John Anderson speaks with Albert Mohler on the US election

Posted on May 3, 2024 
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Thinking about international affairs, culture wars, and US politics with John Anderson and Albert Mohler. Plenty of food for prayer.

Four Reasons to Preach the Psalms as a Book

Posted on May 3, 2024 
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“Since the 1980s, scholarship has devoted serious attention to the shape of the Psalter. While viewing the Psalms as a book has not filtered into popular consciousness yet, pastors and preachers may have discovered this argument in recent commentaries, such as James M. Hamilton’s excellent volumes.

Preaching the Psalter as a book might at first seem like a difficult task, but it’s well worth it. Here are four reasons why. …”

– At 9Marks, Davy Ellison in Northen Ireland points to a helpful way of reading (and preaching) the Psalms.

Saving ‘The Quiet Time’

Posted on May 2, 2024 
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Joshua Bovis at St. John’s Tamworth shares this message he wrote for his parish newsletter. We hope you will find it an encouragement to read and pray:

Saving ‘The Quiet Time’

I was introduced to the practice known as ‘The Quiet Time’ not long after I became a Christian. As someone whom has not been given the gift of silence by our Heavenly Father, (still working at it), quiet times were not often practiced. Turns out ‘The Quiet Time’ refers to the practice of spending time alone with God in prayer and in His Word. Yet over time, I had noticed that although the term ‘quiet time’ does not appear in the Holy Scriptures, these two seemingly benign words on their own often engender enormous guilt in the Christian’s life.

Of course, we all know (and should know) that time with God in prayer and His Word is vital, and we are all cognisant of the blessings and benefits that will entail.

Yet I have met so many of God’s people when I ask them how they are going when it comes to prayer and the Word, a common response is one of discouragement and guilt, with the added embellishments such as:

“I don’t know what to read”; “I cannot seem to get into the rhythm”; “I run out of things to pray for”; and there is the big one,

“I don’t have the time!”

Being an Anglican vicar, the context of which I asked this question is an Anglican one. Yet what I find interesting and rather sad is that so many Christians (who attend Anglican churches) are unaware of a practice that I have found to be so helpful in my own life, and that is the practice known as The Daily Office.

So what is the Daily Office? 

The Daily Office or Divine Office, to put it simply, is a time during the day where Christians pray and read the Bible.

It is based on the ancient practice of prescribed daily times of prayer. The name comes from the Latin officium divinum meaning “divine office” or “divine duty.” Although it seems that liturgy is not in vogue or used by many parishes, the Prayer Book has a daily service in the morning and evening for this very purpose, (in fact did you know that the Book of Common Prayer prescribes this practice for clergy?) These services are accompanied by daily Scripture readings which include a reading from the Psalms, Old Testament, the New Testament, and a Gospel reading. The Daily Office includes prayers for morning and evening. 

The late J.I Packer stated:

“None of us will ever find a better pattern for private prayer and Bible-reading anywhere than that offered by the Prayer Book’s own daily offices.”

God’s people who struggle with their ‘quiet times’ need to struggle no longer, there is a great resource available to be used, if only they were made aware of it.

I was first introduced to the Daily Office when I was an ordination candidate in the Newcastle Diocese. Although I was an Anglican Christian, I had not even heard of this practice let alone engaged it in. So at first I found it to be foreign, dull, repetitive and pedestrian. But after doing it every morning and every evening with my supervising Rector, I realised that my prayer life and Bible reading was changing.  My relationship with my Heavenly Father was deepening. No longer was I dependent on how I felt on any given day when it came to pray. Time was no longer an issue as it was a scheduled non-negotiable part of my day.

Many years ago at a Clergy Conference in another diocese I heard it said that human beings are repetitive. Think about the hand you use when you talk on your mobile phone. Have you ever tried using your other hand? Or your other ear? It feels wrong doesn’t it? It is the same when you brush your teeth with your other hand. It feels wrong. With exceptions of course, generally there is no biological reason why we cannot use the phone in the alternate hand/ear. It is because we are creatures of habit. We all have rituals, and routines, and a place where we put things (as the saying goes, “a place for everything and everything in its place).

This is why I find the Daily Office such a helpful thing. It gives me the rhythm and routine that I am made for and at the same time makes prayer and the word part of that rhythm and routine.

The  Daily Office is also helpful in that sooner or later when the day will come when you will not be able to pray in your own strength. On that day the liturgy will pray for you.  There have been times and are times when I simply did not and do not have the words to pray.

