In times of fasting or seasons of special need, Anglicans use an ancient form of responsive prayer called the Great Litany. This litany is extensive and encompassing, running across eight pages in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer (pp. 91-98). It includes prayers to the Trinity, prayers for protection against all manner of evil, petitions…
The Ven. Dr. Peter Johnston serves as the Ministry President of Anglican Compass. He is a priest and archdeacon in the Anglican Diocese of All Nations and the founding rector of Trinity Lafayette. He lives with his wife, Carla, and their nine children near Lafayette, Louisiana.
Hymn Guide: For All The Saints
Long before I thought about its lyrics, I loved to sing “For All the Saints.” The marching rhythm, the majestic tune, the repeated Alleluias: these would stir in my heart and inspire devotion to God. How wonderful, then, to discover that the hymn is also deeply theological, offering a profound reflection on the meaning of…
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….
St. Philip the Evangelist: Deacon, Preacher, Scholar, Dad
St. Philip the Evangelist is best remembered for his witness to the Ethiopian eunuch, a conversion story recorded in Acts 8. But this is only one of the remarkable stories of Philip, who appears in the Book of Acts as a deacon, a preacher, a scholar, and a dad. In this article, I briefly survey…
For the Procreation of Children: The First Purpose of Marriage
The first purpose of marriage is the procreation of children. This is the teaching of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. What’s more, children are a blessing and a joy! Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior…
Hymn Guide: Ye Holy Angels Bright
“Ye Holy Angels Bright” is a majestic exhortation to the everlasting praise of God, even in the midst of persecution or trial. Inspired by Psalm 148, it addresses multiple categories of creation: angels, saints in heaven, saints on earth, and finally the singer’s individual soul. Richard Baxter, a 17th-century Anglican of the Puritan party, composed the…
Psalms and Prayers after an Assassination
After an assassination, we really ought to pray. By definition, an assassination is a surprise, a shocking and unexpected murder of a political or religious leader. We remember assassinations because we feel them personally; at the assassination of public figures, our minds and bodies participate in the shock. This shock produces anger, and anger can…
The Lindisfarne Gospels and the Anglican Ethos of Translation
The Lindisfarne Gospels are an illuminated Gospel book first created around 700 AD on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Now held by the British Library, it is one of the great surviving treasures of the early English Church, broadly appreciated for its precise calligraphy, elegant Celtic designs, jeweled colors, and symbolic art. The manuscript also…
Church Planting in National Parks
National parks provide a unique and strategic context for church planting. Though their gateway cities tend to have a small permanent population, they host millions of seasonal visitors every year. And many of these seasonal visitors are uniquely open to spiritual experience. For those who come to experience the beautiful creation, there is a missional…
Taizé: Brother Roger’s Vision of Christian Unity
Taizé 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 Taizé, expressed in song, silence, and a…
Rise of the Anglican Megachurch: Observations from the ACNA’s Largest Churches
The vast majority of Anglican churches have fewer than 100 attendees on a Sunday. But there have always been a few parishes that welcome many more. These are typically legacy churches with centuries of history, such as Falls Church in Virginia (est. 1732) and St. Philip’s in Charleston, South Carolina (est. 1680). Even newcomers to these ranks, such…
Hymn Guide: America the Beautiful
“America the Beautiful” is one of our popular patriotic hymns, sung often at civic celebrations and even before sporting events. But in the church, this hymn is a victim of its own success. Because we associate it with secular gatherings and only remember its first verse, we are often reluctant to sing it in church….
