Revelation 12 and Easter
Mark Powell at AP, the Australian Presbyterian online journal writes,
“It’s easy to become so familiar with the person and work of Jesus that we fail to appreciate the cosmic significance which it had. In particular, what did Christ’s person and work look like from a heavenly perspective? This is where Revelation 12 is so helpful with its ‘unveiling’ regarding the true spiritual significance of what took place in history approximately 2000 years ago.
While I’m sure not many preachers would choose this particular part of God’s Word to preach on at Easter, Revelation 12 has often been viewed by scholars as ‘the centre and the key to the entire book’. In short, as Greg Beale summarises: ‘As a result of Christ’s victory over the devil God protects the messianic community against the Devil’s wrathful harm’.
That’s a message which surely goes to the heart of what the Gospel is all about! Too many preachers shy away from the book of Revelation, so I would like to exhort us to lean into its contents as a powerful way of preaching the victory of Jesus who is the Christ. …”
The Dawn has broken
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
There is an African Proverb that says, “However, long the night, the dawn will break.”
On this glorious day, Christians across every tongue, tribe, and nation gather together to proclaim the most world-changing truth in all of human history: the tomb is empty, death is defeated, and Jesus Christ reigns as Lord.
Easter is not just a symbol or a season. It is a fact — the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the first-fruits of a new creation.
Because He lives, we live. Because He has conquered sin and death, there is no corner of this earth, no depth of suffering, no weight of grief that stands beyond the reach of His resurrection power and endless love.
To our brothers and sisters around the world — in seasons of joy and in seasons of persecution — we say with one voice: Hold fast in the hope of the resurrection. The risen Christ holds you, He sees you, and He hears your prayers.
He who walked out of the grave on the third day is the same Lord who walks with you today. And as we joyfully proclaim every week in our services, Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.
This Easter, may the living hope of the resurrection fill your hearts, strengthen your faith, and send you out as witnesses to the world that Jesus Christ is alive — and that His Kingdom shall have no end.
Let us pray together:
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may, by your life-giving Spirit, be delivered from sin and raised from death; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Grace and peace,
The Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda
Chairman of the Global Anglican Council
Easter Day, 5th April, 2026
A clip worth re-watching
Alistair Begg preaching in 2019 on the Power and the Message of the Cross. You may have seen it before, but it’s worth re-watching.
Jesus, Betrayed and Crucified
From The Gospel Coalition
“This is the heart of the gospel. This is the center of history. This is God dying in our place.”
Gary Millar preached this message on Jesus’s passion from Luke 23 at TGC’s 2013 National Conference. When Jesus went to the cross, he was surrounded by weak, evil, and self-interested people. Yet he remained in control, steadfast in his trust of his Father, all the way to death. His sacrifice is something we should never take for granted.
God’s ‘Authentic Intelligence’ — Easter 2026 message from Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
“Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has issued a timely warning against relying on Artificial Intelligence for spiritual direction, urging Australians to look instead to the ‘Authentic Intelligence’ of the Easter message. …”
– Read this report from Russell Powell.
– Share the video with your friends – or show it in church this weekend!
– Read the full text below – or download it as a PDF file.
– And don’t forget that Daylight Saving ends on Sunday morning.
Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney 2026 Easter Message
Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. (NIV)
John 20:19b-20One of the most surprising things I have heard recently is the news that some people are using artificial intelligence to talk to God.
At least, they think they are talking to God.
This isn’t just searching an online Bible for answers — people are asking AI to generate spiritual guidance for their lives.
But at Easter, we celebrate something infinitely greater: God speaking to us in person.
When Jesus appeared to his disciples on the first Easter day, they were ‘locked away’ fearing those who put Jesus to death. But Jesus appears in the midst of them, speaking ‘Peace’.
It was an everyday greeting, but this was not everyday peace. It was the peace that had been bought by his pierced hands and side.
They were overjoyed to see him, not only because he had conquered death, but because his death purchased peace with God, and drove away all their fear.
AI can certainly be useful, though not without risks. But when it comes to the most important things in life, God has come to us and brought us peace through his Son.
This Easter, remember that for two thousand years we have had God’s Authentic Intelligence. Communication from God – in Jesus! You can ‘chat’ with God and hear his voice through the words of Jesus in whom, the Bible says, are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
So, why not use this season to go offline and pick up a Bible. Some questions only God can answer.
Kanishka Raffel
Archbishop of Sydney
Easter 2026
Easter Message from Bishop Mark Short
Mark Short, Bishop of Canberra & Goulburn and Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, has released his 2026 Easter message for the churches of his diocese –
The Bible tells us that the Roman Governor Pilate ordered Jesus to be executed with a sign that read “This is the King of the Jews”. The message was written in Hebrew, the language of the locals, Latin, the language of their conquerors and in Greek, the language of global commerce and culture. Pilate meant it as a mockery directed both at Jesus and his fellow Jews. But it disclosed a profound truth. Jesus died both in solidarity with His own people and for the sake of all the peoples of the world.
Last year I visited the suburban church where I first came to trust in Christ as a teenager. A lot has changed in those forty or so years. Red-tiled houses on quarter-acre blocks have been replaced by townhouses and multi-storey developments. What was once a working-class Anglo and southern European community is now home to many people from the Asian sub-continent. The Chinese and Australian meals of memory have given way to desi food and culture.
My childhood church is still part of that rich local life. A little smaller but much more culturally diverse than I remember it and more representative of its community. Some individuals and couples who mentored me in my younger years continue to live and worship there, because they love their neighbours and their neighbourhood and are convinced that the Risen Lord Jesus does as well. I continue to thank God for their witness. Grounded in the knowledge that through Jesus, God has forgiven them and gifted them new life they are free to engage the changing world around them with hope and with hospitality.
At a time when change can feel rapid and unsettling and social cohesion is under pressure there is no word more worthy of our attention and trust than the message of the cross.
with prayers and blessings,
Bishop Mark.
Published in Anglican News, March 2026, page 2.
There’s also news of the induction of Joshua Kuswadi as the eighth Rector of St. Matthew’s Wanniassa (page 8).
No Other Name
In his Minister’s Letter for 19 February 2026, Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney, Sandy Grant, shares some thoughts on freedom of religion and a timely reminder of what Christians believe –
“Dear Friends, religion has been much in the news lately. Australia is struggling to know how to accommodate freedom of religious expression, alongside those who don’t like some – or any – religions being expressed.
As Christians we believe in praying for our leaders so that they can provide and defend a society where ‘we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness’ (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
On another occasion, the Christian leader Paul the Apostle, writing by the ‘humility and gentleness of Christ’, reminds us that ‘the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world’. That rules out deceit, media manipulation and name-calling, as much as it does abuse, threats and actual violence. …”
Hope in 2026!
“It is that time of year when hope springs eternal.
Australian political and community leaders greeted the new year with words of hope. A common sentiment went like this: ‘There are stormy waters ahead, but there is also great hope for this great nation of ours’.
Really?
The signs are of increasing pessimism in Australia. Many of us expect to be personally worse off over time and expect the same for the nation. …”
– In a New Year message, Presbyterian Moderator-General David Burke explains that “the Christian faith has a tension between pessimism and hope”.
Christmas morning service from St. Andrew’s Cathedral Sydney
Here’s this morning’s service from St. Andrew’s Cathedral Sydney. On YouTube.
Or go straight to the Archbishop’s sermon.
The Light of Christmas shines in our darkness — Christmas 2025
From Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net, the Archbishop’s Christmas message –
“The Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel says the message of Christmas will be felt more deeply amid the horrific events at Bondi less than two weeks before Christmas.
‘This year, a pall of darkness was cast over Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights,’ the Archbishop said. ‘The attack that brought that darkness targeted the Jewish community — our fellow Australians.’
The Archbishop said it was understandable that people will have mixed feelings approaching Christmas. …”
Also, watch (and share) the video –
and download the Archbishop’s message as a PDF file.
Full text: Read more
Repeat the Sounding Joy – all episodes now online
Tyndale House in Cambridge has now published the final episode of their Advent podcast series:
“In this four-part series for Advent, Tony Watkins talks to Christopher Ash, Writer in Residence at Tyndale House, Cambridge, about Luke chapters 1 and 2.
These chapters are the focus of Christopher’s book of Advent devotions, Repeat the Sounding Joy (pub. Good Book Company).”
