Grace Anglican Church Gastonia, NC

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Love Begetting Love, John 13.31-35 Download On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he told his disciples that he was going to be glorified, that they could not go where he was going, and that they were to love one another just as he had loved them, all in quick succession. What does he mean by all of this? How does this help us walk in the faith he has betwoed upon us? Are we...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Shepherd from Heaven, Shepherd on Earth Download Jesus is the shepherd who calls his sheep by name. He is the one who has come down from heaven to find these sheep and make them his. Image: Photo taken by Myriams-Fotos , free to use by Pixabay. Image location found here: https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-the-good-shepherd-1167493/

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Made Worthy by the Worthy One, John 21.1-14, Revelation 5 Download When some of the disciples went out fishing, they didn’t expect to make such a great catch after toiling all night. And in that great catch, they meet Jesus once more, finding that he calls them back to other moments in their lives with him that they might discover the restoration that he brings to them. Image...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran The Surprise of Jesus, John 20.19-31 Download When Jesus appears to the disciples on the evening of his resurrection they are shocked and surprised, but Jesus quickly brings them peace and calling. However, Thomas was not there and he refuses to believe until he can see and touch Jesus himself. These events are shocking to us when we consider the unexpectedness of Jesus’ resu...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran The Hinge Upon which the World Turns, Luke 24.1-12 Download What is so important about Jesus’ resurrection? Why do we talk about it constantly and set aside one day a year in which to have a grand celebration? Father Jeremiah looks into these questions and helps all to see that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is now the hinge upon which all the world turns. Image: Internet...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran No More Offering Necessary, Isaiah 53, Hebrews 10, John 18-19 Download Jesus’ death is the final sacrifice. No others are needed because his is a truly perfect one. He embraces death that we might know life for eternity. Image: Drawn by Gustave Doré, engraved by J. Gauchard Brunier. Scanned by Michael Gäbler with Epson Perfection 4490 Photo., Public domain, via Wikimedia Comm...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Behold the Lamb of God, Exodus 12, 1 Corinthians 11, John 13 Download At the Last Supper our Lord, Jesus established the Eucharist and washed his disciples’ feet. In the process of this, we are reminded that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. How does this connect to the establishing of the Passover so long ago? Father Jeremiah explores this and ex...

Sin Undone by God Becoming Man, Philippians 2.5-11 Download What is so unique about Jesus’ death upon the cross? What makes this man’s death so important to all of history? St. Paul gives us a glimpse of this reality when he speaks of Jesus being in the form of God and yet taking on the likeness of man. We come to realize that Jesus is no ordinary man dying upon the cross, but God in the flesh dea...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Undoing Our Unruliness, Luke 20.9-19 Download When Jesus tells the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, he is confronting the wicked leaders of the Jewish people with the reality that they had neglected how they came to be in the vineyard in the first place. The tenants were chosen and brought into the vineyard by the owner that they might care for it while he was away, but they re...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Sin and Shame Taken Away, Luke 15.11-32 Download When the younger son returns from his shameful life and the older son refuses to come to the party for his brother, the father chooses not to reject his sons, but instead bears their shameful actions upon himself so that they can be reconciled to him. The father in this parable is a picture of what Jesus does for us through the...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Protection from Presumption, Luke 13.1-9, 1 Corinthians 10.1-13 Download When Jesus is questioned about terrible events that happened to others, he turned the question back on the questioners. He saw the heart of their question came out of presumption that they were not as bad as the others that these terrible things had happened to. How do his words lead us to know a path aw...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran The Narrow Gate and Faith, Luke 13.22-35 Download Jesus tells us that salvation is a narrow gate that we must strive through at the right time. To ignore the gate can be disastrous. Father Jeremiah leads us through this parable and Jesus’ words about Jerusalem and his desire to gather the people to himself in Luke 13. Image: Public Domain. Image location: https://pxhere.com/e...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Unable to Overcome but in Jesus, Romans 10.4-13, Luke 3.1-13 Download St. Paul speaks of the word being near to our hearts that we might not have to bring it down from Heaven or raise it up from the abyss. This word is Jesus himself and he is revealed as the one who resists temptation and sin for us that we might follow in his steps and receive him. Image: The Temptation of C...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Transfigured Toward Our Glory, Luke 9.26-38 Download An important part of Jesus’ Transfiguration is that his divine glory is revealed to his disciples. Another aspect of that event is that in our union with Christ, we become partakers of that glory in the resurrection. We too will shine with the light of the glory of God through the grace of Christ to us. Image: The Transfigu...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran The Blessing of the Light, Luke 2.22-40 Download When Jesus was presented at the Temple, Simeon saw him for who he truly is, the Messiah that enlightens the nations and who is the glory of Israel. What does this mean? How is Jesus fulfilling prophecy with this action of being brought by his parents to the Temple? How does it affect us today? Image: The Presentation of Jesus a...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Nazareth Confrontation, Luke 4.14-32 Download When Jesus returned to Nazareth and went to the synagogue, the others there were angered by his words. What did he say? Why did he say it? How are we to be received by God the Father? Jesus’ confrontation is an important moment in his ministry for them and for us today. Image: Jesus Unrolls the Book in the Synagogue , James Tissot...

