Merry Christmas to all...

Merry Christmas to all of you. I wanted to post while I had the time--I know I'm a day early but with the family and services I will not be able to post until later. I'll leave you with the following excert from Archbishop Rowan Williams Christmas message to the communion...thought it was great.

There is something about Christianity that always pulls us back from imagining that everything will be all right if we can find the right things to say - because for God, the right thing to say at Christmas was the crying of a small child, beginning a life of risk and suffering. God shows us how, by his grace and in his Spirit, we can respond to the tormenting riddles of the world. And, as we agonise over the future of our beloved church, with all its debates and bitter struggles at the moment, it does us no harm to remember that God will not solve our Anglican problems by a plan or a formula, but only by the miracle of his love in Jesus. If we want to be part of the solution, we must first be wholly and unconditionally pledged to that love, with all its costs. May God who works in the weakness and smallness of the Christmas child work in our weakness and smallness; may he bless and strengthen you all this season.

All I can say to that is amen!

Thoughts for Advent...

The good folks over at Thinking Anglicans have some useful commentary on the Archbishop's advent letter to the Primates of the Anglican Communion. I would encourage you to read it. It addresses Advent in some more appropriate ways than our current cultural trends usually handle this season of anticipation.

Narnia-fest!

The Chronicles of Narnia....I have been wanting to see the movie for such a long time. All the lead up to the release of the film, and now its been a few weeks and I still have not had the time to see it.

My friend Nick, over at Entangled States, has this to say about the film. Don't think I'll take my daughter, she seems a little young. But still want to see it. Maybe I should pray to St. Anthony to help me find some time!

If any of you have seen it, let me know what you think...

Vocations

Today is one of the three winter Ember days on the church calendar. For a really good explanation of what this is click here. In short, it is a day that we remember those persons who have taken holy orders, and pray that others might be called by God to a vocation, whether it be lay or clergy. It is also a good day for every one to consider how God is calling them into deeper relationship.

Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts, in your divine providence you have appointed various orders in your Church: Give your grace, we humbly pray, to all who are called to any office and ministry for your people; and so fill them with the truth of your doctrine and clothe them with holiness of life, that they may faithfully serve before you, to the glory of your great Name and for the benefit of your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Looking east

Haven't had a chance to post anything recently with all the transitions going. But I have been reading a little, and this caught my eye. Especially seeing as it is not about what has usually been hashed over for the last 2 years in the Episcopal blogsphere.

It is about the idea of returning to the more customary altar arrangement of the priest facing east with the rest of the congregation. Check out the original article here. And then read some commentary over at Titusone:nine.

Let me know what you think...