On October 16, 1555, in Oxford, England, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, bishops in the English Church, died as martyrs. Bound back-to-back, they were burned at the stake.
Today in the Spirit: Proper 23A
The Gospel of Matthew sets up the narrative of our Lord’s final week in Jerusalem before the Last Supper as a one-two strike: first, a prolonged, direct attack on the hypocrisy of the religious leaders in Jerusalem (21:23–23:36); then, a set of urgent exhortations directed to his disciples for perseverance in the faith and to…
Learning Obedience with St. Thérèse
For Thérèse, obedience did not mean abandoning what she understood to be God’s call.
Today in the Spirit: Proper 22A
The intensity level of the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of Jerusalem reaches its highest pitch in the last days before our Lord’s death. At Proper 22A, the church assigns the second of three parables in Matthew addressed to the priests and elders of the city. Spoken right after the parable of the…
Lancelot Andrewes: Scholar, Preacher, and Saint
If you’re new to Anglicanism and researching its history, one name you will frequently encounter is Lancelot Andrewes, a formative figure in the decades after the English Reformation. His commemoration, on September 26th in the United States (a day earlier in England!), lists him as Bishop of Winchester and a Teacher of the Faith. But…
Today in the Spirit: Proper 21A
With the assigned readings in Proper 21A, the church takes us forward in Matthew to Jesus’ teaching in the temple after his final entry into Jerusalem. The Gospel reading out of Matthew 21:28-32 is the parable of the two sons. Our Lord’s main purpose in giving this parable (found only in Matthew) is to illustrate…
What are the Fundamental Declarations of the ACNA?
What is fundamental? Christians should ask themselves this question, because what we hold as fundamental defines our core convictions, timeless truths, and essentials.
Today in the Spirit: Proper 20A
In our year-long meditation from Matthew on the revelation of Jesus, the church now moves us forward to a point just before our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The assigned Gospel reading is Matthew 20:1-16. Only Matthew contains the parable of the workers in the vineyard, which Jesus delivered to the disciples after teaching them…
Silence Beyond Expectation: A Reflection on Psalm 131
“Mom, Mom, Mom.” I hear this mantra often. Balancing family life and a career is challenging, and sometimes I just want silence. Not any silence, but a silence that requires absolutely no follow-up. A few years ago, I signed up for a silent retreat. I approached the retreat like a spiritual vacation: a little rest,…
Today in the Spirit: Proper 19A
With the Bible readings assigned for Proper 19A, the theme of our worship this week is repentance and forgiveness in the believing community. The passages hold out both the prospects of abundant reward from God where forgiveness exists and the deadly consequences where it does not. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 18:21-35, we hear…
Hannah More: Lessons from the Educator and Abolitionist
Hannah More was one of Britain’s most influential Christian women—a writer, reformer of society, poet and playwright, educator, abolitionist, and lifelong Anglican.
Marriage and Mankind (Jerusalem Declaration 8.2)
By linking the “unchangeable standard of Christian marriage” to the creation of humankind as male and female, clause 8 opens a doorway to consider a cluster of related issues concerning human nature.