Palm branches for Palm Sunday. Sidney de Almeida from Getty Images.

Palm Sunday: A Rookie Anglican Guide

Posted on April 7, 2025
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Palm Sunday is a day of palm fronds, outdoor processions, and loud praises to Christ. With these practices, we mimic the crowds that went with Jesus on his way into Jerusalem. Like them, we celebrate Christ as the returning King, the son of David, and the long-awaited messiah. However, when we remember what Jesus went…

Hymn Guide: Before the Throne of God Above

Posted on March 11, 2025
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“Before the Throne of God Above” is a moving hymn of praise to the ascended and interceding Christ, the risen Lamb of God. When we sing it, we feel drawn up to heaven and given a glimpse of God’s forgiveness and grace. The hymn is, therefore, fitting not only for theย Ascension but also for occasions…

Transfiguration by Kevin Lindholm, for Trinity Lafayette

Transfiguration Sunday: A Rookie Anglican Guide

Posted on February 26, 2025
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In the Calendar of the Book of Common Prayer (2019), the Transfiguration of Jesus is celebrated not once but twice! On the fixed calendar, it is celebrated on August 6th. On the movable calendar, it is celebrated on the last Sunday of Epiphany.

Gift of the Magi for We Three Kings.

Hymn Guide: We Three Kings

Posted on January 1, 2025
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“We Three Kings” is a festive carol that both tells the story of the magi visiting baby Jesus, and also explores the deeper significance of their gifts.

Hymn Guide: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Posted on December 13, 2024
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The majestic Christmas carol, “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,” celebrates both the birth of Christ and the saving work he came to do. First written by Charles Wesley, with small but significant modifications by George Whitefield, it reflects the confidence of the Great Awakening in the glorious grace of God.

Cecil Frances Alexander

Singing the Faith with Mrs. Alexander

Posted on October 11, 2024
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On the surface, there is precious little widely available on the life of Cecil Frances Alexander, a โ€œHymn-writer and Teacher of the Faith,โ€ as sheโ€™s called in the 2019 Prayer Book. I was able to find precisely one biography available online, which, in turn, led me to a smaller one that her husband wrote after…

Morning has broken. Blackbird has spoken.

Hymn Guide: Morning Has Broken

Posted on July 26, 2024
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“Morning Has Broken” is both an international pop classic and a hymn of uncommon theological depth. It begins the day with praise to God for the beauty of his creation and the sustaining power of his Word. The story of the hymn begins with Anglican priest Percy Dearmer, who wanted a text set to the…

Hymn Guide: Lift High the Cross

Posted on July 8, 2024
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“Lift High the Cross” is a hymn of missionary encouragement and spiritual victory. It sets forth the paradox of the cross: that an instrument of torture and death has become a symbol of triumph and life.