We Praise You, O God: Reflections on the Te Deum

Posted on August 8, 2023
|

The Early Church has furnished us with a wellspring of liturgical resources. Studies in this area have seen a minor renaissance as modern Christians, particularly Evangelicals, have expressed a desire for a living tradition to hold on to. [1] They desire for this tradition to not simply be the accepted beliefs and practices of those…

Let Us Kneel Before The Lord: The Biblical Basis for Kneeling in Worship

Posted on August 1, 2023
|

Anglicans kneel a lot: in prayer, in confession, and at communion. We often surprise visitors from other traditions with our frequent kneeling. Why do we kneel so often? In short, kneeling is Biblical Worship, Bodily Worship, and Beautiful Worship. Kneeling as Biblical Worship The Bible associates kneeling with worship, especially prayers of confession, thanksgiving, and petition. Kneeling in the Old Testament Consider…

Getting Started with the Daily Office: A Rookie Anglican Guide

Posted on July 25, 2023
|

Letโ€™s face it: to the modern ear, โ€œDaily Officeโ€ sounds more like your workplace than your prayer routine. However, while this โ€œofficeโ€ is not the workplace that it sounds like, it is, in a certain sense, a task or, more appropriately, a vocation. The odd name comes from the Latin officium divinum, which means โ€œdivine…

Why Do Christians Call God Father?

Posted on July 17, 2023
|

To call God “Father” is one of the great privileges of being a Christian. But this can be confusing to the world and even to some inside the church. Why do Christians call God “Father” when he is not our biological dad? The Child Calls to His Father The power of the word “Father” is…

Midday Prayer: A Rookie Anglican Guide

Posted on June 30, 2023
|

Our days are busy. Life is a nonstop hustle from the time we finish breakfast until we get home from work or school. Lunch itself may be eaten on the go. In the midst of it all, we often neglect Paul’s instruction to โ€œpray without ceasingโ€ (1 Thes. 5:17). However, Midday Prayer is here to…

When Two or Three Are Gathered: Reflections on the Prayer of St. John Chrysostom

Posted on June 28, 2023
|

Introduction Few preachers in the Patristic Church are as admired and enduring as John Chrysostom.[1] Born in A.D. 349, John developed a love for the written word that his mentor, Diodore, heavily influenced. In response to the rising trend of allegorical interpretation, Diodore and his apprentice emphasized that the Bible should be taken in its…

Compline: A Rookie Anglican Guide

Posted on June 21, 2023
|

Compline as Night Prayer Many of us are accustomed to saying a quick prayer before bed. The church has a formal tradition of doing this called Compline, the final of four prayer times collectively called the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer. Unlike the two principal offices, Morning and Evening Prayer, Compline (as…

Evening Prayer

Evening Prayer: A Rookie Anglican Guide

Posted on June 8, 2023
|

Evening Prayer can be a great way to transition from the busy rhythms of work or school into a more restful, reflective last chapter of the day. Multiple authors have explained the value of such prayer for finding God, emotional stability, and even verse memorization. Like all our offices of daily prayer, it can be…

Let All Mobile Phones Keep Silence

Posted on January 7, 2023
|

The Prayer Book has seen many revisions: in America alone, there are the 1789, 1892, 1928, 1979, and now 2019 editions. Some have suggested that the next step should be to phase out printed copies of the Prayer Book altogether and replace them with an all-digital format that worshippers can access on their smartphones. I…