The feast of the Ascension is when we celebrate Christ ascending into heaven, after having been resurrected from the dead. We are told in the book of Acts that Christ walked the earth for 40 days in his resurrected body, so the Ascension is celebrated on the 40th day of the Easter season each year.…
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WWW-What happened to the Confession?
A few people have asked why the Confession has been omitted from the service in recent weeks. I can assure you that that is not simply a typo! It is traditional, at least in Episcopal churches, to omit the Confession from services during the Easter season. This is done to help remind us that Christ…
WWW-What’s the history of the Easter Vigil?
The Easter Vigil traditionally takes place sometime between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Sunday. It marks the first celebration of Easter in the liturgical year. Traditionally, people who hoped to be baptized went through a year-long process called the catechumenate, when they would pray, read scripture, and learn about the faith. This…
WWW-Why do we read the Passion on Palm Sunday?
Around 2000 years ago, Christ entered the city of Jerusalem greeted by crowds throwing branches and coats before him and shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Just a week later, after a multitude clamors for Pilate to “crucify him!”, Christ is nailed to the cross. On Palm Sunday we…
WWW-What should I do with the ashes on my forehead?
The season of Lent calls us to penitence and repentance. The acts of penitence and repentance require that we acknowledge our wrongdoings, show remorse for our wrong doings, turn away from our wrongdoings, and turn towards God. The goal of penitence is not to think that we are terrible people and to beat ourselves up.…
WWW-Email Scammers
Why am I getting emails asking me to buy gift cards? The church office was recently targeted by an email scammer. The scammer pretended to be me and asked Terry to buy a gift card for my (nonexistent) niece. Terry warned me about the attempt, and I notified Google. The diocesan office was recently targeted…
WWW-What happens to the Alleluias throughout the year?
What happens to the Alleluias throughout the year? The Book of Common Prayer offers the option to use Alleluias at a few points during the Eucharistic liturgy: the Opening Sentence, the Fraction Anthem, and the Dismissal. In the case of the Opening Sentence, the BCP indicates that the form with Alleluia included must be used…
WWW-Why did the magi become kings?
Why did the magi become kings? In just a few days we will celebrate the feast of Epiphany, when we commemorate the magi traveling to the town of Bethlehem to pay homage to the Christ child, thus revealing the incarnation of God to the gentiles. Read the biblical account. But who are these mysterious men?…
WWW-What’s YOUR Faith Story?
Jill brought up a very good point during the sermon on Sunday—sometimes sharing your personal faith story can help people understand the Gospel and learn about Christ. I’ve shared this previously, but here’s the gist of my faith story. As many of you know, my parents are originally from Romania. After they moved to the…
WWW-History of Advent
What is the history of Advent? The season of Advent has been observed by Christians since the 5th century. From the beginning, the season of Advent has been a time of preparation for Christians–to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ, and to prepare for the time when Christ comes again to establish his…