April 2026 – Anglican Internet Church

Second Sunday after Easter & AIC Bookstore 21

April 20, 2026 Anglican Internet ChurchLeave a comment

Apologies to viewers the late posting of the Blog for First Sunday after Easter. For unknown technical reasons the “Post” command failed to execute. It is now available with the unique image from the Alheide Psalter, a rare example of Christian art prepared by a woman, from the collection of the British Library, London, England.

For Second Sunday after Easter, commonly known as Good Shepherd Sunday, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer created an original Collect based on the Epistle reading for the day, 1 Peter 2:19-23, which includes commentary on the expectation of “suffering” and St. Paul’s unique reference to the Cross as a Tree. The Gospel reading, John 10:11-16, the third of six readings from St. John’s Gospel in Eastertide.

*Christ the Good Shepherd*, stained glass window, Franz Mayer of Munich, 2nd Qtr., 20th C., St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel, Richmond, Va. (from ***The Stained Glass Windows of St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel).*** Photo by Ronald E. Shibley.

I discuss and illustrate the Collect, Epistle and Gospel readings for Second Sunday in Easter in Episode Two in our video series, Eastertide: From Resurrection to Ascension, linked from the Digital Archive page. The audio-only version of Episode Two is linked from the Podcast Archive page. My Podcast Homily for Second Sunday after Easter is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. A related Podcast Homily for Second Sunday after Easter, based upon the Psalm reading for the occasion, Psalm 23 and Psalm 146, is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page.

The last in the series of previews of the AIC Bookstore Publications is The Prayer Book Psalter: Service Book Edition. The book includes all the pages from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer of the offices for Morning and Evening Prayer plus the Prayers and Thanksgiving, the Litany and Penitential Office for Ash Wednesday, the liturgy for Holy Communion and the full text of the Psalter and Family Prayers.. The Penitential Office includes two texts for the traditional administration of ashes. The Psalter section also includes the King James Version text of Psalm 23 as an Addendum. The volume is offered as an inexpensive alternative for small parishes to the bound versions of the full-text of the B.C.P. The book, and the St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel volume, is available exclusively through my Amazon Author Central page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

First Sunday after Easter & Bookstore Preview #20

April 16, 2026 Anglican Internet ChurchLeave a comment

For First Sunday after Easter the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (American edition, 1943 revisions) the Collect, one of two original compositions by Archbishop Cranmer in Eastertide, is based upon John 3:16, Romans 4:25 and 1st Corinthians 5:7-8. The emphasis is upon St. Paul’s teachings on concepts concerning Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and, indirectly, the Christian virtues and their opposites. The Gospel lesson, John 20:19-23, records Jesus’ visit post-Resurrection appearance on the Monday after His Resurrection in which the Lord Jesus “breathed” the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and taught a lesson concerning the proper path to forgiveness.

*The Three Marys at the Empty Tomb,* illumination in colors on parchment, ***Alheide Psalter,*** 4th Qtr, 12th C-1st Qtr., 13th C., Thuringia, Germany, Ms. Additional 11847, Folio 13v, British Library, London, England. The manuscript is named after the woman who identifies herself as the scribe at the end of the volume.

These topics are discussed and illustrated in Episode Two of our video series, Eastertide: From Resurrection to Ascension. The audio-only version of Episode Two is linked from the Podcast Archive page. My Podcast Homily for First Sunday after Easter is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. A related Podcast Homily based on the Psalm reading in Morning Prayer for First Sunday after Easter, Psalm 103, is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page. The Gospel reading is discussed and illustrated in our Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of John: Annotated & Illustrated. The volume is available exclusively through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional details about the book are found on the AIC Bookstore page.

We are nearing the end of the comments and images from the AIC Bookstore Publications, now numbering twenty-two volumes. Today, the focus is on The St. Chrysostom Hymnal, a project which grew out of my own local congregation’s effort to find hymns and songs which could easily be sung by people not trained in music. I researched hundreds of hymnals of many denominations at a local seminary’s library. Potential music was presented to the committee. Each proposed addition to our local hymnal was voted on by the members. Anything that did not pass muster was left out. One of the objectives was to find more music for Advent, Christmas and Easter and more hymns and songs suitable for opening and closing hymns. Yet another objective was to include hymns attributed to St. Ambrose of Milan and others discovered by, or written by, hymnologist John Mason Neale. The local publication was printed on letter-sized paper and placed in a spiral binding. After my retirement from pulpit ministry, I reworked the volume into the 5.5″ x 8.5″ format. Originally published in two volumes, it was later reformatted into a single book. Like all AIC Bookstore Publications, the volume is available exclusively though my Amazon Author Central page. Complete information about the book is found on the AIC Bookstore page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things!

