20 Years of Being Orthodox: 6 Things I’ve Learned

Today marks the 20th anniversary of my reception into the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church — the Orthodox Church. I was just 22 years old at the time and still in college (I had something of a “career” in college, accumulating one BA, most of another, and three minors, all while working to support myself). In 1998, April 19 was Pascha, and at…

Why Repent? What Kingdom?

Sunday after Theophany, January 14, 2018 Ephesians 4:7-13; Matthew 4:12-17 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17) With the baptism of Jesus, His public preaching ministry begins, and it is said that with this…

The Three Ways Christians Approach the World

There are generally three approaches that Christians have taken when it comes to their surrounding cultures: 1) Rejection, resistance, and hostility: This approach sharply distinguishes the Church from the world, emphasizing that the Church is so much “not of this world” that the world must be fled and an alternate community established. It is a posture that is fully closed to the world —…

There is No Christmas and No Church Without History

Sunday before the Nativity / Eve of the Nativity, December 24, 2017 Hebrews 11:9-10, 32-40; Matthew 1:1-15 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. One of the things that strikes people who encounter the Orthodox Church for the first time is that we have a very strong emphasis on history. It’s everywhere in…

Why Do We Do Ministry Without God?

Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost / Tenth Sunday of Luke, December 10, 2017 Ephesians 6:10-17; Luke 13:10-17 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of…