17.2K
Downloads
841
Episodes
Weekly messages from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Para Vista Inc
Episodes
Sunday Jun 12, 2022
Sunday Jun 12, 2022
What does it mean to belong to the Kingdom of God?
How do we live in our local community as the Kingdom of God – the Church?
What is the Church – Jesus’ Church?
We live in a “individualistic” society, so how do we become a community acting together in unity?
We live in the world and have been given the role to share Jesus’ Kingdom on Earth.
Pastor Klein explores how we as a community share the Wisdom of God with each other and with those around us.
We are to be a community for each other’s sake.
Please read Acts 15:22-35 in preparation for Sunday.
Pr Fin Klein
Sunday Jun 12, 2022
Sunday Jun 12, 2022
What does it mean to belong to the Kingdom of God?
How do we live in our local community as the Kingdom of God – the Church?
What is the Church – Jesus’ Church?
We live in a “individualistic” society, so how do we become a community acting together in unity?
We live in the world and have been given the role to share Jesus’ Kingdom on Earth.
Pastor Klein explores how we as a community share the Wisdom of God with each other and with those around us.
We are to be a community for each other’s sake.
Please read Acts 15:22-35 in preparation for Sunday.
Pr Fin Klein
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
Pentecost is all about the coming of the Holy Spirit. This raised a lot of questions for those who saw and heard what the Spirit was doing. First of all, there were the “tongues of fire,” which were a visible representation of the presence of the Spirit on the disciples. And then the Spirit caused them to “speak in other tongues.”
With repetition of the word “tongues,” it’s understandable why some people might mistakenly think that the disciples were exercising the spiritual gift of “speaking in tongues.” But that’s not the case. The disciples were speaking real languages. Luke explicitly says, “each one heard them speaking in his or her own language.”
Those who heard the disciples speaking, explained that “we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” The standout thing here is not so much the phenomena of the disciples speaking in other languages, but more about what they were saying in these different languages – the message they were sharing.
What was the Holy Spirit’s intention here? To put on a good show? Well, it certainly got people’s attention. But that’s only a means to an end. The goal here is for people to hear the Good News about Jesus. To proclaim the greatest miracle of all: the resurrection of Christ and his victory over sin and death!
Finally, what does Pentecost mean for us here at Good Shepherd? It means that the Holy Spirit is continuing to pour his power over our lives so we ourselves can believe in Jesus and then share that message with others; The Spirit is continuing to renew our hearts and change our lives so that we become more like Jesus and share his love with those around us; and the Spirit is filling us with peace and hope, so that we can persevere during this time of vacancy with determination and confidence. The Holy Spirit is continuing to do what he’s always doing: drawing people into God’s Kingdom and growing God’s people in faith and love.
Pastor Richard Haar
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
Pentecost is all about the coming of the Holy Spirit. This raised a lot of questions for those who saw and heard what the Spirit was doing. First of all, there were the “tongues of fire,” which were a visible representation of the presence of the Spirit on the disciples. And then the Spirit caused them to “speak in other tongues.”
With repetition of the word “tongues,” it’s understandable why some people might mistakenly think that the disciples were exercising the spiritual gift of “speaking in tongues.” But that’s not the case. The disciples were speaking real languages. Luke explicitly says, “each one heard them speaking in his or her own language.”
Those who heard the disciples speaking, explained that “we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” The standout thing here is not so much the phenomena of the disciples speaking in other languages, but more about what they were saying in these different languages – the message they were sharing.
What was the Holy Spirit’s intention here? To put on a good show? Well, it certainly got people’s attention. But that’s only a means to an end. The goal here is for people to hear the Good News about Jesus. To proclaim the greatest miracle of all: the resurrection of Christ and his victory over sin and death!
Finally, what does Pentecost mean for us here at Good Shepherd? It means that the Holy Spirit is continuing to pour his power over our lives so we ourselves can believe in Jesus and then share that message with others; The Spirit is continuing to renew our hearts and change our lives so that we become more like Jesus and share his love with those around us; and the Spirit is filling us with peace and hope, so that we can persevere during this time of vacancy with determination and confidence. The Holy Spirit is continuing to do what he’s always doing: drawing people into God’s Kingdom and growing God’s people in faith and love.
Pastor Richard Haar
Sunday May 29, 2022
Sunday May 29, 2022
This Sunday we will be looking at 1 Samuel 8 where the people of Israel through the prophet Samuel ask God for a king. Samuel their leader is aging and with the looming threat of war they’re desperately looking for a leader to guide them through.
As you read through the chapter it becomes clear that God is not pleased with their request. Why? God is not pleased because in asking for a king the Israelites are rejecting God as their king. They are doubting God’s capacity to safely lead them through the threat of war just as he had done in the past. Would God be enough for them this time? Their request for a king reveals their doubt.
Is God enough? We all face this question in our faith journey. Is God enough to get me through this or should I look for something more? As we look at 1 Samuel 8 this Sunday, we will explore what happens when we no longer believe that God is enough and how our choice to add something is a rejection of God. The reality is that whatever we hope to gain by adding to God we end up losing.
