Whose voice
are you listening to?
The name ‘Good Shepherd’ which the church and the school
have adopted is a title Jesus gave to himself. Jesus said, ‘I am the good shepherd; I know
my own sheep and they know me’ (John 10:14)
Jesus uses the image of a shepherd to give us an insight into how our
relationship with him is to work.
Many people find the image of a shepherd a very
comforting one. Shepherds cared for their sheep. They knew each of their sheep
by sight. They could pick them out from a mixed flock. Shepherds would protect
their sheep from danger. They would fight off wild animals and risk their lives
for the welfare of their sheep.
Jesus said, ‘The good shepherd sacrifices his life for
the sheep.’ (John 10:11) Jesus not only risked his life for our well-being
he gave it up for us on the cross so that we could be free from the sin that
seeks to destroy us.
The relationship between the shepherd and the sheep was
not all one way. Jesus said, ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,
and they follow me.’ (John 10:27) The shepherd knew and cared for his
sheep and the sheep recognised and listened to the voice of the shepherd. A
shepherd could call out to a large flock of sheep and his own sheep would come
out of the large flock to him.
As long as the sheep recognised and followed the voice of
their shepherd they remained safe under his care. The same is true for you and
me. It is one thing to recognise Jesus as our ‘Good Shepherd’; it is another to
listen to his voice and follow him.
In a world where there are many voices competing for our
attention and allegiance it can be difficult to hear the voice of Jesus and
follow it. We can’t leave this to chance. We need to intentionally plan times
to meet with Jesus to learn his ways so that we can discern his voice in the
midst of our noisy world and follow it.
Last Sunday Pastor Rolly spoke about unmasking the
deception of the devil. We best spot deception when we know the truth really
well. One way to help us avoid the deceiving voice of the devil is to be
intimately familiar with the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd. When we know the
genuine article we can spot the copy easily.
How well do you know the voice of the Good Shepherd
Jesus? What can you do to spend more time listening to him so that you can spot
his voice clearly in the competing messages of this world and the devil?
Joining us this Sunday for the next message in our series ‘Fighting the good
fight’ is a step in the right direction. This week we look at ‘Taming
Temptation.’
Pastor Noel Kluge
Prayer Requests Not
included in this newsletter, but if you would like to view the
current requests, refer to the e-mail that alerted you to this
Newsletter. If you have a prayer request or wish to be covered by
prayer please email churchenquiries@paravista.org.au with your request
This week we continue the Series, “Fighting the Good Fight”. This week’s message is “Taming
Temptation” ‘Your enemy the devil prowls around like
roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’ (1 Peter 5:8)
Bible Readings: Matthew 4:1-11 and James 1:13-15
Kingdom
Kids – Father’s Day Activity
Thank
you!
Thank you to
everyone who was involved in last Sundays Father’s Day event. We had a
fantastic morning learning more about our Heavenly Fathers love through fun
activities, music and prayer and are already looking forward to the next family
event. Special thanks to the following people for their leadership and support:
Sonia Colalancia, Diane and John Roling, Rachel Liebelt, Wendy Janetzki, Susie
Corbett, Daniel and Gillian Fawell, Jackson and Tennyson Jaensch, Emma Kluge,
Sophie Gerrie, Tammy Ritcher, Dave and Shelby Bartel, Sooty Lor, Tina and
Nicole Pfeiffer, Beth Einthal, Alisha Wja, Thalia Wesselingh and James Schoff.
It was also wonderful to have so many visiting parents and friends. Please feel
free to visit and worship with us in Kingdom Kids any time. The more we can
share the role of encouraging our children spiritually, the better!
Cultural Day Celebration – dress
up time!
Kids, get ready to dress up!! We will be
celebrating the many cultures in our community on Sunday 16th September. Come
along for a short interactive lesson based on the hope we can provide to people
of other cultures who suffer, through loving and caring for them as Christians.
Come dressed in a traditional outfit from a country of your choice, and hang
around with your family for some shared lunch in the hall after the 10:30am
service. Everyone is welcome…please bring a dish to share. Contact Barry Klaer
for more info.
