Confrontation for Repentance, Matthew 18:15-20

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In Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus speaks about reconciling oneself with a fellow believer who has sinned against you. This passage is the basis for our understanding of church discipline. Yet, it begins first with the pursuit of private reconciliation, a coming together of the wronged and the one who wronged. The purpose is that of repentance and life in the kingdom. As we come to understand this, we can find healing in our own personal relationships and be freed from the bitterness that can come when we are sinned against.

 

Image credit: By Meister des Book of Lindisfarne - The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=155233

The Acts of God in Baptism

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What is happening when we baptize someone? Is it merely water poured over the person, or is there something deeper? In this sermon, Fr. Jeremiah reflects on how Anglicans understand baptism, reminding us that it is God is the primary actor, not man. This isn't about an act of obedience, but about a God who graciously claims us through the act of baptism for the sake of what Jesus has done for us through the cross. Listen to find out more!

Image attribution: Posted by WELS net at https://www.flickr.com/photos/welsnet/3404685668/in/photostream/. No changes made to image. Used according to Creative Commons license CC BY-NC 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/)

Weeds Amongst Wheat, Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43

When there are weeds growing amongst the wheat, what are we to do? Do we look to our Master and ask him? Or do we just plunge forward and attempt to remove them ourselves? What does the Master tell his servants to do? Wait until the harvest and then the reapers will deal with the weeds. Until them, let them grow and interact. What does that mean for us as we traverse this world?

 

Image by ㇹヮィㇳ (Ears of wheat) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Seed and Soil, Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23

Jesus told a parable about a sower going out to sow some seed. He tells us that the meaning of the seed is that it is the Word of God. How is seed like the Word of God? One way that they are the same is that the seed is intended to grow just as the Word is effective and does its work. Listen to find out more!

 

Image: Vincent van Gogh [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Weary One, Come, Matthew 11.25-30

Jesus calls those who are weary and heavy laden to himself. He reveals himself to those who are like this because these people know that they cannot get through this life without His help. Will you come to him and take his yoke?

By Cgoodwin (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Cgoodwin (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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