Mark 4:9: Recent Episodes
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This woman knows Augustine of Hippo better than most and offers a brilliant analysis of him and the new Pope. For those with ears to hear, listen and understand. …I am struck by how Augustine’s episcopate offers a rich model … Continue reading →
A happy Fathers’ Day to all you fathers out there! God bless you. As God the Father has ordained for the created order, you are vitally important to your family and the study below corroborates this truth once again, so … Continue reading →
The catechism is not enough, theology is not enough, formulas are not enough to explain the Unity and Trinity of God. We need loving communication, we need the presence of the Spirit. That is why I do not believe in … Continue reading →
Sermon originally delivered on Trinity Sunday C, June 16, 2019. Play the video before you read the sermon. Lectionary texts: Proverbs 8.1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5.1-5; John 16.12-15. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the … Continue reading →
From here. A popular belief is that Elizabeth Griscom, a Philadelphia flag maker who was also known as Betsy Ross, sewed the first “official” flag in June 1776. The legend goes that George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross came to Betsy … Continue reading →
From here: On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag. Since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, Americans have commemorated the adoption of the … Continue reading →
From here. But on the fiftieth day, that is, the Lord’s Day, when the people have a very great deal to go through, everything that is customary is done from the first cockcrow onwards; vigil is kept in the Anastasis, and … Continue reading →
Grant, we ask you, almighty God,that the splendor of your brightnessmay shine on usand the light of your Lightconfirm with the illumination of the Holy Spiritthe hearts of those who have been born again through your grace:for the sake of … Continue reading →
O Holy Spirit of God, very God,who descended on Christ at the river Jordanand on the apostles in the upper chamber,we have sinned against heaven and before you;purify us again, we ask you,with your divine fire,and have mercy on us;for … Continue reading →
On this date in 2010 at First United Methodist Church in Van Wert, OH we debuted the anthem commissioned in my mother’s memory, Longing to Draw Near by Craig Courtney. My grandparents Maney were married 108 years ago on this date in 1917 … Continue reading →
Today marks the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the greatest amphibious assault the world has ever known (and hopefully will ever know). Sadly, most of those valiant soldiers are now dead, and our country is the poorer because of … Continue reading →
Amen. In the United States, June 6, 1944 will receive passing mention on news programs and social channels. There are few, if any, parades or official remembrances. Even those veterans who fought across the beaches and on to Berlin will … Continue reading →
“My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has … Continue reading →
From here: Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty … Continue reading →
From Protestia: Read it all. N.T. (Tom) Wright is one of my heroes. Of all the theologians, teachers, and scholars who have had a positive impact on my spiritual and professional life as a Christian man and priest—and that list … Continue reading →
Today marks the 83rd anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942), the decisive turning point in the war against the Japanese during World War II. It was unique in that the opposing navies never fired … Continue reading →
A fascinating article, proving again that the Christian Faith is based on history, not fiction. For those with ears to hear, listen and understand. A historian believes he’s found the location of Jesus Christ’s first miracle – and has newfound evidence to … Continue reading →
A timely and good article (the first sentence is especially troubling). I am blessed with multiple good friends and can attest to the truth of this article. If you are a man reading this and are lonely, it’s time for … Continue reading →
Sermon originally delivered on Ascension Sunday, May 13, 2018. Lectionary texts: Acts 1.1-11; Psalm 93; Ephesians 1.15-23; Luke 24.44-53. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today we celebrate our Lord’s ascension into … Continue reading →
Today is the traditional day for Memorial Day, originally called “Decoration Day.” Until 1971 it was always celebrated today. But afterward it has become a movable federal holiday. You can read about its history here, and I hope you will take … Continue reading →
The idea of the human Jesus now being in heaven, in his thoroughly embodied risen state, comes as a shock to many people, including many Christians. Sometimes this is because many people think that Jesus, having been divine, stopped being … Continue reading →
O God the King of glory,you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christwith great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen usand exalt us to the place where our … Continue reading →
There is no need to doubt the literal nature of Christ’s ascension, so long as we realize its purpose. It was not necessary as a mode of departure, for ‘going to the Father’ did not involve a journey in space … Continue reading →
It is a pity that we call it ‘Ascension Day’, for the Bible speaks more of Christ’s exaltation than of his ascension. This is an interesting avenue to explore. The four great events in the saving career of Jesus are … Continue reading →
With all due solemnity we are commemorating that day on which our poor human nature was carried up, in Christ, above all the hosts of heaven, above all the ranks of angels, beyond the highest heavenly powers to the very … Continue reading →
Memorial Day should make you a little uncomfortable. Because sacrifice should never be comfortable. But from that discomfort can come gratitude. And from gratitude, a commitment to live better—not in guilt, but in honor. And yet sadly, for most Americans, … Continue reading →
This Memorial Day, many Americans will gather for barbecues, enjoy a long weekend, or mark the start of summer. But amid the festivities, one phrase you won’t—or shouldn’t—hear is “Happy Memorial Day.” Unlike Veterans Day which celebrates service members past and … Continue reading →
From here. JOHN A. LOGAN,Commander-in-Chief N.P. CHIPMAN,Adjutant General Official:WM. T. COLLINS, A.A.G. Read the entire order that started Memorial Day.
Adapted from here: Eternal God,Creator of years, of centuries,Lord of whatever is beyond time,Maker of all species and master of all history —How shall we speak to youfrom our smallness and inconsequence?Except that you have called us to worship you in … Continue reading →
I am remembering today the men and women who serve and have served our country, and who have given their lives for this nation. I am thankful for my own grandfathers, John S. Maney and F. Earl Shaffer, who fought … Continue reading →
On this feast day of John and Charles Wesley, I am thankful for John Wesley and my Methodist heritage, even though I have returned to the mother Church and am now an Anglican priest. I am especially thankful that God … Continue reading →
A day to remember two of my favorite theologians. John especially is one of my personal heroes. From here: The Wesley brothers, born in 1703 and 1707, were leaders of the evangelical revival in the Church of England in the eighteenth century. They … Continue reading →
Our nation will observe Memorial Day on a different day than we traditionally observed it (May 30) until 1971. Thankfully our family did not lose anybody to war, although my grandfathers and dad fought in World War I and II respectively. So in … Continue reading →
A very good piece on how the Christian Faith defines mercy and how that definition has become terribly muddled in our day. For those with ears to hear, listen and understand. Our secular culture mixes mercy and kindness in a … Continue reading →
I read the following in a a recent email and can attest to all of it (unfortunately) from first-hand experience. As the letter states, sometimes divorce is unavoidable, but it should always be the measure of last resort. For those … Continue reading →
Today marks the 80th anniversary of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), May 8, 1945, in which the Allies celebrated the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany the day before. Take a moment today and thank God for bringing us victory over evil. Remember the … Continue reading →
Today would have been my mama’s 103rd birthday, something I simply cannot fathom (and something she would have undoubtedly hated!); where has the time gone?? My mother was an exquisite role-model of motherhood. She loved me, spent time with me, loved … Continue reading →
On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, bringing an end to World War II in Europe. Read the original AP story. From here.
There is something awesome, fitting, and right about aligning our corporate worship with those who have gone before us in the Faith. Here, Saint Justin Martyr reminds us of the importance of corporate worship and why the Eucharist isn’t open … Continue reading →
Today marks the 55th anniversary of the confrontation between the Ohio National Guard and students at KSU. When it was all over, four students lay dead and others seriously wounded. I was a junior in high school when this happened … Continue reading →
Sermon originally preached on Easter 3C, Sunday, April 10, 2016. Lectionary texts: Acts 9.1-20; Psalm 30; Revelation 5.11-15; John 21.1-19. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. The past two weeks we have … Continue reading →
Here is a little test for you. Do you find Chrysostom’s ideas about sin and punishment offensive? Do you exclude yourself from his musings on sin and sinners, confident that you are “better than that”? If so, you have failed … Continue reading →
Why is it a big day, you ask? Well, let me tell you! On this day in 2008, I was ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Tradition (this was before the formation of the Anglican Church in North America). … Continue reading →
All good questions, especially for anyone who calls himself/herself “Christian,” and it is very hard to argue with her conclusion. Holy Mother Church has dropped the ball on this and God’s people suffer as a result. Lord have mercy. For … Continue reading →
This is frighteningly real and Eisenhower’s concerns were spot on. My own father was one of the soldiers who had to tour Buchenwald (and other camps) on the General’s orders; it left a lasting impression on him too. For those … Continue reading →
Saint Irenaeus, a late second-century Christian commentator and apologist, was bishop of Lyons and a spiritual grandson of the Apostles, having studied under Polycarp who in turn had studied under the Apostle John, one of the original twelve Apostles of … Continue reading →
Christians are indistinguishable from others either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired … Continue reading →
As compelling and real a testimony as I have ever read. Here is Truth spoken in love with all of its power, complexities, and struggles. And it is applicable to so many other areas than sexuality—whatever the sin or sins … Continue reading →
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am always saddened when an orthodox Christian scholar plunges into apostasy. I am also grateful for scholars who still stand firm in the face of ever-increasing resistance. Here Martin Davie offers another … Continue reading →
Are you unhappy with your life? Do you have a real hunger for something more than this world offers, for peace, for meaning, for purpose of living? It all starts with repentance, a word that describes the decision to engage … Continue reading →
Have you failed at certain things in your life and done so miserably? Do you wonder how God could ever love the likes of you? Do you worry about your eternal destiny because you realize that nothing unholy can ever … Continue reading →
Almighty God,who in the passion of your blessed Sonmade an instrument of painful deathto be for us the means of life and peace:grant us so to glory in the cross of Christthat we may gladly suffer for his sake;who is … Continue reading →
Almighty God,whose Son our Savior Jesus Christwas lifted high upon the crossthat he might draw the whole world to himself:Mercifully grant that we,who glory in the mystery of our redemption,may have grace to take up our cross and follow him;who lives and reigns with … Continue reading →
Abortion/infanticide is a serious problem in this nation and a national disgrace. Here is a beautiful Christian response. May God have mercy on us and cause a great wave of repentance that will bring an end to this evil. For … Continue reading →
For those who perished on September 11th at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in the fields of Pennsylvania:that they experience eternal life with God in heaven and the new creation, we pray: Lord, in your mercy, hear … Continue reading →
I am always distressed when brilliant scholars like Hays (or anyone for that matter) get swallowed up by the spirit of the age, and thereby set themselves up for eternal destruction. Shame on him for deceiving God’s people, especially in … Continue reading →
A sobering analysis. For those with ears to hear, listen and understand. Second, conservatives have been unwilling to abandon terms for the enemy that have brought coherence to the conservative movement since the 1950s. The terms “cultural Marxism” and “progressivism” … Continue reading →
Your Lord is seated at the Father’s right hand in heaven. How then is the bread His Body? And the chalice, or rather its content, how is it His Blood? These elements are called Sacraments, because in them one thing … Continue reading →
Merciful Lord,who turned Augustine from his sinsto be a faithful bishop and teacher:grant that we may follow him in penitence and disciplinetill our restless hearts find their rest in you;through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Faithful God,who strengthened Monica, the mother of Augustine,with wisdom,and through her patient endurance encouraged himto seek after you:give us the will to persist in prayerthat those who stray from you may be brought to faithin your Son Jesus Christ our … Continue reading →
Italian researchers have used a new X-ray technique to demonstrate that the Shroud of Turin dates from the time of Jesus Christ. Scientists at the Institute of Crystallography of the National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR) studied eight … Continue reading →
Originally on Vimeo and since removed. On this, the 79th anniversary of V-J Day (Victory Over Japan Day), a wonderful snippet from time. Watch it all and remember. Give thanks as you do for the greatest generation who have largely … Continue reading →
Today marks the 79th anniversary of Victory Over Japan (V-J) Day and the end of World War II (the formal, unconditional surrender was not signed until September 1, 1945). Stop and remember the brave men and women who fought against the … Continue reading →
A Christian lady who had this feeling was once expressing to a friend how impossible she found it to say, “Thy will be done,” and how afraid she should be to do it. She was the mother of an only … Continue reading →
In the Resurrection of Christ with its promise of new creation lies our only real hope for all that ails us. Why then do so many reject or ignore this great gift from God the Father? For those with ears … Continue reading →
Simply beautiful. Where did I find you, that I came to know you? You were not within my memory before I learned of you. Where, then, did I find you before I came to know you, if not within yourself, … Continue reading →
We would be wise to listen to how he answers. For those with ears to hear, listen and understand. Then we come to understand the dimensions of heaven; then we see things as they really are, and we see God … Continue reading →
Repost: One of the better pieces on the beauty and critical importance of Christian funerals, especially as our culture continues to become increasingly unhinged. For those with ears to hear, listen and understand. One of the most moving places I … Continue reading →
“One day I was sitting in the barracks deep in thought. A monk came in to beg alms for the church. Those who had money gave what they could. When he approached me he asked, ‘Why are you so downcast?’ … Continue reading →
Due to the pernicious work of the Tech Gremlins, with one exception I have lost all posts from mid-May 2024. So if you are looking for a post from late May through today, you will not find it. By God’s … Continue reading →
One of the better pieces on the beauty and critical importance of Christian funerals, especially as our culture continues to become increasingly unhinged. For those with ears to hear, listen and understand. One of the most moving places I have … Continue reading →
From here: On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag. Since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, Americans have commemorated the adoption of the … Continue reading →
A fascinating read about a fascinating lady. Flagmaker Betsy Ross is embraced as one of the most popular figures of the American Revolution. The young Philadelphia seamstress stitched the original Old Glory in the summer of 1776 at the request of Gen. … Continue reading →
From here. A popular belief is that Elizabeth Griscom, a Philadelphia flag maker who was also known as Betsy Ross, sewed the first “official” flag in June 1776. The legend goes that George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross came to Betsy … Continue reading →
From Holiday Insights: When: Always June 14th Flag Day, is a day for all Americans to celebrate and show respect for our flag, its designers and makers. Our flag is representative of our independence and our unity as a nation…..one … Continue reading →
Today is Flag Day. Take time today to fly the American Flag proudly and celebrate this nation and its rich history. Stand up and say no to those who hate this country and wish to bring her down. From the … Continue reading →
On this date in 2010 at First United Methodist Church in Van Wert, OH we debuted the anthem commissioned in my mother’s memory, Longing to Draw Near by Craig Courtney. My grandparents Maney were married 107 years ago on this date in 1917 … Continue reading →
Amen. In the United States, June 6, 1944 will receive passing mention on news programs and social channels. There are few, if any, parades or official remembrances. Even those veterans who fought across the beaches and on to Berlin will … Continue reading →
“My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has … Continue reading →
From here: Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty … Continue reading →
Today marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the greatest amphibious assault the world has ever known (and hopefully will ever know). Sadly, most of those valiant soldiers are now dead, and our country is the poorer because of … Continue reading →
Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942), the decisive turning point in the war against the Japanese during World War II. It was unique in that the ships of the opposing … Continue reading →
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They … Continue reading →
Simply beautiful. Where did I find you, that I came to know you? You were not within my memory before I learned of you. Where, then, did I find you before I came to know you, if not within yourself, … Continue reading →
Today is the traditional day for Memorial Day, originally called “Decoration Day.” Until 1971 it was always celebrated today. But afterward it has become a movable federal holiday. You can read about its history here, and I hope you will take … Continue reading →
From here. JOHN A. LOGAN,Commander-in-Chief N.P. CHIPMAN,Adjutant General Official:WM. T. COLLINS, A.A.G. Read the entire order that started Memorial Day.
