George Herbert, perhaps the greatest devotional poet in the English language, was also a faithful pastor to a small country church. When I was a student, Herbert helped lead the way of my pilgrimage to Christ. As an adult disciple and priest, I have continually refreshed my spirit by dipping back into Herbert’s prose and…
Hymn Guide: Once In Royal David’s City
“Once in Royal David’s City” was written by Anglican poet Cecil Frances Alexander and published in her 1848 text, Hymns for Little Children.
C.S. Lewis and the Fullness of Joy
I cannot imagine a more fitting tribute to the work of Jesus in the life of author, professor, and apologist C.S. Lewis than Psalm 16:12: You shall show me the path of life; in your presence is the fullness of joy, and at your right hand there is pleasure for evermore. Most deeply, this psalm…
Book Review: Why We Create: Reflections on the Creator, the Creation, and Creating
Brian Brown and Jane Clark Scharl of the Anselm Society edited a collection of essays entitled Why We Create: Reflections on the Creator, the Creation, and Creating, published by Square Halo Books in the spring of 2023. At under 200 pages, this paperback delivers more proverbial weight than its compact trim size might indicate. In…
A Renaissance of the Christian Imagination: The Anselm Society
Brian Brown and his wife, Christina, put their finger on a troubling trend within their community ten years ago. They noticed that friends of theirs who were artists often felt forgotten or even mistrusted within the church, so they had to find other communities to support their artistic endeavors. Churches, in turn, had little idea…
And I replied “My Lord”: A Reading of George Herbert’s “The Collar”
As someone who did not always observe All Saints’ Day or All Souls’ Day, I have grown to appreciate the spiritual significance of both these feasts deeply. As we remember the followers of Jesus who died before us, these feasts remind us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and encourage us to…
Hymn Guide: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
“A Mighty Fortress” is a defiant hymn of faith in Christ in spite of the world, the flesh, and the Devil. First published in 1529, with lyrics and music by Martin Luther, the hymn quickly became the anthem of the Reformation, reflecting the evangelical appeal to the gospel of Christ even above the church’s authority….
My Spirit Rejoices: Reflections on the Magnificat
Our God is a God of music. He does not sit in his high and noble tower, eternally contemplating his own existence, as some philosophers have hypothesized. He is, rather, always engaged in the drama of his own glory, bursting into the human world with shards of joy that inspire souls to sing out in…
Hymn Guide: All Creatures of our God and King
“All Creatures of our God and King” is a favorite hymn of praise that exhorts all creatures to join in the great Alleluia to God. Based on Saint Francis’s “Canticle of the Sun,” written around 1225, it reflects Francis’s core idea that we humans are siblings with all other creatures because God created us all. Anglican priest…
Cinnamon-Scented Discipleship: Curating Art in Children’s Ministry
Known, Loved, Not Alone At Restoration Anglican Church in Arlington, VA, this distillation of the Gospel—known, loved, not alone—permeates all aspects of children’s ministry. It’s on small group leaders’ T-shirts, printed with whimsical illustrations on stickers to take home, and echoed in every lesson. Kids are repeatedly reminded: God knows you (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:1-4). He…
Hymn Guide: When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is one of the first hymns written in the English language; three hundred years later, it remains one of the finest. Isaac Watts composed and published the text in his groundbreaking 1707 work, Hymns & Spiritual Songs. Because of the emphasis on the cross, it is especially fitting for the…
My Songs Extol Thy Name: Thomas Sternhold and English Psalmody
Thomas Sternhold is the founder of English psalmody and the inventor of the metrical form at the base of English hymnody. Little known except in histories of church music, Sternhold’s contribution is now better understood, thanks to the pioneering work of scholar Beth Quitslund. Sternhold is commemorated on August 23, or at least he would…
