And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35:10 

On Sunday, we will light the ‘joy’ candle in our Advent Wreath. This far into the Advent season, it can be hard to feel joy. The school year is winding down, the shops are full of frantic activity, the media is filled with pressure to buy more, do more, outshine the neighbours… and it can feel hollow, overwhelming, pointless. For many the year has been long, and exhaustion has crept in. Where is the joy in all this?

The readings for the Third Sunday in Advent speak beautifully and powerfully into this space. In Isaiah 35:1-10, we read of the ‘wilderness and the dry land’, our desert times, when we struggle with ‘weak hands’, ‘feeble knees’, and ‘anxious hearts’ in the wilderness of sin and death, a place of burning sands and thirsty ground, haunted by jackals.

But the glory of the Lord is coming! Into this bleak and fearful place, blossoms will burst forth, water will flow, bringing life in abundance, with healing and restoration for the blind, deaf, mute and lame, so that all may see the Saviour, hear the good news and sing and dance with joy.

And through the middle of this new life, Isaiah prophesied that a highway would come, the Way of Holiness. Jesus is that way – the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)! He came so we can say with confidence,

“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
    will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
    He will come and save you.” (v4)

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.

Isaiah 11:6

What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘World Peace’? In my kindergarten days, I remember seeing crayon cartoons of children from every country, holding hands all the way around the world. To many today, the dream of world peace seems as realistic as a child’s dream of growing up to become a dinosaur or a butterfly.

It’s hard not to become cynical. Most adults would settle for peace within their own lives. The Australian dream of owning a home becomes more dreamlike every day. Those who do have houses struggle to maintain peace between the people who live inside them. We find similar conflicts within our minds and hearts as we try to navigate the whole rotten mess. A distinct lack of peace marks our entire lives. We even feel it in our bones, which ache as we approach the final defeat of our bodies. All of human experience would seem to tell us that peace is no more than an impossible dream.

Our Old Testament reading for this Sunday, Isaiah 11:1–10, paints a picture of peace which seems just as impossible and dreamy. Wolves and lambs dwelling together, lions eating hay alongside big, juicy cows. Such starry-eyed visions of world peace seem naïve, childish and downright irresponsible to our mature and jaded eyes. Yet the ‘little Child’ who leads this animal circus in Isaiah’s vision is the same Babe who calls us to become like little children, if we would enter his kingdom.

Seminary Development Officer, Pastor Michael Prenzler provides an update on the Seminary Establishment Fund, the Sem Vlog, Information Sessions and other matters.

O house of Jacob,
    come, let us walk
    in the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:1–5

Most of us know what darkness feels like. When you are seriously ill or someone you love is sick or dying, when you feel let down, when you’ve let others down or slipped back into the same bad behaviour that always takes you down, when you’re not sure what the future holds and all seems bleak and overwhelming... It can feel like being in a dark pit (Psalm 40:1-3). Job described it as 'the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order’ (Job 10:21-22).

We need hope to continue on, a reason to persevere, a path out of the darkness. This Advent, we remember God’s fulfilment of His promise to send Jesus, and we look forward to Christ coming again on the Last Day.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 

Galatians 5:13-14 

The Augsburg Confession makes it clear that we are not saved by our own strength, merits or works, but we are saved for Christ’s sake, through faith when we believe that we are received into favour and that our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. This life-giving teaching of the Scriptures gives hope and transforms our lives. That’s why the Augsburg Confession goes on to say that this faith, which grasps hold of Jesus, is bound to bring forth good fruit, even going so far as to say it is necessary to do good works commanded by God because of God’s will.  

St Peter reminds us to

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honour everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the emperor. (1 Peter 2:16-17) 

This world in which we are called to serve as God’s people is broken by sin. We see hatred and division, abuse and suffering, darkness and discord everywhere we look. Even in our institutions we have witnessed terrible mistreatment of the vulnerable and much pain and suffering. 

As Christians, we know that Jesus came to defeat sin, death and the devil. Through his death and resurrection, he has redeemed us and set us free from slavery to sin and brought us out into his glorious light. 

We are called to live in the freedom that Christ won for us on the cross – to live as people of the light, who are free to love and serve our neighbours. We are called to protect the vulnerable. In Ephesians 4, Paul urges us to live lives worthy of that calling “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love”. 

Lutheran Mission - Australia’s Annual General Meeting for 2024 will be held on Friday 14 November 2025. In this extract from his President’ Report, Pastor Matt Anker reflects on the first six months of LM-A’s existence.

Lutheran Mission – Australia (LM-A) was established with a solemn understanding of the historical, ecclesial and pastoral implications of starting a new church. We recognised that it is no small matter to leave a church body and to begin a new church, and without biblical justification, it would be a sinful act with serious consequences. The significance of this reality weighed heavily on all those involved with the establishment of LM-A but within a very short time it was clear that this action was not only appropriate, but absolutely necessary for the spiritual wellbeing of God’s people and to secure the future of confessional Lutheranism in Australia.  

