Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
On Loss and Change
·
Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, May 29, 2016 Acts 11:19-30; John 4:5-42 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Christ is risen! Five hundred sixty-three years ago today, the great city of Constantinople fell, marking the end of an empire that had endured from a generation before the…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
How Death Unlocks Life
·
Myrrh-bearers Sunday, May 15, 2016 Acts 6:1-7; Mark 15:43-16:8 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Christ is risen! Today on this third Sunday of Pascha, we return for a little while to a precious moment in Holy Week, when on Holy Friday and Saturday we encounter the…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Can a Historic Christian Be a Nationalist?
·
Lately I’ve been seeing nationalistic / racialistic rhetoric from some who identify as Christian. Some say that this is just their politics and has nothing to do with their religion. That is, of course, a distinctly secular idea, that one can practice some part of life in a way that is separate from religion. While we don’t have to pursue theocracy, dominionism, etc., to…
Nearly Orthodox
The Benefits of Doing it Wrong
·
“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” –Frederich Buechner My writing style is sometimes described as “confessional” and that seems about right. I want to be honest and vulnerable in my work. When I sit down to put things to paper, I don’t hold back in that first draft. I put it all down there. The second draft is where I ask myself whether I really…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The Church is Not the Building... Right?
·
I hate it when people say that. Yes, there is a certain truth to the statement The Church is not the building. But it is usually said in the context of talking about buildings, and so what is meant by it is not really a counter of an obviously ridiculous idea, namely, that the Church is equal to a building. It is somewhat ironic,…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Preaching the Gospel "That Our Joy May Be Fulfilled"
·
Thomas Sunday / Feast of the Apostle John the Theologian, May 8, 2016 1 John 1:1-5; John 20:19-31 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Christ is risen! The Gospel story begins today with the gathering of the disciples of Jesus in a room where the doors were…
Nearly Orthodox
Mother's Day Gifts
·
My youngest son, Miles, gave me a head cold for Mother’s Day. I felt it coming on last night as we sat together in the park near our home and watched a lighted parade of bicycles dressed as bison. My husband has a small non-profit street opera company called Opera-matic, here in Chicago and this odd, but beautiful parade was a part of a gathering they organized with the people in the…
Nearly Orthodox
On Holy Fools as Family...
·
Nearly Orthodox
Holy Saturday/Glorious Pascha
·
Will you be there? The question came from a friend as I was leaving the Good Friday service and then, from someone else today, this Holy Saturday, through Facebook. Yes. I will be there. I cannot tell you how good it is to be asked this question. For me, spending a lot of time on the edges of social gatherings, church meetings, any kind of event that requires me to “be” there…
Nearly Orthodox
Good Friday: Breath and Bones
·
Good Friday always finds me lacking, or running, or desperate to “catch up.” So, in an effort to dial things back a notch and at the same time, dig in to the quiet moments of a crazy life, I’ll just offer this today. I offer it because poetry has the ability to reach those deep places in me no matter what the circumstances of my life. And I want to connect with…
Nearly Orthodox
Holy Thursday: Still
·
O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother, for Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. -St. Ephrem The Syrian Every morning during the week I drop…
Nearly Orthodox
Holy Wednesday: Oil and Air
·
O Lord who, in thy mercies and bounties, healest the disorders of our souls and bodies, do Thou, the same Master, sanctify this Oil, that it may be effectual for those who shall be anointed therewith, unto healing, and unto relief from every passion, every malady of the flesh and of the spirit, and every ill; and that therein may be glorified Thy most Holy Name, of the Father, and of the…
Nearly Orthodox
Holy Tuesday: Clearing Clutter
·
He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. -Matthew 23:11 A few weeks ago I had this great idea. I looked at the crazy clutter of things on my desk that defined my next few weeks and I thought I’d get a jump on posts for Holy Week. I thought that I’d write a short post for…
Nearly Orthodox
Holy Monday: Keeping Pace
·
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. -Galatians 5:22-25 As I write this, birds are singing just outside my window. The rolling green of middle Tennessee fills…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Who is God? (Part 8 of 8): God is Our King
·
Palm Sunday, April 24, 2016 Philippians 4:4-9; John 12:1-8 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today, on the final Sunday of the Triodion, Palm Sunday, we wrap up our series in which we have been asking the question “Who is God?” This is eighth part of this…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Who is God? (Part 7 of 8): God is Our Salvation
·
Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt, April 17, 2016 Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 10:32-45 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. We are now getting very close to Holy Week, and the final journey to Jerusalem for the Lord Jesus is about to begin. We focus very much now…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Who Are Funerals For? And Who Are They About?
