On Tuesday, March 14, we will begin a pilot project of weekly prayer at the diocesan office. All are welcome to join us at 8:30 a.m. each Tuesday throughout Lent and into the Easter season for a short service of Holy Eucharist and to pray for mission in the congregations across our diocese.
So it’s Lent. And what is Lent, anyway? We might perhaps think of it as that annual morose and mopey time of year, marked by giving up some treasured food or habit, that engenders a sense of holy deprivation which is supposed to be good for us. But neither moping nor deprivation is the point, nor the true value.
As a follow up to Bishop Alex's recent blog series on daily prayer, we asked him how he recommends creating space in our busy lives to pray each day and what to do when our devotion time starts to feel like a burden. Watch on our YouTube channel below.
As many of you will already know, earlier this week a severe earthquake struck southeast Turkey, killing thousands of people and devastating a large portion of Turkey and northern Syria. This earthquake was followed by a second earthquake nine hours later, and several aftershocks.
The other day I was praying Morning Prayer and came to the recitation of the Apostles’ Creed. As is often the case with those regular and well-known words, something jumped out at me: “I believe… in the forgiveness of sins.”
But do I? So many of us assent to this verbally but live something very different practically.
A couple of weeks ago I encouraged us to approach this new year with the attitude, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” That all sounds great, you might think, but how do I listen? How do I hear from the Lord? For that, there is a central source and a necessary attitude or habit.
And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
I Samuel 3:8-9, ESV
While Christmas is—and ought to be—a joy-filled time of year, it can also be a source of anxiety, grief, and even fear for many among us. For those of you burdened with fear, I want to assure you that Jesus Christ is the antidote to that fear—that the gift God gives us on Christmas is a reminder that we are not alone. He has come to dwell among us.
Watch the Anglican Bishop of Pittsburgh's Christmas address, below.
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