What do you need?

• A set time – this way, the Daily Office will become part of your routine, your life rhythm, and before you know it will become a time that you look forward to.

• A place – your study,  the chapel in your church, or somewhere nice and quiet, indoors or outdoors.

• A Bible – For me I use the ESV. It has been my norm for ages.

• A Prayer Book – for me it is mainly the BCP 2019 , though for years I used the original and  best (BCP 1662).

• A Smartphone or iPad – this may seem like a weird thing to recommend but along with the BCP 2019, ACNA (The Anglican Church in North America) has produced an excellent App called The Daily Office. I find this app to be brilliant. It contains the Morning and Evening Prayer Services with the Collects (special prayer for the week) for every day of the year. It even has what is known as Compline (which is a service one uses before lights out for the night It even has a Midday Prayer (which I love to do each day). The Bible Translation is from the ESV (which is what we use here at St John’s) and the Psalter are the Miles Coverdale Version, which utilises English beautifully.

Anything else?

No. That is it. Just go for it. Take your time, enjoy God enjoy his Word, and abide with Christ. You may be sceptical, you be tempted to think what I think about the sport section in the Sydney Morning Herald, “Oh how dull”, but if you are struggling with your quiet times, it is certainly worth giving the Daily Office a go. Up until recently Anglican Christians have been doing it for a very long time. And before you know it, the next time your Vicar or anyone else asks you, “How is your quiet time going”?, you can smile and give an answer that is encouraging (and will give cause to give thanks and praise to God!)

The White House declaration of Transgender Day of Visibility backfires

Posted on May 1, 2024 
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“You can’t make this up. Late last week the White House released a statement from President Biden proclaiming March 31, Easter Sunday, as the 2024 Transgender Day of Visibility. …

An explosion of controversy quickly ensued …”

– Albert Mohler observes that ‘official’ attempts to promote the transgender movement in the US are meeting with resistance.

How to get your church fired up for evangelism

Posted on May 1, 2024 
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“Evangelism is tough. Of course, you know that already. Telling people about Jesus presents a series of challenges and difficulties for Christian people.

Yet when it comes to evangelism, that’s not the most difficult thing. No, that title well and truly falls to ‘being responsible for trying to get other Christians to actually do it’. Studies from the United States indicate that although nearly 90% of professing evangelical Christians believe evangelism is something they should do, roughly the same proportion of them don’t do it. …”

– Dave Jensen writes with encouragement at The Australian Church Record.

(Some) Anglican Primates meet with Archbishop Welby in Rome

Posted on April 30, 2024 
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Justin Welby Credit: Jacqui J. Sze

“This week Archbishop Justin Welby will meet with his primates in Rome in the hope of rectifying the world’s wrongs, then putting them to right with various resolutions, aided by a beleaguered Pope.

What is most significant is the absence of primates who represent some 75 percent of the Anglican communion which must come as something of a shock to the deep thinkers and spinmeisters at Lambeth Palace.

There will be no GAFCON primates and perhaps a small handful of GSFA primates, but Sudan Archbishop Justin Badi has already signaled his displeasure with Archbishop Welby over human sexuality issues, that it might just be enough to dissuade them from attending. …”

– David Virtue wonders who will turn up and what they will talk about.

Photo credit: Jacqui J. Sze, via The Archbishop of Canterbury’s website.

May – June 2024 Southern Cross now available

Posted on April 29, 2024 
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Anglican Media Sydney has published the May – June 2024 issue of Southern Cross magazine.

Copies will be available in churches shortly, but you can download a PDF version, or read it online, now.

This issue includes a tribute (page 30) to the Rev. Stephen Gabbott who was called home last month.

Take Jesus at His Word

Posted on April 28, 2024 
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“What does it mean to be a Christian disciple? Putting it as simply as possible, being a disciple means following Jesus Christ. Christian disciples want to follow their Lord in everything, to be shaped by his teaching and his example in the way they think, feel, and behave. We want him at the center of our perspective on the world, his mission as the priority of our life, his glory our chief concern in every endeavor. That is as true for the Christian theologian as for any other disciple.

Christian theology can helpfully start at any number of places. Its fundamental ground lies in the triune God himself. Theology has long been defined as ‘words about God and all things in relation to God.’ Yet because what we know about God is made known by God — spoken through the prophets and apostles, and given to us in the more permanent form of Scripture — all true theology arises from and is tested by the Bible. So, we could start the discussion of any theological topic with a reflection upon the person of the triune God or upon what the Bible tells us about that specific topic.

