Author Archives: johnaroop

Everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in your Son’s resurrection:  Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found … Continue reading →

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the … Continue reading →

On the morning of 23 November 2016, thick smoke from the Chimney Tops 2 fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) blanketed the nearby town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The wind was picking up that morning in advance of … Continue reading →

Following is the text of a lesson I taught at Apostles Anglican Church on Sunday, 11 December 2016.  It is not intended to be read straight through, but rather to be used day-by-day from 17 December through 23 December as … Continue reading →

Bless me, for I have sinned. Through my fault, through my fault, through my own most grievous fault, I have willfully begun listening to Christmas music in Advent, and – God help me – I probably will continue. Anglicans, among … Continue reading →

Fr. Greg Goebel, Canon to the Ordinary for the Anglican Diocese of the South, is the founder, editor, and contributing writer of Anglican Pastor (www.anglicanpastor.com), an online source of articles and reflections whose goal is to “…explain Anglican experience, and … Continue reading →

The Baptism of young Children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ (Article XXVII). For several reasons — Clara and James prominent among them — I’ve been thinking much … Continue reading →

My parish hosts a monthly Eucharist at a local residential care facility.  This month I offered the following reflections on Mark 9:14-29. Priests spend a fair amount of time in hospitals visiting the sick and praying with them and for … Continue reading →

Just had a profound insight in my seminary class…The insight is this:  I believe in the validity of the ordained priests AND the priesthood of the believer.   The principles are held in tension.   How?   By seeing the … Continue reading →

A priest is asked to pray – a lot.  Sometimes it is as designated or honorary pray-er, as at a church dinner.  “Father N., will you bless the food, please?”  Anyone could do this, of course, but it often falls … Continue reading →