Please join us in hearing from God as we read a book of the bible together:
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
2026 A prayer for a new year
As Bishop of the Lutheran Church of Australia in NSW and ACT and New Zealand I have prepared a prayer for all
The prayer poster is available here
Monday, December 29, 2025
Small group or worship resource - Lutheran Fellowship Gatherings weekly resource
The Lutheran Fellowship Gathering weekly resource is for small groups or small worshipping communities to help them connect with God and each other focussing on the Gospel reading of the Revised Common Lectionary
One of the reasons for making this resource available is to support people who wish to gather around God’s Word, focussing on Jesus and to grow as part of God’s church.
You may want to use it to help you start a small group in your church community, or to gather people in a community where a Lutheran church currently is not present.
This resource is offered free of charge to non-commercial situations, on the understanding that you will not charge for copies or its use.
This resource has been developed by Pastor Richard Schwedes, richardschwedes@gmail.com
Click on the weekly links below to access the weekly resources
January weekly resources
January week 3: Epiphany 2 - John 1:29-42
January week 4: Epiphany 3 - Matthew 4:12-23
February weekly resources
Help us develop more resources
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Book: Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels
Understand the Life of Jesus in Cultural Context
Discover a deeper, richer understanding of the life and teachings of Jesus with Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by renowned scholar Kenneth Bailey.
This book invites readers to see Jesus through the lens of his historical and cultural context, lifting away the layers of Western interpretation that have shaped modern perspectives. From Jesus' birth to his parables, from the Beatitudes to his relationships, Bailey helps readers remove modern Western interpretations to see Jesus as he was understood in his own time, offering readers a kaleidoscopic view of the person of Jesus that is simultaneously ancient and refreshingly new.
In Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, you'll find
- Cultural Insight: Gain a deeper understanding of Jesus within his Middle Eastern context, removing Western cultural blinders.
- A Transformational Perspective: Be inspired to read the Gospels with renewed clarity and depth, seeing Jesus in the light of his historical and cultural setting.
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is a valuable resource for anyone passionate about studying the New Testament and the life of Jesus deeply and meaningfully. Explore Jesus’ story as it was meant to be seen and enrich your spiritual study with this compelling, context-driven approach.
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Worship Planning Template 2025-2026
The Worship Planning template is a simple Excel tool to help pastors and worship teams in their worship planning.
The template offers the RCL readings for each Sunday and Special services, with suggestions for Invocation/Call to Worship, Confession, Creed, Lord's Prayer, Holy Communion, and Hymns/Songs (opening, praise after forgiveness, kids, post sermon/offering and sending).
The Narrative Lectionary has also been included
The resource is designed for you to adapt for your own context
You can download the 2025-2026 Worship Planning template here
Book: The Ultimate Christmas Wishlist
We all need hope in our lives, but many struggle to know where to look for it. This short, warm and profound book by well-known evangelist Rico Tice makes a compelling case for Christianity and the hope that it provides.
Based on Isaiah 9:6 (a passage often used in Christmas services), readers will see how Jesus – the Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father and Wonderful Counsellor – is the ultimate gift as he delivers what they really want: hope, peace, purpose and guidance.
This gospel presentation is ideal to give away at Christmas.
Contents
- What Do You Want for Christmas?
- Hope
- Peace
- Purpose
- Guidance
Booklet: Making the Christmas Connection
This book will help you connect the Christmas story with God and how He wants to connect with us....
J. John in this book unpacks who is God and how he connects and interacts with us, and the Christmas story plays a major role in this
Find out and discover something more about who God really is and exactly how he feels about us. Find out how we lost our connection with God and how our connection can be restored.
Book: The Gospel for the person who has everything
The Gospel for the person who has everything
Secure, content, competent, reasonably happy and fulfilled, such persons of strength go their own way without any apparent discomfort at having missed the benefits of the Christian faith. . . . What do you say to the person who says, through his or her neglect of the faith, "Thanks, but I don’t need it"? —from the book
Bishop William Willimon brings the Gospel of Jesus Christ to life for the person who has everything – happy, fulfilled human beings, who don’t feel the same level of need expressed by the downcast, the outcast, the brokenhearted, and the miserable. Willimon says that the church’s message to the wretched and sad must not exclude the strong and the joyous.
In nine concise, inspired chapters, he discusses these ideas:
- Must one be sad, depressed, wallowing in sin and degradation, immature, and childishly dependent in order truly to hear the Good News? (See chapters 1 and 2.)
- “What do we say to the strong?” (See chapters 3 and 4.)
- Speaking to the strong and to the people who are weak and want to be stronger: a particular kind of evangelistic message. They have their sins, but these sins are not the sins of the weak (chapter 5).
