St Andrews Church Geraldine‘s Podcast

A sermon on Luke 4:38–44 exploring Jesus’ early-morning withdrawal after a day of intense ministry, showing how he stepped away from the crowd, sought the face of the Father, and stayed on the path of his calling. Drawing on related texts such as Mark 1:35–39, Luke 5:16, and John 15:4–5, the message reflects on how Jesus’ pattern of solitude, prayer, and focus speaks into our own distracted and pressure-filled lives. Luke 4:38–44

(We take a break from the Gospel of Luke this week!) The gospel of Matthew concludes with a final character revealing all the characters at the resurrection of Jesus Christ: there are the two women coming to mourn but leave rejoicing; There's the angel in all magnificence sitting on the stone that he has rolled away; there are the guards who witness it all but are prepared to let money and deceit rule their lives; the priests and elders who are determined to hide the truth from the people; the disciples who in all their doubt and confusion, still obey Christ's instructions to see him in Galilee; and then there is you - also called to live out the 'Great Commission' by sharing the Good News to others so that they too may believe and follow Christ's instructions. And so through the Church and Christ's followers today, the Easter story continues. Matthew 28:1-20

So far in chapter 4 we have seen Jesus tempted in the wilderness, rejected in his hometown, but now we see Jesus overcome evil by casting out a demon from a man. While we don't understand everything about the spiritual realm, we know that it is real. The incident of Jesus casting out the demon from the man in the synagogue teaches us that: 1 - evil is confrontational to God's plans and His works; 2 - evil attempts to cause as much harm to us as it can; and, 3 - while we should be aware of evil, we do not need to fear evil as we have power in Jesus' name to overcome it too. It is appropriate as we move towards Easter week to remember the central Christian hope that we are promised: a resurrected body just as was witnessed in the risen Lord. Luke 4:31-37

This passage is considered one of the most sacred of passages because Jesus had to have shared it himself to his disciples as there were no other observers. In this passage we see how the Son of God, fully divine, also being fully human faces the battle of temptation. The temptations are not of the sort that only relate to Jesus, for at the heart of all three recorded temptations is the attempt to disrupt the beautiful relationship between Jesus and God his Father. So too, every temptation thrown at us by the forces of evil is an attempt to destroy relationships - relationships that we have with one another, and the relationship between us and God our creator. We were created for relationships, therefore we must do everything we can not to allow temptation to ruin them. Luke 4:1-13

In this sermon on Jesus’ genealogy, we see that Christianity dares to be historical: the gospel is not built on myth or moral advice from a legendary teacher, but on the claim that God entered real human history in Jesus Christ. We then see that grace runs through broken bloodlines, as God works through ordinary, obscure, and morally messy people to bring about his purposes. Finally, Luke’s genealogy shows that all history leads to Christ: from Adam, through Abraham and David, across generations of forgotten lives, God was patiently guiding history toward its true climax in his Son. Far from being a boring list of names, this genealogy is a witness to the incarnation, the grace of God, and the providence that gives history its meaning. Luke 3:23-38

The Baptism That Reveals God (Luke 3:21–22) — When Jesus steps into the Jordan “with the crowds,” heaven opens, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father’s voice declares, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” In this moment we see the Triune God at work and the gospel beginning in public: (1) Jesus joins us in our mess (Identification)—the sinless Son stands in the sinners’ line and begins the path that ends at the cross; (2) The Father brings us into His love (Revelation)—the Father’s delight in the Son reveals God as eternal love and invites us, through Christ, into that love; and (3) The Holy Spirit fills us with His power (Anointing)—the Spirit rests on Jesus to commission his mission and, through Jesus, empowers his people for faithful living and witness. Luke 3:21-22

Scripture: Luke 3:1–20 Three points: (1) Repentance comes in the wilderness. (2) Repentance comes with conviction of sin. (3) Repentance comes with changed direction.

