Easter isn’t a finish line—it’s our kickoff to a season of celebration. Still, pastors can be forgiven for admitting that after Holy Week, they are a little exhausted. Whether your church hosts vigils, daily services, or some other Easter extravaganza, there is a lot to juggle. Especially tricky is managing the liturgies. Palms and Passion,…
Interview: Arrabon
After the events in Charlottesville in August, I came across an article by Doug Paul of Missio Alliance with a catchy and convicting subtitle: “When a Generation of Church Planters Reach Only White People” In reviewing the book The Creative Class, Paul argues (persuasively) that in creating ‘hip’ church plants, many young pastors may be inadvertently…
Liturgical Space: A Very Weird Message
Throughout the next several months I will be posting on the relationship of art and theology. We will look at how the concept of types (the participation of all creation in the divine), compels us to embrace a sacramental outlook on life, and the artists role in that– as we have been given earthly substances (the…
People of the Book
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….
Are Icons Okay to Use in Prayer and Worship?
A long time ago on a continent far, far away, Christians had several councils to discern whether icons and sacred images could be used to aid worship and prayer. Iconoclasts wanted no images or icons, and Iconophiles wanted to retain them. After a lot of debate and prayer over centuries, it was finally determined that…
The Procession in Anglican Worship
We are used to community parades, graduation processions, and wedding processions. Not everyone is used to a procession in worship at church. Although many modern churches or traditions no longer practice it, it is an ancient and important Christian practice. In many Anglican churches, as worship begins, the ministers process to the front of the…
Anglican Worship: The Focus is Not My Experience
At the heart of every church tradition lies one priority that shapes the community’s identity. This central aspect is the source of its energy and vision, and becomes the first of all other priorities. This aspect determines much, if not all, of its distinctive traits and eventually becomes the touchstone for every other facet of…
A Rookie Anglican Guide to an Anglican Worship Service
Word and Sacrament Our worship service consists of two parts, the Service of the Word and the Service of the Sacrament. These two elements are equally essential, as the Word of God reveals Jesus and prepares us to receive him in the sacrament of Holy Communion. This pattern follows the early Church of the Book…
Fasting & Feasting in Lent
The penitential and preparatory season of Lent includes 40 days of fasting. However, if you look at the calendar closely enough and do the math, you’ll see that the actual season is a bit longer. Why? Within those 40 days, we exclude those Sundays. Sundays are feast days and cannot be fast days. These Lord’s…
Ash Wednesday: Are You Really Only Dust in the Wind?
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…
Going Back to Church for Christmas Eve
“Its been a while. Going to the Christmas Eve service seems like the right thing to do. For the kids. For me. For God.” “Its been a while since I’ve been to church, and I’m not sure how I feel about going back. I’m not sure if I’ll feel good or guilty. Not sure if…
Why Do We Kneel in Prayer?
There used to be a time not long ago when pews or sitting furniture of any kind were wholly absent from the sanctuary. Let’s be honest, we’re a bit removed from the ancient traditions of the Church when it comes to furniture and prayer. We now live in an era when comfortable chairs are replacing…
