Ash Wednesday...

On Ash Wednesday (3/9) I decided to attend the Ash Wednesday service at the local Anglican Cathedral. Most people know that I have long appreciated (even if not participated in) the liturgical calendar. Being so close to such a beautiful Anglican Cathedral, it seemed only fitting that I go and observe the day.

The cathedral itself, St. Peter's, is gorgeous. Though small, it is a beautiful example of Anglican architecture. There are two wonderful stained glass windows, a beautiful altar, and high-arched ceilings. I am a huge fan of church architecture and this did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the Anglican church in Australia is plagued by the same sort of feminist, liberation, post-modern, and worldly theology of their English brothers (and, sadly, most of the Church today). The third huge stained glass window in the building was a modern peace of crap, highlighting the achievements of female spirituality. Gah...stuff like that bugs me a ton. You take a perfectly good building, steeped in tradition and sacred space, and you turn it into THAT! A contemporary piece of feminist, spiritualist, post-modern, crappy art. I'm sorry. For my feminist readers....leave the churches alone. For everybody else: If this doesn't irk you, you need to go into some of the greatest churches around the world. But at least the church here in Adelaide is not as bad as in Canterbury (where you can apparently buy Satanist bibles). Still...they ruined a good (no....great) thing. I have placed a picture of the offensive stained-glass window here (though it is hard to see why):

Aside from the window that got my blood boiling, the service itself was lovely. It was held in the back chapel by a fine minister. The liturgy was pretty standard, though it was loaded, even on an Ash Wednesday, with eco-theology and some heavy-handed liberal bias. But it wasn't terribly distracting and I had a pleasant ceremony. God is good and Ash Wednesday is a good reminder of what the Lent season prepares us for.

After the service, my friend, Brett, and I spent awhile trying to identify all the saints in the altar piece and stained glass windows. I love doing this (thank you Dr. Stewart for that nerdy quality) and we had a good ol' time.

Home we went. Glad I had gone. May the spirit of Lent be always on your mind.

In Christ,

Chris