Rev'd Gavin Dunbar

Second of Two Parts In the first part of this essay, we explored the meaning of the term “Son of man”, used by Jesus to refer to himself, as the key to his understanding of the titles “Messiah” and “Son…

The church commemorates the martyrdom of St. Peter (and also St. Paul) on June 29th, a feast especially important to the church of Rome, which cherished its apostolic roots, and the tombs of the apostles, housed in magnificent basilicas built…

(Part 1 of 2) The Creeds teach us to speak of Jesus as Christ and Son of God – but it is notable that in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) such language is rare. There are good reasons…

A reflection on the formation of faith in the young by Mr. Vanderlip. Do dogs ask “Who am I?” That seems a distinctly human question. A child may ask of a quadruped, shaggy creature that is so affectionate toward her,…

Poor Pentecost! In the church’s law of prayer, it is a feast of the Gospel on par with Christmas and Easter, but in practice is treated like any other Sunday. It’s a comment, not only the significance of the feast,…

Somewhat like weddings and funerals, ordinations have been taken over by the contemporary culture of the autonomous self and turned into “celebrations” of the persons who are entering a holy estate, rather than of the holy estate to which they…

Thursday, May 29, 2025, is the Feast of the Lord’s Ascension, one of the most important but also most neglected festivals of the Church’s year. On Ascension Day, Holy Communion will be administered in the Chapel at Noon and 5…

In the minds of many, Christmas is the chief festival of the Church’s year, with Easter in second place – but after that? Most would have trouble picking out other days of importance. This impression is understandable, but mistaken, because…

(Part 2 of 2) In last week’s essay, I made some sharp criticisms of the Presiding Bishop’s Easter Letter – its tendency to eisegesis (reading his own views into Scripture, rather than reading out of Scripture the ideas it sets…

(Part 1 of 2) There was a time when I would occasionally do a “cleanse” of my system with a robust jeremiad against the latest folly of the Episcopal church. Though I have eschewed this indulgence in recent years, this…

On Easter day, the veils of Lenten array come down, and the image of the risen Lord is revealed once more. That’s the meaning of Easter: in the bodily resurrection of Christ the hidden victory of the cross is unveiled,…

Over the course of Holy Week the Church reads the Passion narratives of all four gospels in order. It is a lot to absorb, and these notes are intended to assist us in doing so. It is the ancient lessons…