The earliest recorded Christmas sermon that I am aware of is by John Chrysostom (“Golden Mouth”) in 386AD: I behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim
earliest recorded Christmas sermon Read More »
[Updated 11 January below in italics] There is no Archbishop of Canterbury. No, it’s not a loss of faith (like: there is no {spoiler alert} Tooth Fairy!). No, it’s not a denial of the validity of Anglican orders (as in: Rowan Williams cannot have been an archbishop because he is actually just a lay person
Sede Vacante Cantuaria Read More »
For his eightieth birthday the Wizard of New Zealand reflected in the Press (the Christchurch newspaper) on the disenchantment of our contemporary culture. Drawing on the formative work of Max Weber, the Wizard described his own 38-year contribution to the culture of Christchurch (the city where I live) as a non-fictional, non-commercial, wizard. Weber saw
Howard Thurman (1899 – April 10, 1981) wrote: When the song of the angels is stilled,When the star in the sky is gone,When the kings and princes are home,When the shepherds are back with their flock,The work of Christmas begins:To find the lost,To heal the broken,To feed the hungry,To release the prisoner,To rebuild the nations,To
The work of Christmas begins Read More »
Recently I was asked on twitter what to do with the Advent Wreath during the Christmas Season. I asked the community on facebook and twitter and was so interested in the variety of good ideas that I am making this into a blog post. You can add other ideas into the comments below. The origin
Advent Wreath in the Christmas Season? Read More »
The Christmas Story as told by Year 1 students at Diocesan Junior School Auckland, NZ. Inspired by St Paul’s Arts and Kids Christmas Story movie.
The Christmas Story Read More »
There is an ancient tradition of announcing the date of Easter on the Feast of the Epiphany. This proclaims the centrality of the resurrection of Christ in the liturgical year and the importance of the great mysteries of faith which are celebrated each year. The proclamation may occur after the Gospel, homily, or after the
Epiphany Proclamation 2013 Read More »
True story. [I know, I know, every good story is true – and some of them happened. This one, incredible though it might seem, happened]. I was going to be arriving somewhere on Christmas Eve and I simply wanted to know the time and place of Christmas services there at the Anglican Church. Search online.
