The Chalking of the Doors is a festive tradition for the Epiphany season, marking the blessing of Christ on the home and all who enter. Moreover, the mysterious Epiphany formula is a sure conversation starter and an evangelical tool. It creates an opening for theological reflection on Christ and his promise of abundant life. Marking…
Today in the Spirit: Epiphany 2B
The early Sundays in the Epiphany season are dedicated to the revelation of the Son of God in the successful formation of the community of disciples. In Epiphany 2B, the assigned Gospel reading out of John 1:43-51 recounts for the worshiping church Jesus’ calling of the apostles Philip and Nathanael. The devotion of these two,…
Today in the Spirit: Epiphany 1B
Prepositions are important in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). One change in the BCP 2019 that can easily go unnoticed is the designation of Sundays “of Epiphany” in the new book compared with Sundays “after Epiphany” or “after the Epiphany” in earlier books. So we might ask, what does the new title communicate? One…
The Liturgical Home: Shrove Tuesday
It’s time for Shrove Tuesday, also called Pancake Day, Mardi Gras, and Carnival. And I’m excited, not only because we will eat pancakes but also because it means we are only a day away from Lent, my favorite season of the year! The End of the Carnival The word Carnival comes from the Latin expression,…
Today in the Spirit: Epiphany World Mission Sunday A
The Book of Common Prayer 2019 has designated the second to last Sunday of Epiphany every year to be World Mission Sunday. This accomplishes two important things: 1) it causes us who spend most our time and energy following Jesus in one locality among a small circle of people to lift our eyes over the…
10 Ways to Preach the Baptism of our Lord
In 2016, I led a tour of 30 adults through the Holy Land, and one of our stops was the newly renovated site on the Jordan River, commemorating John the Baptist’s baptism of our Lord. I led our group in the renewal of vows, sprinkling and praying over 29 of the 30 pilgrims. Then, one…
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…
Holy Week: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Starting on Palm Sunday, Holy Week begins. As I put it in my overview of the Church calendar and the Christian liturgical year, The last week of Lent, Holy Week, remembers the last week of Christ’s earthly life, beginning with Palm Sunday’s commemoration of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Holy Week is the week between…
Epiphany: A Bridge to the Season of Lent
Next week, Christians worldwide will turn their hearts and minds—and foreheads—to Ash Wednesday. People have begun pondering and discussing what their Lenten practices will be this year. Worship pastors and musicians select hymns and worship songs to ensure we have plenty of ‘alleluias’ before that word is silenced for forty days. Your weekend grocery shopping…
The Church Calendar: A Rookie Anglican Guide to the Christian Year
What time is it? At first glance, it might not seem like it, but this is one of the most important questions a human being can ask! Thankfully, there’s an Anglican answer! Or, better, there is a Christian answer that the Anglican tradition helps proclaim! While the secular calendar organizes life around civic holidays, national…
