The gift-giving season of Christmas is right around the corner. Here are a few ideas to steer you away from big-box gadgets and toward creative choices that will convey your thoughtfulness and build up our community of faith.
Veni Creator Spiritus: The Ancient Ordination Hymn
The silence of the ordination service is heavy with expectation, especially when the ordinand lowers his body to the ground. He has been examined by the bishop, and soon he will kneel under the bishop’s hands. Though he has just made lofty vows, he knows, like Isaiah, that he is a man of unclean lips….
Taizรฉ: Brother Roger’s Vision of Christian Unity
Taizรฉ is the name of a small village in France, which is home to a monastic community of ecumenical Christian brothers and hosts many thousands of pilgrims from all denominations who visit each year. When these pilgrims return to their homes, they carry with them the spirit of Taizรฉ, expressed in song, silence, and a…
Remembering Rod Whitacre: The Ukulele Evangelist
In early 2023, the Rev. Dr. Rod Whitacre sat in a hospital bed, reflecting on his life with his son Chad. He was receiving treatment for lymphoma and would soon decide to come home to hospice care. Together that day, they remembered Rodโs many published contributions to New Testament studies, including the IVP New Testament…
What Do People Look For in a New Church? (Suddenly Surging Part 3)
(Part three of five in David Roseberry’s Suddenly Surging series on church growth.) A friend once shared a valuable lesson she learned from a performance review at her previous job. Although her position was secure, her boss wanted to address a specific personality trait that he found bothersome. When given a task, she tended to…
Saint Thomas Sunday: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The Sunday after Easter is also called โSaint Thomas Sunday.โ This Sunday, we read the story of the apostle Thomas, his doubts about the news of the resurrection, and his confession of faith when Jesus showed him his wounds. It is a day to acknowledge skepticism and celebrate belief. Most importantly, Saint Thomas Sunday is…
A Renaissance of the Christian Imagination: The Anselm Society
Brian Brown and his wife, Christina, put their finger on a troubling trend within their community ten years ago. They noticed that friends of theirs who were artists often felt forgotten or even mistrusted within the church, so they had to find other communities to support their artistic endeavors. Churches, in turn, had little idea…
Making Music with Jeremiah
It may seem odd to others why I would write and record an entire album from the Book of Jeremiah. As a singer-songwriter who writes music for the Church, this certainly isnโt typical. Many albums, especially of music written for worship, focus on themes within Scripture, but rarely does an album focus on one book…
Hymn Guide: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
A beloved hymn for Thanksgiving, “Come, ye thankful people, come” is also a fitting hymn for Advent. It presents a rare combination of thanks and judgment, drawing singers into reverent awe before the Almighty. Anglican priest Henry Alford wrote the hymn in 1844 and published it under the heading, “After Harvest.” At the time Alford…
Hymn Guide: See the Conqueror (ft. an exclusive video with Jenny & Tyler!)
“See the Conqueror” is a wonderful hymn on the Ascension of Christ. It is not widely known, but we hope to make it more popular, with God’s help! It was written by a 19th-century English bishop named Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1855), the nephew of poet William Wordsworth. Bishop Wordsworth authored many books, including The Holy Year, a book…
