Sermons from Pakenham Lakeside Church

When Jesus visits Mary and Martha, he is not commenting on 'be-ers' and 'do-ers' - not playing off a contemplative spirituality against an activist spirituality. Martha's problem is not that she is active but that her meditation is on her rights and Mary's wrongs - her focus is on Mary, not on Jesus.This sermon is an invitation to listen to Jesus through imaginatively engaging with the story from Martha's point of view.It was preached on Sunday 21st July at Sunday Night at St John's, Southgate, Vic. Enjoy!

Our true humanity consists in five fundamental relationships:Relationship with GodRelationship with ourselvesRelationship with other humans with whom we are in contact (community)Relationship with the wider human world Relationship with the cosmos - the created orderUnfortunately, God is easily displaced from the centre - and this then distorts all other relationships. Jesus restores God to God's rightful place and from this centre brings about transformation of all the other relationships - a restoration of true humanity.This sermon was preached on Sunday 14th July 2013 at the Sunday Night at St John's service.Enjoy!

Humans are given the task by God of 'serving' and 'taking care of' the world that he has created. Ecological stewardship is a basic part of our humanity. Yet we often instead 'exploit' and 'dominate' creation. Jesus calls and transforms us into true humanity - he came not only to restore human relationships to God, but to restore the cosmos itself, the whole of the created order. John 3:16, one of the most famous verses in the Bible, says (literally in Greek) 'for God so loved the cosmos that he gave his one and only Son...' Not only human sin, but also the death and resurrection of Jesus, has cosmic consequences.This sermon was preached on Sunday, July 7th at the Sunday Night at St John's service.It's designed to be used in conjunction with the Prezi zooming visuals found at this linkThe Bible study found at this link (hopefully coming soonEnjoy!

Each human being is involved in a search for intimacy - being fully known, seen, appreciated and loved simply for who they are.  Being married, single, or in between is an important part of our humanity. Both can be gifts from God. Both can help to draw one closer to God - or further away. Ultimately, this search for intimacy is fulfilled in God - who is drawing all people and inviting them to the Wedding Party at the End of the Universe.This sermon was preached at Sunday Night at St John's, Southgate, on June 30, 2013.It is designed to be used in conjunction with The Prezi zooming visuals found at this linkThe PDF bible study found at this link (coming soon)Enjoy!

Genesis 1 says that God creates human beings 'in the image of God, male and female he created them.' Our sexuality is a fundamental part of our human identity. Male and female together bear the image of God in complementary ways. But we do not always relate to one another as God planned. Our sexuality is broken, damaged, in need of restoration. This restoration comes from the love of God through Jesus, so that it's possible for the apostle Paul to say 'There is no longer male and female, but you are all one in Christ.' This sermon is part 3 in a series on true humanity. It was preached at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church at the Sunday Night at St John's service on 23rd June 2013. It's designed to be used with: The Prezi zooming visuals found at this link the PDF bible study found at this link Enjoy!

Before the beginning of the universe, there was community. God existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the perfect intimacy of the Trinity. Community is foundational to our humanity. But community is also broken, scarred by shame, blame and fear. God has been working to restore and reconcile. So we as Christians are called to a remarkably different kind of community than what the world is used to - a ' communion'  in the body of Christ, the church. This sermon explores themes of community, reconciliation and transformation as part of our humanity. It was preached on Sunday June 16th 2013 at Sunday Night at St John's. It's designed to be used with The Prezi zooming visuals found at this link The PDF bible study found at this link Enjoy

'Find your humanity!' Is this an invitation into an exciting journey of discovery? Is it a desperate search for something important that has been lost? Or a bit of both. What does it mean to be truly human? To live in community, to explore communication and vulnerability and maleness and femaleness and friendship and truth... This sermon series begins to unpack the gift, commences the journey of discovery, and gives pointers in the desperate search. The first sermon in the series focuses on 'the image of God' as the essence of humanity...but the image is broken. How shall it be restored? This sermon was preached on Sunday June 2, 2013 at Sunday Night at St John's. It's designed to be used with the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link and the PDF bible study found at this link. Enjoy!

