Following Matthew’s sequence of events, our Lord now returns to home base in Capernaum for a brief time before setting out for Judea and Jerusalem. In our worship, we come to the fourth major teaching discourse of Jesus in Matthew (18:1-35), this one directed to his disciples alone and centered on themes of humility toward…
Daily Office Booklet 2026: September–December
Good news! We’ve completed the latest edition of the Daily Office Booklet. Beginning to pray the Daily Office is a great way to start the New Year. This edition will guide you through Morning and Evening Prayer, using the lectionary readings from September through December 2026. As always, we’ve rendered PDFs for you to print in both booklet and…
The Theology of St. Augustine: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Augustine was a man of deep conviction, with remarkable biblical, rhetorical, and logical mastery, while still maintaining the heart of a pastor.
St. Monica: The Mother Behind St. Augustine
St. Augustine, the priest, bishop, and arguably most influential theologian outside the Bible, is well known for his conversion story. His Confessions remain widely read and quoted today. But we would not know St. Augustine as we do without St. Monica, his mother, and her own life of Christian formation. A Mother Formed in Faith…
Today in the Spirit: Proper 17A
At Proper 17A, we come to Jesus’ first prediction in Matthew of his crucifixion and resurrection, followed by the signature messianic teaching, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” In Matthew, Mark and Luke (the Synoptic Gospels) there are as many as three…
The Sunday and Holy Day Lectionary: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Each Sunday, Anglicans gather to hear God’s Word read out loud according to a set schedule of readings called the lectionary. The first reading typically comes from the Old Testament, followed by a Psalm. A second reading, usually drawn from a New Testament epistle, follows the Psalm, and the readings culminate in a selection from…
Today in the Spirit: Proper 16A
Following the Gospel of Matthew in Year A, this week in our worship we contemplate another recorded incident of Jesus and his disciples while north of the Sea of Galilee; this time in the district of Caesarea Philippi, an important city in the region governed by Philip, the son of Herod, and a center of…
Birth and Our Rebirth in Baptism
A new awareness stirred within me of how our own entrances into the world reflect the rebirth Christ has given us.
Today in the Spirit: Proper 15A
At this point in our walk with Jesus in the Season After Pentecost Year A, we are approaching the end of his ministry in the north (mainly Galilee) before he journeys south to Jerusalem and the cross. The assigned Gospel reading out of Matthew 15:21-28 is the narrative account of Jesus’ encounter with a Canaanite…
O Ruler of the Universe: A Reflection on Magna Et Mirabilia
The 2019 Book of Common Prayer, however, draws on nearly 400 years of Prayer Book history; the canticle Magna et Mirabilia offers a wonderful example.
How to Take a Personal Prayer Retreat
A personal prayer retreat is a choice to cut yourself off from the world for a time in order to be with God. I recommend every Christian, including laity, take a two-night prayer retreat at least once a year. This is not always feasible and, if you are unaccustomed to praying for more than an…
Marriage and Sexual Intimacy (Jerusalem Declaration 8.1)
Many outside the Gafcon movement, and some within it, have asked: “Why are you hung up on sex?” My reply has two parts. First, I will exposit this clause literally, focusing on the meaning of marriage as expressed in the Bible and Prayer Book.