Easter Even

April 4, 2026 Anglican Internet ChurchLeave a comment

For Easter Even, which is the Saturday before Easter, the appointed Gospel reading, Matthew 27:57-66, includes the evangelist’s account of Joseph of Arimathea in the burial of Jesus, the presence of two of the three Marys (Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary), at the tomb and the order of Pilate, at the urging of the “chief priests and Pharisees,” to guard the tomb (against Jesus’ prophecy of rising in three days. In the AIC Bookstore’s publication, Easter: the Resurrection of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition, Chapter Three includes many images of the Harrowing of Hades and Chapter Four includes images relating to Jesus’ prophecies of Resurrection three days. The volume is available through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional information is found on the AIC Bookstore page.

*The Harrowing of Hell*, illumination in colors and gold leaf on parchment, ***German Homilary***, *circa* 1320, W.148, Folio 21r, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD. CC0 license.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Good Friday

April 3, 2026 Anglican Internet ChurchLeave a comment

For Good Friday, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (American edition, 1943) the Gospel reading is John 19:1-37, which is the source of many important details concerning the Crucifixion and events in the hours and day that followed. For this occasion, I offer viewers the oldest surviving image of the Crucifixion.

*The Crucifixion*, illumination in tempera and gold on parchment, ***Rabula Gospels***, Syria, 586 A.D. The document is held at Biblioteca Laurenziana, Florence, Italy. ***The Yorck Project: 10,000 Masterworks***. Public domain.

Other AIC resources for Good Friday include both video and audio-only versions of In the Cross of Christ I Glory, which I used at my former parish between Noon and Ninth Hour (3:00 P.M.). Episodes are also linked from the Digital Library and Podcast Archive pages. The readings were derived from a post-World War II office for Good Friday to which I added many quotations and prayers from the early Fathers of the Church Universal, including both Eastern Church and Roman Catholic saints and prominent figures.

For Good Friday (117 slides; nearly four dozen illustrations from the 6th to the 19th C.)

Part 1 – Opening Remarks, First to Fourth Word
Part 2 – Fifth to Seventh Word, plus Closing Remarks

The audio-only version (MP3 format) of this presentation is linked from the Podcast Archive page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Thursday before Easter

April 2, 2026 Anglican Internet ChurchLeave a comment

For Thursday before Easter, commonly known as Maundy Thursday the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (American Edition, 1943) provides two choices for the Gospel reading: Luke 23, which continues from the reading for Wednesday before Easter, and John 13:1-15, which is St. John’s unique (both in content and style) account of Jesus’ model for the humble act of footwashing. There are few examples of how this event was depicted in Christian. Among the best of them is this mosaic at the Monastery of Hosios Loukas, Boeotia, Greece, circa 10th C.

Christ Washes the Apostles’ Feet, with St. Peter at center, mosaic, Monastery of Hosios Loukas, Boeotia, Greece, 10th C. Photo by Edbb. CC-by-SA 3.0. Perspective correction applied to the original image.

I used this image as Illustration No. 66 in The Gospel of John: Annotated & Illustrated, which is available exclusively through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional information about the book is found on the AIC Bookstore page. In the book, a second image of footwashing, from the Codex Bruchsal, made for use at Speyer Cathedral, Speyer, Germany around 1220 A.D. is Illustration No. 67. The volume was highlighted in my Blog post for 2/17/26 in association with celebration of First Sunday in Lent. The post is linked from the Archives column at right.

Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Wednesday before Easter

April 1, 2026 Anglican Internet ChurchLeave a comment

The Gospel reading for Wednesday in Holy Week is the entirety of Luke 22. Among the topics is the evangelist’s account of Christ’s prophecy of the betrayal of St, Peter (Luke 22:31-34) and its fulfillment (Luke 22:54-62). I have chosen a Western Church visual interpretation, in this case one of several watercolors by James Tissot. Tissot conducted extensive research in the Holy Land, focusing on clothing, architectural detail, visiting the locations where the events described took place. The Brooklyn Museum purchased the entire collection in the late 19th C. and later entered the images into the public domain. This particular image is: 00.159.246_PS2.jpg.