The Psalms are the single best guide to the spiritual life currently in print. Ellen Davis, Getting Involved with God The Psalms are inexhaustible, and deserve to be read, said, sung, chanted, whispered, learned by heart, and even shouted from the rooftops. They express all the emotions we are ever likely to feel (including some…
Epiphany and Epiphanytide: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Christians celebrate the feast day of Epiphany on January 6, the day after the twelfth and final day of Christmas. Many also know this holiday as “Three Kings’ Day,” although the three “kings” were actually magi—astrologers from eastern countries such as Persia. While Western churches celebrate this event as “Epiphany,” our Eastern brothers know it…
The Liturgical Home: What is Advent?
The following is an excerpt from The Liturgical Home: Advent by Ashley Wallace. What is Advent? All of Scripture is a sacred love story, the love of God the Father for His people. It is a story filled with expectation, longing, and fulfillment. From the beginning, God has lovingly walked with us, called to us, and…
Anglican Pastors vs. Priests? An Introduction to Anglican Holy Orders
I have been a full-time Anglican minister since 2005, when my wife and I moved to the Middle East as cross-cultural workers (i.e., missionaries). However, I was not ordained to the diaconate until 2017 and to the priesthood in 2018. From 2005–2017, I was involved in ministries of evangelism, discipleship, and teaching, first in the…
Anglican Worship: Where Does It Say In the Bible to Do That?
As an Anglican priest, parishioners often ask me where the Bible commands certain Anglican worship practices. The assumption is that we should only do what the Bible expressly commands us to do. The thinking goes: If the Bible doesn’t say to burn candles, then we shouldn’t burn candles. If the Bible doesn’t tell us to…
Confirmation: A Rookie Anglican Guide
What is Confirmation? Confirmation is a church practice that falls into the category of what the Anglican Catechism calls “rites and institutions commonly called sacraments.” Along with Confirmation, there are four others like it: Absolution (confessing one’s sins and receiving forgiveness in the presence of a priest), Ordination, Marriage, and Anointing the Sick. These practices,…
Encouraging Family Discipleship
Having children is one of life’s most wonderful privileges, and it carries with it an amazing responsibility to shape their hearts and lives. In fact, I can’t think of any greater responsibility than being entrusted with a human life. We have been made stewards of our children’s physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Grace is Key…
Ancient Anglican Evangelism
There is a perception that Anglicans in North America don’t have our own history of evangelism. Or, at minimum, that comes from within our own tradition—not true! The church in England began with a powerful evangelistic mission to spread the message and evangelize, following Jesus’ commands in Luke’s Gospel. The Anglican tradition contains a powerful…
The Procession in Anglican Worship
We are used to community parades, graduation processions, and wedding processions. Not everyone is used to a procession in worship at church. Although many modern churches or traditions no longer practice it, it is an ancient and important Christian practice. In many Anglican churches, as worship begins, the ministers process to the front of the…
Anglican Worship: The Focus is Not My Experience
At the heart of every church tradition lies one priority that shapes the community’s identity. This central aspect is the source of its energy and vision, and becomes the first of all other priorities. This aspect determines much, if not all, of its distinctive traits and eventually becomes the touchstone for every other facet of…
A Rookie Anglican Guide to an Anglican Worship Service
Word and Sacrament Our worship service consists of two parts, the Service of the Word and the Service of the Sacrament. These two elements are equally essential, as the Word of God reveals Jesus and prepares us to receive him in the sacrament of Holy Communion. This pattern follows the early Church of the Book…
Why the Parish?
It surprises many people entering Anglicanism from other Christian traditions that we use the term ‘parish’. They had always referred to their church as simply “church” or “congregation,” but now they hear the word “parish.” What is a parish? How is it different, and why? Let’s lay out two understandings of what defines a parish. The first is a canonical designation, or how…
