Sermons from Pastor Nathan Hedt

Alms for an ex-leper - a theology of thanksgiving for a borderline community

What do Monty Python, a Canadian hog-farmer's wife, and Luke 17 have to do with LSF Victoria's 50th anniversary? In Luke 17, we find the beginnings of a theology of thanksgiving for a 'borderline community.' In some ways Tertiary Ministry will always be on the margins, on the borders between 'in' and 'out' of the church. And that's great, because the borderlines and the margins are where Jesus is found. Like the Samaritan leper, we too can immerse ourselves in thanksgiving rather than anxiety and fear, or discontent. This sermon, based on Luke 17:11-19, was preached at LSF-Victoria's 50th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service on Sunday 18th September 2011 at St John's Southgate. Enjoy!

By the Grace of God - Envisioning the future

God always comes down. In the Word and the Meal, in the Bath and the Community, God always comes down. There is nothing we can ever do to turn the arrow around the other way. God's grace is the foundation of all we seek to do and be - and living out of, and by, that grace, the LSF community exists to equip people to Love one another (community) Serve the World (Mission) Follow Jesus (Discipleship) in, around and beyond the Tertiary Context in Victoria. Join the conversation!

Matthew 18 - What price forgiveness? (The parable of the Unmerciful servant)

The grace of God is extravagant, outrageous...and expensive. God pays the price of forgiving the debt of sin we owe. What price forgiveness?  The answer may surprise you. What price unforgiveness?  That's a question of life and death. This sermon is based on Matthew 18:21-35 - the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant - which gives us a glimpse into just how extravagant God's grace really is, and the price of unforgiveness in our own lives. It was preached on Sunday 11th September 2011 at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church. Enjoy!

Vision 2011 Part 3 - Love one Another (Romans 13:8-20)

Jesus' self-sacrificing love for us has left us with a debt to God we can never repay. But God doesn't want us to 'pay him back' - rather to 'pay it forward' to others by 'loving our neighbour as ourselves.' In Romans 13, St Paul writes that to 'love your neighbour as yourself' is to fulfill the law. Living in this response to God's magnificent love for us calls us into freedom and joy, to put off darkness and to put on light, to clothe ourselves with Christ. This sermon was preached on Sunday September 4th at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church. You can view the PREZI zooming visual presentation which accompanies this sermon at this link. There is a sermon-based bible study which you can download from this page. Enjoy!

Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22)

The account of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac is one of the most shocking, powerful, poignant stories in the entire Bible. How could the God of life ask for such a sacrifice? This sermon seeks to reframe the story of Abraham and Isaac, found in Genesis 22, in terms of the wider biblical narrative, discovering that God does not ask something of Abraham (or of us) that he is not willing to do himself, and that when God asks us to give something up, it is because he wants to give us something better in its place - more of himself. This sermon is accompanied by a Prezi presentation which can be accessed at this link. It was preached on Sunday 26th June at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church. Enjoy!

The Great Commission - being and making disciples (Matthew 28:16-20)

Jesus' words in the passage known as 'The Great Commission' (Matthew 28:16-20) give to his disciples three great gifts: the gift of humility (you are not in control!), identity (the Great Commission is not just command, it defines who we are!) and belonging (The Great Commission comes with the Great Promise - 'I will be with you always'). Although sometimes we can hear these words with a sense of guilt, through Jesus' call, we are invited to work with him in his ongoing mission in the world, by his authority, empowered by his presence, in a life wrapped in forgiveness from beginning to end.  That's why it's called the 'com-mission'. Com=with, mission = sent.  We are sent with Jesus, in the name of the Triune God. The sermon MP3 includes the answers to some brief questions asked as part of discussion time after the sermon. This sermon was preached at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church on Trinity Sunday, June 19, 2011. Enjoy!

Pentecost - God's Thankyou Water

Two young Melbourne social entrepreneurs came up with a brilliant, lifesaving idea when they put these two facts together: Nearly 900 million people around the world can't access clean water. In Australia, we spend around $600 million each year on bottled water. Thankyou Water is bottled water, the profits of which all go to clean water projects in the majority world. When you drink, others can drink. But this idea is not new, in fact. Jesus proclaimed much the same thing in John 7.  He said that for all who are thirsty and come to him and drink, 'rivers of living water will flow from within them.'  Those who believe in Jesus thus become wellsprings of living, lifegiving water for a thirsty world through the power of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus pours out at Pentecost. This sermon explores Jesus' promise - and what it means for us and for the spiritually thirsty world in which we live. It was preached on Sunday 12th June, Pentecost Sunday, at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church. Enjoy!

Living between Resurrection and Return - the Good News of Jesus' ascension

Is Jesus' ascension simply a quizzical party trick?  Is the Ascension just Jesus' 'going away party'? Given that nearly one quarter of the Apostle's Creed deals with 'the time between resurrection and return' there must be more to it than that.  In fact, Jesus' ascension is full of good news for us, as the ascended Jesus, now given all power and authority, continues to work and intercede for us at the right hand (the place of power and honour) of the Father. This sermon was preached on Sunday 5th June at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church. Enjoy!

Finding the altar to the Unknown God - Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16-34)

When Paul unexpectedly finds himself in Athens, he engages with poetry, art, architecture, and dialogue with people in order to find the places where God is at work, and ways to meaningfully preach the gospel. He is invited to speak at the Areopagus, the City Council. He highlights the 'altar to the Unknown God' as a sign of God's work and a gateway for the good news of Jesus. As we consider this passage, it may help us also to find gateways for the gospel in our pluralistic society, with our friends, family and workmates. You can find a PREZI - web based visual presentation that accompanies this sermon at this link. There is an action-reflection, small group bible study booklet called Connection (available from Australian Church Resources) which is a powerful tool in helping us put this kind of missional thinking into practice in our own contexts. I strongly urge you to check it out! This sermon was preached at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church on Sunday May 29th, 2011. Enjoy!

A day to remember - Luke 24:13-35

A dramatic monologue on one of my favourite Bible passages: the road to Emmaus where the risen Jesus walks, unrecognised, with the disciples on the road. An imaginative exploration of what it would have felt like to be on the road with Jesus! This sermon was preached at St John's Southgate on 8th May 2011. Enjoy!