Centurion Lutheran Fellowship

07 JUNE 2026
2ND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
LITURGIST: REV GE TEME
READERS: PRAYER YOUTH LEAGUE
PREACHER: REV GE TEME
CELEBRANT: REV GE TEME

Theme: "Come as yiu are: The Grace of radical welcome"
Moruti based his sermon on Matthew 9:9–13, 18–26, supported by Hosea 5:15–6:6, Psalm 50:7–15, and Romans 4:13–25.

He began with a medical analogy: in an emergency room, saving the patient's life takes absolute priority. No one stops to check how clean or presentable the patient is. This sets the tone for everything that follows. Jesus operates with the same urgent, unconditional grace.

Matthew at the tax booth illustrates the point vividly. In first-century Israel, tax collectors were considered traitors, politically compromised and spiritually disqualified by the religious establishment. Matthew had lost his identity in the eyes of his community. Yet Jesus walked up to this rejected, marginalised man and said simply, "Follow me." Matthew left everything and followed. He then threw a feast and filled his house with fellow outcasts, prostitutes, sinners, the religiously excluded creating a table where the unwanted were welcomed.

The Pharisees' objection draws in Hosea 6:6 and Psalm 50: God does not desire empty religious performance. He desires a heart of steadfast love and genuine knowledge of Him. We can maintain the outward form of religion while our hearts drift completely away from God, and that is precisely the trap the Pharisees had fallen into.

The woman with the issue of blood (twelve years of suffering, ceremonially unclean under Levitical law, excluded from community and worship) pressed through the crowd simply believing that touching the hem of Jesus' garment would heal her. Jesus did not turn her away. He declared her healed because of her faith. The sermon challenges us: are we part of the crowd that crowds her out, or the grace that makes room for her?

Romans 4 anchors the theological foundation: like Abraham, we are not justified by credentials or religious performance, but by faith. God calls us as we are, in poverty, in unemployment, in shame, in situations others dismiss.

The closing vision is one of radical reintegration: Matthew was restored, the woman with blood issues was made whole, Jairus' daughter was raised. In each case, Jesus bypasses the labels society assigns and speaks a new identity over the person. He is not waiting for our perfection. He wants our hearts, and when we receive His grace, we are called to extend that same welcome to others still on their way home. Amen!!

31 May 2026
Trinity Sunday
Cantor: Ms Lufuno Madzhiga
Liturgist: Ms Pakiso Netshidzivhani
Preacher: Ms Cynthia Sathekge-Latha

The Christian life begins within us, and the bible says the Holy Spirit strengthens the inner man and equips every willing heart to walk in faith. God is not looking for the perfection; He is looking for our availability. Through the Trinity (Father, Son, and Spirit), we are never without guidance, never without strength.

Christianity is not about attending church; it is about bringing others to Christ. As a community we are called to love patiently, forgive genuinely as we pray in the Lord's Prayer. Challenges will always be there, and God is always present to carry them for us. Let us reflect, walk in obedience, and ask ourselves honestly: are we builders or destroyers? Are we truly carrying the Gospel beyond these walls?

Let us love and care for each other fully. Importantly, let us trust in God fully, allow Him to direct our steps, and represent Him boldly wherever we are. Amen.

Centurion Lutheran fellowship

7th Sunday of Easter.
Date: 17 June 2026

OUR SERVICE WILL BE LED BY:
CANTOR: MR REUBEN MOTSINONI
LITURGIST & CELEBRANT: REV GE TEME
READERS: CONFIRMANDS
PREACHER: REV GE TEME
WATCHWORD FOR THE WEEK
CAST ALL YOUR ANXIETY ON HIM, BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU
1 Peter 5:7

Please join GCP for our Ascension Day Service. Details are on the flyer below 🙏