Husband, father, and Anglican priest living in the North Georgia Mountains. Sermons, reflections, and articles promoting the "Ancient Faith for Modern Times". Subscribe below to get the latest posts in your inbox.
August 24: Feast of Bartholomew the Apostle. Before Philip called him, Jesus had already seen him. The collect asks the Church to love what Bartholomew believed and preach what he taught. The kingdom of God does not depend on our prominence.
August 24: Saint Bartholomew. The collect asks two things: love what he believed, preach what he taught. Not a rehearsal of his martyrdom. Not a chronicle of his mission. Just belief and proclamation; the whole apostolic vocation in a single petition.
Matthew 16:13–20. The disciples worshiped Jesus in the boat two weeks ago. What is different at Caesarea Philippi? Peter adds the messianic title. There is no new miracle in this scene. And Jesus names the Father as the source: flesh and blood has not revealed this.
"Great Is Your Faith." Matthew 15:21–28. A Canaanite woman comes to Jesus in Gentile territory. He does not answer her. The disciples want to send her away. She kneels and says: Lord, help me. And he calls her faith great.
“She Said Yes.” Luke 1:46–55. The Feast of the Virgin Mary. The BCP does not define what happened to Mary at the end of her life. It simply honors her for what Scripture says plainly: she is the mother of the incarnate Son of God, and she said yes before she knew the full cost.
August 15: the Virgin Mary. The BCP says simply: you have taken to yourself the blessed Virgin Mary. The manner of her taking is not defined. The fact of God’s gracious reception is affirmed. Anglican honor rests on what Scripture says plainly: she is the mother of the incarnate Son.