Adapted from here: Eternal God,Creator of years, of centuries,Lord of whatever is beyond time,Maker of all species and master of all history —How shall we speak to youfrom our smallness and inconsequence?Except that you have called us to worship you in … Continue reading →
I am remembering today the men and women who serve and have served our country, and who have given their lives for this nation. I am thankful for my own grandfathers, John S. Maney and F. Earl Shaffer, who fought … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Trinity Sunday C, June 16, 2019. Play the video before you read the sermon. Lectionary texts: Proverbs 8.1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5.1-5; John 16.12-15. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy … Continue reading →
Grant, O God, of your mercy,that we may come to everlasting life,and there beholding thy glory as it is,may equally say:Glory to the Father who created us,Glory to the Son who redeemed us,Glory to the Holy Spirit who sanctified us.Glory … Continue reading →
Keep us, O Lord, from the vain strife of words, and grant to us a constant profession of the truth. Preserve us in the faith, true and undefiled, so that we may ever hold fast that which we professed when … Continue reading →
We would be wise to listen to how he answers. For those with ears to hear, listen and understand. Then we come to understand the dimensions of heaven; then we see things as they really are, and we see God … Continue reading →
On this feast day of John and Charles Wesley, I am thankful for the Wesleys and my Methodist heritage, even as I grieve that the denomination has slid into the cesspool of heresy and apostasy and joined the other misguided … Continue reading →
A day to remember two of my favorite theologians. John especially is one of my personal heroes. From here: The Wesley brothers, born in 1703 and 1707, were leaders of the evangelical revival in the Church of England in the eighteenth century. They … Continue reading →
Our nation will observe Memorial Day on a different day than we traditionally observed it (May 30) until 1971. Thankfully our family did not lose anybody to war, although my grandfathers and dad fought in World War I and II respectively. So in … Continue reading →
To Harrison Butker first and foremost and secondarily to his critics, a word from the Son of God from his Sermon on the Mount: 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 “God … Continue reading →
From here. But on the fiftieth day, that is, the Lord’s Day, when the people have a very great deal to go through, everything that is customary is done from the first cockcrow onwards; vigil is kept in the Anastasis, and … Continue reading →
Grant, we ask you, almighty God,that the splendor of your brightnessmay shine on usand the light of your Lightconfirm with the illumination of the Holy Spiritthe hearts of those who have been born again through your grace:for the sake of … Continue reading →
O Holy Spirit of God, very God,who descended on Christ at the river Jordanand on the apostles in the upper chamber,we have sinned against heaven and before you;purify us again, we ask you,with your divine fire,and have mercy on us;for … Continue reading →
Sermon originally delivered on Ascension Sunday, May 13, 2018. Lectionary texts: Acts 1.1-11; Psalm 93; Ephesians 1.15-23; Luke 24.44-53. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today we celebrate our Lord’s ascension into … Continue reading →
The idea of the human Jesus now being in heaven, in his thoroughly embodied risen state, comes as a shock to many people, including many Christians. Sometimes this is because many people think that Jesus, having been divine, stopped being … Continue reading →
O God the King of glory,you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christwith great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen usand exalt us to the place where our … Continue reading →
There is no need to doubt the literal nature of Christ’s ascension, so long as we realize its purpose. It was not necessary as a mode of departure, for ‘going to the Father’ did not involve a journey in space … Continue reading →
It is a pity that we call it ‘Ascension Day’, for the Bible speaks more of Christ’s exaltation than of his ascension. This is an interesting avenue to explore. The four great events in the saving career of Jesus are … Continue reading →
With all due solemnity we are commemorating that day on which our poor human nature was carried up, in Christ, above all the hosts of heaven, above all the ranks of angels, beyond the highest heavenly powers to the very … Continue reading →
Today marks the 79th anniversary of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), May 8, 1945, in which the Allies celebrated the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany the day before. Take a moment today and thank God for bringing us victory over evil. Remember the … Continue reading →
On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, bringing an end to World War II in Europe. Read the original AP story. From here.
Today would have been my mama’s 102nd birthday, something I simply cannot fathom (and something she would have undoubtedly hated!); where has the time gone?? My mother was an exquisite role-model of motherhood. She loved me, spent time with me, loved … Continue reading →
Sermon originally preached on Easter 3C, Sunday, April 10, 2016. Lectionary texts: Acts 9.1-20; Psalm 30; Revelation 5.11-15; John 21.1-19. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. The past two weeks we have … Continue reading →
One of the best reflections on the importance of Christian funerals and the theology behind them that I have read, and quite appropriate for Eastertide! [What] it not often realised is that the Christian tradition of honouring the bodies of … Continue reading →
Sermon originally delivered on Easter 4B, Good Shepherd Sunday, April 25, 2021. Lectionary texts: Acts 4.1-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3.16-24; St. John 10.11-18. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today is … Continue reading →
…today, 249 years on, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807 – 1882. Had to learn this poem in Junior High School. Listen, my children, and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere,On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:Hardly a … Continue reading →
Saint Irenaeus, a late second-century Christian commentator and apologist, was bishop of Lyons and a spiritual grandson of the Apostles, having studied under Polycarp who in turn had studied under the Apostle John, one of the original twelve Apostles of … Continue reading →
Christians are indistinguishable from others either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired … Continue reading →
If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself. Listen and understand if you have ears to hear!
A very good lesson on the Resurrection—specifically what Saint Paul meant by “spiritual bodies” (1 Corinthians 15.44)—and quite appropriate for Eastertide since the Resurrection is all about new bodies! By all means be refreshed and strengthened by your Resurrection hope, … Continue reading →
The Lord, though he was God, became man. He suffered for the sake of those who suffer, he was bound for those in bonds, condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave; but he rose from … Continue reading →
Wonderful stuff. The video is over an hour but you don’t have over an hour to watch it. Do yourself a favor and watch it anyway. And if you are the reading type rather than the viewing type, pick up Wright’s book, Surprised … Continue reading →
Sermon originally preached on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021. Lectionary texts: Acts 10.34-43; 1 Corinthians 15.1-11; St. John 20.1-18. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today we celebrate the Resurrection of our … Continue reading →
Everyone who is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant Feast of Feasts! If anyone is a wise servant, rejoice and enter into the joy of the LordIf anyone has been wearied in fasting, … Continue reading →
The season of Lent has always been a time when the Church prepared new converts to become full members by instructing them in matters of the faith and preparing them for baptism. Here is a description from how this was … Continue reading →
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may … Continue reading →
Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?Look around and see.Is any suffering like my sufferingthat was inflicted on me,that the LORD brought on mein the day of his fierce anger? —Lamentations 1.12 (NIV) LORD, you are the … Continue reading →
What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised … Continue reading →
Grant, Lord,that we who are baptized into the deathof your Son our Savior Jesus Christmay continually put to death our evil desiresand be buried with him;and that through the grave and gate of deathwe may pass to our joyful resurrection;through … Continue reading →
O God, Creator of heaven and earth:Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomband rested on this holy Sabbath,so we may await with him the coming of the third day,and rise with him … Continue reading →
Lectionary texts: Isaiah 52.13-53.12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 4.14-16, 5.7-9; John 18-19. In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Remember, LORD, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace. You, LORD, reign forever; your throne … Continue reading →
Then [the crucified criminal] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23.42-43 (NRSV) Somehow the crucified criminal on Jesus’ right was enabled to … Continue reading →
A fantastic Good Friday devotional, and one I highly recommend you make part of your library. Earlier [Jesus] had said to his disciples, “As the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will be … Continue reading →
As for me, I began to know Jesus as soon as I accepted Jesus as the truth; I found true peace when I actively sought his friendship; and above all I experienced joy, true joy, that stands above the vicissitudes … Continue reading →
There is a Tree, “mystical and eternal” which rises above the hills of time. Where its shadow falls, there God’s claim rests upon us and something is exacted of us. Those who have entered even a little way into the … Continue reading →
Sometimes just as we have come to accept “the withering away of the Cross,” a silence falls…darkness,…and it strikes us how mortal we are and that before three decades have passed, or four, our very names will be unremembered and … Continue reading →
[On Good Friday] following the dismissal from the Cross, which occurs before sunrise, everyone now stirred up goes immediately to Sion to pray at the pillar where the Lord was whipped. Returning from there then, all rest for a short … Continue reading →
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John. When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples … Continue reading →
From John for Everyone, Part 2. Simply Beautiful. The changing of water to wine was, as he told us clearly, the first in the sequence of ‘signs’ by which Jesus revealed his glory. The second was the healing of the … Continue reading →
One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced … Continue reading →
Read St. Luke 23.26-46 One of the most moving moments at the Lambeth Conference in 2008 came when Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, gave a splendid and stirring lecture. Many of us, who had only heard him on the … Continue reading →
The happy commemoration of today’s feast with its immense concourse of people invites us to prolong fervently our praises of the Most Holy Body of Christ. What could be sweeter, what more pleasing to the heart of the faithful than to exalt the … Continue reading →
Here is an exquisite devotional piece on Jesus as he prayed in Gethsemane. See what you think (and pick up the book). Read Mark 14.32-52 Two generations ago, J. B. Phillips (best known for his translation of the New Testament) … Continue reading →
On the Sunday of the Passion we looked at the reasons the cross of Christ matters. The crucified Son of God is the living embodiment that demonstrates God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever … Continue reading →
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?” So Jesus sent two of them … Continue reading →
The cross used to denote punishment but it has now become a focus of glory. It was formerly a symbol of condemnation but it is now seen as a principle of salvation. For it has now become the source of … Continue reading →
There was much proclaimed by the prophets about the mystery of the Passover. That mystery is Christ, and to him be glory for ever and ever. For the sake of suffering humanity he came down from heaven to earth, clothed … Continue reading →
Sermon originally delivered on Passion (Palm) Sunday, April 9, 2017. Lectionary texts: Isaiah 50.4-9a; Psalm 31.9-16; Philippians 2.5-11; Matthew 21.1-11. Passion narrative: Matthew 26.14-27.66. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. In our … Continue reading →
The following day, Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week, which they call here the Great Week. On this [Palm] Sunday morning, at the completion of those rites which are customarily celebrated at the Anastasis [the Lord’s tomb] or the … Continue reading →
The extraordinary twist in this story is that, having announced judgment upon Jerusalem for refusing God’s way of peace, Jesus went ahead, embodying simultaneously the love and the judgment of God himself, to suffer the Roman horror he had predicted … Continue reading →
He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us to himself, we are told in Scripture: “above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named,” now comes … Continue reading →
Almighty and everlasting God,who in your tender love toward the human racesent your Son our Savior Jesus Christto take upon him our fleshand to suffer death upon the cross:grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,and … Continue reading →
On this day 81 years ago, March 17, 1943, one week after he was inducted into the army, my dad, John Fox Maney, departed on a train from Van Wert, OH for basic training, first at Camp Perry on Lake … Continue reading →
For those who perished on September 11th at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in the fields of Pennsylvania:that they experience eternal life with God in heaven and the new creation, we pray: Lord, in your mercy, hear … Continue reading →
I wrote about this in a different context but here the old Scottish preacher waxes much more eloquently. For those with ears to hear, listen and understand. “Every sin and blasphemy,” the Lord said, ‘will be forgiven unto men; but … Continue reading →
3 It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. Proverbs 9.3, NLT This verse from Proverbs—cited from the NLT which is … Continue reading →
Originally on Vimeo and since removed. On this, the 78th anniversary of V-J Day (Victory Over Japan Day), a wonderful snippet from time. Watch it all and remember. Give thanks as you do for the greatest generation who have largely … Continue reading →
Today marks the 78th anniversary of Victory Over Japan (V-J) Day and the end of World War II (the formal, unconditional surrender was not signed until September 1, 1945). Stop and remember the brave men and women who fought against the … Continue reading →
13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14 I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, … Continue reading →
Love Weigel. Let the Church say, “Amen!” For more background, read here. Such robust Christocentrism is not, I submit, “proselytism.” It is a Christian witness to Christian truth. It’s an affirmation that combines conviction with compassion. It’s an explication of … Continue reading →
Absolutely true and spectacular! Would that more Christian leaders be so bold and faithful in their proclamation of Christ!
