How does a speaker persuade us to listen? Usually by promising us something new. But imagine a speaker who starts by saying “You already know this.” That’s how the Second Epistle of Peter begins. The apostle Peter tells his readers, “I shall keep reminding you of all this, although you know it and are well-grounded … Continue reading The Prayer Book and the Christian Year
This weekend (May 31) the Church remembers the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, mother of our Lord, to Elizabeth and Zechariah. This takes place between the Feast Day of the Annunciation (March 25th) and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24th). God used Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, who was advanced in years and had … Continue reading The Feast Day of the Visitation
Today Christians the world over celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ (also known as Ascension Day or Holy Thursday). The feast day comes forty days after Easter to mark the period of time Jesus spent on earth after the resurrection. This year is a particularly special solemnity because the date … Continue reading The Feast Day of the Ascension
In his latest book installment of his Foundational Tool for Our Faith series, The Nicene Creed (Crossway, 2025), Kevin DeYoung analyzes the Nicene Creed and explains its theological and historical significance. He declares, “Without exaggeration it can be said that every church and every Christian ought to know the Nicene Creed (p. 9).” His approach … Continue reading Book Review: The Nicene Creed (Kevin DeYoung)
The heart of the Book of Common Prayer is the daily offices—Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. These services nourish your soul, but not with intense bursts of devotion or with a dizzying complex of options that let you customize your devotional experience. They offer something else: simplicity, structure, Scripture. Over the last five hundred years, Morning and … Continue reading The Ascent of Morning and Evening Prayer
Today is the feast day of Saint Athanasius, known throughout church history as the “Father of Orthodoxy.” This title is fitting, yet he is not the first of the Early Church Fathers to defend the orthodox Christian faith. He is given this honor because of his fervent defense of the biblical understanding of the nature … Continue reading The Feast Day of St. Athanasius
Today is the feast day of St. Philip and St. James (the Lesser) apostles of Jesus. Most feast days commemorate one particular saint. On occasion, however, two saints will be honored together. St. Philip and St. James are commemorated together on this day because their relics were brought together to Rome in 560 A.D. The … Continue reading The Feast Day of St. Philip and St. James
What does it take to be a saint? Ultimately, it takes grace and mercy of God. For we all, who are in Christ, are awaiting sainthood. In one sense, we are already saints, but in another sense, we are not yet saints. Such is the reality of the already/not yet nature of the kingdom of … Continue reading The Feast Day of St. Catherine of Siena
Mark the Evangelist, widely known in the Scriptures as John Mark, has a very prominent role in the early history of Christ’s church in several respects. It is noteworthy that we are introduced to Mark’s household when an angel of the Lord frees Peter from prison in Acts 12. Upon his release, the apostle immediately … Continue reading The Feast Day of St. Mark The Evangelist
Easter Sunday is one of the most recognized and celebrated holidays the world over. Today many children are eager to receive their Easter baskets to see what the Easter Bunny has brought, and left behind. Most likely it will be filled with plastic (so called) “grass“, chocolate, eggs, marshmallow Peeps, and maybe even a stuffed … Continue reading Easter Sunday: The Feast of the Resurrection
Today is Holy Saturday, the day that Jesus’ body lay in the tomb, awaiting his glorious resurrection. This then begs the question: where was Jesus’s spirit on Holy Saturday? There are a myriad of beliefs about what Jesus did during this period of time. A helpful place to start is a truth that we confess … Continue reading Holy Saturday: Did Jesus Really Go To Hell?
Good Friday is an essential day in Holy Week. On this day, Christians throughout the world remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. You may wonder, why do we call this day Good Friday when the crucifixion does not sound good? Other names for this day are Great and Holy Friday (as the … Continue reading Why Do We Call It Good Friday?