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 8:31-32

 As the commemoration of the Reformation approaches, I sit here in Wittenberg with the bells of the city church where Luther preached over two thousand sermons ringing through the cold autumn air. It is a wonderful privilege to be in this significant place at this time of year when we give thanks to God for His preservation of the gospel through the faithful service of Luther and many others.

I have to confess that it is easy to be overwhelmed by the history and romanticism of this place, not to mention the encouragement that comes from being together with our dear friends from the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and leaders from their sister churches across the world. But the Reformation is not primarily lived out by basking in the past or in these blessed experiences in evocative settings. The Reformation was and continues to be lived out as the comfort of the gospel is proclaimed to troubled consciences, so that we might live and die with confidence in Christ and all He has done for us.

Luther and the reformers recognised that in the face of our own sin and the attacks of the devil, God has provided His Holy Word to provide us this comfort and confidence, and enables us to read and digest the Word for just this purpose. This was revolutionary at the time of the Reformation as most people didn’t have access to the Scriptures and even if they did, they were taught that it was all too difficult and unclear for the ordinary lay person to understand and that the Word needed to be mediated through the teaching of the Roman Church and her clergy.

As the scales fell from Luther’s eyes and he came to properly understand from Scripture that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, he realised it was the Roman Church that was obscuring the Scriptures and in so doing, they were robbing the church of the Bible’s central teaching on justification. Reading the Scriptures with fresh eyes, filled with the wonder of a God who loved him so much that He sent His one and only Son to die in His place, Luther came to understand that God’s Word is not only clear in its simple and intended sense, but that it is all a Christian needs to know to receive God’s gifts won for them by Christ Himself.

In this excerpt from ‘The Word Remains’, Selected Writings on the Church Year and the Christian Life, Wilhelm Löhe writes:

Scripture is like the stars in heaven. Whoever lifts his eyes from earthly darkness will immediately see the great shining stars of the first magnitude and the path of light that girds the heavens.

Becoming accustomed to the light, the eye sees more and more stars.

Eventually, even the blue seems interwoven with light.

So to the eye of the reader of Scripture, there first come those shining, mighty passages, whose meaning is easily understood and undeniable. The longer we read, strengthened by that first light, the more other passages become bright and clear.

At last, we see more than just a Milky Way of bright truth in the heaven of the Bible; an awareness, indeed a clear, conscious perception of complete harmony within it overpowers us and edifies us.

So this is not merely a ruse but rather an assertion that proves true in every conscience, that the harmony of the clear passages of Scripture, such as those one collects for a children’s catechism, comprises the analogy of faith and the proper interpretation on which the unclear passages are made clear.

During the recent International Lutheran Council World Conference in the Philippines, Pastor Matt Anker had a chance to sit down with Bishop Emile Nkurunziza from Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Burundi (HELCB). They recorded a video interview in which Bishop Emile reported on the rapid growth of HELCB, the many projects they are engaged in and the vision for the future.

HELCB was first registered in 2017. Beginning with two congregations, they now have six congregations across every province of Burundi, and 3000 baptised members. As their government requires that churches must own their own buildings and cannot rent or borrow premises, the church has worked hard to build six churches and has two more land plots ready to build on.

Bishop Emile says, ‘So concerning the Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Burundi, we really thank God for what he's doing. God is amazing. He is always good. All the time, God is good.’

The 28th World Conference of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) concluded last week. Held on the island of Bohol in the Philippines on 14-19 September, the conference was attended by 132 representatives from 52 countries from around the world, including a group from LM-A President, Pastor Matt Anker, Vice President Pastor Mathew Ker and Pastor Michael Prenzler attended as guests of the ILC, while their wives Laryssa, Sonja and Gertraud attended at their own cost.

Confession and Cooperation in a Fragmented World

The conference theme was ‘Confession and Cooperation in a Fragmented World’, based on 2 Corinthians 4:13.  It was a theme most of the presenters and preachers circled back to, all building up a clear picture of God working all things for the common good. 

A highlight was a series of regional presentations with church leaders describing a regional issue and how the church speaks to that issue.  Each presentation spoke positively as to the need to stand firm on the Word of God. It keeps us grounded and in true unity in a fragmented world. 

Pastor Mathew Ker commented, ‘It was encouraging to hear from other Lutheran churches from around the world.  Many face similar challenges to our own, other challenges are unique.  The blessings were also shared, reminding one another that faithful witness to God’s Word still bears much good fruit.’ Pastor Michael Prenzler added that attending the conference was like ‘getting a glimpse of the church as it is meant to be: people from all nations and languages coming together in a common faith in our Lord Jesus. It was so refreshing to not have a false unity “preached” at us, but to experience a genuine unity brought about by a common confession.’

Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

1 Timothy 6:3-7

In 1 Timothy 6, St Paul reminds Pastor Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain.

This simple phrase is a vital corrective to misinterpreting this text in a way that would see us contend for the truth in a way that fails to serve those who have been misled. Yes, this text is a call to faithfulness. A call to make the good confession regardless of the cost. And a call to fight the good fight until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. But it is not a call to arrogant militancy, or angry counter attacks against false doctrine and false teachers. Or to a false sense of piety that elevates ourselves above others because we think we have got it all together. St Paul never minces words when it comes to false teaching and the need to make a good confession, but through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he is careful to urge Pastor Timothy to hold fast to the truth in a way that seeks to convert hearts and win souls. And the centre of that is the declaration that ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain.’

…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth to boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak.

Ephesians 6:18-20

Lord, open my mouth to boldly proclaim the mystery of the Gospel

Dear Friends,

When I lead tour groups through my date plantation in Charleville, Western Queensland, I tell them of how it all began.  Of how 20 of my friends gathered to help me get the farm established, working for two weeks in 40-degree heat to get the job done. ‘It was like we were on a mission,’ I say.

We in the LM-A are on a mission too. The word is even part of our name  What a wonderful thing to be a part of God’s great work of rescue to the world, to see people gathered to God, out of the darkness into the light, to see them changed by the working of the Spirit through the Word, to be caught up in the joy of heaven over every sinner that becomes one of God’s own.

One of the things I have realised about myself, and perhaps you have noticed this about yourself too, is that sometimes I am reluctant to ‘boldly proclaim the mystery of the Gospel’. It seems that St Paul, Timothy (2 Timothy 1:7) and Jesus’ disciples generally at times (Luke 9:26) lacked boldness to speak Christ and His Word.

So, what is the answer? Well, here the Holy Spirit, through St Paul, urges other Christians to pray for him so that he may declare the Gospel boldly. So let us also pray for one another that we may boldly speak of Jesus, and that the very words may be given to us, and let us believe that God will truly answer that prayer.

On Sunday 7 September, LM-A President Matt Anker and Pastor Michael Prenzler joyfully announced that Lutheran Theological Seminary - Australia (LTS-A) will open its doors for students in January 2027 in the Greater Adelaide area.

The announcement was made during an Adelaide Northern Suburbs Lutheran Mission service, where Pastor Michael serves as half-time pastor as well as his half-time call as Seminary Development Officer.

Pastor Michael explained the name and logo of LTS-A during the children’s address, and in his sermon explained that ‘the seminary will form pastors, deaconesses and lay-people to become disciples of Jesus and to make more disciples. They will serve the church and those who are yet to know Jesus, through Word and Sacrament, works of mercy and witnessing. They will bring Jesus’ gifts to you to forgive your sins, comfort you in your suffering and strengthen your faith in His promises for your eternal future.’

Since the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation, the letters VDMA have served not only as a theological symbol but as a confessional device and mark of protestant denominational identity. These anglicised letters serve as an acronym for the Latin phrase Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum (VDMA) which translates as, ‘The Word of the Lord Endures Forever’ (derived from Isaiah 40:8 and 1 Peter 1:23-25).

It is a declaration that God not only transcends time, but He is faithful to His promises and will not abandon His chosen people. He will work through the history of Israel for the salvation of all nations, for all who abide in His Word.

In Isaiah 40-55, we see that although Israel had sinned and had been sent into exile in Babylon, the God who manifested His holiness by wrath speaks to his people as their ‘redeemer’ (41:14), creator (43:1), and ‘Saviour’ (43:3). The Lord who once freed them from bondage in Egypt pledges, ‘I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’ (41:10,13; 43:1,5). God will bring His people back from Babylon against all opposition and will bring comfort to Jerusalem (40:1-9). Kingdoms can rise and fall (40:15-17). The Lord and His Word are above history and all human arrogance.

Today marks a very significant day in the history of Lutheran Mission – Australia. As we formally announce our plans for the formation of Lutheran Theological Seminary - Australia (LTS-A), we are looking to the future with confidence in God’s provision and His continued blessing as we seek to be faithful to His Word and serve the people of this country and beyond for years to come. From our earliest conversations regarding the formation of Lutheran Mission – Australia, we recognised the importance of establishing our own seminary if this new church body was to have a future. A seminary not only forms servants for Christ’s church, but it also safeguards the doctrine of the church by ensuring these servants are formed under the same teaching and united in the same confession.

Lutheran Theological Seminary - Australia is committed to in-person instruction which not only delivers the knowledge that is required to serve as pastors and deaconesses but also provides the environment for Godly formation within the community of faith. Studying and living in community is the essential seed bed that grows men and women for faithful service in congregational communities

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.