The good news is that God’s grace can reconfigure our bad choices and use them for his purposes. God’s grace is enough to take Israel’s sinful choice to have a king and reconfigure it into a Saviour. Whatever you are facing in life right now, even if it is of your own making, God is enough to get you through.
Noel Kluge
Sunday May 29, 2022
Sunday May 29, 2022
This Sunday we will be looking at 1 Samuel 8 where the people of Israel through the prophet Samuel ask God for a king. Samuel their leader is aging and with the looming threat of war they’re desperately looking for a leader to guide them through.
As you read through the chapter it becomes clear that God is not pleased with their request. Why? God is not pleased because in asking for a king the Israelites are rejecting God as their king. They are doubting God’s capacity to safely lead them through the threat of war just as he had done in the past. Would God be enough for them this time? Their request for a king reveals their doubt.
Is God enough? We all face this question in our faith journey. Is God enough to get me through this or should I look for something more? As we look at 1 Samuel 8 this Sunday, we will explore what happens when we no longer believe that God is enough and how our choice to add something is a rejection of God. The reality is that whatever we hope to gain by adding to God we end up losing.
The good news is that God’s grace can reconfigure our bad choices and use them for his purposes. God’s grace is enough to take Israel’s sinful choice to have a king and reconfigure it into a Saviour. Whatever you are facing in life right now, even if it is of your own making, God is enough to get you through.
Noel Kluge
Sunday May 22, 2022
Sunday May 22, 2022
A message by Pastor Paul Fielke, read by Michael Gower.
St Paul never compromised God’s standards, but he was always willing to forego traditions and other things in order to reach any audience. He used things that would give him credibility with his audience so that he had common ground with them. He earned the right to speak so that he could tell people about God’s love in Jesus.
Being all things to all people is something St Paul did to enable others to hear the wonderful message of Jesus. It is also a way we have of showing God’s care and love to all people as well.
Sunday May 22, 2022
Sunday May 22, 2022
A message by Pastor Paul Fielke, read by Michael Gower.
St Paul never compromised God’s standards, but he was always willing to forego traditions and other things in order to reach any audience. He used things that would give him credibility with his audience so that he had common ground with them. He earned the right to speak so that he could tell people about God’s love in Jesus.
Being all things to all people is something St Paul did to enable others to hear the wonderful message of Jesus. It is also a way we have of showing God’s care and love to all people as well.
Sunday May 15, 2022
Sunday May 15, 2022
The opening question of this Psalm resonates with all of us. To be a human being, so often means having to face numerous problems and challenges in life. No one is immune from that. Sooner or later, we all find ourselves asking: Who’s going to help me? How am I going to get through this? How will I cope? These kinds of questions naturally come up when we’re faced with difficulties in life – when we’re pulling a heavy load and it all seems a bit too much for us.
Where will my help come from when I get sick? Or when my loved ones get sick? Where will my help come from when my business fails? Or my marriage fails? Where will my help come from when I feel overwhelmed and afraid? When I don’t think I can cope anymore? Where will my help come from when I don’t know what to do? And when I feel like giving up? Where will my help come from when I feel crushed by guilt? Or when I’ve been deeply wounded by others?
With the Psalmist, we can confidently say, “My help comes from the Lord!” These problems may indeed be too much for us to handle on our own, but God promises to be with us, and nothing is too much for Him to handle!
The take-home message for us, is that we can trust in God because He is trustworthy. We can have faith in Jesus because he is faithful to us – always and in all things! This same confidence in God’s faithfulness and goodness to us, is repeated in Romans 8:37-39, where we are reassured that whatever life throws up at us, whatever we have to go through, God will always be with us, and He won’t let us down. God will continue to be faithful and trustworthy. And His love for us will never fail!
Pr. Richard Haar
Sunday May 15, 2022
Sunday May 15, 2022
The opening question of this Psalm resonates with all of us. To be a human being, so often means having to face numerous problems and challenges in life. No one is immune from that. Sooner or later, we all find ourselves asking: Who’s going to help me? How am I going to get through this? How will I cope? These kinds of questions naturally come up when we’re faced with difficulties in life – when we’re pulling a heavy load and it all seems a bit too much for us.
Where will my help come from when I get sick? Or when my loved ones get sick? Where will my help come from when my business fails? Or my marriage fails? Where will my help come from when I feel overwhelmed and afraid? When I don’t think I can cope anymore? Where will my help come from when I don’t know what to do? And when I feel like giving up? Where will my help come from when I feel crushed by guilt? Or when I’ve been deeply wounded by others?
With the Psalmist, we can confidently say, “My help comes from the Lord!” These problems may indeed be too much for us to handle on our own, but God promises to be with us, and nothing is too much for Him to handle!
The take-home message for us, is that we can trust in God because He is trustworthy. We can have faith in Jesus because he is faithful to us – always and in all things! This same confidence in God’s faithfulness and goodness to us, is repeated in Romans 8:37-39, where we are reassured that whatever life throws up at us, whatever we have to go through, God will always be with us, and He won’t let us down. God will continue to be faithful and trustworthy. And His love for us will never fail!
Pr. Richard Haar