Jet, our three-and-a-half-year old, has been really interested in family stories lately. To be more precise, he loves to cuddle in his bed before sleeping and talk about “when mommy/daddy was a little girl/boy.” He has already started developing his favorite stories: he loves when I tell him about my trips to the airport as a child to watch the airplanes land and take off or when Rebecca’s brother broke his arm on a tree swing. After I have told... Read more
My work has been very heavily influenced by Fr. Alexander Schmemann and I think he has a great deal to say on the subjects of liturgy, sacraments, and the church. For those of you who may not know him: Fr. Schmemann was a priest of Russian descent in the Orthodox Church committed to liturgical theology and renewal. After a teaching period in Paris (1946-1951), he joined the faculty at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in New York where he remained until his... Read more
Fr. Aidan Kavanagh was a professor at Notre Dame and Yale, a Benedictine monk, and one of the world’s leading scholars in liturgical studies and liturgical theology. Kavanagh died in 2006 at the age of 77 and a beautiful obituary published by Yale can be read here. Amongst many other accolades, he was the first Roman Catholic to serve as the Dean of Yale Divinity School (1989-1990) and his works have profoundly influenced my thinking and research. Fr. Kavanagh is... Read more
If you’re new to my Sermon Notes, you can read about why I prepare them here. They aren’t just for preachers, they’re for everyone! Thesis What is the content of true religion? Evangelicals seem to loathe the term “religion” and instead favor the concept of relationship when talking of Jesus. As you will see below: I loathe this false dichotomy. Religion in and of itself is not bad. Christianity is a religion and rather than throwing the baby... Read more
My work has been very heavily influenced by Fr. Alexander Schmemann and I think he has a great deal to say on the subjects of liturgy, sacraments, and the church. For those of you who may not know him: Fr. Schmemann was a priest of Russian descent in the Orthodox Church committed to liturgical theology and renewal. After a teaching period in Paris (1946-1951), he joined the faculty at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in New York where he remained until his... Read more
My work has been very heavily influenced by Fr. Alexander Schmemann and I think he has a great deal to say on the subjects of liturgy, sacraments, and the church. For those of you who may not know him: Fr. Schmemann was a priest of Russian descent in the Orthodox Church committed to liturgical theology and renewal. After a teaching period in Paris (1946-1951), he joined the faculty at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in New York where he remained until his... Read more
My work has been very heavily influenced by Fr. Alexander Schmemann and I think he has a great deal to say on the subjects of liturgy, sacraments, and the church. For those of you who may not know him: Fr. Schmemann was a priest of Russian descent in the Orthodox Church committed to liturgical theology and renewal. After a teaching period in Paris (1946-1951), he joined the faculty at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in New York where he remained until his... Read more
This is the second of two sermons to be posted today in commemoration of the Feast of the Transfiguration. To God be the glory! O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God,... Read more
Today is the church’s celebration of the Feast of the Transfiguration. To commemorate this blessed feast day, I will be posting not one but two sermons about the Transfiguration. Enjoy! Several years ago Tim McGraw released a song in which he exhorted people to begin living with more purpose. The song traces the narrative of a man who went to the doctor and found out that he was dying. This announcement jumpstarted the man into action; he wanted to accomplish... Read more
If you’re new to my Sermon Notes, you can read about why I prepare them here. They aren’t just for preachers, they’re for everyone! Thesis We are called to do the will of the Father but we need the strength of the Spirit and the nourishment of the bread of life to be about our work. The lessons this week speak to the provision of God for kingdom ministry. To be the pilgrim people of God we need the... Read more
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