What to do this Sunday, Thankful for the rain and ‘Take heart! Jesus has overcome the world’!

Dear members and friends of St Peter's Lutheran Church, Hobart.
 
Jesus is a straight shooter and holds the future. That is why he can say in John 16:33 ‘I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have troubles. But take heart! I have overcome the world’. If we only look at the world we would experience a lot of apprehensions. By looking to Jesus we look to the One who can find a way through the impossible, and so are directed to have peace from the One who imparts peace. His Father and our Father has done so again and again and again. That is why the continual hearing, reading and meditating upon Scripture (God’s Word) is so important. It builds us up and redirects our focus. We can never hear some of these texts too often because the devil never stops sowing, through our old natures, the seeds of doubt, disillusionment and even despair. But take heart! Jesus has overcome him and this fallen world!
 
This Sunday!
 
If you have already registered for last week you do not have to register again to attend this Sunday. You will be sent an email in the next day or so confirming the invitation for you to attend. If you can not attend please email this address office@splchobart.org indicating your non-attendance this Sunday. If you have not registered please go to our website and do so as soon as possible.
 
The Congregation's leadership team has listened to feedback and are undertaking a review. We will be tweaking things slightly to make the running is smoother. We have been aided by the further relaxation of distancing from four meters to two as announced by the Tasmanian Premier yesterday. It will particularly be in relation to Holy Communion that we will tweak. This should ensure that this will be much quicker and simpler this Sunday. 
 
From Kim – Let it rain!

It was lovely to see so many of you again on Sunday after such a long absence. I know that church still doesn’t look the same as what we are used to and at the moment the restrictions upon us are still limiting the way we worship. But this week can I encourage our members to think about what we do have rather than what we used to have.

It’s very easy to concentrate on what we are missing out on, but doing that closes our minds to the many blessings that we have had over this time.

God's word hasn’t changed, we as a church haven’t changed, even though we have had to change how we do things. We continue to refine what we are doing and work within the guidelines we have to adhere to and will continue to do so. I ask that members continue to be patient with leadership we are trying out best in what have been difficult times.

This week Philippa has concentrated on the rain we have had and provided the Bible verses below.

Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
 - Acts 14:17

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater
 - Isaiah 55:10

In this time of change and unrest, it is good to reflect on verses such as these. We are not in this alone we have a Christ to guide us through and we really need to focus on this. We haven’t been abandoned we are provided for and we will be guided through this time.

I wish everyone a safe week and look forward to seeing more of you over the coming weeks.

Kim
Chairperson of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Hobart.


Warm regards and blessings to you all,
 
Pastor Mike.
Saint Peter's Lutheran Church, Hobart.
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