Bendigo Presbyterian Church

In Luke 8:22-25, we find Jesus stilling the wild storm that threatened the lives of all who were out in that boat on the Sea of Galilee. It was a moment of great fear for even the most seasoned of fishermen-turned-disciples, probably even more so for those who didn’t have that fishing background. But the […]

Each of the gospel writers, Matthew, Mark and Luke, record the parable that Jesus told, called either the ‘parable of the seeds’ or the ‘parable of the sower’ or the ‘parable of the soil’. In Luke’s gospel, the parable appears in Luke 8:1-21 and is ‘bookended’ by two references to women. Before the parable, referring […]

Luke 2:21-52 are verses that might be all too easily overlooked in the Christmas season, when they ought not be. They give us a glimpse into ‘what went on’ for Jesus and even for his parents after the angels and shepherds had all gone away. They cover ‘ordinary’ matters that any Jewish couple of their […]

In Luke 2:1-20, Luke sets down in writing what he had come to know about the birth of Jesus through his faithful research. After having set the scene for the event through the happenings regarding the angel Gabriel’s busy visits to Zechariah and to Mary, the spotlight then turns to the baby promised to Mary. […]

In Luke 1:57-80, we see how Luke continues the story of Zechariah who had been struck dumb for failing to believe the angel Gabriel’s words earlier in the chapter. After his tongue was loosed, Zechariah made up for lost time in declaring the praise of God, His faithfulness and power in coming to rescue His […]

It’s possible to either over emphasise or under estimate the role that Mary had in being the birth mother of Jesus, but in Luke 1:26-56, it seems that the matter is plain. God’s choice of Mary was the right one – not because she in herself was without sin – but because she was willing […]

There’s so much more to the Christmas story than the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, Mary and Joseph and the baby in the manger. The gospel writer, Luke, a careful historian, presents the story of the birth of Jesus as the part of the fulfillment of God’s plans and promises to send a Messiah […]

Sometimes the things that happened to Jesus are quite surprising. In Luke 7:36-50, Luke tells us of hos he was reclining at a dinner party when a surprise guest entered and washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair and anointed them with her gift of perfume. The host of the […]

Luke’s record of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry is one that included the preaching activity of John (the Baptist) – an activity that soon landed him in trouble with Herod and soon after in jail. When John heard of the miraculous signs performed by Jesus, we read in Luke 7:18-35, that he sent a message […]

Collisions happen. People get hurt or die. But what happens when llife collides with death? Or, to put it more exactly, when the Lord of life collides with someone who is dead? In Luke 7:11-17, the situation at Nain is sad, but the ministry of Jesus gives hope – real hope in the face of […]

After Jesus had completed his long teaching intensive, Luke records that he returned to Capernaum where His ministry had previously been well received. There, according to Luke 7:1-10, He was approached by the Jews on behalf of a Roman centurion – a man who had power at his fingertips, but no power to deal with […]

In Luke 6:43-49, Jesus is finishing his teaching intensive on how His disciples ought to live. The text is very much connected to the previous versess in which Jesus spoko of making careful and merciful judgements – especially about people – and this certainly applies in the way we are to look at others and […]

There are spome great women of faith in the Scriptures, none so important as Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus. Mary’s story is unique. No-one else but her was chosen by God to become one who would bring the Son of God into the world. Yet, Mary’s story also centres around her real and […]

Jesus was never one to mince words. Instead, He spoke forthrightly and to the heart, and perhaps never more so than in Luke 6:27-42, where Jesus warned His disciples against judging others in a way that would mean that they open themselves up for judgement. He also warned them against being ‘speck inspectors’ who have […]

In Luke 6:27-36, Jesus is still teaching His disciples about their responsibility to be His people in a world that hates them. After instructing them on what constitutes ‘blessings’ and ‘woes’ for his followers, He now makes it clear that His disciples will be known by a special kind of love – one that even […]

When Joshua addressed the people of Israel at Shechem in Joshua 24:1-28, there was a large backstory to his words in Joshua 28:14-15. This was an important moment, a defining moment for Joshua and for the people of Israel. Would they serve the Lord or would they serve other gods, ones that laid less demands […]

In this last instalment on the book of Jonah, referrring specifically to Jonah 4:5-11, Rev Peter Phillips brings home the message of God’s love for people we wouldn’t expect that He would love – contrasted wth the ungrateful and unloving attitude of the prophet Jonah – who should have known and done better! Message Outline […]

We’re interuppting our studies in Luke’s Gospel this morning, to take into account another part of Luke’s writings, his second book, known to us as the ‘Acts of the Apostles’ or just ‘Acts’. In the text of Acts 16:11-40, Luke shows us the difference the gospel made as it spread into the Roman city of […]

When teaching what God wanted us to know, Jesus was never one to beat around the bush. He put it out there. Spoke the trusth as he saw it. In Luke 6:12-26, particularly 6:20-26, Jesus taught His disciples in what is known as the ‘Sermon on the Plain’ (which corresponds well with Matthew’s ‘Sermon on […]

When Jesus and his disciples were challenged by the Pharisees over their obvious love of food (compared to them who loved to show off their fasting) and their ‘working’ on the Sabbath day (despite the strict rules the Pharisees taught and enforced), and then leaing on the Sabbath day (despite it being a work of […]

How do you handle your problems? There’s an incident in the life of King Jehoshaphat of Judah recorded for us in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 which relates to the biggest of all problems that the King faced. In this message on that text, Rev Dr Jared Hood, Principal of the Presbyterian Theological College, explains how the […]

So far in Luke’s gospel, it seems that Jesus’ ministry has only just begun. We are in the early days. But even then, a pattern begins to emerge in Luke 5:12-32, where people from all walks of life come across Jesus or He meets them – and in each of the three recorded examples of […]

So much changed for Simon Peter in Luke 5:1-11. Although it seems likely that Peter had met Jesus before, he’d never had an encounter with Jesus quite like this one. The text relays how he went from being an unsuccesful, aware-of-of-his-own-sin fisherman type, to a follower of Jesus with a ctach full of fish as […]

In Luke 4:31-44, Luke records how Jesus’ ministry really took off. While in Capernaum after being rejected by the people of Nazareth, Jesus showed his complete and convincing authority over demons and disease. He did this in public, before the eyes of the watching people who were rightly amazed. But Luke also tells us of […]

Going home is typically an experience you don’t live to regret. There are exceptions of course. In Luke 4:14-30, Jesus went home to Nazareth and worshipped in the synagogue, only to be run out of town and have his life threatened by angry townsfolk. So what happened? Why did what should have been a welcome […]