On Ash Wednesday, clergy around the world will draw a cross-shaped smudge of dark black ashes on the foreheads of millions of people. It is the ancient rite of The Imposition of Ashes which signals the start of Lent. The words that accompany the ‘imposition’ on Ash Wednesday are simple, sober, and true. Over the years I…
Baptism Creates International Incident
A surprise baptism at the original site of the Lord’s baptism (Mark 1:9-11) created an international incident yesterday and a glimpse of the age to come. Here is what happened. I am leading a tour of 30 adults through the Holy Land. Our bus pulled up to the newly renovated site commemorating the Lord Jesus’s…
The Ache of All Saints’ Day
I cannot remember the last All Saints’ Sunday I sat in the pew instead of the chancel. However, this All Saints’ Day, I wasn’t collared and vested, leading the liturgy in the parish I serve. I sat in a pew in another parish because I’m taking a sabbatical this autumn. Where does an Anglican priest…
Cranmer and the Book of Common Prayer
Author and theologian J. I. Packer says of the Book of Common Prayer‘s influence on the British people, Long before the age of fish and chips, the Book of Common Prayer was the Great British invention, nurturing all sorts and conditions of Englishmen and holding the church together with remarkable effectiveness. Before the Book of…
A Quick Primer on Liturgical Theology
Ever wondered how to understand Christian worship? Here is a quick overview of liturgical theology… Word & Sacrament In his masterful book Liturgical Theology, Simon Chan observed that, “[Worship] practices have always returned to two things, Word and sacrament.” Our Sunday worship takes this seriously. The first part of the service is the word, and the…
Traditions that are Not in the Bible
Today, I had a great Facebook exchange with a family member’s friend. We were discussing wedding bands. Should married couples wear them? Are there alternative ways to demonstrate one’s marital faithfulness? It was a friendly discussion in which I mostly pontificated, as usual. It was a conversation between a few committed Christians who supported each…
Music in Worship
Music speaks to our souls. Song is a part of virtually every tradition of Christian worship, and therefore music is the most ecumenical aspect of the Christian faith. Hymns and songs are borrowed between denominations and churches. Anglican music is therefore as eclectic as any other tradition, but with specific hymnody and songs which fit into particular…
