Bishop Richard Condie — Hope for the hopeless — Luke 8:40-56

The Diocese of Bathurst is running HOPE25, with some special messages after Easter.

The Bishop of Tasmania, Richard Condie, begins the series by preaching from Luke 8:40-56. His topic? Hope for the Hopeless.

Very good to watch and share.

Coming sermons:

The Failure of Resurrection Apologetics What exactly do we believe in?

From Phillip Jensen:

“In this episode of Two Ways News, we’re looking at the resurrection both from a historical and a theological point of view.

History and argumentation have great merit, and yet a defective presupposition that leaves us unsatisfied. Yet prophetic history not only satisfies our knowledge of historical events but also explains their meaning and purpose. Jesus said that without Moses and the prophets, people will not believe even if someone rises from the dead. This has been demonstrated over the centuries and in our age today. …”

– Peter and Phillip Jensen discuss the meaning of the Resurrection.

Don’t sleep through Easter — the Resurrection of Jesus is a bolt from the blue

Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel preached at this morning’s Easter Day service at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. He spoke from 1 Corinthians 15:12-22.

– Watch here.

We should not forget the meaning of Easter

“Is the Easter story becoming a myth? You might well think so, if we judge by the recent English Heritage booklet for children, which asserts that ‘Easter started as a celebration of spring’ for ‘honouring the goddess Eostre’.

It’s not difficult to find similar material. Walking through the Canary Wharf shopping centre last weekend, I found the ‘Easter Tree of Life’, a ‘place for reflection and gratitude’ where you can ‘add a leaf to the branches sharing your future wishes [or] cherished memories’. …”

– David Frost, a former foreign policy advisor in the British government, writes a thought-provoking piece in The Telegraph. Worth reading and sharing. Perhaps a good conversation-starter.

Thanks to Julian Mann in the UK for the link!

Three short Good Friday reflections from Luke 23 — Bishop Mark Calder

Bishop of Bathurst, Mark Calder, shares three short reflections from Luke 23 for Good Friday.

See Luke chapter 23 (ESV).

1. He has done nothing to deserve death.Luke 23:2-25.
2. Today, you will be with me in paradise. Luke 23:32-43.
3. Surely this was a righteous man. Luke 23:44-47.

Easter Disruption

“The world of strategic planning includes reference to ‘disruptor events’. Chat GPT defines this as: ‘a significant occurrence or incident that dramatically changes the normal course of operations, behaviour, or expectations within a system, industry, or society’. Covid-19 was a good example.

By any reckoning, the events of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection constitute the prime disruptor in human history. …”

– David Burke, Moderator General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, shares his Easter message.

Photo courtesy Christ College Sydney.

The Living Hope of Easter

An Easter message from the Chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council:

“This Easter, we celebrate the cornerstone of our faith—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not merely a story of the past, but a powerful declaration of life, salvation, and hope for today and the days to come.

When we think of Easter, we think of resurrection—a promise fulfilled, a Saviour risen, and a future secured. As 1 Peter 1:3 declares, through Christ’s resurrection, we are given a living hope.

This hope is not a wishful thought but a confident expectation rooted in God’s unchanging promises.

Hope, for the believer, is more than optimism. It is a deep trust that no matter how long the night, dawn will surely break. It is looking toward the Son—Jesus—with hearts full of anticipation, knowing he will act, redeem, and restore.

This hope connects to three powerful truths.

Firstly, hope relates to salvation. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Without Easter, life is without meaning or direction. But because he is risen, we have access to forgiveness, a relationship with God, and eternal life.

Secondly, hope looks to the future. It stretches our faith and gives us strength to persevere. Even in the darkest valleys, hope whispers that God is working, that better days are coming, and that his promises will be fulfilled.

Thirdly, hope transforms us. It builds patience, anchors our souls, inspires prayer, and fills us with peace. Without hope, life falls into despair. With hope, we rise with confidence.

So this Easter, remember: Christ is our hope.

