Grace Anglican Church Gastonia, NC

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Christ the King Who Forgives, John 18.33-38 Download When Jesus stood before Pilate, he confessed that his kingdom, and thus his kingship, was not from this world. What did he mean by this? Is his kingdom and kingship utterly separate from this world? Or do they overlap and interlock together, such that this world will be changed when Jesus returns? Image: Boston at English W...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Judgment and Salvation, Mark 13.14-23, Hebrews 10.31-29 Download When Jesus speaks during the Olivet Discourse about the destruction of the Temple, he was showing mercy with regard to the coming judgment of Jerusalem. He warns his disciples and those who follow them to flee when the time comes. How are we to understand this prophecy today? Is it about the future, or is it her...

Fr. John Riebe The Widow's MIGHT (Fr. John), Mark 12-.38-44 Download Father John Riebe reminds us that as Christians we are called to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This life is revealed fully through the act of the widow whose gift isn’t measured physically, but spiritually before the Lord. Image: Le denier de la veuve ( The Widow’s Mite ), James Tissot, Pub...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Holiness for the Saints and for You, Revelation 7.9-17, Ephesians 1.1-23 Download As we reflect upon the meaning of All Saints’ Day, we remember that the saints are the holy ones of God. The holiness they have though is not a holiness they create, but one that is given to them by the work of Christ. Image: Johann König, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File Location":htt...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Walking the Path to Jesus, Mark 10.46-52 Download When Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus, we get to see something new about discipleship, but also a juxtaposition between this blind man and James and John in the previous passage. Jesus asks both, “What do you want me to do for you?” How we each answer that question gives shape to our walk with Jesus. Image: Christ Healing a Blind...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Taking Up the Cup, Mark 10.35-45 Download When James and John ask Jesus to sit at his right and left hand, he confronts them with the reality of suffering that must come before glory. What does that mean for us today? Does suffering come before glroy? Father Jeremiah considers Jesus’ words in response to James and John and the other apostles. Image: Fra Angelico, frescoes, Sa...

Fr. Harold Vandeveer Giving Up What I Can't Keep for What I Can't Lose, Mark 10.17-31 Download The Reverend Harold Vandeveer filled in this Sunday for Fr Jeremiah. What good are the things of the world, when we have eternal salvation offered to us through Jesus? How are we going to respond to this reality? Image: Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann, public domain. Image Location:...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran The Blessing of Marriage and Children, Mark 10.2-16 Download When Jesus speaks of marriage and children, he sets out to correct his time’s misuse and misunderstanding of these things. Likewise today, we must hear his words and take them to heart as we approach these most holy of subjects. Image: Portrait of a Married Couple with a Child, by Peter Paul Rubens, Public domain, v...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Let the Angels Come to Defend, Revelation 12.7-12, John 1.47-51 Download We don’t often talk about angels, but they are important creatures in creation. Sunday was the Feast of Holy Michael and All Angels. Father Jeremiah reminded us about their importance and role in our lives and that they are but a pray to God the Father away from for our defense. Image: St. Michael Triump...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Being Truly Great Means Dying, Mark 9.30-37 Download Jesus’ teaching about his own pending death to the disciples connected with his teaching on who is the greatest, reminds us that only by dying to self can we discover the greatness that God the Father intends for us. Image: John Hazeland on His Deathbed , by Edvard Munch, uploaded by villarreal9, license CC BY-SA 4.0 (No ch...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Transforming Unbelief to Belief, Mark 9.14-29 Download When Jesus comes down from the mountain after his transfiguration, he and the three disciples are confronted with a scene of chaos. The other disciples are arguing with the scribes about casting out a demon and healing a boy. The father of boy explains to Jesus what is happening and confesses his own unbelief mixed into h...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Sacrificing Rules to Justify Yourself, Mark 7.1-23 Download When the Pharisees and Scribes confront Jesus about his disciples not ritually washing hands before eating, Jesus confronts them with their ability to sacrifice the rules of God with man-made traditions in order to justify themselves. In what ways do we do this today? How are we to overcome this desire? Image: The Fi...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Eternal Words and Feeding on Jesus, John 6.60-69 Download After Jesus finished his teaching on feeding on him, many of his followers began leaving him. Jesus even question his own immediate twelve disciples about what they were going to do. How does this come to us today? Why would Jesus challenge even the Twelve on following him? Are we challenged in our following of Jesus?...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Feeding Upon Jesus the Bread of Life, John 6.53-59 Download As Jesus continues teaching about his being the bread of life that is necessary to salvation, he goes so far as to say that his flesh is true food and his blood is true drink! What does this mean? How does it relate to communion? Where can we find Jesus that we might feed on him always? Image: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 4.0 &l...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Coming to and Believing the Bread from Heaven, John 6.37-51 Download Jesus continues teaching the crowds after feeding them with bread and fish. He gives attention to the reality that coming and believing Jesus are connected to being given and drawn to Jesus by the Father and that he will receive all who come because he is the bread of life that gives his flesh to the world....

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran True Bread of God, John 6.25-34 Download Jesus confronts the crowds after feeding them with the reality that they are seeking him, not for the life that he can bring, but simply because he gave them an abundance of bread. How often do we do the same? How should we respond to this one who can give to us the bread of life through himself? Image: unknown artist. no known copyrig...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Jesus Manifested in the Crisis, Mark 6.45-52 Download When Jesus sends the disciples out to cross the Sea of Galilee, they find themselves struggling against a strong headwind. Why does Jesus come to them walking upon the sea? How does this reveal who Jesus is? How do we respond to Jesus in the middle of our own crises? Image: Jesus Walks on the Sea , Gustave Doré, Public dom...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Mercy Will Prevail, Mark 6.30-44, Isaiah 57.14-21 Download Christ’s feeding of the five thousand reveals to us the mercy of God toward us in our deepest needs. God has promised throughout Scripture that he will show forth his mercy and he does so such that it is right to say that his almighty power is chiefly declared through his mercy. Image: Christ Feeding the Five Thousand...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran The Foundation of Christ's Work and Us, Psalm 85 Download In Psalm 85, we hear of the the graciousness of God toward Israel, and then a confession for a continual need for that grace and kindness from God. How does this reveal our need for Christ and his work? Where does salvations start? Does it start with me or does it start with the foundation laid by Christ’s suffering, d...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Rejected but not Hindered, Mark 6.2-6 Download When Jesus returns to his hometown, he finds a not very friendly welcome. What does this tell us about our response to rejection. What does it tell us about our own rejections of Jesus in our daily lives? Image: Christ Healing a Leper, by Rembrandt van Rijn. Public Domain. Image location: https://picryl.com/media/christ-healing-a...

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Chaos Inside Overcome by Jesus Outside, Mark 5.22-43 Download When Jesus encounters the results of chaos from the inside of us, what does he do? Does he scoff or ignore it? Or does he act against it in order to bring to us inward and outward healing? Father Jeremiah looks at Mark 5 and a story with two healings dealing with chaos from the inside. Image: The Raising of the Dau...