Sermons from Pakenham Lakeside Church

If you want to walk on water... You'd better not get eaten by crocodiles! You'd better understand who Jesus really is! The passage about Jesus walking on water is not about Peter 'getting out of the boat' - it's all about the identity of Jesus. And if we don't understand this we can get into deep water (scuse the pun). This passage reveals the truth that Jesus is the 'I am' who is WITH US in grief, chaos and fear, and who overcomes all those powers through his presence and his identity. You don't have to walk on water. You don't have to do something spectacular for God. Jesus has already done all that is necessary to save, comfort, and give you peace. Our faith, in the end, doesn't rest on miracles but on the presence and identity of Jesus, with us, in the midst of the stuff of everyday life. This sermon was preached on Sunday 13th August, 2017 at Pakenham Lakeside Church. It can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!    

The sower in Jesus' parable in Matthew 13 doesn't strategically target 'the right soil' when he sows his seed. He scatters it everywhere. Just like God's grace - people don't have to live up to a certain standard to receive his love.  How do we let the Word 'get in, get down, get out' and so have a fruitful life? Jesus says that it's all about how we respond (or not) to his word, which is the life-giving word of the good news of the Kingdom. This sermon was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Sunday 23rd July 2017. It can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!

The Jesus exchange goes like this: Give up what you cannot keep, in order to gain what you cannot lose. Jesus says 'Everyone who tries to save their own life will lose it, but everyone who gives up their life for me will find it.' This is a hard sell in an individualistic, me-focussed culture! Jesus asks nothing less than 100% commitment. But what he gives in exchange for our selfish, fearful, dying life is his own resurrected, joyful, forever life. This sermon was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Sunday 25th June 2017.  It can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!

'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.' These are some of the most famous words in all human literature. So begins the story of the Bible, God's interaction with the universe he created. As 21st century people our first question might be 'How?' or 'how long?' Did it really take seven days to create the universe? How did God do it, if he did? And yet the text itself encourages us to ask a different question - 'Why?' Why did God create? What is the purpose of creation?  This sermon proclaims the good news that love is at the very basis of the universe, that God delights in what he creates, and that God moves to redeem and restore his creation when it becomes 'not good.'  The sermon was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Sunday 11th June, 2017. It can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!

Once upon a time a man bought a cheap air ratchet tool...which didn't work well for long. What did he do next? When relationships don't quite work...when there is conflict...what is your response? It's easy to say 'it's not worth it, it's not worth the effort to fix...' Or to attack the other person Or to escape and deny the problem But what about peacemaking responses? Jesus says 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.' This means God himself is a peacemaker. This sermon proclaims the good news of God's reconciliation for us...the repair of relationships through Jesus. God made us his friends. And he calls and equips us to be peacemakers in our relationships too. This sermon was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Sunday 28th May 2017. It can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!  

What's the point of relationships? Bit of a trick question, isn't it? Relationships ARE the point. Relationships are the purpose of human existence... and the universe itself springs out of the eternal relationship between the members of the Trinity.  We are created for intimacy with God. Following Jesus is not about behaviour but about intimacy. The closer we grow with Jesus, the more like him we become, and changed behaviour is a result of that relationship. This sermon explores John 14 through the lens of relationships. It was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Sunday 14th May 2017. Enjoy!    

This conversation was recorded by Pastor Nathan Hedt at the LEA Schools Ministry conference in Victoria. In includes some important questions for our Lutheran Schools in Australia to wrestle with in terms of effectiveness of our ministry and mission in schools, models and stories of relational evangelism, and a proposal to increase the effectiveness of our mission in schools. The conversation is around 33 minutes long. Some important markers can be found at the following points: 0:00 Chaplain Kathy Mildred shares briefly about sharing the gospel in the School Context 1:16 Introduction: Pastor Nathan Hedt: Introduction: relational evangelism and church planting in the school context 3:50 A good news story of the gospel in our school - with a caveat 10:30 The effectiveness of our mission in Lutheran schools 13:30 Pastor Mark Greenthaner: 'discipleship' in Lutheran Schools and our models of church 21:00 A key question: What do we mean by 'effectiveness in mission' in our Lutheran schools? 26:30 LEVNT Director Paul Weinert: How do we intentionally and strategically partner between schools of the church and district mission departments? 29:25 A modest proposal for increasing our effectiveness in Lutheran schools through relational evangelism teams

There is a lot of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. When Thomas asked for evidence that Jesus really was alive, Jesus gave it to him. This sermon 'pokes' the 'embarrassing' evidence for the resurrection of Jesus within the gospel accounts themselves - stuff that if it was made up, no one would believe it. Why are these things written in the gospels? Because they really happened! Jesus really did rise from the dead. Christ is risen - he is risen indeed. This sermon can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals at this link. The sermon was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Sunday April 23rd 2017. Enjoy!