On the day of Pentecost, God fulfills his ancient promise to 'pour out the Holy Spirit'  on all people. Peter also says to the listening crowd that the gift of the Holy Spirit is for them as well. The Holy Spirit is a personal being, not an impersonal force...so the Spirit must be continually received. This sermon explores Acts 2 and the gift of the Holy Spirit. It was preached on Pentecost day, Sunday May 19, 2013, at Sunday Night at St John's. It's designed to be used with The PDF bible study found at this link The Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. Enjoy

What happens when God closes a door? When God says a firm 'no' to a deeply desired prayer, plan or ministry opportunity? This is exactly what Paul and his companions experience in Acts 16. However, God's plan is better than Paul's hope. God sends Paul and his friends in a different and unexpected direction which has a huge impact on the future of the Christian church, and in particular, on a woman called Lydia in the city of Philippi... This sermon was preached at Sunday Night at St John's on Sunday 5th May, 2013. It is designed to be used with: the PDF Bible study found at this link The Prezi zooming visuals found at this link Enjoy!

Miracles. Do they even happen any more? Can we believe this in a scientific age? In the New Testament, a 'miracle' is primarily understood not as 'God breaking the laws of nature' but as 'a sign pointing to the identity and power of Jesus.' We place our faith not in the miraculous events themselves, but the One they point to. And yes, miracles really do still happen. Even today. God continues to bring people from death to life through the power of the risen Jesus - in both physical and spiritual ways. This sermon can be used with: The Prezi zooming visuals found at this link The PDF Bible study found at this link It was preached on Sunday April 21st at Sunday Night at St John's. Enjoy!

What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? What's worth fighting for, and what's not worth fighting against? These questions are ones that all of us ask, at some time or other. Peter, Jesus' disciple, had very different answers to these questions before Easter and after Easter. The resurrection of  Jesus transformed and renewed him. The life-giving power of the risen Jesus can also transform our answers to those important questions. This sermon can be used in conjunction with the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. It was preached on Sunday April 7th at Sunday Night at St John's. Enjoy

The parable Jesus tells in Luke 15:11-32 is famous as 'The Parable of the Prodigal Son.' But it is the love of the Father that is at the heart of the parable. Perhaps it would be better titled 'The Man Who Lost Two Sons' or 'The Forgotten Prodigal.' The story powerfully speaks of three ways of relating to the Father: irreligion, or rebelling against the relationship; religion, or resenting the relationship; and finally GRACE, or receiving the relationship. The Father is lavish and reckless with his love for both of his lost sons - he is the Forgotten Prodigal of the parable. Whether you find yourself more in the situation of the younger son, in rebellion, or of the older son, in resentment, may you receive the Father's lavish love by grace. This sermon was preached on Sunday 10th March at Sunday Night at St John's, Melbourne, Australia. It can be used together with the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link. (There is no downloadable bible study to accompany this sermon at this point). Enjoy!

The worldview based on karma is pervasive - you get what's coming to you, you get what you deserve, bad things happen to bad people. This worldview is particularly prevalent when disaster strikes. It's so easy to 'blame the victim' or to be glad that 'it wasn't us'. In Luke 13:1-9, Some people come to Jesus to tell him about a sensational disaster. But he repudiates the worldview of karma, and brings the pointy discussion about disaster and death closer to home. Then he goes on to tell a parable fo grace vs karma. Ultimately, by his substitionary death, Jesus brings about the victory of grace over karma. This sermon was preached on Sunday 3rd March (Lent 3), 2013, at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church. It can be used with the Prezi zooming visuals found at this link the PDF Bible study found at this link (coming soon) Enjoy!

What do you really want? This question (beyond basic human needs) is much more complex than it first appears. Often, what we think we want may end up killing us. In Luke 13:31-35, three very different people or groups of people want something - and their desires are very diverse. Herod wants to kill Jesus. Jesus wants to gather together the people of Jerusalem and embrace them with grace. But the people of Jerusalem want to go their own way and refuse God's loving action. What do you really want? In the end, there are only two directions in which our desires can take us: into the welcoming arms of God, or away. This sermon was preached on Sunday February 24th (Lent 2) at Sunday Night at St John's service. It can be used with: The Prezi zooming visuals found at this link The PDF Bible study found at this link Enjoy!

The book of Hebrews says 'Jesus was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.' The First Temptation of Christ parallels our own temptation, as our adversary attempts to get us to believe basic lies related to the problem of provision, the problem of power, and the problem of pain. The problem of provision: How will I survive? The problem of power: What do I have control over? The problem of pain: Why do I have to suffer? Jesus resists each of these temptations, not with power, but with truth; and his life, death and resurrection deal with these problems at their very foundation. This sermon was preached at Sunday Night at St John's on the first Sunday in Lent, 17th February 2013. It is designed to be used with The Prezi zooming visuals found at this link the Bible study found at this link Enjoy!