Advertise on podcast: Grace Anglican Church Gastonia, NC

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Christ for All the Saints, Revelation 7, Ephesians 1, Matthew 5 Download When we think of All Saints’ Day, do we think of all the unknown saints who have died, trusting in Jesus? Do we think of how God has worked through all these saints to enable us to become believers? Do we know how saints come to be saints? Do we know how saints live? Do we know that we are saints in communion with the saints in heaven? All of this is covered in Fr. Jeremiah’s sermon and we are encouraged to now walk faithfully in light of the good work that the Father has accomplished through Jesus Christ by the indwelling of the Spirit in all the saints. Image: Andrea di Bonaiuto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran How Do We Love God and Neighbor? Matthew 22.34-46 Image: Love God and Your Neighbor as Yourself, photo taken by Lawrence OP, licensed under: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (no changes made). Image location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/15630997815/in/photostream/

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Are You a Wicked Guest? Matthew 22.1-14 The wedding feast of the king’s son is ready! All who were invited are to come! Yet, they rejected the final invitation and the king destroyed them and brought in others to celebrate. Amongst them was one without proper wedding attire and he was cast out. What does this all mean? It reminds us that we are to make ourselves ready in light of the invitation of the King to the final wedding feast of the bridegroom, when all is made right and we are renewed. We know that it is coming and we are to be making preparations for that final call, depending upon the Father’s work in us through the Holy Spirit. Image: Brunswick Monogrammist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran The Rejected Tenants, Matthew 21.33-44, Isaiah 5 Image: Jean-François Millet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Which Son are You_ Matthew 21.28-32, Ezekiel 18, Philippians 2.1-13 What is the difference between the two sons in Jesus’ parable? The way each responds to his father’s will reveals the difference. It also reminds us that even though one eventually responds, we need another perfect Son to make a way for mercy to be received for our failure to act, whether we said no and went or said yes and didn’t go. Image: Parable of the Two Sons, Andrei Mironov, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Do You Do Well to be Angry_ Jonah 4, Matthew 20.1-16 When the early workers saw that the Master of the vineyard was paying them the same as the last hour workers, they were angry and jealous of the Master. When Jonah saw that God would relent because of the repentance of the Ninevites, he was angry. In both cases, anger was expressed because of generosity and mercy. Does your anger get the better of you when you see others get grace and mercy? Do you realize that if God didn’t extend grace and mercy to others, he would not extend it to you? Father Jeremiah explains this today and encourages us all to be thankful and rejoice at God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ for us all. Image: Jonah Under His Gourd, Maarten van Heemskerck, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Forgiving through Receiving Forgivness, Matthew 18.21-35 When St. Peter asked Jesus how much he should forgive his brother who sins against him, Jesus told him that forgiveness must be unlimited because we have been forgiven more by the Father in heaven than any amount of sin that can be done against us by our brother. Image: The Unmerciful Servant, John Everett Millais, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Reconciled to Reconcile, Matthew 18.15-20 When Jesus teaches the one must go to a brother who has sinned against him, we must realized what underlies such a command. The purpose of such going is to bring about reconciliation and the reason one would seek reconciliation with another is because Jesus has reconciled his people to himself and the Father. We don’t confront another to lord over them, but out of a heart of brotherly love seeking the other’s repentance not merely to us, but before God himself. Image: The Embrace of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Harvard Art Museums, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Jesus' Cross, My Cross, Matthew 16.21-27 Though St. Peter confessed rightly that Jesus is the Messiah, when Jesus begins teaching what the Messiah must do, St. Peter takes him aside and rebukes him. Why does he do this? How do we do this in our own lives? And what must we do to avoid doing this in our lives always? Image: Take Up Your Cross, picture by LawrenceOP, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (no changes made). Image location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/50285634921/in/photostream/

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran St. Peter's Confession, Blessing, and Calling Matthew 16.13-20 Image: Christ Handing the Keys to St. PeterPietro Perugino, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Crumbs that Truly Satisfy, Matthew 15.21-28 Download The Canaanite woman wasn’t afraid to approach Jesus because she knew what kind of savior he was going to be. He wasn’t only for the Jews, but was the promised seed of Abraham who would bring blessing to the world. Therefore, she had faith that she could receive his words and turn them back to him to remind him that even dogs get crumbs. And she discovers that even crumbs can be transformed into a whole meal. Image:The Canaanite Woman, Condé Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Little to Give, Greatly to be Used, Matthew 14.13-21 Download After Jesus has spent all day healing and teaching a multitude, the disciples point out that they people should be sent away to find food. But Jesus tells them to feed the crowds. The disciples only have 5 loaves and 2 fish. What will happen? Jesus takes their little and makes it a great amount to bless and satisfy the hungry crowds! In our lives, the little that we have from ourselves can be taken by Jesus and be made a blessing for many others beyond what we think can happen. Image: Christ Feeding the Multitude, from Treasures of the Bible by Henry Davenport Northrop, pg 404, published in 1894. Public Domain. (cropped from original page, scanned by Google) Book found here: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Treasures_of_the_Bible/9qDEBKKqj68C

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Valued Through Christ Alone, Matthew 13.31-33, 44-50 Download What happens when we discover that our value isn’t something that we create, but is given to us by God himself? What happens when we realize that all our strivings to get God’s attention aren’t needed, but that he is searching for us and will claim us as his own through the faith he gives by the presence of the Holy Spirit? Jesus’ parables remind us that it is God who is at work to make us his own. We respond to the one who has already come to us and we are received because he is ready to receive us. All of that enables us to live the life he calls us to through the power of the Spirit working in us. Image: from Christ's Object Lessons by Ellen Gould Harmon White, published 1900, page 109, https://archive.org/details/christsobjectles00whitrich, public domain. Image Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buried_treasure.jpg

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Wheat Amongst the Weeds, Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43 Download What are we to do when we find tares amongst the wheat? What are we to do when we discover tares affecting us as wheat? How are we to endure? Jesus calls us toward patience regarding these tares because he himself will take care of them in the end. And besides that, we aren’t able to always identify the tares from the wheat with our limited perspective, so we must wait for Christ. Image: Christ's Object Lessons by Ellen Gould Harmon White, page 73 (https://archive.org/details/christsobjectles00whitrich), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Fr. Jeremiah Caughran Swords and Crosses, Matthew 10.34-42 Jesus tells us that we must face swords and crosses as his disciples. He didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword that would divide his people from those who aren’t his people. In that, we must take up a cross that means self-denial, for without taking up that cross we are unworthy of Jesus. Image: Take up Your Cross, photo by Lawrence OP, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (no changes made). Image location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/12672788743/in/photostream/