Tag: book of common prayer
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Lent Week One: “Most Merciful God…”
This prayer begins our Lenten journey in a most appropriate place, with God. Beginning here has a good track record. It is the same place the Bible begins. So, we walk our Lenten journey not alone but with God. As the Bible begins by noting, God is our creator (Genesis 1:1), and there are some…
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Ash Wednesday: Living Dust
Every year Christians from around the world and throughout Church history have gathered on Ash Wednesday to commemorate the beginning of Lent and to have ash smeared on their foreheads. An odd ritual, to be sure, but a profound one. Ash Wednesday, after Christmas, is probably the most serious reflection on the goodness of creation.…
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New Year, Eternal Perspective
At the dawn of a new year, it is common to stop and take stock, asking questions like: These are all reasonable and responsible questions. Others often follow: These questions matter. They are healthy and worth asking. But when we reflect this way, we usually limit our vision to only two points in time: last…
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From Dust You Are and to Dust You Shall Return
Ash Wednesday is a compelling day in the Christian calendar, one I wish more churches would observe. It serves as a reminder of our flawed, frail, and fallible nature. We are broken but not beyond repair. Ash Wednesday underscores the fact that we are made from dust, echoing the creation narrative found in Genesis 2:7,…
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Advent: Preparation for a Banquet
“I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 26:29 A traditionally Eucharistic passage may seem like an odd place to begin Advent. A passage from Isaiah prophesying the first or second coming of Messiah…
Joshua Strickler 