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Named and Claimed

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12 January, 2025Pastor John Strelan

Sermon Pastor John Strelan Sunday 12 January 2025 Named & Claimed (Unley).pdf
10 Second Sunday after Epiphany C

Juliet:

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? . . . ‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy; thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name!

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. There’s truth there, isn’t there? But,not the whole truth. If only it were that simple, Juliet! What’s in a name? Lots! For us human beings our names are primarily about relationship. They are part of the complex web of interactions that make us who we are . . . not objects, but living, breathing, hoping, hurting, thinking, feeling beings. Names are about identity. (Now, that’s a trendy word: identity.) And, identity is much about who does the naming.

So, I wonder, who are you?

 

Isaiah 43:1-7

43 But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. 4 Since you are precious and honoured in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, “Give them up!” and to the south, “Do not hold them back.” Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth – 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.’

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It Shall Be So

2 August, 2026 Pastor John Strelan

What’s in a word? Amen. That’s the word I’m talking about. Amen.

What’s in a word?

At the end of each sentence we are used to seeing a mark, or a symbol. Punctuation we call it. Fullstop. Question Mark? Exclamation mark!

Is that what Amen is? A bit of punctuation at the end of the sentence? A mark to tell us the prayer is over?

Amen is an ancient word – thousands of years old – handed down unchanged from ancient Hebrew through to ancient Greek through to modern English and many other languages. Amen. It is an expression of confidence, of faith, of trust, that what is said is true. It is an expression of agreement, of solidarity, of participation. It is a promise of commitment, of assurance, of engagement. It shall be so! Amen.

Notably, Jesus used Amen not at the end of his sentences but at the beginning! Often twice, just to make sure no one was in any doubt.

In fact, Jesus himself is the Amen. Our Amen. And God’s last word to us in the Bible is Amen (Revelation 22:21).

I don’t think that’s just punctuation.

~ Pastor John Strelan

Click here for a link to our new spotify podcast containing the latest sermon recordings.

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Penicillin was discovered in 1928 when Alexander Fleming accidently left a petri dish uncovered and noticed that a mould had killed the surrounding bacteria.

The microwave oven was invented by Percy Spencer in 1945 after he noticed the radar equipment he was working on melted a chocolate bar in his pocket.

Way back in 1754 the English author Horace Walpole had already coined a word for such events: serendipity. He formed the word after reading an ancient Persian story known as the Three Princes of Serendip in which the main characters are always making accidental discoveries of things they weren’t intending or looking for. Serendipity, then, is the phenomenon of finding valuable, pleasant, or agreeable things you weren’t actively seeking (such as discovering that ‘Serendip’ was the historical Arabic name for Sri Lanka).

Way, way back in around 33AD Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone found”.

Serendipity.

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Click here for a link to our new spotify podcast containing the latest sermon recordings.

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19 July, 2026 Pastor John Strelan

Some history:

1839 First Lutheran synod founded by Kavel.

1846 Fritzsche splits from Kavel, forms Bethany-Lobethal Synod which becomes Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Australia (ELSA). Kavel heads up Langmeil-Lightpass Synod.

1858 Tanunda-Lightpass Synod splits from Langmeil-Lightpass Synod. Joins with Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Victoria.

1902 Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Australia (Old Basis) splits from Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Australia, joins United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Australia.

1966 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia joins with United Evangelical Church in Australia, becomes Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA).

2024 Lutheran Mission Australia splits from Lutheran Church of Australia.

It all sounds a bit Monty Pythonesque, doesn’t it? Lutherans, it seems, know better than Jesus when it comes to tending the garden.

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