Ascension Day- Acts 1: 1-11; Luke 24: 49-53

Thursday May 25 was the fortieth day after Easter, the commemoration of Christ's Ascension. Because it falls on a weekday, modern Christians have often ignored this ancient and biblically based observance. However, the Ascension of our Lord is a teaching of Scripture and the ancient creeds, and if we pause to consider, it has deep meanings for us as believers.

Let us consider three meanings of the Ascension. 1) The Ascension marks Jesus' return to His heavenly Father and the completion of the earthly ministry He began at the Incarnation. Although God the Son, the eternal Word of God, was at work before and has been at work since, those thirty odd years were unique in human history and in God's work for human salvation. The Ascension marks a glorious completion of Christ's earthly ministry.
2) As Christ tells His followers more than once in the Gospel according to St. John, His return to the Father also prepares the way for a new and powerful working of God the Holy Spirit among human beings. As long as Jesus was physically present on earth, the disciples would tend to be localized in Palestine. His return to heaven and the new descent of the Holy Spirit means that the Christian mission can become universal.
3) Christ's return to the heavenly Father means that His followers everywhere have a heavenly mediator and intercessor at the right hand of the Father. Our Lord watches over us in all places and times and intercedes for our well-being and eternal salvation. So His Ascension is a strengthening reminder of all that He has done and is doing to pour His grace into our lives.

Rogation Sunday and Rogation Days- John 16:23-33

The Fifth Sunday after Easter and the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the following week are associated with the word "rogation"- from one Latin word for "pray." In other posts, I have commented on  about praying "in Christ's name" and on the meaning and history of Rogation in the liturgical calendar.

This year, my perspective is more personal. In the last couple weeks, illnesses in the family have driven home again the importance, the privilege, and the graces associated with prayer in a variety of forms and from a variety of sources.
Whether from the Book of Common Prayer, the Bible, other devotional sources, or extemporaneous promptings, prayer is so important throughout each day. May our prayers in all forms remain lively expressions of faith! May we never take this gift for granted! In the words of a nineteenth-century gospel song- "What a privilege to carry/Everything to God in prayer."

Is Anglicanism Reformed Catholic?

In Anglican circles, one sometimes hears or reads that Anglicanism is "reformed catholic."  That is an interesting phrase, and with qualifications, most Anglicans over the centuries might accept the description. However, there have been great differences in the understanding of and application of the term "reformed catholic." Many Anglicans have not been clear about what being both catholic and reformed means. For some Anglo-Catholics, Catholic seems to mean accepting a medieval Thomistic, a Tridentine, or a Vatican II theology. The fact is that these extreme views do not represent the historic tendencies of the Anglican tradition.

A better historical understanding of the term "reformed catholic" is found in leaders such as  Cranmer, Parker, Jewell, Whitfield, the Wesleys, Simeon, Ryle, and Packer. These Anglicans were "reformed catholic" in the sense of honoring both the best doctrine and practice of the ancient church and the insights of the Reformation.  Anglicans have affirmed that the Medieval and Renaissance Church needed serious reforming, but they have also affirmed the catholic elements of their heritage, especially elements of liturgy and theology received from the Church of the early centuries.  Most Anglicans since 1549 have respected both the ancient Catholic tradition and major insights of the Reformation, and many contemporary Anglicans do the same. Being both catholic and reformed is part of the Anglican heritage, and it continues to be a distinctive part of Anglican Christianity.