·
It’s an old question: Who are funerals for — the living or the departed? If I had to give a quick answer, I would say that funerals are for all concerned, including the departed (in many Christian traditions, we are praying for the departed). But in terms of their impact “on the ground,” they are probably mostly for the (earthly) living. But the bigger…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Who is God? (Part 6 of 8): God is Our Hope
·
Sunday of St. John of the Ladder, April 10, 2016 Hebrews 6:13-20; Mark 9:17-31 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. We are now on the sixth Sunday of our eight-part series asking the question, “Who is God?” We’re just a few weeks away from Pascha now, and…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Who is God (Part 5 of 8): God is Our Priest
·
Sunday of the Adoration of the Holy Cross, April 3, 2016 Hebrews 4:14-5:6; Mark 8:34-9:1 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today is our fifth meditation in our eight-part series asking the question, “Who is God?” Today is also the third Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday…
Nearly Orthodox
Binge and Purge, Give and Take
·
I recognize this pattern. I participate in it often without even questioning it. I make jokes about it and write about it, and still, I participate. It’s okay these days to openly fall into a binge and purge pattern on some things, not others. Because of awareness campaigns, after school specials, celebrity struggles or well-versed friends, most of us have been warned off binging and purging where food is concerned. We see…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Is It Wrong to Want to be a Priest?
·
Every so often I encounter the idea that anyone who wants to be ordained a priest—or, especially, a bishop—never should be. Such a man is probably a control freak, vain, naive, etc. People like that should never be allowed anywhere near the priesthood. St. John Chrysostom’s famous flight from ordination may well be referenced with nods of knowing approval. And certainly, a young woman…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Who is God? (Part 4 of 8): God is Essence and Energies
·
Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, March 27, 2016 Hebrews 1:10-2:3; Mark 2:1-12 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today, on the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, which is the second Sunday of Great Lent, we again ask our question in this fourth installment in our eight-part series:…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Who is God? (Part 3 of 8): God is Incarnate
·
Sunday of Orthodoxy, March 20, 2016 Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40; John 1:43-51 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today is our third of eight meditations where we ask, “Who is God?” Knowing God is how Jesus defined eternal life (John 17:3), so we keep asking this question, and…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Who is God? (Part 2 of 8): God is Our Forgiver
·
Sunday of Forgiveness, March 13, 2016 Romans 13:11-14:4; Matthew 6:14-21 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. We continue our eight-part series today where we ask the question, “Who is God?” We are asking this question because we are keeping in mind the words of the Lord Jesus…
Nearly Orthodox
Forgiveness Vespers for the Introvert
·
In a few hours I will take up my usual place at church, there along the back wall in the corner. I will stand and listen and pray and think about the sounds of the traffic outside, about the laundry list of things I’ve left undone this weekend, about the trip I’m taking on Thursday out of the country. I will watch the candle light dance. I will inhale the deep scent…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Who is God? (Part 1 of 8): God is Our Judge
·
Sunday of the Last Judgment, March 6, 2016 1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2; Matthew 25:31-46 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. As we are now on the verge of the first stage of our fasting, today we begin an eight-week sermon series, which will last all the way through…
Nearly Orthodox
Heavy on the Prayer
·
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being. 1 Cor. 10:23-24 It’s always election season now. When one heated race concludes, it seems that the build up to the next, more heated one begins immediately. It takes a certain fortitude to survive social media…
