... of the Twelve Apostles, June 30, 2019 I Corinthians 4:9-16; Matthew ... men who followed Jesus and that He sent out to preach the Gospel to all nations. And that’s true. But if we think of these twelve ... name: “Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” We all know what happened to Judas, and Matthew gives a “spoiler” here, as this ...
... June 9, 2019 Acts 20:16-18, 28-36; John 17:1-13 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. ... baptize him on the spot but rather preaches to him the Gospel, which the man received through an interpreter, probably meaning that he ... raised up on his grave. And then the place became known ever after by what was done there, being called “the water of ...
... of the Annunciation / Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, March 24, 2019 Hebrews ... good news.” That good news is the evangelion, the Gospel. If you have ever wondered how to express what the Gospel is, both for your children and also for anyone you know, this is where you begin: The Gospel is that God became man. That God ...
... of the Paralytic, April 29, 2018 Acts 9:32-42; John 5:1-15 In the Name of the ... year mark. And all that got me thinking about today’s Gospel of the paralytic healed by Jesus. But maybe not in the way you think. ... wrong approach to get to that goal. And I didn’t really know how to do things another way—I had been raised with this kind of life. ...
... of the Myrrh-bearers, April 22, 2018 Acts 6:1-7; Mark 15:43-16:8 In the Name ... was of course an angel. So why do we hear this Gospel? Why is it that all four Evangelists write about the reception and ... of what might be considered funeral practices? We know that there were many details of Jesus’ life and ministry that are not ...
... of the Adoration of the Holy Cross, March 11, 2018 Hebrews 4:14-5:6; Mark ... if we see it in terms of the narrative chronology of the Gospels, “Do what I am going to do,” because He hadn’t died on the cross ... There are so many things to discover, so many people to know, almost infinite stories to learn. Denying yourself is the road to ...
... before the Theophany of Christ, December 31, 2017 2 Timothy 4:5-8; Mark 1:1-8 In ... historical events that we proclaim, which we find in the Gospels. It involves reflecting on those events, on what they reveal about ... is needed, and then bring it to the table. A good waiter knows he’s a servant, doesn’t make himself the center of attention, pays ...
... before the Nativity / Eve of the Nativity, December 24, 2017 Hebrews 11:9-10, 32-40; ... we read the genealogy of Jesus Christ that is found in the Gospel according to Matthew. It is the very beginning of that Gospel text. ... and that there will be people after us. Jesus of course knows this, being God, but it’s worth noting that He Himself has people that ...
... of the Apostle Paul / Seventh Sunday of Luke, October 29, 2017 II Corinthians ... this escape. Because the Apostle Paul, as he came to be known after, is our patron saint, I would like to discuss what his conversion ... you. It is God who has chosen you to be vessels of His Gospel. And how can we understand ourselves also to be speaking to the ...
... after the Elevation of the Cross, September 17, 2017 Galatians 2:16-20; Mark ... not really real. And if we do feel it, that’s how we know it’s real. We talk this way outside of ostensibly spiritual ... when I read these words from the Lord Jesus in today’s Gospel: “For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous ...
The Sunday Before the Elevation of the Cross, September 10, 2017 Galatians 6:11-18; ... in the name of what’s “right” and yet never seek to know or hear other people will almost always consistently act that way. It is ... This is our world now. But here is what’s in the Gospel today: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten ...
The following is an excerpt from a longer talk, titled "We're All Absalom: Emerging ... the world, mom keeps us in the world and keeps us in the knowledge that we are real. I remember my mother being there in those long ... that her life would be dedicated to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. When she met my father, she told him that he ...
... often share ministry stories and then say, "They didn't teach me that in seminary!" One of the things that I ... when we teach people the truth of Jesus Christ, what the Gospel is and how we should live as a result, they just ignore it. And even ... working that out in me with my cooperation. And you know what I've also found out? When I refocus my ministry in terms of working ...
... of Christ, August 6, 2017 II Peter 1:10-19; Matthew 17:1-9 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father ... face and even His clothes—an interesting detail from the Gospel. This is still a man, but we also see Him as God. We have already ... for just about everything first. If I feel sick, I know it’s because of a virus or bacteria or because I didn’t get enough ...
The following is culled from comments I made on a Facebook thread in a private group ... the Lord's command to go into all the earth and preach the Gospel was given only (or mainly) to the apostles. Allowance was made for ... will be more effective the more fully His presence is known in us.) But that is not the actual model that we see in Scripture or in ...
... Sunday after Pentecost / Third Sunday of Matthew, June 25, 2017 Romans 5:1-10; Matthew 6:22-33 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew ... to understanding this comes at the beginning of today’s Gospel, where the Lord Jesus says: “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if ... your eye affects everything. If you can see well, you know where to go. You can see your path. You can avoid obstacles. You can ...