From Fox News. Agree with this opinion, especially with the last question above. Read it all.
Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) gave the United States — and the world — some of the most inspirational words ever written. She penned “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” in November 1861, during a wartime tour of Washington, D.C., as Americans … Continue reading →
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so galantly streaming?And the rockets’ red glare, … Continue reading →
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, … Continue reading →
In the 1850s, Abraham Lincoln’s rhetoric was suffused with a profound sense of loss. He considered it shameful national backsliding that a new affirmative defense of slavery had arisen in the South. At the time of the Founding our nation … Continue reading →
From here: In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and its king. The declaration came 442 days after the first volleys of the American Revolution … Continue reading →
With the forces of lawlessness and mob rule that are attempting to wipe out this country’s history and identity in order to destroy it, it is critical that we know the principles contained in our nation’s founding documents on which … Continue reading →
Lord God Almighty,you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory,to serve you in freedom and in peace:Give to the people of our country a zeal for justiceand the strength of forbearance,that we may use our liberty … Continue reading →
Lord God Almighty,in whose Name the founders of this countrywon liberty for themselves and for us,and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn:Grant that we and all the people of this landmay have grace to maintain our liberties … Continue reading →
On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee‘s last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in disastrous failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end. Read it all and read about Pickett’s charge, the … Continue reading →
On this day in 1863, during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia attacks General George G. Meade‘s Army of the Potomac at both Culp’s Hill and Little Round Top, but fails to move … Continue reading →
“One day I was sitting in the barracks deep in thought. A monk came in to beg alms for the church. Those who had money gave what they could. When he approached me he asked, ‘Why are you so downcast?’ … Continue reading →
From the History Channel online. The largest military conflict in North American history begins this day when Union and Confederate forces collide at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The epic battle lasted three days and resulted in a retreat to Virginia by Robert E. Lee‘s Army of … Continue reading →
For those of you who have ears to hear, let them listen and understand. Many different explanations have been proposed for the problems that beset us. While there are undoubtedly multiple causes at work here, what I want to focus … Continue reading →
I was talking with some folks recently about the painful split looming for their congregation over the issue of “inclusion,” i.e., whether to welcome and accept gays or not. I could tell the hurt in their voice and feel their … Continue reading →
Heavenly Father,you entrusted your Son Jesus,the child of Mary,to the care of Joseph, an earthly father.Bless all fathersas they care for their families.Give them strength and wisdom,tenderness and patience;support them in the work they have to do,protecting those who look to … Continue reading →
I was reading from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans this morning. In chapter 9 he deals with the issue of why so many Israelites had rejected Jesus as their Messiah, especially if they were God’s chosen people (which they … Continue reading →
From here: On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag. Since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, Americans have commemorated the adoption of the … Continue reading →
On this date in 2010 at First United Methodist Church in Van Wert, OH we debuted the anthem commissioned in my mother’s memory, Longing to Draw Near by Craig Courtney. My grandparents Maney were married 106 years ago on this date in 1917 … Continue reading →
Amen. In the United States, June 6, 1944 will receive passing mention on news programs and social channels. There are few, if any, parades or official remembrances. Even those veterans who fought across the beaches and on to Berlin will … Continue reading →
“My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has … Continue reading →
From here: Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty … Continue reading →
Today marks the 79th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the greatest amphibious assault the world has ever known (and hopefully will ever know). Sadly, most of those valiant soldiers are now dead, and our country is the poorer because of … Continue reading →
Today marks the 81st anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942), the decisive turning point in the war against the Japanese during World War II. It was unique in that the opposing navies never fired … Continue reading →
The Father’s love for us was and is made known supremely in Jesus, the Son of God. The coeternal Son who existed with God from all eternity (Jn 1.1-5) took on our flesh to destroy Sin’s power over us and to bear the Father’s just wrath on our sins to spare us and make us fit to stand in God’s direct presence forever (Rom 5.6-11, 8.1-4; Rev 7.9-17). All who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to be a sacrifice for our sins and who was raised by God from the dead are washed clean by his blood shed for us on the cross. As St. Paul tells us in our epistle lesson this morning, this was an act of pure grace on the Father’s part. None of us deserve this mercy because before Christ’s Incarnation, we were still God’s enemies. But those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and only those who believe Jesus is the Son of God, are no longer God’s enemies. Instead, we are God’s children (Jn 1.12) and therefore we have a future hope and inheritance: God’s new world, the new heavens and earth. In Christ, we see the very heart and face of the Father healing the sick, casting out the demonic and defeating Evil and the powers behind it. And because of the resurrection, those of us who are united to Christ by faith are promised a share in God’s new world. Continue reading →
Whoever is mocked by his friend, as I am, shall call upon God, and he shall hear him. A weak-minded person is frequently diverted toward pursuing exterior happiness when the breath of popular favor accompanies his good actions, So he … Continue reading →
Where did I find you, that I came to know you? You were not within my memory before I learned of you. Where, then, did I find you before I came to know you, if not within yourself, far above … Continue reading →
Today is the traditional day for Memorial Day, originally called “Decoration Day.” Until 1971 it was always celebrated today. But afterward it has become a movable federal holiday. You can read about its history here, and I hope you will take … Continue reading →
From here. JOHN A. LOGAN,Commander-in-Chief N.P. CHIPMAN,Adjutant General Official:WM. T. COLLINS, A.A.G. Read the entire order that started Memorial Day.
Adapted from here: Eternal God,Creator of years, of centuries,Lord of whatever is beyond time,Maker of all species and master of all history —How shall we speak to youfrom our smallness and inconsequence?Except that you have called us to worship you in … Continue reading →
I am remembering today the men and women who serve and have served our country, and who have given their lives for this nation. I am thankful for my own grandfathers, John S. Maney and F. Earl Shaffer, who fought … Continue reading →
From here. But on the fiftieth day, that is, the Lord’s Day, when the people have a very great deal to go through, everything that is customary is done from the first cockcrow onwards; vigil is kept in the Anastasis, and … Continue reading →
Grant, we ask you, almighty God,that the splendor of your brightnessmay shine on usand the light of your Lightconfirm with the illumination of the Holy Spiritthe hearts of those who have been born again through your grace:for the sake of … Continue reading →
O Holy Spirit of God, very God,who descended on Christ at the river Jordanand on the apostles in the upper chamber,we have sinned against heaven and before you;purify us again, we ask you,with your divine fire,and have mercy on us;for … Continue reading →
Our nation will observe Memorial Day on a different day than we traditionally observed it (May 30) until 1971. Thankfully our family did not lose anybody to war, although my grandfathers and dad fought in World War I and II respectively. So in … Continue reading →
On this feast day of John and Charles Wesley, I am thankful for John Wesley and my Methodist heritage, even though I have returned to the mother Church and am now an Anglican priest. I am especially thankful that God … Continue reading →
A day to remember two of my favorite theologians. John especially is one of my personal heroes. From here: The Wesley brothers, born in 1703 and 1707, were leaders of the evangelical revival in the Church of England in the eighteenth century. They … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Ascension Sunday, May 13, 2018. Lectionary texts: Acts 1.1-11; Psalm 93; Ephesians 1.15-23; Luke 24.44-53. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today we celebrate our Lord’s ascension into heaven. … Continue reading →
The idea of the human Jesus now being in heaven, in his thoroughly embodied risen state, comes as a shock to many people, including many Christians. Sometimes this is because many people think that Jesus, having been divine, stopped being … Continue reading →
O God the King of glory,you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christwith great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen usand exalt us to the place where our … Continue reading →
There is no need to doubt the literal nature of Christ’s ascension, so long as we realize its purpose. It was not necessary as a mode of departure, for ‘going to the Father’ did not involve a journey in space … Continue reading →
It is a pity that we call it ‘Ascension Day’, for the Bible speaks more of Christ’s exaltation than of his ascension. This is an interesting avenue to explore. The four great events in the saving career of Jesus are … Continue reading →
With all due solemnity we are commemorating that day on which our poor human nature was carried up, in Christ, above all the hosts of heaven, above all the ranks of angels, beyond the highest heavenly powers to the very … Continue reading →
Saint Irenaeus, a late second-century Christian commentator and apologist, was bishop of Lyons and a spiritual grandson of the Apostles, having studied under Polycarp who in turn had studied under the Apostle John, one of the original twelve Apostles of … Continue reading →
Christians are indistinguishable from others either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired … Continue reading →
Today marks the 78th anniversary of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), May 8, 1945, in which the Allies celebrated the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany the day before. Take a moment today and thank God for bringing us victory over evil. Remember the … Continue reading →
Today would have been my mama’s 101st birthday, something I simply cannot fathom; where has the time gone?? My mother was an exquisite role-model of motherhood. She loved me, spent time with me, loved me enough to instill what it meant … Continue reading →
If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself. Listen and understand if you have ears to hear!