Ephesians 3:14-15 

A blessed Father’s Day!

Fatherhood has not received much positive press in recent years. With the continuing devaluation of the family defined as mum, dad and kids, the necessity of fatherhood is even questioned by many within our society. At times, I have heard fatherhood being mocked because of people’s bad experience with fathers, and its value assessed by how well men live up to the expectations associated with this primary vocation.

But this is to fall into the trap of assessing a divine gift on the basis of human frailty and robs us of the joy of knowing the good and blessing God intends for us in His creation of fatherhood.

Some of you had the privilege of meeting Rev. Jeffrey Hemmer at Creative Word Fellowship events in 2023. In his excellent book Man up!’ (1), Pastor Hemmer points out that, “God the Father is eternally Father. The Son of God is eternally Son… There was never a time when the Son did not exist. This relationship is older than creation itself. Fatherhood is older than time. And fathers can understand their calling to be fathers only in light of the eternal relation of the Father to His Son.”

As Hemmer reflects on the verses from Ephesians 3 above, he reminds us that “[t]he apostle’s point is not that earthly fatherhood gives us a helpful metaphor by which we can understand the relationship between divine Father and Son. It’s that every earthly father derives his identity as father not from the gift of children, but from the nature of God the Father Himself.

On 20-23 August 2025, the inaugural LM-A Pastors’ Conference was held at Araluen Lutheran Camp in Anglesea, Victoria. LM-A President, Pastor Matt Anker, described the conference as a time of “great camaraderie, blessing and joy,” noting that he never expected that LM-A would be holding a pastors’ conference so soon, given that our first congregation began services less than 9 months ago! Through God’s blessings, we now have thirteen congregations with more soon to join us, and our first Convention of Synod has been scheduled for 28-31 August 2026, several years earlier than imagined when LM-A first began.

The conference began on Wednesday evening as 27 pastors, including several guests, gathered for an informal evening meal and settled into the accommodations.

The main proceedings commenced bright and early on a chilly morning with a morning devotion and welcome to the special guests at the Conference, including the Keynote Speaker, Rev. Dr. Joel Lehenbauer, the Executive Director of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR), Rev. David Fleming, Executive Director for Spiritual Care of Doxology and Rev. Matthew Wood, representing the Office of International Mission - Asia.

In this week’s devotion, Pastor Lee van Rossen writes:

When I was 11 years old, my family were members of a Baptist church in the Adelaide Hills, and my parents felt the call to mission work with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea. At our farewell service before getting on the plane, one of the late teenage young men from the church came up to me and gave me a piece of paper with a verse that had given him courage and comfort. It read;

The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 1:7-8.

At 11 years old, about to leave for Papua New Guinea, it hit straight to my heart. It told me that, even though I was just a kid, almighty God was going to go with me, so I didn’t need to be afraid.

Fast forward a dozen or so years, and I started feeling God’s call to ministry. The same verse that used to be a comfort to me soon became a challenge – ‘go to whom I send you, speak what I command’. I was utterly terrified of public speaking (honestly I’m not much better now) but that same text gave me comfort – even though I am only young, God goes before me, goes with me, and will even guide what I am to say.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Tiredness has become an epidemic in the western world. I’m not talking about that bone weary tiredness that comes from good day’s physical work, where every muscle reminds you that you’ve achieved something for the day. I’m talking about the weariness that comes from the never-ending to do list of modern society. The expectations of others and of ourselves. Being constantly on guard in our hypersensitive culture. And the continual bombardment of information that is impossible to decipher and assess. Even in the much-divided world of Lutheranism in Australia, the one thing we can really agree on is the weariness many of us feel as we reflect on the last 30 years of theological debate and the ongoing tensions that exist as we seek to live according to God’s Word.

So when we are told to lay aside the sin that clings so closely and to run the race set before us with endurance, I wonder if you hear this as yet another wearying demand? Yet another impossibly tiring expectation to add to the already extensive list that bears down on you?

The writer to the Hebrews begins this text by referring back to the previous chapter in which he presents a catalogue of Old Testament saints who endured so much more than we can imagine. And while they were far from sinless, they are commended for the way they endured all manner of hardship, tragedy, heartache and shame because of their constant faith in God’s promises which they knew would be made perfect in the promised Messiah. Yes, they too were weary and burdened and beat down in all sorts of ways, but they were able to endure because they held fast to God’s promises.

“What a beautiful thing it is when women come together in their churches and in their homes around the Word of God! As they study the Word and journey life together, they are moved to an outward-looking lens of how they can share the gospel with others, having an impact for the kingdom.”

This is what Helen Vonow observed when the Lutheran Women in Mission come together for their 2025 Biannual Convention: ‘Growing in God’s Grace’ (2 Peter 3:18), on June 26–29, in Omaha, Nebraska.