Stepping into a rhythm of silence is counterintuitive to everything we practice in our society, but it has many gifts to impart.
Mystic Hunger and an Anglican Feast
I was a young child the first time I encountered the sign of the cross. It must have been on TV—probably watching The Sound of Music for the hundredth time. Having grown up in a staunchly non-liturgical evangelical home, I can’t imagine where else I would have ever seen such a gesture. It captivated me….
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….
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…
We Praise You, O God: Reflections on the Te Deum
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…
Confession: A Rookie Anglican Guide to the Reconciliation of Penitents
When I first explored Anglicanism, I was surprised to come 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 of…
From Methodist to Anglican: Returning to the Church of the Wesleys
In 2022, I left my spiritual home of over 23 years. God was calling me from the United Methodist Church to the Anglican Church, and I am just now beginning to put this spiritual journey into words. I realized that the United Methodist Church denomination that had nurtured me for so long was shifting. However,…
Let All Mobile Phones Keep Silence
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…
A Sunday Service that Directs Me to Christ
The thought snuck into my head every Sunday. “Is this it?” Despite the faithful preaching, something was missing from the standard order. There were three songs, a prayer, announcements, a sermon, a final song, and then lunch at Chipotle. It wasn’t that I was looking for more components that suited my preferences. I wanted to…
What Do Anglicans Believe about Scripture, Prayer, and Worship? A Brief Overview of Anglican Spirituality
The following is an excerpt from the Anglican Church in North America’s catechism, To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism (Crossway, 2020), pp. 81–87. You can download a PDF of the entire catechism here. A Rule of Prayer: Scripture, Prayer, and Worship 224. What is a “rule” of prayer? A rule of prayer is a regular discipline by…
Living in Liturgy: My Anglican Journey
We first enter through the bright red doors of an Anglican church, a preteen and two teenagers in tow. Questions permeate my thoughts, how will our children endure this shift, especially at this stage of their spiritual development? Is this even the right choice for our family? We have all grown up within the Church;…
Here’s Why You Should Celebrate an Epiphany Festival
Anglicans often speak of the tradition of the 12 Days of Christmas, emphasizing that the holiday is not merely one day but an extended season. The season spans from December 25 (or the evening of December 24) through January 5 and includes several nativity-oriented feast days, as well as separate saints’ days. Many families and…
