All posts filed under: Anglican

Children in Worship, or The Mortification of the Parents

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It seems fitting during this penitential season to talk a bit about taking our children to worship.  There are no greater instruments of joy and humility in my life than our five charming and curious children.  More often than not over our 7 years of child rearing and church going, have I sat in the pew, translating references in the liturgy to “the flesh,” to, “the mortification of the flesh.” Oh, the embarrassment! Oh, the travails! (You mean your family doesn’t look just like this in church?) Our parish has a beautiful statement on our website about this: “Children are lovingly invited to our services to participate in the rhythms of the liturgy. In practice, this means that the sounds of children – ranging from laughter to cries – are viewed not as distractions, but reminders that we as a church are all called to be as little children. We do not consider our children future members in training, but rather full members in the present: embraced, accepted, and joyfully welcomed into our corporate worship. …

A “Homely” Artist: Marianne Stokes

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Marianne Stokes was an Austrian painter in the late 1800’s who married the well-known English artist, Adrian Stokes.  Together they travelled Europe, he painting landscapes and villages, and Marianne painting portraits of the local peoples and their customs.  I particularly love this portrait of a woman praying on Candlemas Day.  Her Madonna and Child (below) is one of the most beautiful I have seen, with the patterned gold silhouettes of flowering blooms and thorns, probably referring to the Christ child’s future death. There are also some beautiful “homely” pieces that she painted.  This young girl in the sunny meadow wearing traditional Eastern European clothing is charming, as is the mother teaching her daughter a lesson in their rustic home (lower right). This portrait of a Hungarian bride is rich with detail of their historical garments, and apparently her work was a valuable contribution to the documentation of this culture. I hope you enjoyed seeing the work of a historical artist, and how she depicted the liturgical lives of various peoples.  To see more of her …

A Valentine for You, Mom and Dad

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One thing I love about the prayer book is that it gives direction that is simple, precise, and Christ-focused to my thoughts and inward groanings.  This is the prayer that I say the most, under my breath, in desperation, at the end of a long day as I fall asleep: Almighty God, heavenly Father, who hast blessed us with the joy and care of children; Give us light and strength so to train them, that they may love whatsoever things are true and pure and lovely and of good report, following the example of their Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen. Click the image below to download a free printable of the  Parent’s Prayer  pdf from Esther Bley Designs.

A Candlemas Celebration

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“As we see in the gospel today, the Word, which spoke the world into existence, comes to the Temple. And how is he brought? Carried on a throne of gold? With all the nations gathered around to honor him? No, but in the throne of the Virgin’s arms. . . And what glory did await at the temple? Did Caesar himself stand up for the True King as he entered? Did the powerful people of all the nations come to honor him, and declare him the True Lord of Lords? No, he is greeted by a man who is only said to be a righteous and devout man. And by a woman, who is said to be a prophet, and who seems to have been a widow who spent her time in prayer in the temple.” “There were no kings and queens of the world greeting the Christ as he came to the Temple. What we see here, is a secret: that the kings and queens are the poor of heart. They are those awaiting salvation. …

The Meaning of Candlemas

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Candlemas articulates the necessary future of this beautiful Light coming into the world. Our celebrations so far have dwelt on the joyful implications of the Son of God’s arrival, our redemption, salvation, and deliverance. Candlemas reiterates in a pointed way that the coming of the Lord includes difficult things – the persecutions of Jesus in His ministry and the call of the Christ to suffer the Cross. Candlemas rounds our our thoughts regarding the significance of the Word become flesh, and moves us forward to Lent

Candlemas Printables

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We are excited today to bring you some Candlemas printables to aid your celebration of this Festival of Light.  Folk artist Heather Sleightholm of Audrey Eclectic kindly agreed to create a special piece of art just for us!  Her lovely drawing of the presentation of Christ in the temple, the ultimate Light coming into the world, is available to you as a coloring page, or a sticker to decorate your family’s vigil candle for the year. At our parish, Christ the King, we will be creating vigil candles for each family during Sunday School on January 31, and then our priest will do the Blessing of the Candles during our service.  My family is excited to have this special candle in our home this year to remind us that we can bring all our cares to Christ. There are two different artwork designs, a black and white design by Heather that can be colored and a full color piece by me.  They are formatted two to a page to fit onto a standard vigil candle, …

Family Prayer Printable

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We are thankful to Dcn. Isaac Chavez for answering our questions on Family Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer. Here are the links to his posts: Family Prayer in the BCP, Part 1   Family Prayer in the BCP, Part 2 To aid your family’s endeavors to incorporate Family Prayer into your daily life, we created a printable with the “most convenient” (i.e. shortest) form of Family Prayer. It can be printed (and perhaps laminated), so that it can be easily picked up in the morning and evening.   Family Prayer Printable We would also love to know your thoughts on how to build regular prayer into the daily life of your family. Please comment below!

Family Prayer in the BCP, Part 2

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Dcn. Isaac Chavez, of Christ the King Anglican Church, graciously answered our questions for a two part series on Family Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer (found after the Catechism, on page 593 of the REC Prayer Book). Dcn. Isaac is married to Sarah and has four children. He was ordained as deacon in the Reformed Episcopal Church in June, 2015.  Read Part 1 of this series.  –How should families approach using the Book of Common Prayer for our daily prayers? Most families will not be able to observe both Morning and Evening prayers on a consistent basis. This is why there is even a provision in the Prayer Book which makes it clear that the Family Prayers are for times when it is convenient for the family to gather together for prayer. The English Church has more often than naught had a pastoral impulse at its heart, and the Church has consistently tried to leave freedom for family and lay persons to seek God in their lives outside of the Church. The Church is …

Family Prayer and the BCP, Part 1

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Dcn. Isaac Chavez, of Christ the King Anglican Church, graciously answered our questions for a two part series on Family Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer (found after the Catechism, on page 593 of the REC Prayer Book). Dcn. Isaac is married to Sarah and has four children. He was ordained as deacon in the Reformed Episcopal Church in June, 2015 When Cranmer wrote the Book of Common Prayer, how do you think he envisioned families using it in daily life?  Cranmer, and many of the other English Reformers, believed that one of the problems that had occurred during the High Middle Ages was that the spiritual life of the Church had been cut off from the common lay person. They believed this had manifested itself in many ways, but one way that the English Reformers uniquely singled out, was the actual prayer life of the Church. Cranmer basically asked this question: “Why should the Daily Hours and the rich prayer life of the monasteries be kept only within the walls of the monasteries?” …