Author Archives: Matthew Griffin
About Matthew Griffin
I'm a priest serving in the Diocese of Niagara, with both a pastoral and an academic interest in the relationship between liturgy and theology. I enjoy reading, cooking, and spending time with my beloved and our young son.Prayers celebrating a dead fish
Grief over the death of a pet is real and complicated and lacks the formal markers that are so important to us as we gather for a Christian funeral What are some of the times you’ve been delighted to have liturgical ways of marking important pastoral moments with those you love and serve? Continue reading
Preparing for Holy Week
Traditions vary widely about what services are held and look like throughout Holy Week, and clerics, worship committees, altar guilds, choirs, those preparing orders of service, and many more are diligently getting ready! What are some of your favourite traditions of the week? How does it look and feel in the context of your community? Continue reading
Calendar muddles
Sometimes, the date on which a particular feast day is celebrated is not cut and dry. Sometimes, the lectionary allows for creative solutions that best meet the needs of the worshipping community. How did your congregation celebrate Epiphany this year? Continue reading
A modest wondering about the Feast of the Ascension
I wonder if it’s time for Canadian Anglicans to ask some serious questions about how we keep the principal feast of the Ascension. With attendance at weekday Eucharists on the wane in many places, and us keeping all but one of the other major feasts on Sundays, is it time to wonder the same about Ascension Day? Continue reading
Lent Madness moves into the saintly sixteen!
Lent Madness–voting for saints in head-to-head match-ups to determine the winner of the Golden Halo–is fun, and a great way to be inspired by the cloud of witnesses that supports us in our journeys in faith. And so much more interesting than basketball… Continue reading
Smudged Yet Speaking Signs
On Sunday, the people of the Church of the Nativity shared in making the ashes for Ash Wednesday together during coffee hour–and many were moved in new ways by participating in this aspect of what death and new life look like. How are you involved in helping others connect with the good news of the paschal mystery? Continue reading
Blessing Chalk and Proclaiming Easter – It’s Epiphany!
Blessing chalk to use to bless our homes, and proclaiming the date of Easter–what customs of the Church support and enrich your life? What customs do you wish were more widespread? Continue reading
Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!
We wrestle with two kinds of welcome in the fall: welcoming the regulars back into the busy-ness of fall, and asking ourselves how to be hospitable to newcomers. How can we think about welcome to share the good news that God welcomes each and every one of us with open arms? Continue reading
Too Hot for Vestments?
How does the community you serve deal with “thermal lagging”–the difference between what’s sensible to wear, and the vestments that are what we use as we gather for worship? Continue reading
Resting in God – a link to a lovely piece on the value of ordinary time
How do you experience the season after Pentecost? Does it help nourish your spiritual journey, or do you find yourself longing for Advent? Where’s the value in Ordinary Time? Continue reading
