What is Going On? I first read a series of tweets from church leaders citing tremendous and unexpected growth in attendance in their congregations over the last few months. They were not commenting on Easter crowds but on Easter-like trends. Since their churches were not Anglican, I thought I’d better check in with some of [...] The post Is Your Church Suddenly Growing? appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

By the end of Easter 3, the Sunday lectionary has covered all the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus recorded in Luke and John; so at Easter 4, the church makes a shift in the assignment of Gospel readings to those of our Lord’s teaching about the new life of the kingdom of God under his reign [...] The post Today in the Spirit: Easter 4B (Good Shepherd) appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

Did you know "Be Thou My Vision" was written by a blind monk? The text is attributed to Saint Dallán, a 6th-century Celtic monk who went blind in the middle of his life. In 1919, the Irish Church hymnal combined the text with a traditional Irish ballad called SLANE. Ever since, it has been a [...] The post Hymn Guide: Be Thou My Vision appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

Growing up in Northern Ireland, Anglicanism often felt more like a gang than a religion. It wasn’t just about where your family went on Sunday; it was as much a part of your identity as having red hair, an aptitude for maths, or a brother on the rugby team.  We had five churches in our [...] The post Full Circle and Across the Globe: An Anglican Journey appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

We continue in the Easter season with readings appropriate for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord. The assigned Gospel reading from Luke 24:36-49 appears to be Luke’s version of the initial post-resurrection visit by Jesus to his disciples, which we heard last Sunday from John 20. If that is the case, Luke’s narrative [...] The post Today in the Spirit: Easter 3B appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

The Sunday after Easter is also called “Saint Thomas Sunday.” This Sunday, we read the story of the apostle Thomas, his doubts about the news of the resurrection, and his confession of faith when Jesus showed him his wounds. It is a day to acknowledge skepticism and celebrate belief. Most importantly, Saint Thomas Sunday is [...] The post Saint Thomas Sunday: A Rookie Anglican Guide appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

A Bright Morning I grew up the son of a Southern Baptist pastor. My entire young life was spent in church. I would go with my dad to youth group from an early age. On the weekends, when I was old enough, I’d do church projects and even learned to drive an excavator! Every November, [...] The post Encountering the Mystery of Anglicanism appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

The seven Sundays after Easter Day (including Pentecost Sunday) is the space the church uses to walk the believing community through Jesus’ resurrection appearances as revealed in the NT or his important teaching delivered before his death about living life by his resurrection power. The bulk of this material is found in Luke and John, [...] The post Today in the Spirit: Easter 2B appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

"Death, be not proud," also known as Holy Sonnet X, is John Donne's great poem in mockery of Death. Composed in 1609, the poem was published posthumously in 1633. It is fitting that Donne got the final word, laughing at Death from his grave. The power of the poem is its reversal of our experience. [...] The post Death, Be Not Proud: A Reading of John Donne’s Holy Sonnet X appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

Good Friday is the most solemn day of the church year. It holds profound significance for Christians, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. We solemnly remember the sacrificial acts of Jesus, who bore the sins of humanity and “reconciled to himself all things, whether in heaven or on earth, making [...] The post The Liturgical Home: Good Friday appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more