Welcome to my corner of cyberspace!

I am excited to be at the beginning of the new enterprise that is this blog!

I will be writing about my daily thoughts, the goings-on of our beloved parish, and the life of faith. I hope you will join me and the rest of our community at St. Paul's in our search to live in the love of Jesus Christ.

This morning I told our intrepid secretary Cindy that I was going into the church to "do some strange things." Without much surprise (she's used to this sort of thing), she said, "okay," and I went into the church and began to chant the oldest piece of liturgy to have been written in the English language: The Great Litany.

The Great Litany was originally written by Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) for use during wartime. A litany is a form of prayer which contains of a series of petitions, usually sung by a leader with the people singing a response after each petition. The word comes from the Latin litania, meaning "prayer" or "supplication." In the Anglican tradition of which Episcopalians are a part, Cranmer's 'Great' (meaning large) Litany was once used very regularly during the year, sung in procession on Sundays and Holy Days, especially during Lent. We will be singing the Great Litany at St. Paul's on the First Sunday in Lent, February 10th, at the 10:00am service. It will be a great opportunity to experience this historic form of prayer and to lift our hearts to our loving Creator.

As I paced around the church this morning practicing the Litany, I wondered how many others before us have sung these beautiful and meaningful words. The worship of the church connects us not only to God, but to those who have gone before us and those who will come after us. The Great Litany shows Christians at our best, I think: a procession of faithful in every generation offering to God our prayer and praise.