As a youth minister, summer camp is a regular part of my life. Every year, we load up the church van and head into the middle of nowhere for a week of sleepless nights, camp food, sunburn, and ruthless competition. While I love all the craziness that comes with camp, there is one experience I…
500 Years of the Holy Communion Lectionary
In this article and its predecessor, “500 Years of the Daily Office Lectionary,” Fr. Matthew Brench surveys the development of the lectionaries of the Anglican Prayer Book tradition, especially those of the England, the U.S., and Canada, culminating in the present 2019 Prayer Book of the Anglican Church in North America. Like the Daily Office…
The Gloria Patri: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The Gloria Patri (Latin for “glory to the Father”) is that small but mighty doxology in Anglican worship where we proclaim: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. The Gloria Patri is used most…
500 Years of the Daily Office Lectionary
In this article and its follow up, “500 Years of the Holy Communion Lectionary,” Fr. Matthew Brench surveys the development of the lectionaries of the Anglican Prayer Book tradition, especially those of the England, the U.S., and Canada, culminating in the present 2019 Prayer Book of the Anglican Church in North America. The Daily Office…
Humble Thanks: A Reflection on the General Thanksgiving
Thankfulness is one of many virtues we find hard to cultivate. We are “curved inward” thanks to sin, and our desires are disordered. We find it easier to complain about life and how difficult our situation is. When someone points out how others have it worse, we bristle like an animal caught in a trap….
Easter Vigil: A Rookie Anglican Guide
There may be no more powerful portrayal of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Christian liturgy than that which happens in the darkness of night before Easter morning. In the Easter Vigil, a service that begins in total darkness, light is carried into the midst of the people and spreads, culminating in the jubilant proclamation…
Behold This Thy Family: Cranmer’s Good Friday Collects
Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who led the development of the Book of Common Prayer, crafted collects for Good Friday with a special emphasis on the church as the family of God. There are three collects for the day, the only occasion for which Cranmer appointed more than one. The first asks God to “behold this thy…
The General Confession, Humility, and Healing
The General Confession and the Assurance of Pardon (Absolution) provide us with biblical and true answers to both sides of this equation. As we kneel to confess each week, let us do so with a sober examination of our lives and a grateful heart for Christ’s saving work of redemption.
How Anglican Liturgy Stewards Our Emotions
As someone raised within the charismatic tradition, I grew up believing that emotions played an important role in Christian worship. However, after seeing numerous worship leaders and pastors use certain practices to fabricate an emotional atmosphere within worship, I became disenchanted with certain worship styles and their façade of authenticity. I later had the opportunity…
The Nicene Creed: A Rookie Anglican Guide
First drafted by bishops gathered at the Council of Nicaea in 325, the Nicene Creed is now affirmed by all major Christian denominations as a fundamental expression of the faith.
