Grace Anglican Church of Wildwood

Grace Anglican Church of Wildwood A Bible-believing, Gospel-focused Anglican parish of the United Episcopal Church of North America.

06/14/2026

In the wake of the tragic murder of Austin Metcalf, our hearts are heavy. Scripture does not leave us without guidance. In 1 John 3:13–24, St. John reminds us that murder is the bitter fruit of hatred — the ancient way of Cain — and that the Christian must walk a very different path.
The Sixth Commandment tells us plainly: “Thou shalt do no murder.” Human life is sacred because it bears the image of God. Austin’s life mattered. His death is a wound in our community and a reminder of the darkness that still grips the world.
But John also teaches us how to respond: not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with truth, justice, and Christlike love. We grieve for Austin. We uphold the necessity of justice. And yes — we pray even for the soul of the one who took his life, because no one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy.
The saints show us this path. St. Alban, the first English martyr, faced violence with courage, compassion, and prayer for his persecutors. His witness reminds us that Christian love has the power to transform even the hardest heart.
So in this moment of sorrow, let us refuse the way of Cain. Let us choose the way of Christ — the way of sacrificial love, steadfast truth, and unshakable hope. “Let us love not in word or speech, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)
May God grant comfort to Austin’s family, justice to our community, repentance to the guilty, and peace to all who mourn. Let us pray for Karmelo Anthony and his family.

06/13/2026

LOL

06/07/2026

Beloved in Christ — grace and peace to you. Today I preached on how St. John’s words in 1 John 4:7–21 and the witness of the early apologists and Church Fathers together teach us a simple, searching truth: to know God is to love as God loves. John’s charge — “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God” — became for Justin, Irenaeus, Clement, Augustine, Chrysostom and others the test of true faith. They insisted that right doctrine and right love are inseparable: if we confess Christ but do not love our brothers and sisters, our confession is hollow.

The Fathers read John’s linking of God’s sending of the Son with God’s love as the hinge of Christian life. Deny the Incarnation and you undermine the very ground of reconciling love; confess the true Christ and you preserve the basis for charity, mercy, and moral formation. Their apologetics were not merely clever argumentation but pastoral work: teaching, worship, and discipline meant to form hearts that love.

As Anglicans shaped by Scripture, tradition, and reason, we inherit that integrated pattern. Let our catechesis form affection as well as intellect; let our liturgy shape our lives; let our public witness be both clear and compassionate. Contend for the faith, yes—but let that contention be a ministry of restoration, always guided by the self‑giving love revealed in Christ. “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18); a community formed by love can face trials without becoming fearful or harsh.

Pray with me: O God, who is love, teach us to know you truly and to show that knowledge in love for one another. Make our parish a place where doctrine forms devotion and devotion bears fruit in mercy. Amen.

If this spoke to you, share it with someone who needs encouragement today.

05/31/2026

“After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven.” — Revelation 4:1

This Sunday we reflected on St. John’s vision of the heavenly throne room — a vision given not to mystify the Church, but to strengthen her.

When John is called, “Come up hither,” he is being shown the truth behind all earthly turmoil: God reigns. The first thing he sees is not chaos, not persecution, not the powers of this age — but a throne, and One seated upon it in glory beyond description.

Around that throne stand the twenty‑four elders, representing the whole people of God, clothed in white and casting their crowns before Him. As St. Irenaeus reminds us, “The glory of God is the living man, and the life of man is the vision of God.” In their worship we see humanity restored, redeemed, and radiant.

The four living creatures cry day and night, “Holy, holy, holy,” echoing Isaiah’s vision and reminding us that our earthly liturgy joins the eternal worship of heaven. As Clement of Alexandria wrote, “The righteous man is already a citizen of heaven, living the life of the angels.”

And before the throne lies the sea of glass — the symbol of chaos stilled. Whatever storms rage around us, they are calm before the sovereignty of God.

The elders proclaim the heart of the chapter:
“Thou art worthy, O Lord… for Thou hast created all things.”
We worship because God is Creator, Sustainer, and King.

Beloved, the door John saw opened in heaven is not closed to us. In Christ, the veil is torn. In the Spirit, we are lifted up. In worship, we stand with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven.

Look upward. Worship faithfully. Rest in the God who reigns.
The sea is glass. The throne is not empty.
Thanks be to God.

05/24/2026

Whitsunday commonly known as Pentecost

Fear is one of the enemy’s greatest weapons. It scatters, silences, and convinces us we are alone. But in John 14:15–31, Jesus speaks directly into that fear: “I will not leave you comfortless.”

On the night of His betrayal, when the disciples trembled at the thought of losing Him, Jesus promised another Comforter — the Holy Ghost — God’s own presence dwelling within His people. Not beside us. Not near us. In us.

And that promise is not ancient history. It is happening now.

Last year, when wildfires and smoke swept across parts of the U.S., a small parish in Washington State opened its doors as a shelter. They had no plan, no budget, and no idea how long the crisis would last — but they had the conviction that Christ had not left them. One volunteer said, “We were exhausted, but we were not afraid. We felt carried.”

That is the Comforter at work.
That is John 14 alive today.
That is the peace Christ gives — not the peace of safety, but the peace of His presence.

So, hear the Lord’s word again:
“If ye love Me, keep My commandments.”
Love proves itself in obedience, and obedience is empowered by the Spirit who dwells in us.

