Christ is Born! Glorify Him!: Homily for the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ

· Fr. Philip LeMasters 2 Leave a Comment on %s
Galatians 4:4-7; Matthew 2:1-12 Christ is Born!  Glorify Him!       We gather today to celebrate the birth of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world.  If our celebration were merely a sentimental time of good feelings or a cultural event, it would provide nothing more than a passing distraction from familiar problems that are often well beyond our control. Thanks be to God, Our Lord’s…

Preparing for Christmas Requires the Right Kind of Hope: Homily for the Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ (The Genealogy) in the Orthodox Church

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Hebrews 11:9-10, 32-40; Matthew 1:1-25           As we enter into our last days of preparation for celebrating our Lord’s Nativity this week, we need to consider what we are hoping for.  No, that does not mean focusing on what presents we want to receive or what fine foods we anticipate enjoying for Christmas dinner.  It means attending to the long-awaited Savior as we entrust ourselves to Him.  In…

Homily for the Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ and Spyridon, Bishop of Trimythous, the Wonderworker, in the Orthodox Church

· Fr. Philip LeMasters
Ephesians 5:8-19; Luke 14:16-24               Most of us have a great talent for convincing ourselves of complete nonsense when that helps to distract us from facing uncomfortable truths that we would rather ignore.  Instead of seeing ourselves, other people, and the daily challenges of life with clarity, our vision is often obscured by our own passions.  We then become blind to reality in ways that block us from living faithfully before God.…

Born to Set Us Free from Our Infirmities: Homily for the Tenth Sunday of Luke in the Orthodox Church

· Fr. Philip LeMasters
Galatians 5:22-6:2; Luke 13:10-17             When Jesus Christ was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, he saw a woman who was bent over and could not straighten up.  She had been that way for eighteen years.  Imagine how her life had changed due to her disability, how frustrating that chronic illness had to be, especially in a time before modern medicine and physical therapy.  The Lord said to her, “Woman, you…

How to Respond When the Weakness of Our Souls is Revealed: Homily for the 23rd Sunday After Pentecost and 13th Sunday of Luke in the Orthodox Church

· Fr. Philip LeMasters 2 Leave a Comment on %s
Ephesians 2:4-10; Luke 18:18-27             As we prepare to welcome Christ at His Nativity, we must open our hearts and minds in order to confront the astounding truth that the eternal Son of God has become one of us.  His incarnation reveals that we need more than a teacher, a prophet, or a political or cultural leader to find the healing of our humanity in God.  Only One who is both fully…