– See all four episodes here. Most encouraging and helpful.
2025 Christmas op-ed from Bishop Mark Calder
Bishop of Bathurst, Mark Calder, has released this Christmas op-ed –
Christmas comes to us after a year marked by news that has been deeply unsettling. Violence close to home, ongoing conflict overseas, and stories that disturb and weary us. Into a world like this, Matthew’s Gospel reminds us that the first Christmas also arrived with shocking news.
Mary, pledged to be married, was found to be pregnant. In first-century Jewish life, this was scandalous and devastating. For Joseph, it meant confusion, fear and a decision that could have ended everything quietly and safely. Yet God intervened. An angel told Joseph that this child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Shocking news – but also the most wonderful news imaginable.
For this child was to be given two names, each filled with hope.
First, Jesus—a name that means God saves. Christmas tells us that God does not stand at a distance from human failure and sin. He steps into our world to deal with it. Jesus came to save his people from their sins—to restore what has been broken between us and God, through forgiveness won at the cross.
Second, Immanuel—God with us. Not God far away, but God alongside us. Sharing our world, our pain, our joys and our fears. God who knows what it is to suffer, to be rejected, and yet to love without limit. And by his Spirit, he is still with us today.
So, Christmas proclaims both forgiveness and presence: we can be put right with God, and we are not alone. My prayer this Christmas is that you will know both truths deeply—that you can be forgiven in Christ, and you can know that God is with you, whatever your present circumstances.
Have a joyful Christmas!
Mark
Good to share. Also available as a PDF file.
Photo: Mark and Susan Calder.
Christmas Message from Bishop Mark Short
Bishop of the Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn (and Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia) Bishop Mark Short has today released his Christmas message –
Living in an area of LED lightbulbs and powerful searchlights it is easy for us to miss how fragile and vulnerable light sources were in the ancient world. A candle could be snuffed out, a torch could be extinguished by the wind, an oil lamp made of clay could be dropped
and smashed.It’s one reason why the Jewish story of Hanukkah – the account of a supply of olive oil sufficient for one day which miraculously lit the re-dedicated temple for eight days – resonates so profoundly with members of that community.
Perhaps because of this fragility the ancients were also aware of the power of light. Light protected you from danger, it guided your way and strengthened your hope.
This combination of apparent fragility and profound strength is evident in the first Chapter of John’s Gospel. John meditates on the events of Christmas. In Jesus the true light, which gives light to everyone, comes into the world (verse 9). Yet that same world does not recognise Him for who He is (verse 10). But to all who do recognise and receive Him, there is the power to become God’s children (verse 12). “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” (verse 5).
Here is the wonder of Christmas: the vulnerable baby lying in the feed-trough is also God’s eternal Word. This Word is powerful enough to hold together the entire universe; strong enough to still a raging storm, mighty enough to defeat sin and death forever.
Where do we find the strength to confront the kind of evil that was unleashed on Bondi Beach the evening of Sunday December 14? Perhaps where we least expect to do so; in the light of the world, whose apparent weakness is strong enough to give life and hope and a future to all who believe in Him. Even now He commissions His followers to bring that same light to their world by mourning with those who mourn and by making peace (see Matthew 5:1-16).
– Download Bishop Short’s message as a PDF file suitable for printing or sharing.
The Dean’s favourite verse
“Friends in Christ, my favourite verse in the Bible is Romans 5:8.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. …”
– In the Cathedral newsletter, Dean of Sydney, Sandy Grant, explains why this verse is is such good news.
Christmas in Bethlehem
“Christmas is unlikely to be much in Bethlehem this year. The city of Jesus’ birth has about 30,000 people, of whom about 9,000 identify as Christan. They live with poverty, restrictions and uncertainty. They are squeezed between their majority Muslim neighbours and the Israeli government and west bank settlers.
Nor was Christmas much in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. A few shepherds cared for some smelly, dirty and bothersome sheep in nearby paddocks. Forget the maternity suite with all mod cons. Instead, the baby arrived in the equivalent of a corrugated iron shed out the back of a country pub. …”
– At AP, David Burke, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, reminds us of the good news of Christmas.
Photo of David Burke: Christ College, Burwood.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…