Ivy Church

Why did Jesus tell the story of the Prodigal Son? Because religious people were complaining about grace. In this message, Anthony Delaney explores the first half of Jesus’ famous parable in Luke 15 — the story of the younger son who leaves home, wastes everything, and ends up lost in a far country. It’s a story about rebellion, brokenness, and the consequences of trying to live life without the Father. But more than that, it’s a story about the shocking grace of God — a Father who watches, waits, and runs to welcome His children home. In this talk you’ll discover: • Why sin promises freedom but ultimately leads to emptiness • The moment the prodigal “comes to his senses” • What true repentance really looks like • Why the Father runs before the son can finish his speech • The meaning behind the robe, the ring, and the sandals Jesus reveals a God who doesn’t lock the door on those who fail — but runs to embrace them. The son expected rejection. Instead, he found restoration. The Father is still watching the roa

In a world of hurry, noise, and constant distraction, how do we truly rest in God? In Week 4 of our series How God Restores Your Heart, Anthony Delaney explores the powerful — and often difficult — practice of stillness. Drawing from Luke 10, Psalm 46, Exodus 14, and the story of Mary and Martha, this message reveals that stillness is not just stopping physically, but letting go internally — releasing control, quieting the heart, and learning to trust God again. Anthony shows how stillness restores the heart by: • Letting go of striving and fear • Reclaiming our attention for God • Creating space to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice • Finding peace in God’s presence With biblical insight, practical wisdom, and a guided moment of stillness, this talk invites anyone feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or spiritually restless to slow down and encounter God in a deeper way.

We live in a noisy world — constant demands, endless notifications, pressure to perform, and little space to breathe. So how does God restore the heart in the middle of it all? In this message, Steve Small explores the practice of solitude as a vital way God brings restoration, clarity, and strength. Drawing from Scripture, personal stories, and the life of Jesus, Steve shows that solitude is not escape or loneliness, but intentional time alone with God — long enough for the noise to quiet and the heart to listen again. This talk explores: • Why noise and busyness exhaust the soul • The difference between demand and calling • How Jesus used solitude to stay aligned with the Father • Why quietness and trust are essential for strength • How God meets us, heals us, and gives direction in stillness Rooted in Isaiah’s promise — “In quietness and trust is your strength” — this message invites us to slow down, cancel the noise, and make space for God to restore our hearts.

Recorded at Ivy's AGM on 22 Feb 2026, Anthony outlines the Ivy Church leadership's vision and plans for our Year of Restoration in 2026.

Why would God have to command us to rest? In this message from our Restoring the Heart series, Anthony Delaney explores the biblical rhythm of Sabbath — a gift we often resist but desperately need. From Deuteronomy to Genesis, from manna in the wilderness to the life of Jesus, we see that Sabbath is not laziness or legalism — it’s trust. In a culture of constant productivity, digital distraction, and endless demand, Sabbath becomes an act of resistance. It’s the weekly declaration: “God, You are God — and I am not.” This talk explores: • Why busyness can mask deeper identity struggles • How ignoring rest eventually leads to breakdown • The difference between recreation and restoration • The biblical pattern of fully ON and fully OFF • The three practical movements of Sabbath: Stop. Rest. Worship. Sabbath isn’t a luxury for when life slows down — it’s the practice that creates margin, restores the heart, and re-centres us in God’s presence. What would it look like for you to choose one day in seven — not somed

Where do you look for love — and where does your identity come from? In Week 1 of our new series How God Restores Your Heart, Anthony Delaney explores how true heart restoration always begins with restoring our identity. Drawing from 1 John 4, this message reveals that we are not meant to strive for love through performance, approval, perfection, or popularity — but to live from the unshakable love of God. Through powerful biblical insight and real-life reflection, Anthony shows how God’s sacrificial love at the cross redefines our worth, drives out fear, and makes our hearts His home. When we stop performing and start receiving, transformation begins from the inside out. This talk invites anyone who feels exhausted from striving to come home to the love that heals, restores, and anchors who we truly are.

What does it really mean to give God all of your life — not just the easy parts? In this powerful message, Louise Yuill unpacks Romans 12:1–2 and explores how true restoration comes through daily surrender. As we place our whole lives before God — our struggles, distractions, fears, and hopes — He transforms us from the inside out, renewing our minds and restoring our hearts. Louise connects biblical truth with real life, neuroscience, and the refining work of God’s Spirit, showing how lasting change is a process that leads to freedom, healing, and fullness of life. Like silver in the refiner’s fire, God removes what doesn’t belong so His image can shine through us. This talk invites us to rebuild the altar of worship, offer ourselves as living sacrifices, and trust God’s perfect will as He makes all things new.

First Fruits Sunday is a moment of recalibration — a chance to recentre our lives around who God is and what truly matters. In this message, Anthony explores how generosity flows from identity, not pressure, and why putting God first is ultimately an act of trust, love, and restored relationship. Rooted in Scripture from Genesis to the New Testament, this talk reframes First Fruits not as a law to follow, but as a kingdom principle that runs through the whole Bible. From Abel’s offering, to Christ as the First Fruits of the resurrection, to our own identity as adopted children and heirs of God, we see a consistent invitation: when God is first, everything else is rightly ordered. This message introduces a powerful image — that as God’s children, we live from an inheritance, not insecurity. We don’t give to earn God’s favour; we give because we already have it. First Fruits becomes a declaration that God is our source, our provider, and our King — and that we trust Him with our future. In this Year of Resto

