One of the most helpful tools in my journey of liturgical living has been seeing the Church year laid out before me, not just in my mind or in a planner, but right on the wall of my home.
Psalms and Prayers for Election Day
To orient ourselves for Election Day, we must understand that God establishes human government to promote good and punish evil.
Remember Lot’s Wife: When Nostalgia Keeps Us Looking Back
As fire and brimstone rain down upon Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s wife looks back. In that moment, she becomes a pillar of salt. What good is a pillar of salt in a barren desert landscape?
Today in the Spirit: Proper 27A
The collects and readings appointed for the last three weeks of the Pentecost season create a pre-Advent period of preparation for the new church year. Our attention shifts dramatically to themes of knowledge about the end times and spiritual readiness for the second coming of Christ. In Year A, the church assigns three consecutive readings…
The Poetry of All Saints: Three Sonnets for a Three-Day Feast
The poetry of All Saints is especially wonderful because it captures the multiple themes of the three-day feast, or triduum, often collectively known as Allhallowtide. In this article, I share three sonnets, by three Anglican poets, organized to fit the three days.
Today in the Spirit: All Saints’ Sunday
All Saints’ Day, celebrated on 1 November every year, is the only “Principal Feast” in the Christian Year that can also be observed on the Sunday following that date. It commemorates the intercommunion of living and dead Christians throughout time, renowned and unknown. Traditionally, the Gospel reading assigned for All Saints’ Day is the Beatitudes…
M.R. James and the Anglican Ghost Story
It is no surprise… that the most influential author of the classic English ghost story was a Cambridge-based scholar of antiquities—and the devout son of an Anglican priest.
James, the Brother of Jesus: Patron Saint of Late Believers
If you grew up with Christian family members, but you yourself were weak in the faith, James the brother of Jesus might be your patron saint!
Today in the Spirit: Proper 25A
We continue in the liturgical year with Matthew’s account of the last week of our Lord’s life, leading up to the crucifixion. It is still early in the week when Jesus is tested by the religious leaders of Jerusalem who are looking for a legal motivation to kill him. In Year A, we skip the…
St. Ignatius of Antioch: Apostolic Father and Martyr
When I first read Ignatius’ letters, I was captivated by a man who loved Christ more than anything.
The Burial of the Dead: A Rookie Anglican Guide to the Funeral Service
The day of a funeral begins with grief. The family of the deceased feels the sharp pain of loss.
Today in the Spirit: Proper 24A
Over the last three Sundays in Year A, we have meditated in worship on three consecutive parables Jesus delivered to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, each designed to demonstrate their condemnation before God as unbelievers. In response, the religious leaders, uniting across Jewish party lines, will seek to trap Jesus in his words in order…