May the resurrection ignite in you a renewed joy and faith. In every hardship and trial, hold fast—because Easter proclaims that hope lives.

He is risen. He is our living hope. Amen!

The Most Rev’d Dr Laurent Mbanda
Chairman, Gafcon Primates Council
Maundy Thursday, 17th April 2025.”

– Source: Gafcon.

Now is the time to find forgiveness through Jesus

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s Easter message 2025.

Good to watch – great to share.

The Best Friday

From Phillip Jensen:

“Holidays are always marvellous opportunities to relax and catch up with friends, but the Easter holiday is even better because it gives us time to think about the greatest weekend in human history: when our Lord and Saviour died and rose again. The death of Jesus was so great that I would call Friday not just good, but the best Friday.”

– Hear Phillip and Peter Jensen in the latest Two Ways News podcast. Well worth listening and sharing.

Forgiveness — a central part of the Easter message

“I have been writing a little book about the meaning of Easter called ‘In His Words’ looking at John’s account of what happened on the first Easter weekend, as he records it in his Gospel (chapters 18-21). Several things have struck me powerfully. …”

– At The Latimer Trust, Bishop Wallace Benn reminds us of Easter’s counter cultural message of joy and hope.

Photo: Bishop Benn at GAFCON 1 in 2008 by Peter Frank for GAFCON.

Hope for the Illawarra this weekend

It would be good to continue to keep the churches and people of the Illawarra in your prayers – especially this weekend.

Details here and here.

Illawarra’s Wave of Hope

“Christians in the Illawarra have prayed high and low for the coming Hope for the Illawarra events, from Mount Keira to Wollongong Harbour.

‘It’s a combination of 18 months of endeavour,’ says Bishop Peter Hayward, chairman of the committee that has organised three major opportunities to share Jesus on March 28 and 29. …”

– Food for prayer – from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Hope for Sydney

“The Buddhist faith in which I was raised as a child teaches rebirth. The Christian faith into which, by God’s grace, I was rescued, teaches that you must be born again. So, it could sound like these two faiths have something in common. But in fact, this is not so.

The ‘rebirth’ taught by the Buddhist faith says that, after death, you are born into another lifetime. It’s called rebirth because the life into which you are reborn depends on the life you have lived – what you sow in one life you reap in your next life. …”

– Archbishop Kanishka Raffel shares the hope everyone needs.
At SydneyAnglicans.net.

Openness to Jesus among young people — The Pastor’s Heart

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“We are hearing reports from the university campuses, from young adult ministries, and from youth groups – that there is an increasing openness to the gospel of Jesus – and there’s a new openness among young men.

There’s a shift in the culture. There’s something happening that is different among young people – Especially among young men.

There’s a greater biblical ignorance in the rising generation. But significantly more openness.

There’s less hostility when compared to a decade ago. Walk up evangelism is easier and people are more open to discussing their views on Jesus.

And people are being saved. And young men are being saved

Andy Stephenson heads the Youth Ministry support team for Anglican Youthworks.

Dave Jensen works with Evangelism and New Churches encouraging and mobilizing churches in Evangelism and is one of the keynote speakers at the Nexus Ministry Conference on 17 March 2025.

Katie Stringer is involved in high school ministry across Sydney’s secular inner west.”

– Watch or listen here.

Bishop of Canberra-Goulburn’s Christmas message 2024

“Light in the Darkness

Even down-under, where the days are growing longer and hotter, we find ourselves drawn to the imagery of candles as Christmas approaches. That’s because light shining in darkness is a powerful picture of what Christmas can mean for us.

One of the four New Testament accounts of Jesus life, the gospel of John, doesn’t begin with the events of Christmas. There’s no Joseph and Mary, no baby, no shepherds and certainly no donkey. Instead, the gospel begins with a profound meditation and reflection on the significance of these events and how they fit into God’s purposes for humanity and the whole of creation …”

– Read Bishop Mark Short’s Christmas message from the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn for 2024. (PDF file.)

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