Today begins the Winter Ember Days! What are the Ember Days and some of those other observances with funny names in the Church Year? Have I got a video for you:
Subject Index:
* 00:00 Definition & Major Themes
* 07:20 Times & Features
* 14:30 Walk-through in the 2019 Prayer Book
* 17:38 Psalm 24:1-6
Links for further reading:
* Advent Ember Days
* Pentecost Ember Days
* Rogationtide at home
The video series I started a year ago nears its conclusion. Here is a summary of how the Holy Days (commonly, the Major Feast Days) fit into the Christian Calendar.
Subject Index:
Links for further reading:
Today at Evening Prayer we begin the final phase of the book of the Prophet Ezekiel. I was a bit tired when filming this video, so forgive my facial expressions… covidtide has been difficult on all of us.
As for the content matter itself, the hermeneutic employed here, looking at Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48, is one that applies handily throughout the Old Testament: we’re not simply studying and learning history, but through historical visions we receive insight into the very Gospel of Jesus.
Now that it’s Trinitytide, let’s talk about what this season is all about! A lot of people like to divide the calendar into two halves: “the story of Jesus” for the first half and “the story of the Church” for the second half (Trinitytide), but that isn’t really how the season after Trinity Sunday works, either in the traditional calendar & lectionary or in the modern. Allow me to explain, in video form…
For further reading on the traditional calendar: https://leorningcniht.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/explaining-the-season-after-trinity-sunday/
Subject Index:
Time for another video! The quarantine lifestyle has thrown a lot of my previous plans off track so this is a bit later than I would have liked, but at least it’s ready before the Day of Pentecost. Here is a video introduction, especially for those new to the Prayer Book tradition, to the mini-season of Ascensiontide and the great holy day of Pentecost.
Subject Index:
For further reading:
For Ascension Day under the COVID-19 closure, I thought it would be nice to try something different. Please forgive the box of kid’s toys in the background, and my hair’s a bit of a mess (I’m taking advantage of social distancing to regrow my hair into a ponytail while nobody has to look at it). This is a reflection of the simple reality that worshiping at home can be difficult. Nevertheless, whatever the challenges, the prayers of the Church never cease!
If you want a generic outline for Antecommunion, you can view or download one here: Antecommunion leaflet
The hymn I sang after the Peace (in the place of the Offertory) is See the conqueror mounts in triumph, #151 in the Book of Common Praise 2017.
I know Eastertide is about to shift gears, or even end, depending upon how you understand the bounds of the Easter season, but it’s better late than never… here is the next video in my series on the Church Calendar.
Subject Index:
Links for further reading:
The Daily Office Lectionary of the 2019 Prayer Book brings us to the book of Ecclesiastes at Evening Prayer starting today, May 15th. This may not be the most well-known of Old Testament books for a lot of people, so I put together this introduction.
Today is the major feast day of Saints Philip and James, Apostles. I encourage you to read last year’s entry about this day and its liturgical expression here!
And then feel free to check out this video homily on part of the Evening Prayer reading in John 1.
Let’s wrap up Friday with a video on this morning’s reading from the Book of Numbers. Honestly, the only reason I know about Sihon and Og is because they show up in Psalms 135 and 136. Regular prayer of the Psalms, as our Anglican tradition wisely provides for, can help us connect with some otherwise-obscure stories like this…
The Saint Aelfric Customary 