School Holidays
There will be no Kingdom Kids on the 23rd
and 30th September or the 7th October due to the school
holidays. However, we would like to encourage you to continue worshipping with
us during this time and look forward to all that is in store next term.
Twilight Playgroup – only 3 weeks to go!
We are very
excited to invite you to playgroup’s end of term celebration on Wednesday 26th
of September. A special twilight playgroup will be held in the hall from 5pm –
7:30pm.
Please note
that there will be no playgroup on the last week of term, Wednesday 19th
September due to the school concert. Family
and/or special people that can’t normally come to playgroup are invited to join
us with a provided BBQ tea. Please bring a piece of fruit to share, which we
will have with a special treat for dessert! Cans of drink will be available to
purchase for $1 each with proceeds going to the playgroup.
Children are
invited to wear their pj’s and bring their favorite teddy. There will be a fun
craft activity and a special musical guest to entertain the kids with some
great live music! It is going to be a fantastic time and we hope that you and
your family can make it!
The cost is $5 per family. Please put your name and
the number of people you are expecting to bring on the registration list by
Wednesday 12th September so we know how much food to provide (or contact Beth
Einthal on 8258 4878).
Laura Carson
Children and Family Team
Leader
Upcoming Events
We are many,
but we are one! One in Christ
Celebrating
Our Cultural Diversity In Unity
Sunday 16th September 2012
Come
in your national dress
Join the fun,
food and
friendship as
we enjoy
great
international food.
Don’t forget!
Invite your
friends and family.
Calling all
Bikers!
A group motorbike for anyone from the school or church
community has been organised for Saturday 15th September. We will be meeting in
the church car park at 9.20am for a 9.30am departure. The ride will be up into
Adelaide Hills. There will be a morning tea break and a lunch stop. We expect
to get back mid-afternoon and you are welcome to head off home any time during
the ride if you need to get back earlier. Everyone is welcome and don’t
hesitate to invite friends. The ride will be cancelled if raining. For more
information, call Noel on 0427 049 296.
Notice Board
Please see Notice Board for more Information
Friends of Lutheran
Archives meeting. Topic:
Humour in the Lutheran Church.
Speaker: Dr Erich Renner. Is this an oxymoron? Can we laugh at
ourselves? A funny evening guaranteed. At Bethlehem House, Sudholz Place,
Adelaide, on Monday 17 September at 7.30 pm. Supper. Gold coin donation.
Sharing the Journey
Lutheran Community Care is excited to announce our ‘Sharing the Journey’
Walk or Ride scheduled for 11th November. The easiest way to
register for this event is online at www.lccare.org.au. We are also
accepting registrations over the phone and through post. Please see notice
board for more information.
National Church
Event:
The LCA Board for Youth and Family Ministry is hosting a national youth
forum in Adelaide in October (5-7) with the purpose of giving young people the
opportunity to voice their opinion on the issues facing our church. The forum
will involve three youth representatives from every Lutheran District in
Australia. The representatives will discuss and share their views on a range of
topics including human sexuality, social media and worship.
The Department for Child, Youth and Family Ministry SA/NT is looking for
three young people (aged 15-18) to represent youth from the SA/NT District at
this special forum. All participant expenses will be covered (including
flights, accommodation and food), however representatives will be expected to
complete some pre and post forum work including surveying the opinions of their
friends.
You can apply to represent SA/NT at this unique forum by sending an
application email to Fiona Weckert at fiona.weckert@sa.lca.org.au In addition to your contact details, your application should
address the following questions:
1. What is it like to be a young Lutheran in your community?
2. Why do you want to represent SA/NT at this forum?
BSF (BIBLE STUDY
FELLOWSHIP) is an interdenominational women’s bible study
happening weekly at Good Shepherd.
Each Tuesday morning from 9:30-11:30
between 50-60 women of all ages are meeting to study God’s word.
Babies and children up to
school age are wonderfully cared for and taught in their own
age-specific classes.
This year the focus is on the book of Acts.
Would you like to join us? Turn up on any Tuesday morning to join an
introductory class, or contact Sonia Hulme on 7122 2903 for more information.
There is only one success - to be able to
spend your life in your own way.
Church Web site: www.paravista.org.au
