Transformed In Christ: 1 Corinthians is a concise, easily accessible summary of the apostle Paul’s first letter to the young church in Corinth, a large, prosperous, Greek city. Authors Ron Elsdon and William Olhausen lead us, through an examination of specific questions that Paul answered in his letter, into a rich understanding of the struggles…
The Bible Arranged for Worship: Our Book of Common Prayer
There is a rather common saying that the Book of Common Prayer is composed of 85% bible passages. It is true. As J.I. Packer once said, The Book of Common Prayer is the Bible arranged for worship. I like that. (To learn more about the Book of Common Prayer, read our Rookie Anglican Guide.) On…
Jesus and Psalm 22: Sorrow and Satisfaction
When Jesus was crucified on His Cross, the last words He spoke before he died are extraordinary examples of what was in His heart. Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” This is one of the most passionate and intense moments in the entire Scripture—the Son of God crying out…
The Psalm on the Cross: Learn More about Psalm 22, Christ’s Song of Sorrow and Victory
Psalm 22 is a pilgrimage from the depths of pain and suffering to the final proclamation of victory. Jesus knew the entire psalm by heart and understood the psalm as a prophetic depiction of his own death but also a prophetic declaration of hope and victory at the end. The Psalm on the Cross is…
Did God Forsake Jesus? Take A Closer Look at Psalm 22
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” These were the dying words of Jesus as he hung on the cross on Mount Calvary. But what did He mean by them? These words are read as part of the “Seven Last Words of Jesus from The Cross”. And they raise some very important questions….
The Bible in the Book of Common Prayer
Since its inception in 1549, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) has remained intertwined with the Bible. Many prayers use phrases extracted from the Bible. The Prayer Book quotes the Bible are quoted directly (for example, Opening Sentences in the Daily Office and Offertory Sentences in the Eucharist service). Whole passages of the Bible exist…
Lessons in Omission: Why Are Some Chapters Missing in the Daily Office Lectionary?
Many folks accustomed to reading Bible-in-a-year plans delight to find that the Book of Common Prayer (2019) includes a Daily Office lectionary that leads the faithful Anglican to read through the whole Bible in a year—at least most of it. Those same folks are sometimes a little dismayed to find that several books are missing…
Reading the Bible with the Caroline Divines: 4 Homiletical Takeaways
In the shadows cast by the early English reformers (such as Cramner and Hooker) on the one side, and the giants of Anglican theology since the 18th century on the other, sits the rich trove of Anglican theologians and devotional writers known collectively as the Caroline Divines. “Caroline” (derived from the Latin version of the…
What Does the Bible Say about Justice? 5 Things to Remember
This is an incredibly important time for the community of Jesus as our nation grapples with the injustice of racial inequality. An unavoidable light is now shining on the systemic oppression and racism that has plagued the history of our country from its inception. The complicity of large swathes of the American church on issues…
Reading Scripture During Lent
Despite its focus on repentance, Lent is no exception to the gracious focus of all Scripture—Jesus Christ himself. Scripture is always about redemption. How should we read Scripture in Lent? Before we look at that question, we have to lift a few burdens. Having lifted those burdens, we can be free to engage with the…
The Daily Office Is Not Enough: The Importance of Reading Scripture Devotionally
It was J. I. Packer who made an Anglican out of me. Although I had attended a student-led Anglican service when I first became a seminarian at Regent College, it wasn’t until I moved to the Anglican church that Dr. Packer attended (and at which he sometimes led liturgy) that I was struck by the…
Are Anglican Churches Biblical, “Bible Churches”?
For many years, I attended a church that called itself a “Bible church.” I really loved it and am thankful for everything I received there. But many years later I started to reflect on what exactly that name means. What does it mean to claim that your church is biblical, a “Bible church”? First of…