The Lord, though he was God, became man. He suffered for the sake of those who suffer, he was bound for those in bonds, condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave; but he rose from … Continue reading →
Wonderful stuff. The video is over an hour but you don’t have over an hour to watch it. Do yourself a favor and watch it anyway. And if you are the reading type rather than the viewing type, pick up Wright’s book, Surprised … Continue reading →
Lectionary texts: Acts 10.34-43; Easter Anthems; Colossians 3.1-4; St. Matthew 28.1-10. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But what should it mean … Continue reading →
Everyone who is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant Feast of Feasts! If anyone is a wise servant, rejoice and enter into the joy of the LordIf anyone has been wearied in fasting, … Continue reading →
The season of Lent has always been a time when the Church prepared new converts to become full members by instructing them in matters of the faith and preparing them for baptism. Here is a description from how this was … Continue reading →
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may … Continue reading →
Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?Look around and see.Is any suffering like my sufferingthat was inflicted on me,that the LORD brought on mein the day of his fierce anger? —Lamentations 1.12 (NIV) LORD, you are the … Continue reading →
What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised … Continue reading →
Grant, Lord,that we who are baptized into the deathof your Son our Savior Jesus Christmay continually put to death our evil desiresand be buried with him;and that through the grave and gate of deathwe may pass to our joyful resurrection;through … Continue reading →
O God, Creator of heaven and earth:Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomband rested on this holy Sabbath,so we may await with him the coming of the third day,and rise with him … Continue reading →
Lectionary texts: Isaiah 52.13-53.12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 4.14-16, 5.7-9; John 18-19. In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Remember, LORD, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace. You, LORD, reign forever; your throne … Continue reading →
Then [the crucified criminal] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23.42-43 (NRSV) Somehow the crucified criminal on Jesus’ right was enabled to … Continue reading →
A fantastic Good Friday devotional, and one I highly recommend you make part of your library. Earlier [Jesus] had said to his disciples, “As the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will be … Continue reading →
As for me, I began to know Jesus as soon as I accepted Jesus as the truth; I found true peace when I actively sought his friendship; and above all I experienced joy, true joy, that stands above the vicissitudes … Continue reading →
There is a Tree, “mystical and eternal” which rises above the hills of time. Where its shadow falls, there God’s claim rests upon us and something is exacted of us. Those who have entered even a little way into the … Continue reading →
Sometimes just as we have come to accept “the withering away of the Cross,” a silence falls…darkness,…and it strikes us how mortal we are and that before three decades have passed, or four, our very names will be unremembered and … Continue reading →
[On Good Friday] following the dismissal from the Cross, which occurs before sunrise, everyone now stirred up goes immediately to Sion to pray at the pillar where the Lord was whipped. Returning from there then, all rest for a short … Continue reading →
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John. When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples … Continue reading →
From John for Everyone, Part 2. Simply Beautiful. The changing of water to wine was, as he told us clearly, the first in the sequence of ‘signs’ by which Jesus revealed his glory. The second was the healing of the … Continue reading →
One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced … Continue reading →
Read St. Luke 23.26-46 One of the most moving moments at the Lambeth Conference in 2008 came when Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, gave a splendid and stirring lecture. Many of us, who had only heard him on the … Continue reading →
The happy commemoration of today’s feast with its immense concourse of people invites us to prolong fervently our praises of the Most Holy Body of Christ. What could be sweeter, what more pleasing to the heart of the faithful than to exalt the … Continue reading →
Here is an exquisite devotional piece on Jesus as he prayed in Gethsemane. See what you think (and pick up the book). Read Mark 14.32-52 Two generations ago, J. B. Phillips (best known for his translation of the New Testament) … Continue reading →
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” “As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a … Continue reading →
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?” So Jesus sent two of them … Continue reading →
There was much proclaimed by the prophets about the mystery of the Passover. That mystery is Christ, and to him be glory for ever and ever. For the sake of suffering humanity he came down from heaven to earth, clothed … Continue reading →
The following day, Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week, which they call here the Great Week. On this [Palm] Sunday morning, at the completion of those rites which are customarily celebrated at the Anastasis [the Lord’s tomb] or the … Continue reading →
The extraordinary twist in this story is that, having announced judgment upon Jerusalem for refusing God’s way of peace, Jesus went ahead, embodying simultaneously the love and the judgment of God himself, to suffer the Roman horror he had predicted … Continue reading →
He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us to himself, we are told in Scripture: “above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named,” now comes … Continue reading →
Almighty and everlasting God,who in your tender love towards the human racesent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christto take upon him our fleshand to suffer death upon the cross:grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,and … Continue reading →
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you [Jews] will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist … Continue reading →
Speaking of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Augustine’s mentor, Augustine writes: But I had no notion nor any experience to know what were his hopes, what struggles he had against the temptations of his distinguished position, what consolation in adversities, and … Continue reading →
On this day 80 years ago, March 17, 1943, one week after he was inducted into the army, my dad, John Fox Maney, departed on a train from Van Wert, OH for basic training, first at Camp Perry on Lake … Continue reading →
From the sermon archives—an appropriate Lenten reflection Lectionary texts: Romans 5.6-11, 6.3-11; St. John 7.37-39. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today is a huge day in the life of your family. … Continue reading →
On this day 80 years ago in 1943 my dad, John F. Maney, was inducted into the army at the age of 20 (the tree in this picture under which dad sat is outside a house in Uffculme England that was … Continue reading →
The season of Lent with its emphasis on self-examination, penitence, self-denial, study, and preparation for Easter is quickly approaching. One of the Lenten disciplines I commend to you this year is fasting. But there is a lot of misunderstanding about … Continue reading →
When the season of Lent is at hand, it is observed in the following manner. Now whereas with us the forty days preceding Easter are observed, here they observe the eight weeks before Easter. This is the reason why they … Continue reading →
Fascinating. It was no easy or light thing to become a Christian in those days. I must also describe how those who are baptized at Easter are instructed. Those who give their names do so the day before Lent, and the … Continue reading →
President: Brothers and sisters in Christ, since early days Christians have observed with great devotion the time of our Lord’s passion and resurrection and prepared for this by a season of penitence and fasting. By carefully keeping these days, Christians … Continue reading →
Almighty and everlasting God,you hate nothing you have madeand forgive the sins of all who are penitent:Create and make in us new and contrite hearts,that we, worthily lamenting our sinsand acknowledging our wretchedness,may obtain of you, the God of all … Continue reading →
We need to be sober in our thinking about the power of Sin and see it as God sees it—a force that corrupts and destroys God’s precious image-bearers and good creation. This is why God hates Sin and this is why we can expect to receive God’s wrath on our sins: they are symptoms of the problem that God hates. God is first and foremost a God of love and if that is true, God must also be a God of justice. Why? Because God cannot and will not ultimately allow anything or anyone in his creation to continue corrupting it and his image-bearing creatures. God loves us too much to allow us to be victims of injustice and all the evil that flows from the power of Sin. Since we are powerless to break Sin’s grip on us, and since God is the only person who can free us from our slavery to it, God must intervene to destroy Sin and set things right, the very essence of justice. Otherwise, we would be doomed to be forever in Sin’s grip, catastrophically and permanently separated from God’s eternal love for us and excluded from God’s great heavenly banquet he has prepared for us so that we can enjoy him forever. It means that we would forever be trapped in our worst selves and that violence, greed, selfishness, cruelty, rapacity, suffering, hurt, brokenness, and alienation would continue to rule unchecked in our lives and God’s world. If God really is love, God cannot let this state of affairs go on forever, and when we understand this we can begin to see God’s justice as a positive thing. If we are going to follow God, we have to be sure that God loves us enough and has the requisite power to put all things to rights. To be sure, punishment is involved in this making-right process, but the overall thrust of God’s justice is restorative and healing because the heart of God his merciful, kind, generous, and loving. God does not create us to destroy us; God created us so that we can enjoy him and rule his world faithfully and wisely on his behalf. Continue reading →
Today is the 291st anniversary of George Washington’s birthday. Happy birthday, Mr. President! To our great detriment, Americans are forgetting about our first president. This is sad, in part, because without him, there would not likely be the USA that … Continue reading →
Read it all. The worldwide Anglican Communion as we know it is dead, but it will be reconstituted and emerge stronger than ever. It is simultaneously heartbreaking and infuriating to see a majority group of bishops in the Church of … Continue reading →
From Fox News. Check it out and celebrate our great country and its greatest presidents! While the political divide in our country may seem as intense as ever, some of the nation’s greatest presidents in history have shared important advice … Continue reading →
Washington’s Birthday was celebrated on February 22nd until well into the 20th Century. However, in 1968 Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law to “provide uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays.” By creating more 3-day weekends, Congress … Continue reading →
I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father’s child has. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
I have endured a great deal of ridicule without much malice; and have received a great deal of kindness, not quite free from ridicule. I am used to it. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
In regard to this Great Book [the Bible], I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations … Continue reading →
I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women; but I must say that if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women were applied to the … Continue reading →
I have stepped out upon this platform that I may see you and that you may see me, and in the arrangement, I have the best of the bargain. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care … Continue reading →
It is not merely for today, but for all time to come that we should perpetuate for our children’s children this great and free government, which we have enjoyed all our lives. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
From Fox News: NEW YORK — Question: Who is honored on Presidents Day? Answer: Not Ronald Reagan. Or Franklin D. Roosevelt. Or Grover Cleveland or Martin Van Buren. FoxNews.com conducted an informal and very unscientific poll in midtown Manhattan on Monday … Continue reading →
Today is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. He would be 214 years old! The president is one of my heroes, primarily because of the role he played in saving this country. Mr. Lincoln had a wonderful spirit about him and his humility, … Continue reading →
Today would have been my dad’s 100th birthday. How is that even possible?? Where has all the time gone???? He’s been dead for almost 19 years and I still miss him every day. Oh, don’t misunderstand. I know where he … Continue reading →
The Fortieth Day after Epiphany [Candlemas, February 14] is observed here with special magnificence, On this day they assemble in the Anastasis [Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem]. Everyone gathers, and things are done with the same solemnity as at … Continue reading →
…Candlemas, a Christian holiday that remembers when Mary presented the Christ child at the Temple in Jerusalem and performed her purification (see below). Candlemas is also called the Festival Day of Candles, in which the parish priest would bless candles for … Continue reading →
The foretaste of the Messianic banquet that will be ongoing in God’s new creation reminds us to keep our eyes on Jesus the prize because the ordinary things of this life will be transformed when he returns and made more beautiful and abundant than we can ever imagine, just like the new wine Jesus made. Think about the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen—husbands, this is a good time to turn to your wife and tell her she is that most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, it’s a good old-creation, anti-doghouse practice—and then try to imagine things more beautiful and abundant than that, i.e., try to imagine the unimaginable. This will give you a clue as to what awaits us in God’s new heavens and earth. I don’t know all that that entails, but I do know that our resurrected bodies will be inexpressively beautiful and without defect or sickness or any kind of malady. We will drink the finest wines without becoming intoxicated and we won’t desire to become intoxicated because we will be enjoying unbroken communion and fellowship with God the Father and the Lamb. There won’t be an addictive or lonely bone in our new body. The intimacy we enjoy only partly now, we will enjoy in full then. We won’t worry about being unloved or abandoned by God or others because we will be living in the light of God’s presence and the Lamb’s forever! Continue reading →
So you have died with Christ and are raised with him, even at your ripe young age! You have been delivered from the dark empire of slavery to the empire of freedom and life and light, the Father’s kingdom. Now what? Well, for starters it means you no longer need to be afraid as you grow older. You have peace with God, real peace, a peace that was terribly costly to God, and you also have life that cannot be taken from you. Sure your mortal body will die, and you’ll understand what that means when you grow older, but that’s nothing more than a transition until the Lord returns and raises you from the dead and gives you a new body to live in his new world. As a baptized Christian you have no reason to fear death because you know Christ is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11.25) and you know that where he is, there you will be with him by virtue of your baptism that signals his great love for you and his power to rescue you from Sin and Death! It means you will reject living your life in ways that tell God you don’t want anything to do with him. It means you will reject false realities and will be willing to speak out boldly against them. It means you will be willing to love even the most unloveable people (and unfortunately you will come to know your fair share of them), starting with yourself. It means you will be willing to speak out against injustices of all kinds. It means you will have compassion for people, realizing they are without a Good Shepherd who will love and heal them just like he is loving and healing you, and so you will be willing to share your baptismal faith with them. There’s more to this reality, but certainly not less. Continue reading →
Eternal Father, who at the baptism of Jesus revealed him to be your Son,anointing him with the Holy Spirit:grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted … Continue reading →
In the days when few people had calendars, it was customary at the Liturgy on Epiphany to proclaim the date of Easter for the coming year, along with other major feasts that hinge on the date of Easter. We honor … Continue reading →
Christ is God, for he has given all things their being out of nothing. Yet he is born as one of us by taking to himself our nature, flesh-endowed with intelligent spirit. A star glitters by day in the East … Continue reading →
Matthew 2:1-12 Let us now observe how glorious was the dignity that attended the King after his birth, after the magi in their journey remained obedient to the star. For immediately the magi fell to their knees and adored the … Continue reading →
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it … Continue reading →
O God,who by the leading of a starmanifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:mercifully grant that we,who know you now by faith,may at last behold your glory face to face;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is … Continue reading →
Today concludes the series of Christmas reflections from the Church Fathers. I hope you have enjoyed them and trust that God will use them to enrich you and bring you closer to him. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Christmas … Continue reading →
