by Peter James | Apr 2, 2024 | Mozarabic Liturgy
I’ve always had mixed emotions about leading worship on Palm Sunday. The day was festive enough as choirs processed into worship, followed by adorable children waving palm branches as everyone sang, “Ride on! Ride on in Majesty!” The very next line...
by Peter James | Apr 1, 2024 | St. Francis of Assisi
The BBC in 1957 aired a television special about a family in Switzerland harvesting a bumper crop of spaghetti from a spaghetti tree. Since pasta was relatively unknown in the United Kingdom at the time, unsuspecting viewers were oblivious that this news segment was...
by Peter James | Mar 31, 2024 | George Duffield
It was his first Sunday at Old Pine Street Church in Philadelphia. The congregation voted by a strong majority to call George Duffield (1732-1790) to be its pastor in 1771. A large crowd gathered to hear his inaugural sermon, but the old guard (called Old Siders)...
by Peter James | Mar 30, 2024 | Sabine Baring-Gould
I’m searching for the right word to introduce Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924). Eccentric? Unconventional? Quirky? He reportedly taught with a pet bat on his shoulders. You get the picture! A recent biographer wondered how he had the capacity for such expansive...
by Peter James | Mar 29, 2024 | Henry Ward Beecher
The dilemma of unanswered prayer is particularly vexing for us who pray. We who try to be diligent in prayer know the disappointment that attends prayers that seemingly go unanswered. Why doesn’t a loved one recover from illness? Why can’t family members...