As we prepare for Firstfruits, this message reminds us that generosity is never really about money — it’s about God, His grace, and what He is restoring within us. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 8–9, Anthony explores how Christian generosity flows not from pressure, obligation, or fear, but from a heart that truly knows the grace of Jesus. Before God ever asks anything of us, He gives everything — Christ Himself, who became poor so that we might become rich in life, hope, forgiveness, and purpose. This talk reframes stewardship as worship. It challenges us to see generosity not as loss, but as trust; not as subtraction, but as eternal investment. As God restores our hearts in this Year of Restoration, He also restores our perspective — freeing us from control, fear, and scarcity, and inviting us into the joy of putting Him first. This is an invitation to pray, prepare, and listen for what “first and best” looks like for you — not out of compulsion, but out of love. Because when grace restores generosity, our l

What happens when painful seasons feel like they’ll never end? In this powerful Ivy Central talk, Anthony Delaney reminds us of a repeated promise woven throughout Scripture: “It came to pass.” Not to stay — but to pass. Drawing on stories from Joseph, David, and the people of Israel, Anthony explores how God meets us in the middle of suffering, validates real pain, and gently leads us toward healing and hope. This message creates space for the Holy Spirit — our Counsellor and Comforter — to restore hearts and remind us that every season has a shelf life. Whether you’re in the middle of something difficult, processing past pain, or simply needing fresh hope, this talk is a reminder that God is present in every moment — and He is always leading us toward restoration. ⸻

What does it really mean for God to “restore your soul”? In this message from Psalm 23, Matt Donaldson explores how true restoration isn’t about fixing our behaviour or striving to improve ourselves — it’s about allowing the Good Shepherd to gently return us to who we were created to be. This is not a crisis psalm, but a confession of deep security, belonging, and confidence in God’s presence through every season of life. As David walks through green pastures and dark valleys alike, we discover the things that hinder soul restoration — pride, busyness, fear, sin, self-centredness — and the practices and postures that invite healing: humility, stillness, righteousness, trust, and intimacy with God. This talk is an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and let God search, heal, and renew the inner places of your life. As we learn to live from the presence of the Shepherd — not just for Him, but with Him — our souls are restored, our perspective shifts, and we rediscover peace, purpose, and hope that overf

GOD’S PLANS FOR YOUR RESTORATION — WEEK 2 Learning “The Unforced Rhythms of Grace”

Year of... by Ivy Church Podcast

In the Christmas story, the most unlikely visitors became the first worshippers. The Magi weren’t prophets, priests, or spiritual elites. They were outsiders. Seekers. Star-gazers. Question-askers. Spiritual explorers. Yet they were the ones who followed the light they had — and found Jesus. In this fourth message of our Advent series The Crown & The Cradle, Anthony Delaney unpacks what the journey of the Magi teaches us about how God still draws people today: 1️⃣ They Followed the Light They Had God often starts with a whisper — an ache, a question, a sense that “there must be more.” Like the Magi, many today are being quietly drawn toward Jesus, even if they don’t fit the religious mould. 2️⃣ They Let Go of What They Knew To follow the King, the wise men had to leave comfort, reputation, and certainty behind. God still calls us to lay down our assumptions, our self-made stories, and open ourselves to something bigger. 3️⃣ They Opened Their Treasures — and Went Home Different Their journey didn’t end in

What do you do when life doesn’t go to plan — not even close? In Week 3 of The Crown & The Cradle, Luke Anthony takes us into Matthew 1:18–25 and the extraordinary calling of Joseph… a man whose carefully laid plans were suddenly overturned by the breaking-in of God’s Kingdom. Joseph had every reason to walk away. Confusion. Shock. Stigma. Uncertainty. But instead of clinging to his own story, he stepped into God’s story — and everything changed. Luke shares with honesty, humour, and vulnerability (including parenting interruptions, haircut mishaps, and that stag-do moment!) as he unpacks three powerful truths from Joseph’s life: 1️⃣ The Kingdom Interrupts Joseph had a plan — marriage, stability, a good reputation. Then came a pregnancy he couldn’t explain and a future he didn’t choose. God’s Kingdom breaks in unexpectedly, inconveniently, and purposefully — often right in the middle of our “perfect plan.” 2️⃣ The Kingdom Requires Trust Joseph didn’t get a spreadsheet, a roadmap, or a 10-year plan. Just: “D

What if the life you’re living isn’t Plan B… but God’s Plan A? In week two of our Advent & Christmas series The Crown & The Cradle, Anthony Delaney walks us through Mary’s story in Luke 1 — the moment heaven interrupted an ordinary plan with an extraordinary invitation. Mary had her future mapped out: marriage, family, security, respect. Then an angel appeared with a call that would overturn all her expectations. From Mary’s perspective, it looked like Plan B — scandal, uncertainty, risk. But from God’s perspective? It was always Plan A. This message is for anyone who feels like life hasn’t gone to plan… or that too many plans have fallen through. Christmas announces the truth that God repurposes lives, restores broken stories, and invites us into His plan — the one that leads to hope, purpose, and salvation through Jesus. Join us for worship, prayer, and this powerful teaching as we ask:

The King Comes to the Waiting | The Crown & The Cradle by Ivy Church Podcast

Following our Church Weekend Away where we explored the Ivy vision of Knowing - Growing - Going, Anthony explores our nexts steps through the Discipleship Pathway.

Expand the Church (Together) | VII Churches Series by Ivy Church Podcast

Are we comfortable… or close to Jesus? In the final letter to the Seven Churches, Anthony Delaney unpacks Jesus’ message to the church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:14–22) — a community that thought it had everything, yet made Jesus sick with its lukewarm faith. Laodicea’s comfort had numbed its passion. They were rich in possessions but poor in spirit. Yet even in His rebuke, Jesus offers mercy: “Be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.” This powerful message calls us to break free from complacency and expand our intimacy with God — to open the door, reignite the fire, and rediscover wholehearted devotion to Jesus. Join us for worship, prayer, and this final call in our Revelation series as we ask: