Celebrate
"the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!" Psalm 68:3
In the Anglican tradition, we celebrate certain seasons and holy days based on the ancient church calendar. Below are resources related to such times.
Use the search feature or click on tags in related posts to find more on a specific special day or season.
Lent Fasting for a Changed Heart
By Ron+ McCrary | | Celebrate, Spiritual Growth | fasting, Lent, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:16-18, Text
While there are many purposes for fasting found in the Bible, the primary purpose of Lenten fasting is learning to depend more fully upon God and trust him to provide for us in every way. We are learning to discipline our desires and not to be ruled by them.
For You This Christmas
By Mark+ Browne | | Celebrate, Spiritual Growth | Christmas, Text
Within Mary's womb was the one whom the universe could not contain. The embryo she was to name “Jesus” was God's perfect and only way for humanity’s rescue. It is here, in this wondrous thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the most profound, unfathomable depths of God’s revelation to humanity are found. God became man!
Advent Reflections
By Nowell+ Copley | | Celebrate | Advent, Text
We celebrate Advent not so much as a precursor to Christmas, lost in the shuffle of the holidays, but as an invitation to the retelling of the greatest story ever told. It’s a prologue that sets the stage to begin again, to retell a story that’s new every morning.
Advent: Building Anticipation
By Shuler+ Griffin | | Celebrate | Advent, Text
We try to build up anticipation for the Advent season so people become ready to focus on the birth of Jesus, to make Christmas the celebration that it should be.
Advent: Expectation and Preparation
By +Philip Jones | | Celebrate | Advent
Lead Bishop Philip Jones shares how to use the Advent season to prepare our hearts for Christmas.
Fasting and Prayer: Authority and Connection
By Jay+ Wright | | Celebrate, Prayer | fasting, Lent, Text
Not only do we grow in spiritual authority through fasting and prayer, we also deepen our connection to God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
All the Saints Celebrating the Feast of All Saints
By Nowell+ Copley | | Celebrate | All Saints' Day, Hebrews. 12:1-2, Special Days, Text
It is God who binds us together—past, present and future—as his elect, in one communion, one fellowship in one Lord, Jesus. By his grace we follow in this glorious cloud of witnesses “in all virtuous and godly living” and in the end into “those ineffable joys” being prepared for those who truly love Jesus by him who truly loves us.
Pentecost Sermon
By Caleb+ Miller | | Celebrate, Spirit | John 14:15-31, Pentecost, Sermon
Pentecost is the coming of the Holy Spirit upon those who believe in the Trinitarian act in which the completed work of salvation is applied and the presence of God comes to bear upon the believer and upon the church.
On Fasting in Lent
By Lucas Damoff | | Celebrate, Spiritual Growth | fasting, Lent, Matthew 6:16-18, spiritual disciplines, Text
As we begin the season of Lent, take time to consider if the Holy Spirit is calling you to undertake a fast during this season, and if so, in what manner. Fasting is never easy and can be quite frustrating. But the promise is that it will give us more of Christ and that it will form us more and more into his image.
What is Lent?
By Ryan Flanigan | | Celebrate, Spiritual Growth | Church Calendar, fast, Lent, Ryan Flanigan, Text
Lent is about rhythm. We are rhythmic creatures. We do things in sequences and steps, marching to the beats of drummers. The problem is, there are many drummers out there, pounding away to capture our attention, calling us to follow them and submit to their stories. Lent is the Jesus drum, calling us back into the left-right-left of God's story.