You are not alone.
You are not abandoned.
You are not powerless.
The Holy Ghost is your strength, your Teacher, your Comforter, your peace.

Christ has not left His Church.
Christ has not left you.
“I will not leave you comfortless.”

Amen.

05/17/2026

In the Gospel reading for the Sunday After Ascension, John 16:2–4, Jesus speaks with a gravity we cannot ignore.
On the night He was betrayed, He warned His disciples that they would be cast out, hated, and even killed by people who believed they were serving God.

He did not say this to frighten them — but to prepare them.

“These things have I told you, that when the hour shall come, ye may remember…”

Persecution happens, Jesus says, because the world does not know the Father nor the Son.
And His words remain true today. Across the world — from North Korea to Nigeria, Pakistan to China — Christians still suffer for the Name of Christ. Even here at home, we face increasing “soft persecution”: pressure, hostility, and the silencing of Christian witness.

Yet Christ has not left us without comfort.
He has given us His Spirit.
He has told us beforehand.
He has overcome the world.

So let us stand firm, pray for the persecuted Church, and remember His promise:
He is with us, even unto the end of the world. ✝️

05/09/2026

🌿 Rogation Sunday: Be Doers of the Word
This Sunday the Church keeps Rogation Sunday, a time when Christians “ask” (rogare) God’s blessing on our land, our labor, and our community. It’s a beautiful reminder that every harvest, every meal, and every breath is a gift from the Lord.

Rogationtide teaches us three great truths:

🌱 Dependence – We are not self‑made. We rely on God for “the kindly fruits of the earth” (1662 BCP).
🏡 Community – The old Rogation processions showed that our parish life is shared life. As Richard Ho**er said, outward acts of worship “help to imprint in us that reverence which we owe to God.”
🛠️ Holy Work – Our daily labor is sacred when offered to Christ. Bishop Edwin Sandys reminds us: “The Gospel requireth good works, not as the cause of salvation, but as the fruits of faith.”

Rogationtide is not just about praying for crops—it’s about praying for our neighbors, caring for the vulnerable, and living out the faith we profess. St. James tells us plainly:

“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
“Pure religion… is to visit the fatherless and widows… and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

This week, let’s walk our parish—literally or spiritually—with Christ.
Let’s pray for our community.
Let’s practice gratitude.
Let’s care for the lonely, the poor, and the forgotten.
Let’s offer our work to God.
Let’s live the faith we hear.

May the Lord bless the land beneath our feet, the labor of our hands, and the love within our parish family.

A blessed Rogationtide to you all. 🌾✝️

05/03/2026

Most Christians expect the Holy Ghost to speak like thunder.
But Scripture tells a different story.

When God spoke to Elijah, it was not in the wind…
not in the earthquake…
not in the fire…
but in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12).

And that is how the Spirit guides us today.

The Spirit’s voice is rarely loud —
but it is always holy.

He speaks through:

🕊️ a quiet conviction
🕊️ a growing clarity
🕊️ a deepening peace
🕊️ a holy uneasiness about sin
🕊️ a strengthened desire for righteousness
🕊️ a Scripture brought to mind at just the right moment

Jesus promised, “When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.”
The Spirit does not bring new doctrines or new revelations —
He leads us deeper into the truth Christ has already given.

He glorifies Christ.
He convicts of sin.
He comforts the weary.
He sanctifies the willing.
He guides the Church into all truth.

If the voice you hear leads you toward Christ, holiness, humility, repentance, and peace —
you are hearing the Spirit of truth.

If it leads you toward confusion, pride, self‑justification, or sin —
it is not the Spirit.

The Spirit’s voice is gentle, but it is unmistakable.
Persistent. Pure. Holy.

May we have ears to hear Him.

✝️ Come, Holy Ghost, and lead us into all truth.

04/26/2026

✨ Third Sunday After Easter ✨

Today’s Collect reminds us that the Christian life is a returning—a continual conversion shaped by the light of God’s truth.

“Almighty God, who showest to them that are in error the light of thy truth…”

The English Reformers preached this same message with clarity and conviction. Bishop Edwin Sandys wrote that we are “children of darkness, until the bright beams of God’s truth shine upon us.” Thomas Cranmer taught that Scripture is given so “the simple may understand, the ignorant learn, and the godly be confirmed.”

Easter is not only Christ’s victory—it is our call to newness of life.
The Homilies remind us that repentance is “a true returning unto God,” and that those admitted into Christ’s fellowship must “walk as children of light.”

This week, let us pray for grace to:

• Avoid what contradicts our Christian profession
• Follow what accords with the Gospel
• Live as those who have risen with Christ

May the light of God’s truth guide our steps into the way of righteousness.

✝️ Christ is risen. Let us rise with Him.

04/19/2026

This Sunday we reflected on 1 Peter 2:19–25 and the hope we find in Christ’s suffering and victory.

From Joseph sold into slavery, to Richard Jewell falsely accused, to Christ who “reviled not again,” Scripture and history remind us that unjust suffering is not the end of the story.

As the 1662 Rogation Collect prays:
“Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the same.”

May the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls guide us in truth and steadfastness.

Address

4971 E County Road 462
Wildwood, FL
34785

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 1pm
Thursday 9am - 1pm
Saturday 9am - 2pm
Sunday 9am - 1:30pm

Telephone

+13522359693

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Grace Anglican Church of Wildwood posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Grace Anglican Church of Wildwood:

Shortcuts

Share

Category