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When we think of the traditional Christian liturgical day, it’s important to remember that for its purposes the new day starts at sundown, not midnight or sunrise. So the first service of the day, the service that is supposed to set the tone for the full day to come, is Vespers, or evening prayer. Over … Continue reading Setting the Tone: Come Let Us Worship

As long-time readers will know, I spent a number of years in the Eastern Orthodox Church. And while it was not sustainable for me to remain in that tradition, its liturgical, spiritual, and theological sensibilities shaped me significantly, and in many ways my heart still beats to its rhythms. One of its rituals I miss … Continue reading Personal Accountability, Universal Responsibility: The Rite of Forgiveness

Lent has traditionally been understood in terms of Jesus’ forty days of fasting in the wilderness. It’s no surprise then that this is the Gospel reading appointed for this first Sunday in Lent. But we tend not to think of that story as “Jesus’ Forty Day Fast," but as “The Temptation of Christ.” That is, … Continue reading Facing Temptation: A Reflection on Matthew 4.1-11

There’s a common refrain from religious ‘nones’ that goes something like “I encounter God more in the forest than I ever do in a church.” While such an attitude may miss the mark about what church is for, it captures the undeniable truth that we experience the Transcendent often and easily in nature. It’s a … Continue reading Everywhere Present and Filling All Things: ‘O Heavenly King’