This is an entry in the “Acrostic Contemplations.” Lent, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, cones from Old Dutch and Old German, meaning “long” or “lengthen.” It is a reference to the lengthening of days in the spring and in some Old English texts, the term is synonymous with spring. […]
Lent
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT FEB 18, 2024 “Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” 1 Pet. 3:18 I may be wrong, but I think most of us in the Episcopal church today have an issue with sin. […]
The Diocese of Lexington (KY) is offering a 5-week “Spiritual Exercise” formation class. The live Zoom sessions started last week, but you can view the videos for yourself at your own pace. Tonight (March 1, 2021) I will be leading a discussion of the importance of the study of the […]
Readings for Ash Wednesday Ps. 51:15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. Amen. Today is Ash Wednesday, marked literally and figuratively by the ashes that will be placed upon our foreheads as a sign and reminder of our mortality. It is the beginning of […]
I don’t need Lent. I don’t need to be reminded of my mortality. I don’t need to be reminded of the sinful and wicked workings of this world. I don’t need to be reminded that I am a sinner. I don’t need to be reminded that I am ashes and […]
The psalm assigned for today’s Morning Prayer is 102. Powerful, poignant, and a reminder both of the importance of lament in our prayer life and of faith within the midst of lament. Psa. 102:0 A prayer of one afflicted, when faint and pleading before the LORD. 1 Hear my prayer, O […]
We are preparing some of our youth at St. B’s for confirmation and in so doing are working our way through the Catechism: An Outline of the Faith. As I was preparing last week I noticed the question referenced in the title. The Catechism reads as follows, Q: What are the principal […]
An essay for St. B’s quarterly bulletin, The Branch. Growing up in an evangelical Presbyterian church I had never understood Lent until I was in college. I do not mean to suggest that my parents or the pastors did not know about Lent, but it was not something observed in […]
From the St. B’s quarterly bulletin The Branch. Growing up in an evangelical Presbyterian church I had never understood Lent until I was in college. I do not mean to suggest that my parents or the pastors did not know about Lent, but it was not something observed in our church […]