Weekly essays inspired by Anglican themes and theology.
Worship at St. John’s is “old school”. Unlike most Episcopal and Anglican churches, we make use of the classical liturgy that originated in the church of England in the 16th century in its last American edition of 1928. (Later revisions moved away from this tradition.) There are a number of good reasons why we have…
At the heart of conventional worldly religion, God is conceived of as a metaphor or symbol of spirituality, a projection of human hopes and aspirations, a dream of what might or should be. But if God is just the other end of human willing, then any accomplishment of these hopes depends upon human efforts and…
Since the 1960’s, we have been caught up in a far-reaching cultural revolution. One aspect of this revolution has been retreat from participation in the institutions of community life – notably marriage and church – but also from civic engagement in general. Screens have allowed us to substitute contact-free virtual relationships for in-person community, and…
The teaching of Scripture is the primary authority for what Christians know and believe; but under Scripture, Anglicans (and many other Christians) receive the three Creeds that have come down from the ancient catholic church, as reliable touchstones of Scripture’s teaching, and the ancient rule of faith. The creed recited at Holy Communion is usually…
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 of God”. When it is interpreted against its background in the Old Testament, especially Psalm…
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 by the Christian emperors of late antiquity. The basilica built over the tomb of Peter…
(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 for this. Hope for the Messiah was based on God’s promise to David (2 Samuel…
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, what it is, but she wouldn’t ask who it is. That’s because once the child…
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, but on our theological ignorance and spiritual insensitivity. The Spirit comes to kindle a fire…
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 are being admitted. This Thursday it will be entirely for us to offer most hearty…
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 p.m. According to the prophet Isaiah (55:11), the Word that goes forth from God does…
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 far from petering out, the trajectory that began on Christmas and continued with Easter is,…