The Deceitful Heart and God's Blessing, Jeremiah 17:5-10, Luke 6:17-26

In the lectionary for this Sunday, we heard from Jeremiah 17, Psalm 1, Luke 6, and 1 Corinthians 15. All of these passages over lap as they direct our eyes and hearts toward Jesus of Nazareth and the work he accomplishes for us upon the cross and through his resurrection. What do we treasure in our lives above all else? Is it Jesus and his word or what our own hearts tell us? Father Jeremiah brings all of this together in his sermon today.

Image: The Sermon on the Mount and the Healing of the Leper, by Cosimo Rosselli, picture taken by Frans Vanderwalle, license CC BY-NC 2.0, no changes made. Image location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/snarfel/4287572119/

The Blessing of the Light, Luke 2:22-40

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 at the Temple, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Nazareth Confrontation, Luke 4:14-32

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, no known restrictions. Image Location: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4471

Transformed Water, Transformed You, John 2:1-11

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 water at the marriage at Cana, etching by B. Bertoccini, after J.F. Overbeck, public domain. image location: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/pbbenjm2/images?id=qbv9kwwp

Jesus' Baptism Changes Everything, Luke 3.15-22, Acts 10:34-48

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/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Christ is Born to Forgive

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 Wikimedia Commons

Greetings, Magnifying, and Mercy, Luke 1:39-56

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, miniature des Heures Huth, Master of the Houghton Miniatures, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Visitation._Mary_and_Elizabeth_in_the_garden_of_a_country_house_-_Huth_Hours_(1485-1490),_f.66v_-_BL_Add_MS_38126.jpg

Joy through Repentance, Luke 3:7-20, Zephaniah 3:14-20

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 us?

Image: Christ with the Winnowing Fan, photo taken by Lawrence OP, license: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, no changes made. Image location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/52541480597

Messenger of Peace that Brings Refining, Malachi 3:1-5, Luke 3:1-6

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#

Hope toward the Future from the Past in the Present, Zechariah 14:1-9, Luke 21:24-33

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, public domain, location: https://garystockbridge617.getarchive.net/media/icon-second-coming-d49e6f

Christ the King Who Forgives, John 18.33-38

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 Wikipedia & John Stephen Dwyer, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Judgment and Salvation, Mark 13:14-23, Hebrews 10:31-39

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 here to help us understand God’s desire to bring mercy and salvation in the midst of judgment against sin?

Image: The Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, Francesco Hayez, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Widow's MIGHT, Mark 12:38-44

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, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Widow%27s_Mite_(Le_denier_de_la_veuve)_-_James_Tissot.jpg

Holiness for the Saints and for You, Revelation 7, Ephesians 1, Matthew 5

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":https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johann_Koenig_-_Allerheiligen.jpg

Walking the Path to Jesus, Mark 10:46-52

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 Man, by Eustache Le Sueur, public domain. Image location: https://www.wikiart.org/en/eustache-le-sueur/christ-healing-the-blind-man

Taking Up the Cup, Mark 10:35-45

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, San Marco, picture posted by Frans Vandewalle, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0, no changes made. Image location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/snarfel/4120035206/

Giving Up What I Can't Keep for What I Can't Lose, Mark 10:17-31

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: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Hoffman-ChristAndTheRichYoungRuler.jpg

Grace Anglican Church, Sundays @ 10 AM, 800 Robinson Rd, Gastonia, NC
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 551081, Gastonia, NC 28054