In the Calendar of the Book of Common Prayer (2019), the Transfiguration of Jesus is celebrated not once but twice! On the fixed calendar, it is celebrated on August 6th. On the movable calendar, it is celebrated on the last Sunday of Epiphany.
Trinity Sunday: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Trinity Sunday commemorates the Christian doctrine of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—three persons in one substance, an eternal community of love.
Standing Firm in God’s Love with Athanasius
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – 1 John 4:8 “God is love.” This is a sentiment that we all, well, love. We love to say it, and we love to believe it. But what does it mean? Love implies a relationship between two or more persons. And…
Hymn Guide: Be Thou My Vision
Did you know “Be Thou My Vision” was written by a blind monk? The text is traditionally attributed to Saint Dallán, a 6th-century Celtic monk who went blind in the middle of his life. Some modern scholars have argued for a later date in the 10th or 11th century. Either way, the text reflects the…
The Collect For Purity: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The Collect for Purity is one of the gems of Anglican liturgy. It is a prayer both appealing at first glance and also one that invites a depth of reflection: on preparing the heart for worship, on the Trinity, and on the Catholic and Reformed aspects of Anglicanism. It is good we have so much…
Why Do Christians Call God Father?
To call God “Father” is one of the great privileges of being a Christian. But this can be confusing to the world and even to some inside the church. Why do Christians call God “Father” when he is not our biological dad? The Child Calls to His Father The power of the word “Father” is…
Hymn Guide: St. Patrick’s Breastplate
St. Patrick’s Breastplate is one of the great hymns of the church, an ancient invocation of the Trinity that is relevant in every age. The hymn began as an Old Irish prayer of protection called a lorica, and the text is attributed to St. Patrick or his followers in early Celtic monasticism. Literally, lorica is the…
Today in the Spirit: Trinity Sunday A
It is no wonder that many Provinces of the Anglican Communion still retain the traditional title “Trinity” (instead of “Pentecost”) for the season we now enter in the church year. The Sunday lectionary prayers and readings in the last few weeks of Easter, as much as they have prepared us for “Whitsunday” (the old name…
10 Ways to Preach the Trinity Sunday Sermon
There is a standard joke about a church rector making up the calendar for preaching. He decides to preach all the easy Bible passages. Pentecost? It’s a piece of cake! The Transfiguration? Child’s play. Christ the King Sunday? Not a problem. But then he looks at the Bible readings for the Feast of the Holy…
What They Are Saying About The Trinity
It was the whole Trinity, which at the beginning of creation said, “Let us make man”. It was the whole Trinity again, which at the beginning of the Gospel seemed to say, “Let us save man”. — J. C. Ryle The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship…
