liturgy

One thing that definitely marks contemporary Western society apart from traditional cultures (including our own) from around the world, is a decided lack of culturally-sanctioned ways of processing grief and loss. As much as we may look askance at ritualized performances of grief, we are ourselves ironically left bereft of bereavement. This means we don’t … Continue reading Give Rest, O Lord: Prayers for the Dead

One of my favourite prayers is among the most simple. It’s the night prayer from Compline, the service prayed before bed: Save us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ and asleep may rest in peace. Something that those of us who have grown up in … Continue reading Protection and Promise: The Night Prayer

As I’ve written about before, we’re in an awkward place in contemporary Christianity with the idea of sin. Burnt out or turned off after an over-emphasis on sinfulness, whether from childhood or from cultural baggage, to a lot of people today, any mention of sin is tantamount to an obsession with sin. There can be … Continue reading Keeping the Night Without Sin: Our Evening Prayer

One old tradition that seems to have survived the Church’s many schisms and reforms is the practice of singing The Song of Simeon (often called ‘Nunc Dimittis’ from the first two words of the hymn in Latin) towards the end of evening prayer. If we think back on the prayers we’ve reflected upon so far, … Continue reading Sweet Release: The Song of Simeon

I don’t need to tell anyone that we live in anxious times. A lot of people are genuinely afraid right now, and not without reason. To put it mildly, as a rule, we don’t like fear. It is by definition deeply uncomfortable. But fear serves a purpose. It alerts us to danger and acts as … Continue reading Fear Is the Beginning, Not the End: A Reflection on John 3.1-17