Transfiguration. August 6, 2023. Saint Barbara's, Jacksonville, North Carolina Saint Luke ix, verse 29 - And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Throughout the Old Testament the appearances…
Hymnal Revision
I was recently sent two copies of Magnify the Lord – A 21st Century Anglican Hymnal. The hymnal, first printed in 2019, was prepared by the Reformed Episcopal Church, which is described in the Publisher’s Note, as ‘a founding entity of the Anglican Church of North America’. The Preface gives eight goals for the hymnal. …
Liturgical Vocabulary
My colleague, Bishop Paul Hewett, mostly I think in jest, occasionally says he would like to write a sermon using only Germanic vocabulary and entirely avoiding Latin-based words. As evidence that it can be done, he notes how far the Authorized Version gets into the Prologue to Saint John’s gospel before encountering a Latinate word. …
Collect for Trinity III
O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray, may, by thy mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc. The address acknowledges at least implicitly that for the Lord ‘to hear…
Sermon for S. Barnabas’s Day
Feast of Saint Barnabas. June 11, 2023. All Saints’, Aiken The Acts of the Apostles xi, verse 24 – For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the…
Shakespeare & Harry Potter
[An old parish newsletter article from two decades ago....] I recently saw a production by the Atlanta Shakespeare festival of A Winter’s Tale at Oglethorpe University. It is a play I had neither seen nor read before, which is my loss. It is the Christian story. At the beginning of the play there are many…
The Coronation of King Charles III
First, let us dispel the complaints of grumpy British republicans about the cost of the coronation of Charles III on 6 May 2023. I have heard the coronation described as ‘lavish’ and assertions that its cost was more than $125,000,000. What about that? In the United Kingdom governments and prime ministers come and go. In…
Mitres
The mitre (mitra) is an item of episcopal vesture that seems to have developed in the 11th century. The mitre first was worn by the bishops of Rome. In the 11th century there are examples of mitres being bestowed by popes as a sign of distinction and honor upon certain archbishops in a way somewhat…
Lent II sermon
Lent II. March 5, 2023. Saint Stephen’s, Athens, Georgia. Saint Matthew 15, verse 28 - O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.…
Collect for Lent I
O LORD, who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy…
Anglican Catholic Liturgy and Theology 