Father Steven and Father Matthew have a few videos that touch on these questions.
Why go to Church?
Super Bowl Sunday
Man in Black (based on a Johnny Cash song)
Sometimes, following Jesus can be very difficult. We know the right thing to do, but our own desires, or the urgings of our friends can lead us to do otherwise.
Most often, doing the wrong thing has consequences. But sometimes, doing the right thing can have even greater consequences - for good or ill.
Take some time to read these stories about the lives of these saints:
- Julian of Norwich
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- C.S. Lewis
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Janani Luwum
- Oscar Romero
- Florence Li Tim-Oi
I actually had the honour of knowing one of these people. Florence Li Tim-Oi was living in Toronto when I was a student there. It wasn't until some time had passed that I realized she was an historically significant person with an heroic story of faith. I thought she was this nice old Chinese lady who came to services at the college chapel. (Well, she was that. But she was so much more.)
Who are the saints you've met?
One important part of following Jesus is living a life that is grounded in prayer. Here are two more videos for you to watch from Father Steven and Father Matthew.
Pray!
Anglican Prayer
One way of sorting out our lives to follow Jesus is to develop a Rule of Life. This doesn't have to be a great big complicated set of regulations like the Rule of St. Benedict. It is more of a simple set of guidelines that you develop for yourself.
One good place to start is our Baptismal Covenant - those promises your parents and godparents made for you at your baptism, and that you'll be taking on for yourselves at your confirmation. It begins on page 158 of your Book of Alternative Services, and continues to the bottom of the next page.
The Diocese of West Texas has a nice series of pages that starts here and continues here and here, which give you some helpful suggestions on how to design - and stick to - a Rule of Life that will work for you.
The other thing to think about is this: What is God calling you to do with your life?
Every Christian person is called to ministry. For some of us, it will be ordained ministry as a deacon, a priest or a bishop. For most, it will be some form of lay ministry. We may be called to different ministries at different times of our lives.
Take a look at these pages from the Anglican Church of Canada website:
How can you best serve God in his Church?
Pax et bonum,
Malcolm+