- Worship which takes God’s strong love seriously (chapter 6)
- Ethics which arise out of our response to that love (chapter 7)
- Church as a place of continual growth and widening responsibility (chapters 8 and 9)
Saturday, November 22, 2025
2025 A down to earth Christmas - Carols and Readings
I have prepared the following Carols and Readings service to serve especially the smaller or people limited congregations of the Lutheran Church of Australia in New South Wales and the Lutheran Church of New Zealand. Anyone else is also free to use these resources
2025 Carols and Reading Service - Down to Earth Christmas
2025 Christmas Reflection - Down to Earth Christmas - this can be used either with the carols and readings service or separately also available at https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/god-comes-down-to-earth-richard-schwedes-sermon-on-christmas-296698
Instant Christmas Play - this can be used either with the carols and readings service or separately
I pray your Christmas time not only brings joy to people but also helps people engage with the God who came down to earth for us, to bring reveal his life giving love...
Bishop Richard
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Professional Supervisors
Many pastors and church workers are benefiting from regular engagement with a Pastoral Supervisor.
The following are registers of Pastoral Supervisors to help anyone seeking a Pastoral Supervisor in Australia and New Zealand
Australia
Lutheran Church of Australia list
St Marks Theological Centre list
Australasian Association of Supervision list
New Zealand
Centre for Life Long Learning Approved list
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Devotional Prayer Book: Guide to Prayer: For Ministers & Other Servants by Rueben P Job (Author), Norman Shawchuck Ph.D. (Author)
A guide to prayer for ministers and other servants is a best seller for nearly 3 decades!
This classic devotional and prayer book is a compilation of scriptures, prayers, readings from well-known spiritual writers, and hymn texts.
Each week centers on a different theme and follows this format: invocation, psalm, daily scripture readings, readings for reflection, prayers (for the church, myself, others), reflection time, and a hymn.
The back of the book contains models for 12 personal one-day retreats.
Featured writers include William Barclay, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Carlo Carretto, Mother Teresa, Richard J. Foster, Elton Trueblood, C. S. Lewis, Henri J. M. Nouwen, Simone Weil, and many others.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Book - Acts to Action
Acts to Action is a 90 day devotional journey to missional living.
This resource is ideal for individuals, bible studies or even a congregational worship series. It is written by a Lutheran pastor and mission director, with Lutheran congregations in mind.
It will help you explore is my faith and my local church still relevant?
The answer of course is a resounding, “YES!”
But only the Word of God, and especially that Word as it come to us in the Acts of the Apostles, can make it so. This 90-Day devotional journey leads readers on a guided tour of the entire Book of Acts to see and learn anew how God is always working through His people, His leaders, and His local congregations to grow His kingdom. The first century church changed the world for the better. The Lord of the church wants to use you and your 21st century congregation to do the same.
The journal will you :
- Appreciate how God uses His people to save people
- Love people from all backgrounds, races, nations, and ethnicities
- Follow the example of the early church and be intentionally engaged in the mission of God
- Bring the love and hope of Jesus Christ to your family, friends, neighbourhoods, and communities
Available through Amazon
Friday, February 07, 2025
Nicene Creed resources
In 325AD the first version of the Nicene Creed was adopted by the Christian church at the Council of Nicaea.
So in 2025 many Christians will be celebrating 1700 years of the Christian church proclaiming God using the words of the Nicene Creed
Following are some Resources to assist you in commemorating and celebrating God through the words of the Nicene Creed.
Books
Nicene Creed: A Scriptural, Historical, and Theological Commentary
The Nicene Creed - a devotional
Very God: an artist explores the Nicene Creed
Bible References for the Nicene Creed
https://tumi.org/images/nicene-creed-scripture.pdf
https://steadfastlutherans.org/blog/2017/08/apostles-and-nicene-creeds-according-to-scripture/
https://revtrev.com/living-light/the-nicene-creed-with-scripture-references/
Worship/Sermon Series
https://gloriadeionline.wordpress.com/?s=Nicene+Creed
https://www.lambofgodseattle.org/sermons#series_25
https://rockofages-payson.com/2024/02/03/we-believe-nicene-creed-part-1-of-4/
The Story of the Nicene Creed
2025 Lent Resources
Lent resources for 2025
Books, devotions and worship
4o
things not to give up for Lent
Book of Faith 40-Day Lenten Journey into the Lord's Prayer
Meeting Jesus at the Table Lent devotion
Lutheran Church of Australia Worship Planning Page Lent Resources
Lutheran
Tract Mission – Lent Resources
National
Council of Churches – Lent resources from various churches
Wednesday, January 01, 2025
Book: Faith Notes: A Christ-Centered Survival Kit for Young Men
Today's youth are facing big problems and challenges, and they need life-saving truth that speaks directly to their unique circumstances.
Faith Notes: A Christ-Centered Survival Kit for Young Men, and its companion title for young women, is an engaging and practical devotional that candidly addresses the real hurts and heartaches of adolescence. In contrast to the daily media onslaught that young people are subjected to that leads to comparison, anxiety, perfectionism, and confusion, Faith Notes offers Jesus, grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone. They offer a survival guide that lead to eternal life.
In all, Faith Notes offers 96 devotionals on general subjects: Relationships; Spiritual Life; Thoughts and Feelings; Friends; the Future; Character; Family and Home; Anxiety; and Mistakes.
The author, Rev. Michael W. Newman, has been a pastor in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and has served and ministered to youth for decades, giving him unique insight into what's troubling the youth of today, and how to respond Christ-like to those troubles.
Buy Faith Notes here
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