The Bishop’s Blog

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Pentecost: Seeing the Spectacular and Mundane
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"As we think about Pentecost, I love to hold both of these things together—the daily, mundane reality that I need his Spirit with me just to make the right choices in my life, and also the spectacular, supernatural gifts that remind us that God is truly a mighty God." 

Is "Pentecostal" a bad word? Watch to find out! As we approach the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday, Bishop Alex explains the background and meaning of Pentecost and how God equips us to do the work he has given us to do.

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Happy Ascension Day!
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"The Ascension reminds us that Jesus is indeed at the right hand of the Father. His sovereignty—his rule and his reign—is real. Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, sometimes it doesn’t look that way, but it is our conviction as Christians that Jesus is King and he remains King. And in the midst of things that are challenging, that is an important comfort to us."

Bishop Alex reflects on the poignancy and hope we can find in Ascension Day, when we might be wondering, "Is everything going to be okay?"

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What Are Rogation Days?
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"One of the things that we are disconnected from, as we don't (most of us) plant our own food, is the reality that we actually are dependent upon God for his gracious provision for us." 

In reflecting on the upcoming Rogation Days and their original purpose in our church calendar, Bishop Alex points out the continued value of regularly connecting with the idea of our dependence on God and reminding ourselves that the very breath in our lungs is a gift from Him.

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Why Do We Have a Church Calendar?
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"The [church] calendar does this great thing. It helps us pay attention to the major events in Jesus life and the need for the continued growth and mission of the church throughout the year." 

Why do Anglicans use a church calendar? This week, Bishop Alex walks us through the significance of our church calendar and some of the themes that it helps us to notice and celebrate as we progress through each year.

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The Cost of Faith
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"There is effort involved in following Jesus—as there should be—and I think that for many of us, at least certainly for me, the realization that following Jesus was going to demand something of me was actually a plus..." 

In this week's message, Bishop Alex urges us to not only be honest about, but to embrace, the cost of discipleship.

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Why Do I Go to Church?
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"As a Christian person, as a disciple of Jesus, why is it that I go to church, anyway? What is it that drives my churchgoing? Now, if we're talking simply to my own fallen nature or cultural bias, I would probably say I go to church because I like it or I get something out of it. But I don’t think that’s the best place to be..." 

Following up to Easter, Bishop Alex examines the importance of regular church attendance in our relationship with God, with ourselves, and with those in our church community.

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The Truth of Easter
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"Death does not have any dominion over Jesus, nor does it have dominion over us. This is the great joy that we celebrate this Easter season and always: that Jesus is victorious over death and brings that victory to us." 

Happy Easter, friends! In his Easter message, Bishop Alex points us to the unending joy of the knowledge that we are raised with Jesus Christ.

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How Should We Look at the Suffering of Jesus?
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"Here in the twelfth chapter of John, Jesus, facing his crucifixion, does not say, 'save me from this hour,' but says rather, 'glorify Your name.' And in that, I think it’s very important that we understand that there is something—although horrible and grisly—there is something glorious about Good Friday." 

In his Holy Week message, Bishop Alex encourages us not to turn away from the suffering of Jesus, but to notice what God is stirring within us as we commemorate his intervention into this world.

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Lenten Series: Inwardly Digesting the Scriptures
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"Inwardly digesting the Scriptures has to do with helping them shape not just what we do but literally how we think—how we see the world, how we perceive things—that our understanding of the universe, our understanding of God, our understanding of ourselves, are really shaped and formed by a biblical world view... that we think like the Bible thinks." 

In this final message of Bishop Alex's Lenten series, he explores how we should approach "inwardly digesting" the Scriptures, as the Book of Common Prayer urges us to do.

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Lenten Series: Learning the Scriptures
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"In [studying the Bible], we understand the Scriptures in their context: this passage in the context of the broader book, and that book in the broader context of the fullness of the Scriptures. It's about deeply understanding what the Scriptures are saying, learning them, and applying some effort to know them better." 

In this fifth message of his Lenten series on the Scriptures, Bishop Alex explains what we gain from more focused Bible study and a few different ways to go about it.