Dec2021
Advent sets the scene for the Christian year
by Bishop John Henderson
JESUS IS GOD’S LOVE. HE GIVES US NEW HEARTS – TO LAY ASIDE OUR OLD WAYS, TO BELIEVE AND FOLLOW HIM, TO LIVE WITH HIM EVERY DAY. Heartland ‘From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near”’ (Matthew 4:17 NRSV). The four weeks before Christmas are the Advent… Read more
Dec2021
Thank you, John and Valmai
The LCANZ gives thanks for the service of Bishop John Henderson who has retired after eight-and-a-half years in the role and forty years in the ordained ministry, and for his wife Valmai. On 5 December at his home church in suburban Adelaide, Bishop John laid down his pectoral cross as part of a final rite… Read more
Nov2021
Communion joins us with Christ and all believers
by Bishop John Henderson
From 2002 to 2009 I worked as General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia. It was a remarkable role.
Oct2021
Blessed by working together
by Bishop John Henderson
God willing, when this edition of The Lutheran is published, the 2021 online sessions of the LCANZ 20th Convention of General Synod will have successfully concluded.
Sep2021
A Pastoral Note to Members of the LCANZ: COVID Vaccines and Passports
by Rev John Henderson
We are in the midst of a pandemic, a disease which is likely to be with us for quite some time… For now, we are responding as best we can.
Sep2021
Walking together in faith
by Bishop John Henderson
It’s nearly time for our church to gather as a synod once again, as we do every three years. The synod includes all our congregations and parishes across Australia and New Zealand, and representatives from various ministries, such as Lutheran schools.
Aug2021
The church’s mission is to share God’s love
by Bishop John Henderson
When speaking to the recent online General Pastors Conference, I described the church as the ‘beachhead’ of heaven on earth. If we pay close attention, we will hear the distant surf crashing on its beaches and see the glow of the rising sun on the far horizon heralding the new era of justice, peace.
Jul2021
Honour Christ, praise God and respond to evil with good
by Bishop John Henderson
The first letter of Peter in the New Testament is addressed to Christians scattered across Asia Minor in the first century after Christ. It is a practical manual on how to survive persecution. We live very different lives to believers back then, but we, too, could soon face more active opposition.
May2021
Reflections on the church
by Rev John Henderson
Each year I write some ‘Reflections on the Church’ for District Conventions. This Heartland eNews shares with you the most recent version, in the hope you might find it helpful.
May2021
Clear vision for the way forward
by Rev John Henderson
I recently had a pair of multifocal spectacles that just weren’t right. Everything was slightly off. No matter how I twisted my head or swivelled my eyes, my vision was not clear.
