From the Rector’s Bookshelf: True Love: Sermons for Advent by The Rev. Canon Glenn Spencer

The Rev. Canon Glenn Spencer, True Love: Sermons for Advent. The Anglo-Catholic Pulpit. Earth & Altar Press, 2025. ISBN: 9798273890121, x+60pp. $12.50.

Fr. Glenn Spencer, Rector Emeritus of All Saints Church (APA) in Charlottesville, VA

Fr. Glenn Spencer is the Rector Emeritus of All Saints Anglican Church (APA) in Charlottesville, Virginia where he served as the Rector for thirty-five years. Fr. Glenn is the way I got to St. Paul’s and for that, I am eternally grateful to him. I remember visiting All Saints multiple times over the years and, during one of those visits, he told me about an APA parish in Annapolis, Maryland that was looking for a younger priest to bring on staff and that he could make the connection if I wanted. I’m very glad I took his recommendation!

This book is short, but dense. There is a nice foreword by Bp. Chandler Holder Jones, the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Province of America and our diocesan Ordinary who reminds us that “whether we consciously recognize it or not at any given time, that we are today in a struggle to recover and promote the old paths, the Old Time Religion” (i). Fr. Glenn’s preaching is characteristic of that recovery. The collection of sermons begins with The Sunday Next Before Advent, “Stir Up Sunday” as it’s often called, and extends through the whole Advent season. A great feature that augments the sermon is a list of questions after each homily that can be used for personal reflection or group study.

Historically, there have been many great Anglican preachers: Lancelot Andrewes, John Donne, Jeremy Taylor, John Wesley, John Henry Newman, Edward Bouverie Pusey, Henry Parry Liddon, Austin Farrer, Michael Ramsey, and many others. In modern times, it often feels like Anglican preaching has fallen into a state of disrepair. Preaching should not be confused with sentimentality, stand up comedy, academic lectures, or motivational speeches; it is the sacred task of proclaiming the Gospel to the Church. In this respect, Fr. Glenn is an expert preaching and his style is a blend of multiple things. They are learned, but not inaccessible, Catholic, but with an evangelical fervor, situated in a parish setting, but containing transcendent truths. If you’re looking for a book to serve as your Advent companion, consider getting Fr. Glenn’s book of sermons!