worship

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’

One of the main criticisms of liturgical or common prayer is that it quickly becomes rote. As though if it’s read from a page, it can’t be from the heart; and if it’s not from the heart, it’s just the kind of vain repetition Jesus warned us against (Matthew 6.7). What this argument fails to … Continue reading Resetting the Narrative: The ‘Normal Beginning’

Yesterday, I introduced this year’s Lenten series, which will be daily reflections on famous or important liturgical prayers. As a general principle, I’ll be treating the season of Lent like a liturgical day, starting with the evening offices then going through the daytime services. But today I’m going to start with the quintessential Lenten prayer … Continue reading A Faith That Works: The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian

A recurring theme here lately has been the contrasts between the kingdoms of this world and their theologies of glory on the one hand, and the kingdom of God with its theology of the cross on the other. Nowhere does Christianity’s theology of the cross come to the fore more than in the Western Christian … Continue reading A Kingdom of Dust and Ashes: A Reflection for Ash Wednesday 2026