On this page you can find details of the fifth of the Dean of Melbourne’s Lent Addresses 2017, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done” – Knowing Jesus Christ: Finding Salvation. You may also watch or read the first address, the second address, the third address, and the fourth address.
For Christians, Lent is a period of renewal and growth.
In this address, the Dean of Melbourne, the Very Revd Dr Andreas Loewe, reflects on God’s gift of salvation – God’s work of healing and restoration.
You can read the readings Dean Andreas reflects on in his talk, and you can watch his talk.
When you have done so, you may wish to use the questions for group reflection our congregations are using for their Lent discussion, and the ‘thought for the week’ for your personal reflection. You may wish to conclude by praying the prayer used at our Lent discussion.
Readings for the Fifth Sunday in Lent:
You first may wish to read the three Bible readings on which this talk is based.
Do read the following Bible readings: Ezekiel 37.1-14: The valley of dry bones, John 11.1-45: The Raising of Lazarus, and Romans 8.6-11: Dying to sin, rising to life.
Dean’s Address:
You may read a transcript of the address here.
Questions for Group Discussion or Individual Reflection:
- Reflecting on Dean Andreas’s sermon and our readings today, how would you explain “salvation” to someone who had never heard the term?
- Reflecting again on Dean Andreas’s sermon and on our readings today, what is the work of the Holy Spirit when we receive our salvation by grace, through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ?
- In his sermon, Dean Andreas reminded us that Paul told the church in Rome that there is a choice to be made.
- What is that choice?
- What is it that Paul says we must “set our minds on”? (see Romans 8:6)
- What is the result of setting minds this way?
- In his sermon, Dean Andreas stated: “the decision to pursue the works of the Spirit is, indeed, a daily commitment”. How is such a daily commitment practically lived out, what does it entail?
Dean Andreas’s invitation for the Week ahead:
If you have not yet made a commitment to follow Jesus, I would encourage you to talk to one of our Cathedral clergy, or another Christian to find out more about what following Christ entails. If you have already made a commitment to discipleship, I encourage you to pray for those who have to make this step. Continue to pray for those five friends, acquaintances, or work colleagues you began praying for at the beginning of Lent, that they might come to know the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him as the guide to eternal life. … Pray that God would give you his Spirit of love to make you an effective ambassador of his good news.
A Prayer at the end of your Study Time:
Saving God, we give you thanks that you breathe your life-giving Spirit into those whose faith is placed in the saving work of your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for your grace, so freely given, and for eternal life that comes to all whose trust is placed in you. Help us to be daily committed to the work of the Spirit and give us courage to share your good news with those around us. These things we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
© The Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne, 2017
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