In the very act in which we are reverencing the birth of our Savior, we are also celebrating our own new birth. For the birth of Christ is the origin of the Christian people; and the birthday of the head … Continue reading →
Beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal creator of all things, today became our Savior by being born of a mother. Of his own will he was born for us today, in time, so that he could lead us to … Continue reading →
Let us announce the coming of our Savior with joy! On Christmas strength took on weakness that weakness might become strong. From his human birth let us come to understand how God emptied himself for our sake. —Augustine, Sermon 190, 3
Our Savior truly became human, and from this has followed the salvation of humanity as a whole. Our salvation is in no way fictitious, nor does it apply only to the body. The salvation of the whole person, that is, … Continue reading →
God on earth, God among us! No longer the God who gives his law amid flashes of lightning, to the sound of the trumpet on the smoking mountain, within the darkness of a terrifying storm, but the God who speaks … Continue reading →
It would be no mistake to call [Christmas] the chief and mother of all holy days. Had Christ not been born of the flesh, he would not have been baptized, which is the theophany or manifestation. Nor would he have … Continue reading →
Through the light of the Spirit we behold the Son, the splendor of God’s glory, and through the Son, the very stamp of the Father, we are led to him who is the source both of his stamp, who is … Continue reading →
Therefore let us hasten to this place [Bethlehem] where for our sake the eternal God was born as a little child! —Ikos of the Nativity of the Lord
The very Word of God, more ancient than the ages, the invisible, the incomprehensible, the incorporeal, the principle issuing from principle, the light born of light, the source of life and of immortality, the imprint of the divine model, the … Continue reading →
It is, therefore, with an unmistakable tenderness that so great a wealth of divine goodness has been poured out on us, dearly beloved. Not only has the usefulness of foregoing examples served in calling us to eternity, but the Truth … Continue reading →
Our faith is not founded upon empty words; nor are we carried away by mere caprice or beguiled by specious arguments. On the contrary, we put our faith in words spoken by the Word himself at God’s command. God wished … Continue reading →
How could he have given himself if he had not worn flesh? He offered his flesh and gave himself for us, in order that undergoing death in it, “He might bring to nothing the one who held the power of … Continue reading →
It is as if God the Father sent upon the earth a purse full of his mercy. This purse was burst open during the Lord’s passion to pour forth its hidden contents—the price of our redemption. It was only a … Continue reading →
When Isaac himself carried the wood for the sacrifice of himself, in this, too, he prefigured Christ our Lord, who carried his own cross to the place of his passion. On this mystery much had already been foretold by the prophets: … Continue reading →
Today was born the child, his name was called Wonderful! [see Isaiah 9:6] For a wonder it is that God should reveal himself as a baby. —Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on the Nativity
He chose to lack for himself, that he may abound for all. The sobs of that appalling infancy cleanse me, those tears wash away my sins. Therefore, Lord Jesus, I owe more to your sufferings because I was redeemed than … Continue reading →
He was a baby and a child, so that you may be a perfect human. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, so that you may be freed from the snares of death. He was in a manger, that you may … Continue reading →
Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and celebrate, all who love Zion! Today the ancient bond of the condemnation of Adam is loosed. Paradise is opened to us. Therefore let all creation sing and dance for joy. Christ has come to restore it … Continue reading →
Once again this year, as my Christmas gift to you, I am going to post excerpts from the wisdom of the ancient commentators on the Incarnation of God. I will be posting each day until January 5. May you find … Continue reading →
Below is a sermon from Saint John Chrysostom, believed to be the first Christmas sermon ever preached. Whether it was, this sermon is the first extant Christmas sermon we have. Preached in Antioch in 386 AD, the year St. Augustine … Continue reading →
From the sermon archives. Lectionary texts: Isaiah 52.7-10; Isaiah 11; Hebrews 1.1-12; John 1.1-14. In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Merry Christmas my beloved! During this past Advent season we looked into … Continue reading →
Merry Christmas! I suspect many of you will struggle with this in a lot of different ways, especially those who have lost loved ones to death or alienation or suffered from illness or other kinds of brokenness or loss. I’m … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
An antiphon is (in traditional Western Christian liturgy) a short sentence sung or recited before or after a psalm or canticle. Today begins the Advent Antiphons. But what are the “O Antiphons”? Below is an excerpt from the Catholic Education Resource Center by Father William Saunders. I wholeheartedly commend their use … Continue reading →
December 7, 1941, a date that will live in infamy, so said then President Franklin Roosevelt the next day as he asked Congress to declare war on Imperial Japan. It is the day Japan launched a treacherous sneak attack on … Continue reading →
Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us. For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.We thank you, Lord. For all that is gracious in the lives … Continue reading →
I wish you a happy Thanksgiving today. Please take a few moments and stop to give praise and thanks to God for his bountiful blessings to us as individuals and as a nation. Among others, I am thankful for God’s … Continue reading →
I first encountered William Bradford’s supposed First Thanksgiving Proclamation when my family and I enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at the home of some dear friends from our church. Knowing that I was a historian, the host pulled me aside before the … Continue reading →
Thank you, Mr. President. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in … Continue reading →
The tradition of the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving is steeped in myth and legend. Few people realize that the Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving the next year, or any year thereafter, though some of their descendants later made a “Forefather’s Day” … Continue reading →
Today marks the 159th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, one of the seminal speeches in American history. Take time to read and reflect on it today and give thanks that God has raised up leaders like President Lincoln to guide … Continue reading →
As you pause this day to give thanks for our veterans, past and present, take some time to familiarize yourself with the history of this day. World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially … Continue reading →
Governor of Nations, our Strength and Shield:we give you thanks for the devotion and courageof all those who have offered military service for this country: For those who have fought for freedom;for those who laid down their lives for others;for … Continue reading →
Apologies to the Brits. From the pen of my mama. Check it out. One thing I thought I could do during WWII was to find out the customers of the O.P.C. [Ohio Power Company, now AEP] who had sons in … Continue reading →
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With humans this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”— Matthew 19.25-26 The saints are those who are moved … Continue reading →
Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feastday mean anything to the saints? Do they care about earthly honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does … Continue reading →
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, ruler and judge of all, to you be praise and glory for ever. In the darkness of this age that is passing away may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy surround our … Continue reading →
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we … Continue reading →
From the morning office readings. Simply beautiful. Listen if you have ears to hear. Of his own free will Jesus ran to meet those sufferings that were foretold in the Scriptures concerning him. He had forewarned his disciples about them … Continue reading →
Amen. Amen. Quite some time ago, during his seminary days, a young priest friend of mine attended an introductory lecture on Revelation and the Scriptures. The lecturer told the class that there is considerable distance between God’s actual message and … Continue reading →
From here. After the death and resurrection of Christ, both the Jewish and Roman authorities in Jerusalem made efforts to obscure the Holy Sepulchre, Christ’s tomb in the garden near the site of His crucifixion. The earth had been mounded … Continue reading →
Almighty God,who in the passion of your blessed Sonmade an instrument of painful deathto be for us the means of life and peace:grant us so to glory in the cross of Christthat we may gladly suffer for his sake;who is … Continue reading →
Almighty God,whose Son our Savior Jesus Christwas lifted high upon the crossthat he might draw the whole world to himself:Mercifully grant that we,who glory in the mystery of our redemption,may have grace to take up our cross and follow him;who lives and reigns with … Continue reading →
During the reign of Constantine, first Roman Emperor to profess the Christian faith, his mother Helena went to Israel and there undertook to find the places especially significant to Christians. (She was helped in this by the fact that in … Continue reading →
Before his conversion to Roman Catholicism Gavin Ashenden was an Anglican priest and bishop as well as former Chaplain to the Queen. I fear his concerns are real and true. From Christian Today: It used to be the fashion to … Continue reading →
For those who perished on September 11th at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in the fields of Pennsylvania: that they experience eternal life with God in heaven and the new creation, we pray: Lord, in your mercy, … Continue reading →
Amen. Well done, good and faithful servant. May you rest in peace and RISE IN GLORY, Your Majesty. ‘The Queen has died.’ We have always known that someday we would hear those words, but that certainty has not robbed them … Continue reading →
Originally on Vimeo and since removed. [On V-J Day 1945] my Dad shot this film along Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki capturing spontaneous celebrations that broke out upon first hearing news of the Japanese surrender. Kodachrome 16mm film: God Bless Kodachrome, right? I … Continue reading →
Today marks the 77th anniversary of Victory Over Japan (V-J) Day and the end of World War II (the formal, unconditional surrender was not signed until September 1, 1945). Stop and remember the brave men and women who fought against the … Continue reading →
Beautiful. Where did I find you, that I came to know you? You were not within my memory before I learned of you. Where, then, did I find you before I came to know you, if not within yourself, far … Continue reading →
Starting next Sunday, August 7, Sunday sermons/podcasts will be published directly on St. Augustine Anglican Church’s website. Visit there to read or listen to future sermons. Sermon delivered on Trinity 7C, Sunday, July 31, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Trinity 6C, Sunday, July 24, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. If you prefer to listen to the audio podcast of today’s sermon, click here. Lectionary texts: Hosea 1.2-10; Psalm 85; Colossians 2.6-19; St. Luke 11.1-13. … Continue reading →
1 Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. 2 He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. 3 They placed … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Trinity 5C, Sunday, July 17, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. If you prefer to listen to the audio podcast of today’s sermon, click here. Lectionary texts: Amos 8.1-12; Psalm 52; Colossians 1.15-28; St. Luke 10.38-42. … Continue reading →
13 O Lord, I cry out to you. I will keep on pleading day by day.14 O Lord, why do you reject me? Why do you turn your face from me? 15 I have been sick and close to death since my youth. I stand helpless and desperate … Continue reading →
Today begins an occasional series of reflections based on assigned readings from the Daily Office. May God bless you in your reading and reflection of them. 3 How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?4 How long will they … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Trinity 4C, Sunday, July 10, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. If you prefer to listen to the audio podcast of today’s sermon, click here. Lectionary texts: Amos 7.7-17; Psalm 82; Colossians 1.1-14; St. Luke 10.25-37. … Continue reading →
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so galantly streaming?And the rockets’ red glare, … Continue reading →
Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station; it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules … Continue reading →
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, … Continue reading →
In the 1850s, Abraham Lincoln’s rhetoric was suffused with a profound sense of loss. He considered it shameful national backsliding that a new affirmative defense of slavery had arisen in the South. At the time of the Founding our nation … Continue reading →
From here: In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and its king. The declaration came 442 days after the first volleys of the American Revolution … Continue reading →
With the forces of lawlessness and mob rule that are attempting to wipe out this country’s history and identity in order to destroy it, it is critical that we know the principles contained in our nation’s founding documents on which … Continue reading →
Lord God Almighty,you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory,to serve you in freedom and in peace:Give to the people of our country a zeal for justiceand the strength of forbearance,that we may use our liberty … Continue reading →
Lord God Almighty,in whose Name the founders of this countrywon liberty for themselves and for us,and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn:Grant that we and all the people of this landmay have grace to maintain our liberties … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Trinity 3C, Sunday, July 3, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. If you prefer to listen to the audio podcast of today’s sermon, click here. Lectionary texts: 2 Kings 5.1-14; Psalm 30; Galatians 6.1-16; St. Luke … Continue reading →
On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee‘s last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in disastrous failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end. Read it all and read about Pickett’s charge, the … Continue reading →
Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) gave the United States — and the world — some of the most inspirational words ever written. She penned “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” in November 1861, during a wartime tour of Washington, D.C., as Americans … Continue reading →
On this day in 1863, during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia attacks General George G. Meade‘s Army of the Potomac at both Culp’s Hill and Little Round Top, but fails to move … Continue reading →
From the History Channel online. The largest military conflict in North American history begins this day when Union and Confederate forces collide at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The epic battle lasted three days and resulted in a retreat to Virginia by Robert E. Lee‘s Army of … Continue reading →
So what do we do when we are in desperate times, wondering if God has abandoned us? Well, many of us try to tough it out on our own. Instead of remembering that God is faithful to his people, we seek human solutions to alleviate our desperation. How’s that working out for you? I know it never has worked for me. No, as we have seen, we are called to remember, both collectively and individually, and then to rely on each other to remind ourselves that God never leaves us alone. In other words, we are to love each other and be there for each other when we sense God’s absence, just the way all healthy families help each other in good times and bad. Never underestimate the power of godly folk to help lighten your load as they walk with you through the dark valleys of life. The very act of remembering and relying on each other help us focus on God instead of ourselves. It reminds us to be patient and to trust God to act on our behalf in God’s good time and ways. That’s not easy for us god-wannabes but it is the only real option we have if we are not to totally lose heart and hope. When we remember, we are reminded that God is not some inconsistent ogre who delights in torturing us or who behaves erratically toward us as we do toward God and each other. God loved us enough to become human and die for us to free us from his just condemnation and an eternity apart from him, even while we were still sinners and his enemies. If God loves us that much, why would God abandon us now in our darkest hours? Continue reading →
Happy Fathers’ Day! Sermon delivered on Trinity 1C, Sunday, June 19, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. There is no audio podcast of today’s sermon. Lectionary texts: 1 Kings 19.1-15a; Psalms 42-43; Galatians 3.23-29; St. Luke 8.26-39. In … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Trinity Sunday C, June 12, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. If you prefer to listen to the audio podcast of today’s sermon, click here. Lectionary texts: Proverbs 8.1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5.1-5; St. John … Continue reading →
Amen. In the United States, June 6, 1944 will receive passing mention on news programs and social channels. There are few, if any, parades or official remembrances. Even those veterans who fought across the beaches and on to Berlin will … Continue reading →
On this date in 2010 at First United Methodist Church in Van Wert, OH we debuted the anthem commissioned in my mother’s memory, Longing to Draw Near by Craig Courtney. My grandparents Maney were married 105 years ago on this date in 1917 … Continue reading →
