A long time ago on a continent far, far away, Christians had several councils to discern whether icons and sacred images could be used to aid worship and prayer. Iconoclasts wanted no images or icons, and Iconophiles wanted to retain them. After a lot of debate and prayer over centuries, it was finally determined that…
What is Compline?
As you are browsing through the Daily Office of the 2019 Book of Common Prayer, you will run into an order of liturgy called “Compline.” Maybe you’re familiar with Compline and maybe you’re not. It doesn’t really matter… yet. In either case, this ancient prayer hour is prayed at the conclusion of every day and…
Daily Office Booklet
NOTE: Daily Office Booklets are now located at https://anglicancompass.com/rookieanglican/dailyofficebooklet/. In the interests of making the Anglican Church in North America’s Daily Office Lectionary, Morning Prayer, and Evening Prayer more accessible, I have been putting together Daily Office Booklets, which contain the basics of the Morning and Evening Prayer liturgies, as well as the references for all Scripture…
How to Chant the Nunc Dimittis
The Nunc Dimittis—also known as the Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32)—is a canticle used in Evening Prayer. Below is an audio file of the easiest way, in my opinion, to chant the canticle. As you can see in the pagescan from the 1940 Episcopal Hymnal below, I’m chanting #668, a setting written by J. Naylor. Source: The…
How to Chant the Te Deum laudamus
The Te Deum – a very early Christian hymn – is a canticle used in Morning Prayer. Below is an audio file of the easiest way, in my opinion, to chant the canticle. As you can see in the pagescan from the 1940 Episcopal Hymnal below, I begin by chanting #613, the setting written by E.G….
This Saved My Prayer Life
Meet the Rev. Michael Jarrett and The Trinity Mission (thetrinitymission.org). The Trinity Mission is an online audio podcast and website featuring a daily reading of the Daily Office, both Morning and Evening Prayer. Michael is its developer, its visionary and its voice. What a blessing this man and that website is to me and to…
How to Pray for the New President
I watched a bit of the Inauguration ceremonies. If our new President wants to Make America Great Again, he started with a whole lot of God and Country patriotism that frankly, was moving to me in a sentimental way. I am a baby-boomer. A child of the 60’s before and after the country changed for…
My Journey Into Anglicanism
A Brief Defense of “Conversion” Stories Sometimes I wish I lived in the Church of the first Millennia, before the Great Schism of 1054. Things would be a heck of a lot easier. One could say “I’m a Christian” and people would more or less know what you meant. I don’t live in that world;…
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…
Lenten Disciplines: Prayer
Continuing with our series on Lenten disciplines, we come to Lent’s emphasis on prayer. The words of Our Lord from the Sermon on the Mount set forth an example that has formed the backbone of Christian prayer from the beginning. “[W]hen you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they…
Lenten Disciplines: Fasting
With the season of Lent upon us, I’m setting out to explore the traditional Lenten disciplines of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. These disciplines are taken from the opening verses of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. See how Jesus begins each section of…
Fasting for Lent: How to Fast for Lent and Why You Should Do It
Lent is a time for prayer and fasting. It is a season of spiritual preparation in which we remember Christ’s temptation, suffering, and death. Historically, the Church has celebrated Lent as a 40-day period beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding the day before Easter. It is observed in many Christian churches as a time to…