Transformed Water, Transformed You, John 2.1-11 Download When the wine ran out at the wedding in Cana, Jesus’ mother told him about it. She then left it up to him to act, and act he did! Sometimes our prayers can only be telling Jesus what the situation is and letting him act when he will, and trusting that he will transform what we are to be ready for where we are. Image: Jesus makes wine out of...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Jesus_ Baptism Changes Everything, Luke 3.15-22, Acts 10.34-38 Download Jesus went to John to be baptized in the wilderness. In that baptism, the Father spoke and the Holy Spirit descended. This signals a change, not only in Jesus’ life, but in the life of the world. Image: Baptism of Jesus, Andrea del Verrocchio, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4....

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Pursuing the Star to the King, Matthew 2.1-12 Download What were the Magi following? Was it just an ordinary star? What were the Magi? How did the star lead them to the exact house where the Holy Family were? Father Jeremiah explores these questions in his sermon on Matthew 2:1-12 Image: Adoration of the Magi (detail) , Gentile de Fabriano, Public domain, via Wikimedia Common...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran God in the Flesh to Redeem, John 1.1-18 Download Why are St. John’s words, “He became flesh and dwelt among us,” so important to us Christians? Father Jeremiah looks at this verse and how St. John leads us to this beautiful moment in John 1. Image: Nativity, Sandro Botticelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Christ is Born to Forgive, Christmas Eve Download At our Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols, we heard of the promises of God to his people throughout the Old Testament. Father Jeremiah explains that Jesus is the fulfillment of God the Father’s desire to make a people for himself and that he does so through forgiveness of sins. Image: Nativity, Giotto, Public domain, via Wikimed...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Greetings, Magnifying, and Mercy, Luke 1.39-56 Download After the angel appeared to Mary, she went immediately to visit her relative Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s greeting and Mary’s response tell us a great deal about the reality of the babies in their wombs. We also learn a great deal about the God of promise that is bringing about his promises through them. Image: La Visitation,...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Joy through Repentance, Luke 3.7-20, Zephaniah 3.14-20 Download In our Gospel lesson from Luke 3, we hear of John the Baptist’s preaching to the crowds and his calling them to repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. How does this preaching of repentance bring to the joy of the Lord? Is joy something we create in ourselves or is it something that God brings to...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Messenger of Peace that Refines, Malachi 3.1-5, Luke 3.1-6 Download Advent is a season of repentant waiting for our Lord to come. The process of repentance is one that leads to us knowing the peace and refining work of God through Jesus for us. Image: Molten Metal , picture by Pixabay, CC0. Image location: https://www.stockvault.net/photo/202116/utils/lib/utils/strings#

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Hope toward the Future from the Past for the Present, Zech 14, Luke 21.25-33 Download As we consider ‘hope’ in Advent, Father Jeremiah points out how it looks to the future while being rooted in the past that we might be sustained in the present. Advent helps us continue forward in this world knowing that God the Father will fulfill his promises. Image: Second Coming icon, pu...