Husband, father, and Anglican priest living in the North Georgia Mountains. Sermons, reflections, and articles promoting the "Ancient Faith for Modern Times". Subscribe below to get the latest posts in your inbox.
Jesus is already at the well. Already sitting in the heat of our particular noon hour. Already knowing every chapter of the story we are afraid to tell. He knows, fully and completely, with nothing hidden, and still he offers. That is what makes this grace and not merely sympathy.
None of us inherits eternal life through family connections, church attendance, intellect, or our best efforts. The new birth is the sovereign work of God, and because it is his work, it is utterly reliable.
The Church belongs to Christ. He purchased her with his own blood. He calls her servants, cleanses sinners, gives gifts, and remains the Shepherd beneath every faithful shepherd. Because the Church is his, we can pray with confidence that he will continue to give what his people need.
And as we pray for those discerning Holy Orders, we should pray for ourselves as well. Are we listening closely enough to obey what Christ has already made clear? Lent is a good season for that question because it strips away some of the noise with which we avoid hearing difficult things.
The burden may indeed be too heavy for us. The harvest is too great for us, the needs are too deep for us, and the future of the Church is too important to rest upon human strength. Yet the God who gave Moses the seventy elders has not stopped caring for his people.
Ember Days hold these truths together without confusing their order. Their primary Prayer Book purpose is prayer for those called to Holy Orders. Their broader horizon is a Church in which every gift is received from God and ordered toward the building up of Christ’s Body.