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My last post discussed receiving communion by faith, and was more about our understanding of the spiritual aspects of communion. This post is just plain practical. We all want to reverently receive communion, not get in anyone’s way or spill anything, and to not have any surprises. But the surprises and spills will happen. Even though we intend to avoid [...]
First time I visited an Anglican church, I was afraid to go forward for communion for two reasons. First, I had no idea how you were supposed to receive it. Dip the bread? Drink the cup? Bow, kneel, make the sign of the cross? It kinda seemed like everyone was doing something different. Second, I wasn’t sure how to receive [...]
When I die, please don't call my burial service a Celebration of Life. Don't get me wrong, I hope that people will want to celebrate my life. I just don't want this to replace my Christian burial. I want to be buried according to the rites of a Christian. I want to be one more brother in Christ, saved by [...]
Why do Anglicans make the sign of the cross? When do they do it? How do they do it? I serve in the South, so usually, the question goes: "Why do ya'll cross yourselves?" Often this is followed by "Isn't that superstitious, like the baseball players who sign themselves before batting? Isn't it a dead, rote ritual?" Sometimes folks don't [...]
This post about Anglican vestments first appeared on June 29, 2016. Updated on August 21, 2018. Anglican Vestments Can Be Confusing I knew almost nothing about Anglican vestments when I first visited an Anglican church. My only experience of robes was graduations—and that one time my dad wore a hilarious robe with colorful puffies glued onto it by a friend, [...]
A surprise baptism at the original site of the Lord’s baptism (Mark 1) 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's baptism by John. It is also the place where [...]
Most American evangelicals experience a church world that is either protestant/reformed or catholic. You have to be one or the other. For many 'catholic' means "Roman Catholic"; 'reformed' means "calvinist"; 'Protestant' means "Not Roman Catholic." The Orthodox churches are kind of silently off to the side in most of these schemes. Anglicanism, however, had a unique history that wreaks havoc on these neat labelling systems. Anglicans [...]
by Greg Goebel “Hello, Father Greg…er…I mean Pastor Greg…sorry, I meant Rev. Greg….Canon Greg…or just Greg?” “So are you a priest, a presbyter, a minister, a pastor, or a reverend?” What Should I Call You? […]
Greg is [...]
This series is an ongoing Q&A between Deacon Tish Harrison Warren (asking the questions) and Fr. Thomas McKenzie (answering) about ordained ministry. See the bottom of this post for an overview of the series. When do you wear a clerical collar and when do you not? How do you decide? The purpose of a clerical collar is to identify me [...]
