We may put on this facade because of social pressure, self-deception, or a theology that forgets that Jesus himself wept, suffered, and died. Then there is also the opposite temptation, to wallow in sadness, as if our Lord did not rise again from the grave. “Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness” is a hymn that addresses these complex emotions with honesty, beauty, and authentic hope.
The Bread of Life: Healing and The Eucharist
The risen Christ showed his scars—healed and transformed—to his disciples. The Eucharist joins us to that same reality. Not to minimize suffering or explain it away, but to acknowledge it. The table knows that we often need care before we consciously recognize it.
The Lord’s Prayer: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most well-known features of Christian worship. Many Christian denominations, even ones that don’t use pre-written prayers in their worship services, still teach children this prayer in Sunday school. However, to many Christians, Anglicans included, it can easily lose its meaning through rote repetition. So why do we pray…
He Is Risen: A Manifesto for Leavened Communion Bread
Let’s stop using wafers! Let’s return to regular bread. Pita bread from the store is better than wafers from an online store, but homemade bread is even better!
Stepping into Silence
Stepping into a rhythm of silence is counterintuitive to everything we practice in our society, but it has many gifts to impart.
The Decalogue: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The Decalogue is a responsive paraphrase of the Ten Commandments, used (sometimes) in the Sunday Communion service. The priest recites each commandment, followed by a congregational response. For example, here is the first commandment: Priest: God spoke these words and said: I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods but me….
From Baptist to Anglican: On Apostolic Succession and the Real Presence of Christ
I am an alum of a Baptist university, a graduate student at a Southern Baptist seminary, an active volunteer in Young Life, and a youth minister in an Anglican Church. You might be thinking, “One of these things is not like the others, what gives?” I was a cradle Baptist. I grew up around Reformed…
The Heart of the Prayer Book Burial Rite
In 1549, Thomas Cranmer faced the difficult task of drafting a reformed rite for the burial of the dead. The rite could not be a requiem mass. However, it could not be something like a modern memorial service either. It would have to be a celebration of Holy Communion with a burial rite. He provided…
The Prayer of Humble Access: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The Prayer of Humble Access is a traditional part of the Anglican service of Holy Communion. I recently learned how beloved the Prayer of Humble Access was to so many Anglicans when I posted about it on Twitter. I posted what I thought was a slightly humorous tweet poll that indicated some questions I have…
Isn’t Eating and Drinking the Body and Blood of Jesus…Gross?
A common reaction I am a lecturer at an evangelical liberal arts college. One of my main responsibilities is to teach the Christian doctrine course required for all undergraduates. In every class, the question of what is or isn’t happening at the Lord’s Table is always a source of fascination and debate. “Wait a minute,”…
Holy Communion: A Rookie Anglican Guide to the Eucharist
Each Sunday, in churches across the Anglican tradition, the faithful come forward to receive a piece of bread and a sip of wine, being told that these are the body and blood of Christ. It is an ancient practice that traces back to the words of Jesus himself. So, what happens during a liturgical service…
A Gift of God: The Eucharist Revives a Weary Christian
“OK, let’s sing that verse again,” the worship leader said. “And this time sing it with everything you’ve got!” I was sitting in the back row of the church cradling a sleeping baby. I was lonely and exhausted—deeply disconnected from the upbeat music coming from the stage. A voice inside my head whispered back to…