A fascinating read. Check it out. Eisenhower was possessed of a remarkable, disarming smile, a reflection of the man’s transparent decency; an early D-Day planner, Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, once claimed that Ike’s grin was “worth an army corps … Continue reading →
“My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has … Continue reading →
From here: Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty … Continue reading →
Today marks the 78th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the greatest amphibious assault the world has ever known (and hopefully will ever know). Sadly, most of those valiant soldiers are now dead, and our country is the poorer because of … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Trinity Sunday C, June 12, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. If you prefer to listen to the audio podcast of today’s sermon, click here. Lectionary texts: Acts 2.1-11; Psalm 104.26-37; Romans 8.14-17; John 14.8-17, 25-27. … Continue reading →
From here. But on the fiftieth day, that is, the Lord’s Day, when the people have a very great deal to go through, everything that is customary is done from the first cockcrow onwards; vigil is kept in the Anastasis, and … Continue reading →
Grant, we ask you, almighty God,that the splendor of your brightnessmay shine on usand the light of your Lightconfirm with the illumination of the Holy Spiritthe hearts of those who have been born again through your grace:for the sake of … Continue reading →
O Holy Spirit of God, very God,who descended on Christ at the river Jordanand on the apostles in the upper chamber,we have sinned against heaven and before you;purify us again, we ask you,with your divine fire,and have mercy on us;for … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Ascension Sunday (transferred), May 29, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Father Wylie gets all whiny when we ask for a written manuscript. Nobody’s got time for a whiny priest, especially on Ascension Sunday, so … Continue reading →
Today is the traditional day for Memorial Day, originally called “Decoration Day.” Until 1971 it was always celebrated today. But afterward it has become a movable federal holiday. You can read about its history here, and I hope you will take … Continue reading →
From here. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in … Continue reading →
Adapted from here: Eternal God,Creator of years, of centuries,Lord of whatever is beyond time,Maker of all species and master of all history —How shall we speak to youfrom our smallness and inconsequence?Except that you have called us to worship you in … Continue reading →
From here. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. … Continue reading →
I am remembering today the men and women who serve and have served our country, and who have given their lives for this nation. I am thankful for my own grandfathers, John S. Maney and F. Earl Shaffer, who fought … Continue reading →
The idea of the human Jesus now being in heaven, in his thoroughly embodied risen state, comes as a shock to many people, including many Christians. Sometimes this is because many people think that Jesus, having been divine, stopped being … Continue reading →
O God the King of glory,you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christwith great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen usand exalt us to the place where our … Continue reading →
There is no need to doubt the literal nature of Christ’s ascension, so long as we realize its purpose. It was not necessary as a mode of departure, for ‘going to the Father’ did not involve a journey in space … Continue reading →
It is a pity that we call it ‘Ascension Day’, for the Bible speaks more of Christ’s exaltation than of his ascension. This is an interesting avenue to explore. The four great events in the saving career of Jesus are … Continue reading →
With all due solemnity we are commemorating that day on which our poor human nature was carried up, in Christ, above all the hosts of heaven, above all the ranks of angels, beyond the highest heavenly powers to the very … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Easter 6C, Sunday, May 22, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. If you prefer to listen to the audio podcast of today’s sermon, usually somewhat different from the text below, click here. Lectionary texts: Acts16.9-15; Psalm … Continue reading →
This year our nation will observe Memorial Day on the same day we traditionally observed it until 1971—May 30. Thankfully our family did not lose anybody to war, although my grandfathers and dad fought in World War I and II respectively. So in … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Easter 5C, Sunday, May 15, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Father Wylie is a slug and gets all whiny when we ask for a written manuscript. Nobody’s got time for a whiny priest, especially … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Easter 5C, Sunday, May 8, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. If you prefer to listen to the audio podcast of today’s sermon, click here. Lectionary texts: Acts 9:36-43; Psalms 23 and John 10:22 – … Continue reading →
Today marks the 77th anniversary of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), May 8, 1945, in which the Allies celebrated the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany the day before. Take a moment today and thank God for bringing us victory over evil. Remember the … Continue reading →
Today would have been my mama’s 100th birthday, something I simply cannot fathom; where has the time gone?? My mother was an exquisite role-model of motherhood. She loved me, spent time with me, loved me enough to instill what it meant … Continue reading →
In telling us this story, St. John is surely telling us that the power of Jesus is typically not made known in stunning ways, in ways the world recognizes as spectacular, although there are notable and numerous exceptions to this rule. Christ making all things new is not about razzle-dazzle or eye-popping special effects that we love to see at the movies. Instead, it is about the quiet way of Christ with his people, with St. Peter, with you and me, agapaoing us in all our unloveliness, forgiving all our failures and betrayals and denials, recognizing our limitations, but also seeing our potential and putting us to work for him, despite who we can be, out of his sheer grace and love for us. There is nothing we have said or not said, thought or not thought, done or not done that is beyond the healing love and forgiveness of our crucified and risen Savior, nothing that will not eventually be put to rights, even if we must wait for it to be put to rights in God’s new heavens and earth. If you cannot find real hope, real comfort, real healing in this reality and promise, my beloved, surely you are to be pitied most of all. St. Paul found it on the road to Damascus, St. Peter found it as have countless other Christians across time and cultures. Let us join this happy and forgiven throng so that like the psalmist in today’s lesson, we too can make the bold proclamation of conquering death through Christ our own! Continue reading →
Three men shared death upon a hill,But only one man dies;The other two—A thief and God himself—Made rendezvous. Three crosses stillAre borne up Calvary’s Hill,Where Sin still lifts them high:Upon the one, sag broken menWho, cursing, die;Another holds the praying … Continue reading →
Yes, in this world, we will have trouble. But Jesus encourages us, “Take heart; I have overcome the world.” And so, Christian, when you or those that you love are plagued by disease, when you’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death, remember that sickness and death don’t have the final word; Christ does. Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, [they] will live” (John 11:25). When darkness overshadows you and evil seems to surround you, remember that God is making all things new, that His purposes and plans cannot be stopped, that “all things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). Continue reading →
Many of us still don’t anticipate the Resurrection of the Dead and like the women at Christ's Tomb, we remain afraid. But we needn’t be if we keep our eyes on the prize of Resurrection and new creation. And let’s be clear about the nature of our Ultimate Prize. Resurrection is about the continuity of bodily existence, albeit in radically new way. We’ll look at this more in two weeks. For right now, when the angels spoke of Christ being raised from the dead (as did Christ’s first followers) they had in mind bodily, physical existence, not some ephemeral disembodied state, the stuff of gnosticism and other new age religions. As St. Peter proclaimed in our NT lesson, the disciples ate, drank, and spoke with the Risen Lord. You don’t do that with a disembodied spirit. And as St. Paul proclaimed in our epistle lesson, Death is not finally destroyed until Christ returns to finish his saving work and the dead are raised. Our loved ones who have died in the faith of Christ are safely in Christ’s care and protection in heaven (Phil 1.21-23), but they are still dead and remain so until the time Christ gives them their new bodies patterned after his own. Resurrection is emphatically not about dying and going to heaven. It is about new bodily existence where we have bodies that are fitted to live in God’s new heavens and earth, a world that will surely be inexpressibly beautiful because God our Father is inexpressibly beautiful, a world where sickness and sighing and alienation and fear and anger and sorrow and madness and incompleteness are no more. More importantly, whatever that world looks like it will be a world where Death is abolished forever and we will never be separated from our loved ones who have died in the peace and love of Christ, no matter how hard their mortal death might have been. Best of all, we will never be separated from God our Father again the way we are now. As our first human ancestors enjoyed intimate fellowship with God in a way none of us can ever experience because of the Fall as we saw last night, so God promises to live directly with us in all his glory and we will be allowed to live in his direct Presence, all because of Christ’s saving Death on the Cross. It is the prize above all prizes, a prize that makes the prizes we strive for pale in comparison; it is worthy of our best striving, labor, and efforts to follow Christ and his Way. Nothing else will do because nothing else ends in life. This promised new world is made possible only by the love and power of God. None can attain it on their own, only by the mercy and grace of God manifested through Christ. When we keep our eyes on this prize, we are truly looking for the living among the living because we are looking at the only Power who can give us eternal life, Jesus Christ, our Crucified, Risen, and Ascended Lord. Resurrection is not a concept, my beloved, it is a person, and his Name is Jesus Christ, the only Son God. Without him we have no hope for real life, either in this world or the next, and all our other efforts to find life and meaning and purpose are utterly futile. When we seek the living among the living, i.e., when we seek to give our lives and ourselves totally to Christ and live as he calls us to live, we must keep our eyes on this prize of Resurrection and new creation. I cannot speak for you, but whenever I have taken my eyes off this prize, my search for the living invariably results in me looking for the living among the dead instead of the living. Listen if you have ears to hear. Continue reading →
The season of Lent has always been a time when the Church prepared new converts to become full members by instructing them in matters of the faith and preparing them for baptism. Here is a description from how this was … Continue reading →
Everyone who is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant Feast of Feasts! If anyone is a wise servant, rejoice and enter into the joy of the LordIf anyone has been wearied in fasting, … Continue reading →
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may … Continue reading →
Wonderful stuff. The video is over an hour but you don’t have over an hour to watch it. Do yourself a favor and watch it anyway. And if you are the reading type rather than the viewing type, pick up Wright’s book, Surprised … Continue reading →
What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised … Continue reading →
Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?Look around and see.Is any suffering like my sufferingthat was inflicted on me,that the LORD brought on mein the day of his fierce anger? —Lamentations 1.12 (NIV) LORD, you are the … Continue reading →
Grant, Lord,that we who are baptized into the deathof your Son our Savior Jesus Christmay continually put to death our evil desiresand be buried with him;and that through the grave and gate of deathwe may pass to our joyful resurrection;through … Continue reading →
O God, Creator of heaven and earth:Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomband rested on this holy Sabbath,so we may await with him the coming of the third day,and rise with him … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Good Friday, April 15, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Father Sang gets all whiny when we ask for a written manuscript. Nobody’s got time for a whiny priest, especially on Good Friday, so click … Continue reading →
Then [the crucified criminal] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23.42-43 (NRSV) Somehow the crucified criminal on Jesus’ right was enabled to … Continue reading →
A fantastic Good Friday devotional, and one I highly recommend you make part of your library. Earlier [Jesus] had said to his disciples, “As the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will be … Continue reading →
As for me, I began to know Jesus as soon as I accepted Jesus as the truth; I found true peace when I actively sought his friendship; and above all I experienced joy, true joy, that stands above the vicissitudes … Continue reading →
There is a Tree, “mystical and eternal” which rises above the hills of time. Where its shadow falls, there God’s claim rests upon us and something is exacted of us. Those who have entered even a little way into the … Continue reading →
Sometimes just as we have come to accept “the withering away of the Cross,” a silence falls…darkness,…and it strikes us how mortal we are and that before three decades have passed, or four, our very names will be unremembered and … Continue reading →
[On Good Friday] following the dismissal from the Cross, which occurs before sunrise, everyone now stirred up goes immediately to Sion to pray at the pillar where the Lord was whipped. Returning from there then, all rest for a short … Continue reading →
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John. When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples … Continue reading →
From John for Everyone, Part 2. Simply Beautiful. The changing of water to wine was, as he told us clearly, the first in the sequence of ‘signs’ by which Jesus revealed his glory. The second was the healing of the … Continue reading →
One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced … Continue reading →
Read St. Luke 23.26-46 One of the most moving moments at the Lambeth Conference in 2008 came when Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, gave a splendid and stirring lecture. Many of us, who had only heard him on the … Continue reading →
Through His death and His resurrection, Jesus put death to death. In our epistle lesson, Paul reminds of what took place after the foot washing. As Jesus & His disciples celebrated the Passover, He gave new significance to the elements of the meal, instituting the Lord’s Supper. Jesus said the bread was His body and the wine was “the new covenant in [His] blood” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Like the foot washing, the Last Supper pointed to Jesus’ impending death on the cross, that his body would be broke and His blood would be shed. Continue reading →
The happy commemoration of today’s feast with its immense concourse of people invites us to prolong fervently our praises of the Most Holy Body of Christ. What could be sweeter, what more pleasing to the heart of the faithful than to exalt the … Continue reading →
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?” So Jesus sent two of them … Continue reading →
The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction. Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, … Continue reading →
Everything has changed because of Christ crucified and raised from the dead. That’s why we call it the Good News of Jesus Christ! We are no longer dead people walking, but rather Christ’s own forever, sealed with his precious blood and confirmed every time we come to the Table to feed on his body and blood. No, if you really love your Lord and have even an inkling as to what great love has effected your salvation and changed the course of history forever, how can you possibly stay away from our Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil services? You will rob Easter Sunday of its great power and joy if you fail to participate in these saving events. And on an even more somber note, if you are unwilling to give Christ your all as you are able, especially this week, you are likely living a lie and a delusion regarding your relationship with Christ and you probably need to take it up with him in prayer. So let none of us be too hasty to celebrate the Pascha next Sunday without first pondering and agonizing and reflecting on the great and astonishing love of God that flows from God’s very heart, a heart that was pierced by a Roman soldier’s spear, a heart through which a saving love was poured out for you and your salvation. To be sure, this isn’t a pretty or fun thing to do or contemplate. But if you commit yourself to walking with Christ this Holy Week it will change you in ways you cannot imagine or envision, and for the good. It will help you recognize God’s visitation to you in Christ and it will change you because it is the Good News of our salvation. Continue reading →
The following day, Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week, which they call here the Great Week. On this [Palm] Sunday morning, at the completion of those rites which are customarily celebrated at the Anastasis [the Lord’s tomb] or the … Continue reading →
