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The Sacrifice of the Word: An Ordination Sermon

12/9/2016

This sermon was preached on Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at St. David Wales, Denton, Texas, for the priesting of the Rev'd Jacob Bottom to the priesthood, the first ordination administered by the Rt. Rev'd George Sumner of Dallas. It was published first on the website of the Diocese of Dallas.

For many, my dear brother, the face in which the Word will be seen most clearly is yours, a feeble priest whom the Father soon will give a share in His Son’s Priesthood. Today, God the Father calls you to mediate “the Word within / The world and for the world.” You may the one who plants, or you may be the one who waters. But it is God of Jesus Christ who will give the growth.

Ritual Words in an Age of Drivel

12/9/2016

This piece was first published at the Catholic liturgy blog, PrayTell.

Chronological snobbery, C.S. Lewis’s felicitous phrase, is a perennial temptation. He used the term to describe the modern presumption that our contemporary philosophical perspectives are superior to those that preceded them. But there is a more pessimistic version of the error. In this schema, one assumes that things are worse than they have ever been (whether that “thing” is national politics, geo-politics, cultural morality, etc.). Conservatives are more likely to be chronological pessimists, which provides at least a sliver of insight into the ubiquitous presidential slogan, the one embroidered in white letters upon thousands of red baseball hats: “Make American Great Again.” Interestingly, commentators across the political spectrum have begun slowly to suggest that maybe American politics has entered a new sort of low. The two most disliked presidential candidates in American history is, well, noteworthy.

Orientation and Eucharistic Sacrifice: Continuing a Discussion

9/7/2016

This was originally published over at Covenant on August 15, 2016 and it continues a discussion about the nature of the eucharist: whether its fundamental ontology is one of sacrifice or meal, and how this might related to the orientation of the the Eucharistic rite and the celebrant therein. This conversation began with Bishop Dan Martins and the current essay is a follow-up to my first response, "Further Facing into the Eucharist: A friendly response to Bishop Martins."

Further facing into the Eucharist: A friendly response to Bishop Martins

9/7/2016

This piece first appeared over at Covenant and is a response to an article by Bishop Dan Martins, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield. The debate is not about whether celebrating the Eucharist facing the people (often called ad orientem because one is facing toward the east, i.e. the direction of the rising sun) or all gathered around the altar (often called versus populum, because the priest is facing [ostensibly] toward the people). The debate is instead about what takes priority in the Eucharist: its nature as a sacrifice or a meal.
I published a follow-up piece to this one at Covenant, "Orientation and eucharistic sacrifice: Continuing a Discussion." It can also be read on this site by clicking here.

Why the RCL is killing churches: And what you can do about it

7/11/2016

First published at Covenant in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.

Pastors and priests are weakening people’s faith every Sunday, and they don’t even realize it. Their secret weapon? The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). This article explores the history of the three-year lectionaries following the Second Vatican Council, the weaknesses of the three-year approach, the particular issues with the RCL, and six suggestions for the pastor about how to mitigate these weaknesses.

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To Recover Something Lost: A Sermon for Corpus Christi

5/27/2016

It’s not surprising that, in the wake of the Tractarians and a new sort of embrace of Anglicanism’s catholic identity, Anglicans would adopt much of the language and theology of Latin sacramental teaching. And in all this, something gets lost. What’s lost is the answer to the question, “Why is the Eucharist worship?"

Liturgy doesn’t “mean” anything: It is something.

5/27/2016

There is a temptation that seems especially alluring to former free-church evangelicals like me. A very common question for the former evangelical is some variation of “What does this or that ceremony or action mean?” This article explores this question and how it may be the wrong question.

What does it mean to say that God is Trinity?

4/28/2016

This piece was first published on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas as part of their series, "Theology Matters."

Here, I look at concerns that have been raised about the doctrine of the Trinity as well as some thoughts about how Christians came to articulate this central teaching.

Can anyone speak (it) theologically?

2/1/2016

Where are the theologians? Or maybe more specifically: Where is the theological speech about the schisms that continue to rend us asunder?

This was first posted over at Covenant.

The Terror of the Nativity

1/1/2016

Charles Shultz was entirely correct. Here in America, where the commercial is king, a little child named Linus will lead us to a hill, the mountain of encounter.
This was published first over at Covenant.