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…
How to Receive Communion, Part 1: Receiving with Faith
First time I visited an Anglican church, I was afraid to go forward for communion for two reasons. If you are visiting an Anglican church for the first time, you may feel the same. So here is what we believe is happening during communion in this post, and then in the next post, some instructions…
I Don’t Want a Celebration of Life, I Want a Burial Service
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. Bury me according to the rites of a Christian. I want to be one more brother in Christ,…
The Sign of the Cross: What It Is and Why It Matters
This post about the sign of the cross originally appeared on August 06, 2014. Updated on August 22, 2018. 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…
Anglican Vestments: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Anglican Vestments Can Be Confusing When I first visited an Anglican church, I knew almost nothing about Anglican vestments. 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 as a joke. You walk into an Anglican church and you…
Baptism Creates International Incident
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…
Anglican vs. Catholic? Is Anglicanism Catholic, Reformed, or Protestant?
(Roman) Catholic? Reformed? Protestant? 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…
What do you call an Anglican Pastor?
“Hello, Father…er…I mean Pastor…sorry, I meant Reverend…. Canon…” “So are you a priest, a presbyter, a minister, a pastor, or a reverend?” What Should I Call You?
Wearing A Collar: Everyday Life of the Ordained, Part 1
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…
