The Decalogue is a responsive paraphrase of the Ten Commandments, used (sometimes) in the Sunday Communion service. Each commandment is recited by the priest and is followed by a congregational response. For example, here is the first commandment: God spoke these words and said: I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other…
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer: International Edition: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Do you want to pray with the church and immerse yourself in the Bible? Then the Book of Common Prayer is for you. But there are lots of different versions. If you crave simplicity, then consider The 1662 Book of Common Prayer: International Edition. This book can be a structure for your spiritual life. It’s…
Psalms and Prayers for Times of War
How can we pray in times of war? Sadly, this question is always relevant because, on this side of eternity, war is always with us. Jesus himself reminds us that, before his second coming, there will be “wars and rumors of wars” and that “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matt. 25:6-7),…
You Visited Me: Prison Chaplaincy in the ACNA
“I was in prison, and you visited me.” Those are the words of Jesus to His disciples, to His body, to us, the Church, in Matthew 25:36. These are words that Father Julio Valenzuela takes to heart as a prison chaplain at a federal correctional facility in New Mexico. The days are long as a…
Getting Started with the Daily Office: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Let’s face it: to the modern ear, “Daily Office” sounds more like your workplace than your prayer routine. However, while this “office” 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 “divine…
The Liturgy Will Pray for You: A Journey Through Grief with the Book of Common Prayer
I did not become a Christian in a liturgical tradition, but I was introduced to liturgical prayer and worship early in my walk. I found liturgy especially helpful in giving me words and phrases to cling to when my own prayers felt “stuck.” After 21 years as a Christian, shifting into the Anglican tradition, and…
When Two or Three Are Gathered: A Commentary on the Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
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
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…
10 Reasons for Anglican Optimism
When we observe the world—the sin and disbelief and conflict surrounding the church, together with the sin and disbelief and conflict within the church—it is easy to grow weary of the “changes and chances of this life” (BCP, 60). But take heart: our Lord Jesus Christ is on his throne, his Kingdom is at hand,…
Confession: A Rookie Anglican Guide to the Reconcilation of Penitents
When I first explored Anglicanism, I was surprised when I came across the Reconciliation of Penitents in my Book of Common Prayer. I was shocked as I read through the rite: this was confession! But wait, isn’t confession a “Catholic” thing? We can approach God without going through a priest! It’s one of the hallmarks…