John's gospel makes it clear that Jesus' crucifixion is also his enthronement as King of the Universe. The symbols used in mockery point to a deep truth: the crown of thorns, the purple robe, and the notice of the charge against Jesus. Jesus is the dying king, who gives his life into death so that we might live. This sermon was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Good Friday, April 14th, 2017.

On Maundy Thursday, Jesus comes to us as the serving King: who gets his own hands dirty so we may be clean; who gives his life so that we might live. This sermon was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Maundy Thursday, 13th April, 2017.

The 'Word of God' is primarily, before anything else, a PERSON - Jesus, the incarnate Word (John 1:1). The Bible, God's written Word in Scripture, points us to Jesus is focussed on him. Jesus says the Old Testament Scripture is written concerning him (Luke 24) and the explicit purpose of the New Testament is 'These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name.' So the primary purpose of the bible, among all its other purposes, is to point us to the Incarnate Word, the person, Jesus. In that way it functions as God's instruction manual and love letter.  This sermon was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Sunday 12th February 2017. NOTE: The sermon as recorded includes discussion and interaction about barriers and roadblocks to reading and engaging with God's written Word in Scripture, and practical ways of addressing those. Please use those times to think through these questions for yourself. The sermon can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!

The 'Word of God' is primarily, before anything else, a PERSON - Jesus, the incarnate Word (John 1:1). The Bible, God's written Word in Scripture, points us to Jesus is focussed on him. Jesus says the Old Testament Scripture is written concerning him (Luke 24) and the explicit purpose of the New Testament is 'These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name.' So the primary purpose of the bible, among all its other purposes, is to point us to the Incarnate Word, the person, Jesus. In that way it functions as God's instruction manual and love letter.  This sermon was preached at Pakenham Lakeside Church on Sunday 12th February 2017. NOTE: The sermon as recorded includes discussion and interaction about barriers and roadblocks to reading and engaging with God's written Word in Scripture, and practical ways of addressing those. Please use those times to think through these questions for yourself. The sermon can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!

'Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy.' So writes Leslie Newbigin. The words 'witness' and 'mission' often have the capacity to make Christians feel guilty because we 'should' be witnessing, we 'should' be in mission! And yet biblically, witness is who we are. Jesus says to his disciples, 'You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.'   And likewise 'mission' is not primarily our own action, but it's participation in God's work - an invitation into an 'explosion of joy' - rather than a burden. This sermon invites you to shed some of your guilt about mission and witness, and enter into the joy of God that comes from knowing - and sharing - the risen Jesus. It was preached on Sunday 26th February 2017 at Pakenham Lakeside Church. It can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!

'Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy.' So writes Leslie Newbigin. The words 'witness' and 'mission' often have the capacity to make Christians feel guilty because we 'should' be witnessing, we 'should' be in mission! And yet biblically, witness is who we are. Jesus says to his disciples, 'You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.'   And likewise 'mission' is not primarily our own action, but it's participation in God's work - an invitation into an 'explosion of joy' - rather than a burden. This sermon invites you to shed some of your guilt about mission and witness, and enter into the joy of God that comes from knowing - and sharing - the risen Jesus. It was preached on Sunday 26th February 2017 at Pakenham Lakeside Church. It can be enhanced by viewing the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!

Most Christians would like to have a stronger prayer life. When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, he doesn't give them 'Proven Practical Principles for Powerful Prayer.' He doesn't give them 'Six Super Steps for Speaking to the Supreme Being.'  Explore prayer and learn from Jesus. He prays in the Lord's prayer as if he were us - and invites us to pray as if we were him. What a great gift! This sermon was preached at the gathered worship of Pakenham Lakeside Church on Sunday 12th February, 2017. It can be used together with the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy!