Yass Valley Anglican Sermon Podcast

#56 - Easter 2025 (Luke 24:1-12) Date: 20 April 2025 Preacher: Rev Luke Collings On the third day after Jesus' death a group of women go to his tomb expecting to prepare for his funeral, but instead discover that a great new beginning had come for the Kingdom.

#55 - Good Friday 2025 (John 19:16-37) Date - 18 April 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings At first glace the death of Jesus looks like a defeat for the Kingdom that he preached, but several "landmarks" that John includes in his account tell us that we are in fact closer to victory than it may first appear.

#54 - A Last Passover and First Remembrance (Luke 22:7-38) Date - 13 April 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus takes a final meal with his disciples where he closes the door on what has passed but opened up to them a new way of remembrance.

#53 - Mary, Judas, and Lazarus (John 12:1-11) Date - 6 April 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus receives a special anointing by Mary for his coming death, which offends Judas who is thinking only of his personal gain. Meanwhile, as the threats against Jesus come closer, Lazarus remains as a reminder of the power of the Kingdom over death.

#52 - True Repentance (Luke 13:1-9) Date - 23 March 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus is questioned about how God's Kingdom can be preached in a world filled with suffering, but Jesus asks his critics (and us) to consider the more important question of how we are to be truly reconciled with God.

#51 - The Two Lost Sons (Luke 15:11-32) Date - 30 March 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus tells the Pharisees a parable about two sons estranged from their loving father and the grace that calls them both back.

#50 - True Security (Luke 13:31-35) Date - 16 March 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus is warned that he is in danger from Herod, but instead of fleeing somewhere for safety Jesus presses on to his destination of Jerusalem where he will face a different kind of danger.

#49 - Jesus in the Wilderness (Luke 4:1-15) Date - 9 March 2025 Preacher - Mal Bullock Jesus is taken to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, where under trials he confirms his divine identity and a new hope for humanity.

#48 - A New Ethic of Love (Luke 6:27-38) Date - 23 February 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus speaks to the crowd about a new way of love and grace that is based on very different principles to the ones they (and us) usually practice.

#44 - Good News with Hard Truths (Luke 4:14-21) Date - 26 January 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus comes to his home town of Nazareth and declares that he has come to fulfill some promises made by the prophet Isaiah. While his words are full of grace and hope there is an implied challenge to the people that Jesus speaks to that day and for us in the present age.

#47 - Blessings and Woes (Luke 6:12-26) Date - 16 February 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus begins a sermon to his disciples and followers by turning the concepts of blessings and woes on their head.

#46 - Fishing for New Purposes (Luke 5:1-11) Date - 9 February 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus enlists a local Galilean fisherman to help him with his ministry, and then gives him (and us) a sign that there is a bigger purpose to his life than just catching fish.

#45 - Changing First Impressions (Luke 4:21-30) Date - 2 February 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings The congregation at Nazareth initially react favourably to Jesus' message that he had come to fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah. However, when Jesus points out their doubts and hypocrisy their reaction changes dramatically.

#43 - The Miracle of the Wedding Wine (John 2:1-11) Date - 19 January 2025 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Jesus responds to a catering disaster at a local wedding in a way that reveals the true nature of his future mission.

#42 - The Coming King Brings Joy (Zephaniah 3:14-20) Date - 15 December 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Joy and praise will return to Jerusalem when God's King comes to take away the punishment of the people, restore God's presence among them, and bring those who are far away close again.

#41 - The Messiah as Refiner and Judge (Malachi 3:1-14) Date - 8 December 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Malachi declares that when the promised king arrives he will act to purify the worship of the people and to judge those who have rejected the Law. The people should respond in repentance by giving God his true due and by trusting that God's justice against evil will prevail.

#40 - The Heir of David (Jeremiah 33:14-26) Date - 1 December 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings In the middle of a great national crisis, the prophet Jeremiah proclaims that God will prove his commitment to his covenant promises by sending a king from the line of David to lead his holy people.

#39 - The Promised Son of Man (Daniel 7:9-14) Date - 24 November 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings The prophet Daniel receives a vision that the oppressive kingdoms of the world (and the evil spiritual power behind them) will one day be defeated and a new king will come to lead God's kingdom.

#38 - Preparing for the End (Mark 13:1-13) Date - 17 November 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings As Jesus leaves the Temple for the last time he tells his disciples that very soon this building which had been so important to Israel would be completely destroyed, and that they must be prepared for the trials that would come afterwards and which would last until the end of the age.

#37 - Kingdom Platform and Person (Mark 12:28-44) Date - 10 November 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings As Jesus finishes his teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem he leaves the crowd with some challenges regarding what the Kingdom of God truly stands for and how it should be represented by the King and those who follow him.

#36 - Healing Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) Date - 27 October 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings Before Jesus completes the final part of his journey to Jerusalem he heals Bartimaeus of his blindness. This miracle is shown to be more than just a demonstration of God's power, but also how through a confession of faith the way of God becomes clear.

#35 - The Kingdom and Power (Mark 10:32-45) Date - 20 October 2024 Preacher - Mal Bullock Jesus is approached by his cousins, James and John, for prestigious jobs in the coming Kingdom, but Jesus reveals that they have the wrong idea about what it means to have true power.

#34 - The Cost of Eternal Life (Mark 10:17-31) Date - 13 October 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings A man who appears to be very blessed by God comes before Jesus with a genuine question about inheriting eternal life. Jesus' answer reveals that such a guarantee would cost more than he was prepared to pay, but does this mean that the Kingdom is so exclusive that getting in would be impossible for an...

#33 - The Law and Love of God (Mark 10:1-16) Date - 6 October 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings The Pharisees come back to test Jesus with a question that would have been as difficult and painful at that time as in our own day. Jesus uses the opportunity to put the focus back on the Pharisees' hardness of heart and to address what true fulfillment of the Law of God looks like.

#32 - Not Division, But Peace (Mark 9:38-50) Date - 29 September 2024 Preacher - Rev Luke Collings The disciples are trying to control the growth and order of the Kingdom, but Jesus warns them that their behaviour could lead others away from growing in true faith.