Weekly essays inspired by Anglican themes and theology.
Vol. 57 No. 8 The Second Sunday after Epiphany January 18, 2026 By the word Epiphany we refer both to a particular day (January 6th) and to the season that follows it. (This season varies in length – from two to six Sundays – depending on Easter’s falling early or late.) But what is Epiphany? “We…
Vol. 57 No. 7 The First Sunday after Epiphany January 11, 2026 Epiphany means manifestation, or appearing— specifically the manifestation of deity. Scripture records many epiphanies: God descending upon Sinai in cloud and fire; even the created order itself is theophanic, revealing the hand of its Maker. Yet these are manifestations of God to human nature.…
Vol. 57 No. 6 The Second Sunday after Christmas January 4, 2026 The fourth century was dominated by controversy over the deity and humanity of Christ. Was it God himself who came to save the world in Christ, or merely someone like God? And if Christ was truly God, was he also truly man—or only something…
Vol. 57 No. 5 Holy Innocents (The Sunday after Christmas ) December 28, 2025 The beauty of St. John’s this Christmas was enhanced by the poinsettias, wreaths and garland given to the glory of God and as follows: Christmas poinsettias given in loving memory of: Christmas poinsettias given in thanksgiving for, in honor of, in celebration of:…
Vol. 57 No. 4 The Fourth Sunday in Advent December 21, 2025 Christmas Communions: Baptized Christians admitted to Communion should receive the sacrament on Christmas (Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. or 11 p.m.; Dec. 25 at 11 a.m.) or on the days following. (Dec. 26 at noon; Dec. 27 at 11 a.m. and Dec. 28 at…
Vol. 57 No. 3 The Third Sunday in Advent December 14, 2025 The Nicene Creed begins with the confession of Israel’s faith in “one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible”. Pagan religions confused the natural with the divine, the many with the one: the scriptures of…
Vol. 57 No. 2 The Second Sunday in Advent December 7, 2025 I cringe when westerners trying to be respectful of non-Christian religions refer to them as “faiths” or “creeds”. They don’t seem to realize it is a very Christian way of talking about religion. Judaism might be described as a ritual and moral “law”, Taoism…
Vol. 57 No. 1 The First Sunday in Advent November 30, 2025 An Annual Congregational Meeting is an opportunity to review the state of the parish, and much of this is necessarily concerned with reports on finances, buildings, attendance, and programming. But it is also an opportunity for us to remind ourselves of our larger purpose,…
One of our more agreeable habits at St John’s is an Annual Meeting that accomplishes necessary business in a businesslike fashion. This year was no exception. With Graham Sadler, the Senior Warden, in the chair, concise yet pithy reports were received concerning finances, property, and stewardship; a slate of new Vestrymen was elected; the clergy…
Reprinted from February 2018. The clergy, you know, can say some uncommonly foolish things. (I plead guilty). So I will not name the dignitary who, some years ago, opined at a clergy gathering that confession of sin made people judgmental. Though a murmur of reverent assent ran through the room, I refrained from asking the…
All Saints Day is past, but its themes linger in this final month of the church year. On the one side, there is what I would call its earthly aspect, all too familiar to us, of grief and loss, of mortal frailty, and our prayer for God’s mercy. That’s why, when we commemorate all souls…
Visiting the celebrated Uffizi galleries in Florence is an ordeal. They have been sucked into the dark hole of bucket-list-driven mass tourism, and the opportunity to contemplate their celebrated collections requires teeth-gritted determination. Yet even in the Uffizi there are nooks and crannies that are but lightly affected by the crowds, and one of them…