The extraordinary twist in this story is that, having announced judgment upon Jerusalem for refusing God’s way of peace, Jesus went ahead, embodying simultaneously the love and the judgment of God himself, to suffer the Roman horror he had predicted … Continue reading →
He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us to himself, we are told in Scripture: “above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named,” now comes … Continue reading →
Almighty and everlasting God,who in your tender love towards the human racesent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christto take upon him our fleshand to suffer death upon the cross:grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,and … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Lent 5C, Sunday, April 3, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Passiontide begins today. If you prefer to listen to the audio podcast of today’s sermon, click here. Lectionary texts: Isaiah 43.16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3.4b-14; … Continue reading →
But how do we make [the parable of the prodigal son] our own? But how do we make this parable our own? We aren’t part of ancient Israel looking for God to return to end our exile that this parable addresses in part. Or are we? Is there anyone here today, if you are old enough, who does not long for God to rescue us and those we love from our exile to Sin and Death? St. Paul in our epistle lesson has answers for us. We can make Christ’s parable about the prodigal son our own precisely because of what Christ has done for us in his Death and Resurrection. We have the hope of being rescued from Sin and Death because of Christ’s death on the cross, a Death that atoned for our sins, freed us from our slavery to the power of Sin, and restored us to a right relationship with God starting right now and lasting for all eternity. As we have seen before there is a great mystery in all this because all of us still sin in this mortal life, despite the NT’s claim that Sin’s power has been broken in us. Neither are we told how this all works, presumably because such knowledge is well above our pay grade and our salvation isn’t contingent on us having that knowledge. The NT simply insists that it is true and calls us to have faith to believe it despite its mystery and ambiguity and our unanswered questions. Like the ancient Israelites on the verge of entering the promised land, St. Paul calls us to look back to Christ’s Death so that we are able to look forward to the promise of Resurrection and new creation that Christ’s Resurrection signals. Continue reading →
I ran across this piece from Professor Willimon from 30 years ago. It still reads pretty well and he certainly is prophetic in places. Check it out. Don’t Think for Yourself Undoubtedly you have seen the movie The Dead Poet’s … Continue reading →
Prayer is the offering in spirit that has done away with the sacrifices of old. “What good do I receive from the multiplicity of your sacrifices?” asks God. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, and I do … Continue reading →
The offer the prophet announces is not for physical food, but for something more vital: that which nourishes the soul. Spiritual sustenance was also something God’s people lacked. At the beginning of v. 2, the prophet asks, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” The reason God’s people faced famines, plagues, attacks from their enemies, and exile from their land is because they had turned away from the God who had called them to be His people, brought them out slavery, and led them to the fruitful and abundant land they could call their home. Instead of worshipping God alone and following His commands, God’s people worshipped false gods, practiced sexual immorality, and oppressed the poor and helpless, taking advantage of the most vulnerable people in society to benefit themselves. They turned to sin and selfish ambition thinking they would bring happiness and contentment, but they would ultimately fail to deliver. We could say that God’s people had exchanged the lavish banquet God offered for a plate of gruel. Elsewhere, God puts it this way: “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). Continue reading →
On this day, March 17, 1943, one week after he was inducted into the army, my dad, John Fox Maney, departed on a train from Van Wert, OH for basic training, first at Camp Perry on Lake Erie and then … Continue reading →
Lent is a season that helps us recall what life is really all about. It helps us focus on God’s beauty and love and power and forgiveness, reminding us the true joy involved in being reconciled to God so that we can truly be God’s image-bearing creatures. It points us to our deepest longings and desires as humans and God’s image-bearers, to be loved and to love, to pursue mercy and goodness and beauty and truth. Lent exposes the shallowness and falsehood of our disordered longings and desires to be selfish and ruthless and cruel, with all the accompanying fear and anxiety. It reminds us our lust for power, sex, money, security, status, and hedonistic pleasure is all a sham and will eventually lead to our eternal destruction as St. Paul warns us in our epistle lesson. None of these things can give life or provide real security because Death is universal and makes these disordered desires a sham and delusion. Lent reminds us what is real and what has real worth. It gives us the opportunity to examine ourselves in the light of God’s judgment and mercy and to develop the holy habits that will help us to remember the power and love of God through prayer, repentance, self-reflection, worship, Bible reading and study, and regular participation in the Holy Eucharist where we feed on the Bread of Life, the very bread that gives us life forever, Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. Continue reading →
Fascinating. It was no easy or light thing to become a Christian in those days. I must also describe how those who are baptized at Easter are instructed. Those who give their names do so the day before Lent, and the … Continue reading →
When the season of Lent is at hand, it is observed in the following manner. Now whereas with us the forty days preceding Easter are observed, here they observe the eight weeks before Easter. This is the reason why they observe eight … Continue reading →
On this day in 1943 my dad, John F. Maney, was inducted into the army at the age of 20 (the tree in this picture under which dad sat is outside a house in Uffculme England that was used as battalion … Continue reading →
George Orwell invented the term “groupthink” for his dystopian classic Nineteen Eighty-Four, first published in 1949. A few years later, the term was already in clinical use to describe a common psychological phenomenon. The idea is that people have a tendency … Continue reading →
The season of Lent with its emphasis on self-examination, penitence, self-denial, study, and preparation for Easter is quickly approaching. One of the Lenten disciplines I commend to you this year is fasting. But there is a lot of misunderstanding about … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Lent 1C, Sunday, March 6, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Father Wylie gets all whiny when we ask for a written manuscript. Nobody’s got time for a whiny priest, especially during Lent, so click … Continue reading →
If we ever hope to be reconciled to God our Father so that we can live with him forever in the new creation, we must first acknowledge our utter helplessness to fix ourselves so that we are no longer alienated from God. This means that we must first have the wisdom and humility (gifts of God’s grace) to acknowledge the fact that we are all slaves to the power of Sin. Too often we speak of our sins and think of them as misdeeds or acts of wrongdoing, the root cause of our alienation to God. This diminishes the problem of Sin to an absurdly reductionist level. This thinking implies that we can get right with God by simply adjusting our behavior or changing our thinking on certain things or making better choices—the current darling of excuses for our feel-good culture. This is a fatal mistake on our part, however, because it implies that we can fix ourselves and our problems, that if we repent of our bad choices or thinking or behavior, our sin problem with God goes away. But the whole of Scripture makes very clear that there is something vastly more sinister going on. There is something desperately wrong in the world and our lives—the problem of Sin— and we know it in our bones, despite our best efforts to deny it. But left to our own devices, we don’t have the ability to defeat the power of Sin in our lives and we delude ourselves if we think otherwise. Don’t believe me? How about those sins you confess? I bet you never do them again after you confess them, do you? Or how about your resolution to do better in some areas of your life? How is that working out for you? If we are honest with ourselves, try as we may, we must acknowledge that our efforts matter very little when it comes to turning away from our sins. Why? Because we are up against a power that is far greater than us, a power that seeks our destruction and undoing as God’s image-bearers, a power that will ultimately lead to our permanent death. The sins that we focus on are not the root cause of our alienation from God. Rather, just as a fever is a symptom of a larger problem, not the problem itself, our sins reflect our slavery to the power of Sin, again defined as an outside and malevolent force that has enslaved us. We acknowledged this very starkly in our Commination Service this noon when we acknowledged that without the cross of Jesus Christ and his presence in our lives, we are condemned to utter and complete destruction forever. This should both humble us and scare the hell out of us—literally. Until we get our thinking straight on this, we will surely have and live out a half-hearted faith (at best) because we live under the delusion that we can fix ourselves so that we are pleasing to God and set ourselves up for a self-righteousness complex. When we think like this, we inevitably dismiss the cross of Jesus Christ and the life-saving gift God the Father offers us all in and through his Son. But when we understand that Sin is a power we cannot overcome on our own and there is nothing we can do or say that will change our status before God, we are ready to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, crucified and raised from the dead. Continue reading →
Almighty and everlasting God,you hate nothing you have madeand forgive the sins of all who are penitent:Create and make in us new and contrite hearts,that we, worthily lamenting our sinsand acknowledging our wretchedness,may obtain of you, the God of all … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Transfiguration Sunday C, February 27, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Father Sang gets all whiny when we ask for a written manuscript—mainly because he doesn’t have one—but we digress. Nobody’s got time for a … Continue reading →
Today is George Washington’s birthday. He would be 290 years old! To our great detriment, Americans are forgetting about our first president. This is sad, in part, because without him, there would not likely be the USA that we know … Continue reading →
Washington’s Birthday was celebrated on February 22nd until well into the 20th Century. However, in 1968 Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law to “provide uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays.” By creating more 3-day weekends, Congress … Continue reading →
I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father’s child has. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
I have endured a great deal of ridicule without much malice; and have received a great deal of kindness, not quite free from ridicule. I am used to it. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
In regard to this Great Book [the Bible], I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations … Continue reading →
I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women; but I must say that if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women were applied to the … Continue reading →
I have stepped out upon this platform that I may see you and that you may see me, and in the arrangement, I have the best of the bargain. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care … Continue reading →
It is not merely for today, but for all time to come that we should perpetuate for our children’s children this great and free government, which we have enjoyed all our lives. —Abraham Lincoln, Quotations of Abraham Lincoln
From Fox News: NEW YORK — Question: Who is honored on Presidents Day? Answer: Not Ronald Reagan. Or Franklin D. Roosevelt. Or Grover Cleveland or Martin Van Buren. FoxNews.com conducted an informal and very unscientific poll in midtown Manhattan on Monday … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Sunday, February 20, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. There is no written manuscript for today’s sermon. Listen to the audio podcast here. Lectionary texts: Nehemiah 2.17-20; Psalm 8; Ephesians 3.14-21; St. Matthew 16.13-19.
This is a vision [about resurrection and new creation] that is compelling and worthy of all our striving. It proclaims a new world reclaimed by God, a world in which we get to live directly in God’s presence forever, a world therefore devoid of suffering, sorrow, sickness, and death, a world in which we are finally and perfectly healed forever, a world where we can finally be free to be God’s image-bearers who go about their business of tending to God’s new world with God’s blessing. It is a world where we will be reunited with our loved ones who have died in Christ, never to be separated again. And after our bodies are raised, death will be abolished forever as St. Paul tells us in today’s lesson. Death cannot be abolished until then, even for Christians, because death involves our bodies and souls, and until we receive our new bodies, death still reigns. While our loved ones who died in Christ are safely in his care as they await their new resurrection or spiritual bodies, they are still dead because they do not yet enjoy new bodily existence where their souls are reunited to their bodies. So we can remember them and miss them and find comfort that they are safe in Christ, but we can’t touch them or see them or hear them or feel them or smell them like we did when they were alive in their mortal bodies. The resurrection promises that this will all change one day when we and they are given new bodies. Whatever that looks like it is worthy of our highest calling and striving because it is a vision that exalts both God and humans, a vision beyond our wildest longings and desires and hopes. If what I have described does not stir you to want to give your ultimate allegiance to Christ, the One who makes it all possible because only Christ is the Resurrection and the Life, blame my inability to cast the vision for all it’s worth, not the vision itself with its incomprehensible richness and beauty that point to the power and fathomless love of God the Father for us as his human image-bearers. When it comes in full, whatever it looks like, God’s new creation will fully honor human beings and consummate our life-giving relationship with God the Father, our Creator. Continue reading →
Today is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. He would be 213 years old! The president is one of my heroes, primarily because of the role he played in saving this country. Mr. Lincoln had a wonderful spirit about him and his humility, … Continue reading →
Up to this point we have only been talking about bad news and if you are feeling depressed by what we have said that is understandable. The human condition is a depressing situation without the help and mercy of God. We need to look no further than the madness and lunacy that swirls around us and within us in our increasingly unhinged and godless society. But it is to the glory of God that the bad news will not have the final say. The dark powers that have enslaved us to the power of Sin—an impenetrable mystery itself—have already been defeated on Calvary. That is why we call it Good Friday, not Bad Friday! We will never be ready to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ if we do not understand and accept the bad news of the human condition left unaided, hard as that is to hear. It is a terrible thing to live in a cursed world and the gospel is our only real hope and solution for our predicament. The gospel is not a good idea or a good theory. It’s Good News because something happened that changed the world in which we live and if you do not believe that, you have no gospel at all and are much to be pitied. When St. Paul talks about Christ dying for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, he probably has more in mind than just Isaiah 53 and a handful of other OT proof-texts. He is talking about the strange power of God (to us ) at work to free his originally good creation from the corrupting and death-dealing powers of Evil and Sin. Of course consistent with his creative purposes, God chose to do this primarily through human agency, first in his call to Israel and then through Christ, the one faithful Israelite. God did and does this for us because God loves us. That is the essence of the meaning of Christ dying for sin. Continue reading →
Today would have been my dad’s 99th birthday, something I can barely wrap my mind around—where has all the time gone???? He’s been dead for almost 18 years and I still miss him. Oh, don’t misunderstand. I know where he … Continue reading →
…Candlemas, a Christian holiday that remembers when Mary presented the Christ child at the Temple in Jerusalem and performed her purification (see below). Candlemas is also called the Festival Day of Candles, in which the parish priest would bless candles for … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on the Feast of Candlemas (transferred), Sunday, January 30, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Father Wylie gets all whiny in a PhD kinda way when we ask for a written manuscript. Nobody’s got time for … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Epiphany 3C, Sunday, January 23, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Father Sang gets all whiny when we ask for a written manuscript. Nobody’s got time for a whiny priest, especially in the new year, … Continue reading →