But what makes theology specifically Christian theology is the critical place accorded to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God and Saviour of the world. …”

– Published earlier this year, this encouraging article was written by Moore College Principal Dr Mark Thompson. At Desiring God.

Intimacy with God

Posted on April 27, 2024 
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“Did you know that God desires a relationship with you? Did you know that God desires an intimate relationship with you?

Jesus the Messiah has made it possible for you and me

And

– In this devotion published by The Global Fellowship of Anglican Churches, Primate of the Anglican Church in North America, Dr. Foley Beach turns to John chapter 15.

Update on the Wahroonga Preaching Conference

Posted on April 27, 2024 
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From The Expository Preaching Trust:

“The Preaching Conference at Wahroonga has been rescheduled for Monday – Tuesday, 9-10 September. The Conference is to be Co Chaired by Chris Edwards, the Bishop of North Sydney and David Cook of the Expository Preaching Trust.

Simon Manchester is the main speaker and there will be sermons by Mike Leite, Jim Mobbs and David Cook, all on the book of Acts.

The conference begins at 9:30 am on Monday the 9th at the Wahroonga Presbyterian Church, it will be held at the Anglican and Presbyterian churches in Wahroonga.

Cost is $50, fully catered and we are limited to 30 participants.

Preaching groups will be led by Simon Manchester, David Cook, Mike Leite, Jim Mobbs and Janet Riley.”

– See their website for details.

A whirlwind interview with Rico Tice: on Chappo, the church and the gospel we preach

Posted on April 26, 2024 
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At The Australian Church Record, Micky Mantle (Rector of North Sydney) interviews evangelist Rico Tice.

Among other things, Micky asks Rico about the influence John Chapman had on him:

“Yeah, Chappo’s humanity. He was such a laugh. Chappo was so wonderfully himself.

Also, when he spoke to people, the tone was always one of such love. I suddenly saw someone I could – you know, he just was always for you, Chappo. And he believed in the Holy Spirit, and he taught the truth. And you just felt that tremendous sense of his personal warmth, and the humour.

And the ability to rebuke. So of course, one day driving back from Newcastle [UK] – I’d gone up to a church with him to hear him preach – and he said to me…”

– Read the full interview to see what Chappo said, and what influence that had.

Image: Rico Tice preaching at an Insurance Service at DSt. Helen’s Bishopsgate in 2022.

Rico Tice: ‘I was naïve about current culture in the CofE’

Posted on April 26, 2024 
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“Well-known evangelist Rico Tice has recently left the Church of England and now worships at the International Presbyterian Church (IPC), Ealing.

In an exclusive interview with Evangelicals Now, he explains why he made the switch, and what his advice is to evangelicals themselves wrestling with leaving. …”

– Read here.

Image: Rico Tice at the Coronation Prom in May 2023.

Evangelism in Ordinary Life

Posted on April 26, 2024 
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“As you read this, your next-door neighbor is repairing his water heater.

It isn’t a difficult fix, but he’s going to discover that he’s missing the hex wrench that he needs to complete the job.

So, in about fifteen minutes, you’re going to get a knock on your door from your neighbor looking for the necessary tool – a tool you’re happy to loan him. You’ll exchange greetings and ask him how he’s doing. Because you’ve been neighbors for a while, he’s going to pause, skip the normal ‘Doing just fine,’ and give you an honest answer. …”

– At Ligonier Ministries, Joe Holland has some simple encouragement.

(Link via Tim Challies.)

Bishop Mari Emmanuel forgives his attacker and endorses freedom of speech and religion

Posted on April 25, 2024 
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Screenshot

For ANZAC Day, Bishop Mari Emmanuel of Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley has spoken out in forgiveness and in support of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Remembering the Sacrifice: ANZAC Day 2024

Posted on April 25, 2024 
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“Grant Dibden, Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force, shares the story of sacrifice about Corporal Reginald Samuel Thorn from Broken Hill, NSW.

A recently discovered letter from Corporal Thorn was sent one day prior to his sacrifice at Pozières, France.

At deaths door, Reginald Thorn’s letter shares the hope of a better place beyond the grave made available through the greatest sacrifice made by Jesus.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13.”

– At Defence Anglicans.

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