Following the Gospel of Matthew in Year A, this week in our worship we contemplate another recorded incident of Jesus and his disciples while north of the Sea of Galilee; this time in the district of Caesarea Philippi, an important city in the region governed by Philip, the son of Herod, and a center of…
Birth and Our Rebirth in Baptism
A new awareness stirred within me of how our own entrances into the world reflect the rebirth Christ has given us.
Today in the Spirit: Proper 15A
At this point in our walk with Jesus in the Season After Pentecost Year A, we are approaching the end of his ministry in the north (mainly Galilee) before he journeys south to Jerusalem and the cross. The assigned Gospel reading out of Matthew 15:21-28 is the narrative account of Jesus’ encounter with a Canaanite…
O Ruler of the Universe: A Reflection on Magna Et Mirabilia
The 2019 Book of Common Prayer, however, draws on nearly 400 years of Prayer Book history; the canticle Magna et Mirabilia offers a wonderful example.
How to Take a Personal Prayer Retreat
A personal prayer retreat is a choice to cut yourself off from the world for a time in order to be with God. I recommend every Christian, including laity, take a two-night prayer retreat at least once a year. This is not always feasible and, if you are unaccustomed to praying for more than an…
Today in the Spirit: Proper 14A
This week we continue walking with Jesus on the move in his ministry, now coming to Matthew’s account of the miracle of his walking on water. At mid-Pentecost in both Year A and Year B, the church assigns this Gospel reading to follow that of the feeding of the five thousand, “immediately” just as it…
William Wilberforce: Faith that Changed a Nation
On February 23, 1807, after nearly two decades of setbacks, speeches, defeats, and renewed efforts, the British House of Commons voted overwhelmingly to abolish Great Britain’s slave trade. Members rose to cheer as William Wilberforce—exhausted and overcome with emotion—sat, with tears streaming down his face. This was a political victory, for sure; however, its roots…
Introducing Anglican Antiquities
The Anglican Antiquities line of publications at Anglican Compass seeks to reintroduce works of devotion and theology across churchmanship and time to eager readers.
Today in the Spirit: Proper 13A
At Proper 13A, following the Gospel of Matthew, we return to the trail of our Lord’s itinerant ministry in Galilee. The assigned Gospel reading is Matthew 14:13-21. Over the course of the three-year cycle, we hear the account of the feeding of the five thousand three times on a Sunday–once here, twice in Year B…
Today in the Spirit: Proper 12A
This week the church will have us finish overhearing the remaining parables in Jesus’ third major teaching discourse in the Gospel of Matthew. The themes of growth, value, and abundance in the revelation of the kingdom of God continue to be front and center in our Lord’s teaching. The Gospel reading from Matthew 13:31-33,44-50 covers…
The Prayer Book at the Death Bed
As a home hospice chaplain this past year, I have spent more time with the actively dying than in my previous 10 years in parish ministry. Accordingly, I have become much more acquainted with pages 223–245 in the Book of Common Prayer (2019). Although the BCP works as a “plug-and-play” resource, I thought a few…
Marriage and Sexual Intimacy (Jerusalem Declaration 8.1)
Many outside the Gafcon movement, and some within it, have asked: “Why are you hung up on sex?” My reply has two parts. First, I will exposit this clause literally, focusing on the meaning of marriage as expressed in the Bible and Prayer Book.