In this message from Luke 2:41–52, we explore the often-overlooked “hidden years” of Jesus’ life. Apart from his birth and one childhood scene in the Temple, nearly thirty years of the Son of God’s life are summed up in a single verse: “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and all the people.” Why does Scripture give so little detail about most of his life? Because the silence itself speaks. Before miracles, before crowds, before public ministry, Jesus embraced ordinary obedience in Nazareth. In doing so, he dignified the kind of quiet, repetitive, unseen lives most of us are living. This sermon reflects on how, in our own hidden years, God is forming us, calling us to faithfulness, and preparing us for what he has not yet revealed. Luke 2:41-52

Waiting, Recognising and Receiving Salvation Luke 2:21–40

We are to 'exegesis' God's word not 'eisegesis' it, meaning we draw out the original meaning of the text, not read into it through our bias or life experiences. My (Bryan Morgan) life's story will feature strongly in the Message. Psalm 23 & 2 Corinthians 3: 16-18

The story of the birth of John the Baptist ends with a beautiful hymn/prophecy sung by Zechariah - it breaks the silence of unbelief and praises God for what he has done, what he is doing and what he will do. From being mute, Zechariah is finally loud and clear in his praise to God. In the late 1990's Soul Survivor Church in Watford, England found that they needed to relook at how they worshipped God at a church service, so they had a period of silence - rather than simply singing songs as part of a service they remained silent until a song of praise came from their heart. During this period, their worship leader, Matt Redman, reflected on this and wrote the song 'Heart of Worship' which restored and renewed the sense of worship to God that the church needed. Is there the need for you too, to pause, reflect on how you worship God, and if need be, be silent so as to restore a heart of praise and be 'loud and clear' for God? Luke 1:67-80

God has broken the silence of the past 400 years and made his plans known to Zechariah and Elizabeth. In doing so he has removed the shame that society had placed on them for having no children. Now at the birth of John the Baptist, society still tries to pressure them to do what society expects of them rather than what God has told them. Society and the fears, pressures and worries within this world can make us mute to what God calls us to do. It can be like a tug of war in which we are in the middle. Zechariah and Elizabeth hold firm and are obedient to God. Will you do the same? Luke 1:57-66

It had been 400 years of silence from God through his prophets until the birth of John the Baptist. Then God penetrated that silence and His kingdom collided with this worldly kingdom to bring the best news ever! The coming of God's kingdom turned the world's kingdom's values upside down. Elizabeth, who had been held in shame for being barren, could proclaim that God had taken away all her shame. This reminds us that today, God's kingdom is here and is able to break down the barriers that stop us from receiving the fullness of life, removing the shame this world may place on us. Luke 1:5-25

Psalm 90 reminds us that while our days are short, God is eternal. In this New Year message, we are invited to start with God rather than the calendar, to face the reality of time honestly, and to learn what true wisdom looks like when our lives are placed back into God’s hands. Moses’ prayer teaches us that numbering our days is not about fear or productivity, but about living with humility, dependence, and hope. Seen through the lens of Christ—the eternal God who entered our time, bore our judgment, and became our true dwelling place—our days are no longer a countdown toward loss, but a journey of grace toward eternity. Psalm 90

When Heaven Breaks Into Ordinary Lives (Luke 2:8–19) In this post Christmas message from Luke 2:8–19, we see how God breaks into the ordinary routines of everyday people with extraordinary grace. On a quiet night shift, shepherds—tired, overlooked, and unprepared—are met by the glory of heaven and the good news of a Savior who has already come. This sermon explores three comforting truths: God steps toward us before we ever seek Him, His first word to weary hearts is not “do” but “done,” and a genuine encounter with Jesus overflows into joy and witness. Christmas season reminds us that God meets us not in our ideal selves, but right where we are—and when heaven breaks into ordinary lives, everything changes. Luke 2:8-19

Light in the Darkest Places is a Christmas Day message from Matthew 2:1–18 that refuses sentimentality and speaks honestly into a broken world. Set alongside the beauty of Christ’s birth are fear, violence, and grief—yet Matthew shows that even when evil rages, God’s promised King cannot be stopped. From Herod’s dark plotting to the tears of Bethlehem’s mothers, this message proclaims that Jesus is the light the darkness cannot overcome, exposing human hearts, overruling evil, and bringing real hope to the places where grief runs deepest. It is a Christmas message for worshippers, doubters, and the hurting alike, inviting all to come to the King who entered our darkness so His light might shine forever.