We’ve made two wrong turns so far, and that’s my fault. I keep looking up from the map on my phone at the mountains surrounding us here in northern Washington state. We are looking for a retreat center in Sumas, a town that seems to be mostly small farms patched in among the forested hills….
The Vital Role of the Small Church Leader
The mission of LeaderWorks is to help church leaders do their work. In that effort, James K.A. Smith and Tim Keller have blessed us richly with their recent conversation in Comment Magazine. Church leaders who have just begun their ministries, whether planting a church or leading a small congregation, often feel frustrated by a lack…
Listen to the Word & Table Podcast to Learn More about Liturgical and Sacramental Christian Worship
I don’t know about you, but I’m quite possibly addicted to podcasts. Right now, NPR’s UpFirst, The Tim Ferriss Show, and The Art of Manliness are some of my favorites. However, it’s been a bit of struggle for me to find great Anglican podcasts. Granted, perhaps that’s due to my own ignorance, but when you…
Why Pray for the Dead?
“For all those who departed this life in the certain hope of the resurrection, in thanksgiving let us pray to the Lord.” In Anglican worship, we don’t pray to the dead. But, we do pray for the dead and we pray with the dead. Many people have asked me why we do this. Most of the time they…
WATCH: A Call to Plant a Church
A week or so ago I had the chance to sit with one of the church planters in our diocese (C4SO) from the Austin area. Shawn is one of a growing number of young leaders that have sensed a strong call to ministry in the Anglican Church in North America. However, he’s done more than…
(An) Anglican(‘s) Opinion: Priests are not Sacramental Specialists
This post is a part of Rookie Anglican, a blog dedicated to Making Anglicanism Accessible. “The more things change, the more things stay the same.” ~ Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr T.F. Torrance’s astute observation applies as much to the Church today as it did to ancient Israel: “the tendency to make the sacrificial priesthood independent of the…
You Miserable, Wretched Sinners!
You miserable, wretched sinners! You will hear this during Lent. Some will be offended, as these words seem rude and unworthy of creatures created in God’s image. To retain these words would be to wrongly imply that human beings are supposed to grovel before God and debase themselves. Others will be pleased, as these traditional…
Why Do We Worship The Way We Do?
As Anglicans, we use various forms of ancient worship called “liturgical.” This is the major thing that distinguishes us from “low” churches that do not have a traditional liturgy. Liturgy: The Work of the People Liturgy comes from a Greek word that means “the work of the people.” In this ancient custom of worship, we…
My Anglican Journey – by Sunita Theiss
The best way to describe my journey to Anglicanism is to say that I stumbled into it. But before I get to the Anglican part, I have to talk about my journey to becoming a Christian. My Christian Journey I grew up in an Indian Hindu family, and my first experience attending church was in…
Liturgical Dance Moves? – A Brief Introduction to Ritual Actions in Worship
This post is a part of Rookie Anglican, a blog dedicated to Making Anglicanism Accessible. What’s the most confusing part of an Anglican worship service? Surely the “liturgical dance moves” are near the top of the list! You know, when it seems like everyone else in the service — except you! — knows to make a…
What They Are Saying About The Incarnation
Here are a few lines from some of the wisest writers and thinkers on the Incarnation of Christ. Drink deep and believe! Hast thou not heard, that my Lord Jesus di’d? Then let me tell thee a strange storie. The God of power, as he did ride In his majestic robes of glorie, Reserv’d to…
For the Beauty of The Year: The Liturgical Calendar
Our culture has its own calendar for the next month or so. We can mark off these days: Door-busters, Black Friday, Parties, Winter breaks, Holiday cheer, Family dinners (and political arguments) and ending with a Ball-dropping champagne toast. That is the liturgy of the world at the end of a year. But what about the Liturgical…
