker - Jonathan Krause from Australian Lutheran World Service who will speak on its ministry to Burundi also the Philippines and Syria.
There will be a retiring offering in support of ALWS.
2. Greater Geelong Carols Service 2013:
To celebrate the start of Advent and the Christmas season, The Greater Geelong Lutheran Community will host a Christmas Carols evening on the St John's
school oval this evening. The carols service will begin at 6.30pm and run for about one hour, including a nativity play by students and a choir performance.
Prior to the service, a sausage sizzle will start from 5.30 pm and there will be cold drinks available.
Gold coin donation for these will help cover costs with any proceeds going to Australian Lutheran World Service. Please BYO camping chairs, picnic rugs
and other snacks.! No alcohol please. All welcome
As a community, a wonderful night of celebration, music and worship is to be had.
3. A.C.R. - 'Time Out ...With Jesus':
The popular devotion book from Australian Church Resources - 'Time Out... With Jesus' for 2014, devotions for a year, is now available to order. The 2014 Australian Christian Diary is also
available to order. Please see notice board near kitchen for costs etc. If anyone would like to order either of these resources, please see Wayne Schulz.
4. Vict. District - Executive Assistant:
The Victorian District is seeking a suitably skilled person fro the full time position of Executive Assistant at the Box Hill office. Applications close 9th December, 2013. Please see notice board.
5. LSF National Retreat - Jan 2014:
A further reminder of the LSF national camp for young adults which will take place at Tandara Camp, Hall's Gap from 20th - 24th January, 2014.
For further particulars and how to register, please see notice board near kitchen.
6. A.L.C. - Grassroots Training 2014:
Grassroots Training, a ministry of Australian Lutheran College is offering a number of upcoming workshops at Tandara Lutheran Camp, Hall's Gap,
viz, 'Toolkit for Ministry', 'Building Healthy Relationships', 'Spiritual Resilience', 'Equipping for Leadership' and 'Home and Church in Partnership', commencing from February 2014.
For those interested, please see notice board near kitchen and rear foyer for contact points, costs etc.
Coming up for your diary:
Thursday 12th December - 12 noon - Ladies Fellowship Group luncheon at Fe Tepper's home, 1 Somerset Court, Bannockburn.
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 - New Year's