In all three years of our Sunday lectionary, Advent 3 is also “The Baptist” 2. After reacquainting us with the character and preaching of John the Baptist in Advent 2, the church assigns a collect and readings to take us deeper into consideration of the power of biblical prophecy in general and John’s role, in…
Eight Unique Gifts that Support Anglican Artists
The gift-giving season of Christmas is right around the corner. Here are a few ideas to steer you away from big-box gadgets and toward creative choices that will convey your thoughtfulness and build up our community of faith.
Today in the Spirit: Advent 2A
On the second and third Sundays of Advent, our attention is drawn to the NT Gospel accounts of John the Baptist’s ministry. So, the church abruptly shifts our adoration from the contemplation of Jesus’ second coming to his first. Like many good films that give their audience the end before the beginning, we wonder, as…
Blue is for Beginnings: The Color of Advent
Advent blue recalls for us our Hebrew origins, inspiring us to holiness and hope in the promises of God.
Today in the Spirit: Advent 1A
The first Advent Sunday marks the arrival of a new year in the life of the liturgical church. While there is little fanfare to celebrate that fact, we find the church, after the slow drip of nourishment in the Pentecost season, urgently inviting us, as worshipers, to take stock of our lives in view of…
Celebrate Advent and Christmas with ACNA Holiday Events
Anglican Compass is excited to showcase a variety of holiday-themed events hosted by churches across the Anglican Church in North America.
Review: Eighth Day Prayers (Volume 1)
Eighth Day Prayers: Daily Hope for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, takes the focus on Christ’s incarnation deep into the heart, inviting us to a place of deep spiritual reflection in God’s presence as we enter the darkest yet most hopeful time of the year.
10 Ways to Preach the Advent Sunday Sermon
Here, I offer ten sermon prompts for the first Sunday of Advent, or Advent Sunday, which can also apply to the following three Sundays of Advent.
Waiting & Wonder: Reclaiming the Beauty of Advent and Christmas
What if we reclaimed the seasons of Advent and Christmas as two distinct but deeply connected times of preparation and celebration?
The History of the Advent Collects
The four Advent collects offer both a concise introduction to the season and a rich overview of the grace God offers to sinners.
The Liturgical Home: The Feast of St. Thomas
On December 21st, as Christmas Day fast approaches, we celebrate one more commemoration of a saint, the Feast of St. Thomas. We often know St. Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles, as “Doubting Thomas” for questioning Jesus’ resurrection after the other disciples told him about it. Tradition holds that he is the only apostle who…