The foretaste of the Messianic banquet that will be ongoing in God’s new creation reminds us to keep our eyes on Jesus the prize because the ordinary things of this life will be transformed when he returns and made more beautiful and abundant than we can ever imagine, just like the new wine Jesus made. Think about the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen—husbands, this is a good time to turn to your wife and tell her she is that most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, it’s a good old-creation, anti-doghouse practice—and then try to imagine things more beautiful and abundant than that, i.e., try to imagine the unimaginable. This will give you a clue as to what awaits us in God’s new heavens and earth. I don’t know all that that entails, but I do know that our resurrected bodies will be inexpressively beautiful and without defect or sickness or any kind of malady. We will drink the finest wines without becoming intoxicated and we won’t desire to become intoxicated because we will be enjoying unbroken communion and fellowship with God the Father and the Lamb. There won’t be an addictive or lonely bone in our new body. The intimacy we enjoy only partly now, we will enjoy in full then. We won’t worry about being unloved or abandoned by God or others because we will be living in the light of God’s presence and the Lamb’s forever! Continue reading →
Remembering your baptism points you away from yourself and what you have done and points you to Jesus, and what He has done for you. As one theologian explains, “In times of doubt, fear, and even despair, those who worry about God’s love for them, and those who question their salvation or their participation in Christ, should not look inward where they will probably find even more reasons to doubt their salvation. Rather, they must look outside themselves . . . Christians in need of assurance should understand that their salvation is an objective fact, sealed in an event in space and time, as tangible as water . . . Instead of building our hope on the shifting sands of our own works or inner lives, we can have confidence that what Christ did for us is a fact” (Gene Veith, Jr., The Spirituality of the Cross, 59, 43-44). Continue reading →
In the days when few people had calendars, it was customary at the Liturgy on Epiphany to proclaim the date of Easter for the coming year, along with other major feasts that hinge on the date of Easter. We honor … Continue reading →
Christ is God, for he has given all things their being out of nothing. Yet he is born as one of us by taking to himself our nature, flesh-endowed with intelligent spirit. A star glitters by day in the East … Continue reading →
Matthew 2:1-12 Let us now observe how glorious was the dignity that attended the King after his birth, after the magi in their journey remained obedient to the star. For immediately the magi fell to their knees and adored the … Continue reading →
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it … Continue reading →
O God,who by the leading of a starmanifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:mercifully grant that we,who know you now by faith,may at last behold your glory face to face;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on the Feast of the Epiphany (transferred), Sunday, January 2, 2022 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Father Sang gets all whiny when we ask for a written manuscript. Nobody’s got time for a whiny priest, especially … Continue reading →
Whether the first sermon preached, it is the first extant Christmas sermon we have. Preached in Antioch in 386 AD, the year St. Augustine of Hippo converted to Christianity, and recited to St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH on Christmas … Continue reading →
We celebrate Christmas on the heels of Advent because Christmas announces definitively what the prophets proclaimed long ago: That God would come into the world to rescue all creation from the Curse, and us from his terrible but just judgment on our sins, that although we all must endure death and stand before the judgment seat of Christ because of our sins, eternal separation from God the Father, i.e. Hell, is no longer our destination because we are covered by the Blood of the Lamb shed for us. Christmas announces in no uncertain terms what Isaiah and the writer of Hebrews proclaim in our OT and epistle lessons tonight: God’s salvation has begun in the birth of our Savior. This is God’s light and power shining in the darkness of our lives, not human power that inevitably must fail. This is God coming to rescue us from Death, Judgment, and Hell so that we can live with him forever in heaven, the promised new creation. Christmas announces that creation matters to God our Creator, that humans are supremely important to God because God became human to rescue us from all that seeks to destroy us. Christmas begins to reveal in ways the OT prophets could not the character and heart of God the Father because God chose to reveal himself to us in ways our puny and fallible minds could finally understand so that we could begin to obey him and love him in ways we simply couldn’t before Christ was born. This too is the light shining in the darkness as St. John announces in his gospel, and try as the dark powers will to snuff out Christ’s light, they will fail utterly because nothing is more powerful than the power of God. Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
Brothers and sisters, the Advent of Christ has changed everything. Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again! And when He does, we need not fear a fiery judgment, for Christ has taken captive death and Hell. In Him, our hope for eternal life is secure. We can boldly proclaim with St. Paul, “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39). Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
From The Book of Common Worship’s Times and Seasons (p.58). These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O …’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 … Continue reading →
An antiphon is (in traditional Western Christian liturgy) a short sentence sung or recited before or after a psalm or canticle. Today begins the Advent Antiphons. But what are the “O Antiphons”? Below is an excerpt from the Catholic Education Resource Center by Father William Saunders. I wholeheartedly commend their use … Continue reading →
Heaven is a gift that is freely bestowed upon those who are trusting Jesus Christ to save them. If you are trusting, then Jesus is preparing a place for you. My Beloved, for those in Christ, a new and beautiful day will dawn, when we close our eyes in death. Those who know Christ as their Savior and Lord can have assurance. Assurance that He is preparing a place for you. Continue reading →
I urge us all not to be faint of heart or people who have no hope, but rather to focus this Advent on the return of Christ with its great hope and promise that God will restore all things to at least their original goodness and in judging the world will put all things to rights, i.e., long for God’s judgment with its perfect justice. Let each of us do this with great humility, realizing that none will escape the judgment of Christ and all are worthy of eternal separation from him—the very definition of Hell—except by the mercy and grace of God. Let this holy fear lead us not to despair over our own sins because we know our sins have been dealt with once and for all, but rather let this holy fear strengthen our resolve to lead lives that are worthy of the Name we love and honor: Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. He is our merciful Savior and just Judge, and he calls us to follow him each day, imitating his love and goodness and mercy and justice in all we encounter. Let us therefore be people known for proclaiming and living out the hope and promise of God’s judgment with its promise of God’s perfect justice. Advent is a time of darkness, symbolic of the darkness of this sin-stained world. But fear not! The light has come into the world and by it we are promised a spectacular future and purposeful present. Therefore let us all keep our lamps burning brightly for Christ, lamps powered by the very love of God, as we await our just and merciful Savior’s return to finish his saving work and bring about the promised new heavens and earth. To him be honor, praise, and glory forever and ever. Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on Advent Sunday, Year C, November 28, 2021 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Father Sang gets all whiny when we ask for a written manuscript. Nobody’s got time for a whiny priest so click here to … Continue reading →
Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us. For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.We thank you, Lord. For all that is gracious in the lives … Continue reading →
I wish you a happy Thanksgiving today. Please take a few moments and stop to give praise and thanks to God for his bountiful blessings to us as individuals and as a nation. Among others, I am thankful for God’s … Continue reading →
I first encountered William Bradford’s supposed First Thanksgiving Proclamation when my family and I enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at the home of some dear friends from our church. Knowing that I was a historian, the host pulled me aside before the … Continue reading →
The tradition of the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving is steeped in myth and legend. Few people realize that the Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving the next year, or any year thereafter, though some of their descendants later made a “Forefather’s Day” … Continue reading →
Thank you, Mr. President. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in … Continue reading →
What is truth? God’s great love for sinners like you and me, a love so great that God was willing to become human and shed his blood to rescue us from our slavery to Sin and to conquer Evil by the self-giving power of love. And in so conquering Sin, Death, and Evil, God has pronounced judgment on it all and those who commit and perpetrate it. Evildoers may seem to win the day, but their victory is pyrrhic and short-lived. Their day of destruction and judgment is coming and what a terrible day that will be. That is the truth. If you believe it, you will treat it like the eternal treasure it is and live accordingly. Continue reading →
Today marks the 158th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, one of the seminal speeches in American history. Take time to read and reflect on it today and give thanks that God has raised up leaders like President Lincoln to guide … Continue reading →
And so I ask you this this morning, my beloved. Is Christ your bedrock foundation on which you stand? Do you see him and the promise of salvation in and through him as your only real hope to navigate through these tumultuous times? If Christ is your bedrock foundation, you already know that what I am about to say is true. If he is not, then why isn’t he? After all, you profess him as Lord! Part of the answer is that the Church over the last 100 years or so has lost her bold voice in living and proclaiming Jesus Christ and him crucified and raised from the dead. I don’t have time to explore why that happened other than to say that parts of Christ's Church have stopped believing her own story! Perhaps it is too fantastic for our “sophisticated” thinking. Whatever the reason, when we take the truth and reality of Christ’s resurrection out of the picture and stop teaching and proclaiming it, no one should be surprised that many Christians in the West refuse to stake their very lives on its reality. Simply put, the Church has lost her cred. Why should we expect outsiders to believe our story when many of us don’t even believe it, let alone stake our lives and future on it? Continue reading →
As you pause this day to give thanks for our veterans, past and present, take some time to familiarize yourself with the history of this day. World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially … Continue reading →
Governor of Nations, our Strength and Shield:we give you thanks for the devotion and courageof all those who have offered military service for this country: For those who have fought for freedom;for those who laid down their lives for others;for … Continue reading →
Sermon delivered on 3 before Advent B, Sunday, November 7, 2021 at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Westerville, OH. Bishop Dobbs gets all grumpy when we ask for a written manuscript. Nobody’s got time for a grumpy bishop so click here … Continue reading →
Excerpted from his splendid little book, For All the Saints? Remembering the Christian Departed. Purgatory, in either its classic or its modern form, provides the rationale for All Souls’ Day. This Day, now kept on 2 November, was a tenth-century … Continue reading →
Everlasting God, our maker and redeemer, grant us, with all the faithful departed,the sure bene?ts of your Son’s saving passion and glorious resurrection, that, in the last day,when you gather up all things in Christ,we may with them enjoy the … Continue reading →
Today we celebrate All-Saints and the Communion of Saints, the elect body of Christ, living and dead, forged through the blood of the Lamb shed for us and through his mighty resurrection. Those who have died in the peace of … Continue reading →
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With humans this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”— Matthew 19.25-26The saints are those who are moved by … Continue reading →
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,ruler and judge of all,to you be praise and glory for ever.In the darkness of this age that is passing awaymay the light of your presence which the saints enjoysurround our steps as we journey on.May … Continue reading →
Almighty God,you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowshipin the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:grant us grace so to follow your blessed saintsin all virtuous and godly livingthat we may come to those inexpressible … Continue reading →
This OT promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and his story contained in the NT. If the evil one has ever tried to deceive you about how God feels about death, look no further than our gospel lesson this morning to find the antidote. We see the Son of God, God become human, snorting in anger—the Greek word for the English phrase “greatly disturbed” literally means to snort in anger—at the tomb of his dead friend Lazarus as the emotions of the crowd and those he loves, as well as his own human emotions, are aroused by the wicked reality of his friend’s death. Sure, Jesus knew he was going to revive Lazarus, a preview of coming attractions when he raises the dead at his second coming, not to mention his own resurrection, but this did not stop our Lord from being offended by death. So if you ever think that God takes any pleasure in our death, look no further than our Lord standing at Lazarus’ tomb and snorting in anger over this obscene evil. That’s the kind of God we love and worship, and thankfully God has the power to do something about it. The Son of God resuscitated his friend and then went on to die a godforsaken and terrible death to spare us from God’s just judgment on our sins and free us from our slavery to Sin. In bearing the weight of our sins and taking on the full brunt of God’s terrible judgment on all our sin and evil, our Lord Jesus made it possible for us to stand again in God’s direct presence because we no longer wear our filthy, sin-stained rags that got us thrown out of paradise in the first place. Yes, of course we all still sin in our mortal life. But the NT is adamant in its insistence that on the cross, God the Father has taken care of the vexing problem of human sin and the separation it causes us, and in doing so, has broken the dark Powers’ stranglehold on us forever. And in raising Jesus from the dead, God has broken the power of Death forever. As St. Paul tells us in Romans 6.3-8, those who are baptized in Christ share in his death and resurrection. Where he is, so we will be with him. We didn’t earn this and we sure don’t deserve it, but it’s ours anyway because life and death always have been about the power of God, not our own muddled ways and thinking. Continue reading →
In his second letter to Timothy, Saint Paul warns his young protege´ of the dangers that lie ahead for Christians. Sound familiar? You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will … Continue reading →
The story contained in the Bible as a five-act play is a story of creation, goodness, order, sin, and redemption. It is ultimately the story of how God’s power plays itself out in his creation and our lives and how we are to cooperate with our Lord’s power made known supremely in Jesus Christ, God become human. The arc of the story points us to new creation, not a disembodied eternity in heaven. Creation matters to God. We matter to God, and God has gone to great lengths to show us this. In the story of Scripture we find our future and our hope: healing, life forever with God in perfect communion with him, forgiveness, mercy, justice, beauty, truth, and righteousness. Best of all, God calls each of us to play our role in his world starting imperfectly right now and being transformed into utter perfection on the blessed day of our Lord’s return. Continue reading →
Is your God big enough, awesome enough, just enough, and merciful enough for you to love and give your ultimate allegiance to or is the god you worship one of your own making? In the former, you will find strength and purpose and hope sufficient for all contingencies and with them sweet peace, the peace of Christ who loves you and who died for you so that you could be with him in God’s new world forever. In the latter you will find nothing by incompleteness, disorder, madness, and ultimately death because that is the way of all false gods. Chose the real thing, my beloved, the God and Father made known to us supremely in Jesus Christ mediated by the Holy Spirit and contained in God’s holy Word, the very gift of God himself. Give your life to Christ and choose real freedom, hope, and life, despite the changes and chances of life. That God is big enough for all our problems and fears. Continue reading →
God’s ultimate answer to Job—and to all those who suffer—comes not from “the whirlwind” of Job 38, but from a manger in Bethlehem. The fact that God Himself takes on human flesh illustrates that God not only sees us in our suffering, but He understands it, and He cares for us. God does not remain distant or far-removed from human suffering, but instead, He makes Himself vulnerable and chooses to enter into it. This is the beauty of the Incarnation: “God, who cannot get sick, who cannot grow hungry, who cannot bleed, who cannot die—this God comes near” to us in Christ (Kelly Kapic, Embodied Hope, 89). Continue reading →