This day,In sadness borne,We must confess:The Spirit of the AgeHas crushedThe infant in the cradle.And yet:O glorious yet,One day, in gladness shown,We must profess:The infant from the mangerHas crushedThe Spirit of the Age.–Tristan Gylberd
The Conversion of the World
Christians have celebrated the incarnation and nativity of the LordJesus on December 25 since at least the early part of the third century—just afew generations removed the days of the Apostles. By 336, when the Philocalian Calendar—one of th…
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
I love Advent. I love Christmas. I loveEpiphany. I love all the holidayholy days. And I love everythingthat goes with them. I lovemistletoe, plum pudding, Stir-Up-Sunday, holly and ivy, Advent wreaths,nativity scenes, carol…
Chesterton and Christmas
Gilbert Keith Chesterton was surely among the brightestminds of the twentieth century—a prolific journalist, best-selling novelist,insightful poet, popular debater, astute literary critic, grassroots reformer,and profound humorist. Recognizedby…
St. Thomas’ Day
Thoughhe was doubter at first, the Apostle Thomas (c. 10-60) came to believe thatChrist was not only risen from the dead, but proclaimed Him “my Lord and myGod.” His anticipation of the fullrevelation of the Kingdom has been celebrated o…
Comfort, Comfort
Comfort, comfort ye my people,speak ye peace, thus saith our God;comfort those who sit in darkness,mourning ‘neath their sorrow’s load;speak ye to Jerusalemof the peace that waits for them;tell her that her sins I cover,and her warfare now is over.For …
Schaeffer and Worldview
On this day in 1979, Francis Schaeffer gave an historicspeech which would form the basis of his landmark book A ChristianManifesto. He asserted that”the basic problem with Christians in this country” over the last twogenerations or more has …
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Every day, fromDecember 25 to January 6, has traditionally been a part of the Yuletidecelebration. Dedicated to mercy and compassion–in light of the incarnation ofHeaven’s own mercy and compassion–each of those twelve days between Christmasand Epip…
Christmas Favs
1. “On Christmas” by G.K. Chesterton2. “Christmas Stories” by Charles Dickens3. “On the Incarnation” by Athanasius4. “Nativity Hymns” by Isaac Watts5. “The Birth of the Savior” by C.H. Spurgeon6. “No Holly for Miss Quinn” by Miss Read7. “Corrie’s Chris…
“The Whip of Advent” by Tristan Gylberd
The pitch of thestall was gloriousThough the straw wasdusty and oldThough it blew bitterand coldThe wind sang with orchestral beautyThe night wasmysteriously gleamingThough the earth wasfallen, forlornFor under the eavesof splendorA child-The Chi…
Children in Worship
After worshipping with us at Parish the first few times, people will often comment on how delightful, among many other things, are the sights and sounds of our “lively family atmosphere” and our wiggling, squirming, and murmuring children. These …
Pearl’s Infamy
Onthis day in 1941, “a day that will live in infamy,” a surprise attack by Japanese forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, thrust the United States into the conflagration of the SecondWorld War. At anchor in the harborwas nearly the entire Un…
St. Andrew’s Day
Numbered among the Apostles, the brother of Simon Petereventually became the revered patron of both Greece and Scotland where hisfeast day, November 30, remains a kind of national holiday.Andrew (c. 10-60) may well have been,as tradition asserts, the f…
Grantian Florilegium 2011-11-28 21:20:00
“If you cannot readall your books, at any rate handle, or as it were, fondle them—peer into them,let them fall open where they will, read from the first sentence that arreststhe eye, set them back on the shelves with your own hands, arrange them on y…
The Vicar
Nearly every time I go exploring in the vast, uncharted realms of Arthur Quiller-Couch’s anthologies, I find some heretofore overlooked gem. This summer as I was working my way through his Oxford Book of Victorian Verse, I ran across this wonderf…