... past week I attended the Ancient Faith Writing and Podcasting Conference (AFCon), an event which I ... of folks who, like me, are excited about communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ in accordance with Orthodox tradition in ways that ... And sometimes some folks (including me!) don't know what they're talking about even though they think they do. But there is ...
... of the Blind Man and the Feast of Ss. Constantine and Helen, May 21, 2017 Acts ... challenge is and how we address it, let’s look to the Gospel reading for today, the Sunday of the Blind Man. In this Gospel ... or his parents, that he was born blind?” They want to know whose fault it is that he was born this way. And Jesus responds plainly ...
... someone wrote to ask why the Orthodox blogosphere and media seem to talk far more about converts to ... fruitless, almost impossible work. Nearly every priest I know (including me) has done a huge amount of work to try to bring back people ... and discussed instead of people actually responding to the Gospel and coming into the Church? This question in a form gets dealt with by ...
... of the Paralytic, May 7, 2017 Acts 9:32-42; John 5:1-15 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew ... they were sent forth into the whole world to preach the Gospel? We see in the passage ready today from Acts a little of how amazing ... up from the dead? The Scripture says, “And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.” Again, we get ...
... Sunday and the Feast of St. George, April 23, 2017 Acts 5:12-20; John 20:19-31 Very Rev. ... because it’s the only life I’ve got, so I wouldn’t know. That said, Great Lent, Holy Week and the Paschal services we have just ... encounter with Thomas. We see Jesus twice in the Gospel for today. He first appears to ten of the disciples—Thomas is not ...
... of the Publican and the Pharisee, February 5, 2016 2 Timothy 3:10-15; Luke ... Lord Jesus relates in the eighteenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, shows us two men who go to the Temple to pray. One is a Pharisee, a ... people. The other is a Publican, a tax collector, a known sinner, hated by his own people for his collusion with the Roman ...
... of the Nativity, December 24, 2016 Galatians 3:8-12; Luke 13:18-29 V. Rev. Fr. ... my own sense of how things ought to be, my own sense of knowing what is right that I am not open to the One Who is coming? Shall I ... Who is born? Shall I be as the shepherds, hearing the Gospel of great joy out in the fields, struck in fear and astonishment at what ...
... before the Nativity, December 18, 2016 Hebrews 11:9-10, 32-40; Matthew 1:1-15 V. ... entirely. If that’s what we think, then we don’t know what Christmas is. Jesus is not part of the story of Christmas. ... is born into human history. And this is why we read the Gospel of His genealogy on this Sunday before the Nativity. It is a witness to ...
... from the ashes of his Mars Hill Church career and now nesting in greater Phoenix, ... faith: yet they did not so much remember Him as know He was with them. And in Him was the end of “religion,” because He ... of Jesus praying alone to His Father that we see in the Gospels, we also see Him praying corporately in the synagogue and Temple, ...
... of the Forefathers, December 11, 2016 Colossians 3:4-11; Luke 14:16-24 Very Rev. ... celebrated two Sundays before Christmas, we hear the Gospel of the Eleventh Sunday of Luke, which is a selection from Luke 14. And ... is the evening meal. It may be formal or not. We do know that in this passage it is a “great” dinner to which “many” were ...
... of the things I've encountered among some Orthodox Christians in America is the ... yiayia and babushka and sittoo (or taita) didn't really know that much, but they sure loved the Church! Right? This attitude is, I ... 6:5, Matthew 22:37 and Luke 10:27. The Synoptic Gospel writers are all quoting Jesus referencing that passage from ...
... of the Apostle James / Sixth Sunday of Luke, October 23, 2016 Galatians 1:11-19; ... essentially the step-brother of Jesus. He would have known Jesus when He was a boy, though James was probably a good bit older than ... starts out this way: “I make known to you that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man; for neither did I ...
... upon Elevation to the Rank of Archpriest, October 2, 2016 The Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen ... ready to begin a new life, even though I didn’t really know what that would mean. If there is one thing that a graduation is above ... announcing of the good news. This is the moment of the Gospel, its first preaching. If there is any moment that has defined my ...
... note: The following represents my personal opinions and is not in the name of anyone ... that suggested a thematic link; here's one). As is well known to anyone who's followed these events closely, four of the fourteen ... of Jesus and sent them into all the world to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This, I believe, was missing from the agenda in Crete. ...
... that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the ... vivified as they vivify us, imparting to us the spirit of knowledge and wisdom to bring all the world's peoples into the one, holy, ... in today's world is how to communicate the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ in language that can be understood at the time and place ...