by Staff | Jan 2, 2019 | Liturgical
O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright;Westward leading, Still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light! So begins one of my favorite Epiphany hymns, setting to music the feelings inspired by the awe-inspiring Star of Bethlehem. This hymn,...
by Staff | Dec 17, 2018 | Liturgical
As the annual St. Michael’s by-the-Sea Christmas Pageant draws ever nearer, I’ve been thinking a lot about the characters in the Nativity story – in particular, the shepherds. They fascinate me because in many ways, we are just like them. They’re average people,...
by Staff | Dec 10, 2018 | Liturgical
My father was a pastor in a very non-liturgical church. In fact, I would call it anti-liturgical in many ways. We would stand to pray, not kneel. Communion was grape juice, not wine. And sermons were long and pedantic, not pithy and pointed. There was a choir, but the...
by Staff | Nov 26, 2018 | Liturgical
Advent is not something we hear much about outside of church – or even outside of liturgical churches. If you asked a retailer when the “Christmas season” begins, they would probably say the beginning of November. In our faith tradition, the Christmas season does not...
by Staff | Oct 31, 2018 | Liturgical
Feasting with Saints in the Kingdom of God In the Apostles’ Creed we recite that we believe in the communion of saints. The communion of saints includes us! For Anglicans “all baptized Christians are saints” (Price and Weil Liturgy for Living 240). Yet we...
by Staff | Oct 1, 2018 | Liturgical
These are some of the words and phrases I have heard members of the St. Michael’s Altar Guild use to describe this ministry. Members of the Altar Guild are scheduled in pairs and work together to care for our church vessels and vestments. They make quick work of...