In previous Insights Into Liturgy, we’ve delved into the Lectionary and the Liturgical Calendar and how they work in harmony as we plumb the depths of Holy Scripture on a three cycle that is shaped by the life of Christ and set in motion by the setting of the date for Easter. The Season of Christmas is particular enriched by the scriptural sources that encompass the celebration of Christ’s Nativity, his Incarnation. The following are

There are events that occur year-after year on the liturgical calendar that might seem to be a sort of curiosity causing one to ask: “How did that ever come about?” Gaudete Sunday, more familiarly referred to as Rose Sunday, perhaps qualifies as one such occasion, celebrated as it is on the third Sunday in Advent. And it has a cousin, if not a twin, in the season of Lent, the fourth Sunday known as Laetare.

The Feast of Christ the King concludes the liturgical season of the year known as Ordinary Time; the time stretching from Pentecost to the season of Advent; our season of hope and expectation for Christ’s coming again. The celebration of Christ’s lordship exalted by God to rule over all…not just the whole universe but our hearts as well…looks back both to Ascension, Easter, Transfiguration and ahead to Christmas. Christ himself spoke of this kingship, this

In a recent Insight Into Liturgy concerning the Liturgical Movement various components of the Liturgy of the Eucharist were identified, and reference was made that some would be revisited in subsequent Insights. This one, then, is part of that effort and it pertains to the Epiclesis. At their essence the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are a love story. It is a dramatic rendering in two acts of God’s love

The spurious use of the word Evangelical by political factions and the media has, over the past several decades, resulted in the distortion and perhaps loss of a vital dimension of our Anglican/Episcopal spiritual heritage. No less a person in the Anglican Communion than the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is a self-proclaimed evangelical; and he represents a tradition that extends over several hundred years. If you visit the extremely helpful on-line resource of the

In a recent Insight Into Liturgy concerning the Liturgical Movement a comparison was made between the eucharistic prayers found in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and one written nearly two thousand years ago by Hippolytus of Rome, and their similarities were emphasized. One component of those rites or prayers is that of Anamnesis and Oblation. The Anamnesis is that part of the liturgy wherein the saving acts of our Lord, Jesus Christ, are recalled;

First, what is liturgy? From the Greek it literally means work for the people; or better yet public work or public service. Obviously we also define it more specifically as divine worship, the proclamation of the Gospel. As Christians our liturgical and sacramental history can be traced to Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River; and, of course, the Last Supper when he instituted his perpetual sacramental presence for us in the bread and wine as

As part of the rector search process St. Mary’s must produce two critical documents: the well-known Parish Profile and the lesser known Parish Portfolio. The latter is essential a vocational document whereby in answering eleven topical questions a parish describes itself in terms of worship, ministry and mission, administration, demographics, etc., it is not unlike the Parish Profile in many respects. However, priests use their clerical-vocational version of the Portfolio, with basically the same set

October 4th is the Anglican/Episcopal feast day for St. Francis of Assisi, and while there is a vast amount of popular information and familiarity about his affection for animals and his evangelical poverty, there is great deal more to know about this saint and his contributions to our spiritual heritage. For example, few are aware that at the time of the Fifth Crusade he traveled to Egypt to meet with Pharaoh to, hopefully, bring about