Para Vista Lutheran Church

This is a message by Pastor Reid Matthias on 14 Feb 2021 "Wildly Unpopular".

Then a man with leprosy came to Jesus and on his knees begged him: ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ ~Mark 1:40

The man with leprosy displays an incredible faith. He doesn’t say, ‘If you want to, I hope you can make me clean,’ or ‘As a last resort, I’ll see what you can do.’ No, his statement is of profound trust that he has encountered one who can truly bring restoration to his life.

Restoration, because he is wildly unpopular.

 

This is a message by Pastor Reid Matthias on 14 Feb 2021 "Wildly Unpopular".

Then a man with leprosy came to Jesus and on his knees begged him: ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ ~Mark 1:40

The man with leprosy displays an incredible faith. He doesn’t say, ‘If you want to, I hope you can make me clean,’ or ‘As a last resort, I’ll see what you can do.’ No, his statement is of profound trust that he has encountered one who can truly bring restoration to his life.

Restoration, because he is wildly unpopular.

 

This is a message by Pastor Rolly Stahl on 7 Feb 2021, "A Wild Night of Wonders".  It is the sixth message in our series "The Call Of the Wild".

After dealing with a demon in the Capernaum synagogue, word must have spread quickly.  As soon as the sun went down, people in their droves were beating a path to Jesus.  It was a “wild night of wonders”. Those who were brought to Peter’s house were broken or burdened. After encountering Jesus, they went home restored and renewed.

Yet when they get up after “the wild night of wonders”, Jesus is nowhere to be seen. He’s out in “the wilderness” – a quiet place free from distractions – to pray.  This tells us a lot about Jesus’ priorities: his relationship with his Heavenly Father was more important than the amazing miracles he had done or the expectations of others.

It’s amazing the difference Jesus makes. And it’s amazing how life can be different for us when we make some space in our lives to connect with his Father – whom we also address as: “Abba Father” or: “Our Father in heaven”.

This is an audio message by Pastor Rolly Stahl on 7 Feb 2021, "A Wild Night of Wonders".  It is the sixth message in our series "The Call Of the Wild".

After dealing with a demon in the Capernaum synagogue, word must have spread quickly.  As soon as the sun went down, people in their droves were beating a path to Jesus.  It was a “wild night of wonders”. Those who were brought to Peter’s house were broken or burdened. After encountering Jesus, they went home restored and renewed.

Yet when they get up after “the wild night of wonders”, Jesus is nowhere to be seen. He’s out in “the wilderness” – a quiet place free from distractions – to pray.  This tells us a lot about Jesus’ priorities: his relationship with his Heavenly Father was more important than the amazing miracles he had done or the expectations of others.

It’s amazing the difference Jesus makes. And it’s amazing how life can be different for us when we make some space in our lives to connect with his Father – whom we also address as: “Abba Father” or: “Our Father in heaven”.

This is a video message by Pastor Reid Matthias, "Wild Life".  It is the fifth message in our January series "The Call Of the Wild".

They went into Capernaum and right away Jesus entered the synagogue and began to preach.  Mark 1:21

For the modern Lutheran, this seems really interesting. That anyone could wander in from the outside, walk to the front of the synagogue and take over is outside of the boundaries of tradition. Like most denominations, Lutherans have a set form and routine of what worship generally looks like: a few songs, some prayers, scripture verse and the sermon given by an ordained pastor/priest. But in this vivid scene, one of Mark’s first paintings of Jesus’s ministry in Galilee, Jesus enters synagogues, preaches and casts out demons. (1:23, 1:39)

This is an audio message by Pastor Reid Matthias, "Wild Life".  It is the fifth message in our January series "The Call Of the Wild".

They went into Capernaum and right away Jesus entered the synagogue and began to preach.  Mark 1:21

For the modern Lutheran, this seems really interesting. That anyone could wander in from the outside, walk to the front of the synagogue and take over is outside of the boundaries of tradition. Like most denominations, Lutherans have a set form and routine of what worship generally looks like: a few songs, some prayers, scripture verse and the sermon given by an ordained pastor/priest. But in this vivid scene, one of Mark’s first paintings of Jesus’s ministry in Galilee, Jesus enters synagogues, preaches and casts out demons. (1:23, 1:39)

This is an audio message by Pastor Rolly Stahl, "Wild Possibilities".  It is the fourth message in our January series "The Call Of The Wild".

Jesus called a bunch of 12 blokes to become his disciples.¹ In Sunday’s Bible reading, we discover the first four of them: brothers Peter and Andrew; and brothers James and John. They could also be called “the fab four” – because in all the listings of the 12, they are mentioned first.²

Peter, James and John were present wiWild Possibilities (Video)th Jesus when he raised the daughter of Jairus back to life again; at Jesus’ transfiguration; and nearby when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. These three were Jesus’ “inner circle” – who later became pillars of the early Christian community.

Andrew was also present at significant times,³ but there is much less written about him.  After Jesus’ resurrection, the last mention of Andrew in the Bible is in Acts 1:13 – as one of the 11 remaining apostles.

I wonder: What stories did Andrew have about his experiences with Jesus?

And: What were the wild possibilities of “the fab four” during their time with Jesus – and afterwards?

This Sunday I invite you to come along to explore Andrew’s story with me!

This is an video message by Pastor Rolly Stahl, "Wild Possibilities".  It is the fourth message in our January series "The Call Of The Wild".

Jesus called a bunch of 12 blokes to become his disciples.¹ In Sunday’s Bible reading, we discover the first four of them: brothers Peter and Andrew; and brothers James and John. They could also be called “the fab four” – because in all the listings of the 12, they are mentioned first.²

Peter, James and John were present with Jesus when he raised the daughter of Jairus back to life again; at Jesus’ transfiguration; and nearby when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. These three were Jesus’ “inner circle” – who later became pillars of the early Christian community.

Andrew was also present at significant times,³ but there is much less written about him.  After Jesus’ resurrection, the last mention of Andrew in the Bible is in Acts 1:13 – as one of the 11 remaining apostles.

I wonder: What stories did Andrew have about his experiences with Jesus?

And: What were the wild possibilities of “the fab four” during their time with Jesus – and afterwards?

This Sunday I invite you to come along to explore Andrew’s story with me!

This is an audio message by Pastor Reid Matthias, "The Wild Life of Following Jesus".  It is the third message in our January series "The Call Of The Wild".

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about in the law: Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.
“Come and see,” Philip answered (John 1:45-46.)

 

 

This is a video message by Pastor Reid Matthias, "The Wild Life of Following Jesus".  It is the third message in our January series "The Call Of The Wild".

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about in the law: Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.
“Come and see,” Philip answered (John 1:45-46.)