My last post discussed receiving communion by faith, and was more about our understanding of the spiritual aspects of communion. This post is just plain practical. We all want to reverently receive communion, not get in anyone’s way or spill anything, and to not have any surprises. But the surprises and spills will happen. Even…
How to Receive Communion, Part 1: Receiving with Faith
The first time I visited an Anglican church, I was afraid to go forward for communion for two reasons. If you are visiting an Anglican church for the first time, you may feel the same. So here is what we believe is happening during communion in this post, and then in the next post, some…
I Don’t Want a Celebration of Life, I Want a Burial Service
When I die, please don’t call my burial service a Celebration of Life. Don’t get me wrong, I hope that people will want to celebrate my life. I just don’t want this to replace my Christian burial. Bury me according to the rites of a Christian. I want to be one more brother in Christ,…
The Sign of the Cross: What It Is and Why It Matters
This post about the sign of the cross originally appeared on August 06, 2014. Updated on August 22, 2018. Why do Anglicans make the sign of the cross? When do they do it? How do they do it? I serve in the South, so usually, the question goes: “Why do ya’ll cross yourselves?” Often this…
Anglican Vestments: A Rookie Anglican Guide
You walk into an Anglican church and see ministers wearing white robes, with colorful scarf-like things around their necks, some of which are diagonal. A few lay people are wearing robes, and so is the choir. If the parish has a verger, they might be wearing a black cassock with a verger’s gown. Sometimes, you’ll…
What Do You Call an Anglican Pastor?
“Hello, Father…er…I mean Pastor…sorry, I meant Reverend…. Canon…” “So are you a priest, a presbyter, a minister, a pastor, or a reverend?” What Should I Call You?
