Archive for January 2022
A Blessed Life
Today is the end of our celebration of Epiphany. The Leavetaking, as it is known in the Church, signifies the end of the celebration and the beginning of the next chapter of life. Today, the Church recalls the Baptism of Christ while recalling the beginning of the history of the Church. There is never an…
Read MoreThe Big Lie
I read something this morning that disturbed me. It happens all the time when I see someone quote “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19.26) The reason I get upset isn’t because anything is not possible for God, because EVERYTHING is possible for God. I get upset because we rarely keep the context of…
Read MoreThe Baptism of John
I was trying to figure out why the reading was what it was today from the Acts of the Apostles. I don’t see any Apostolic name in the Saints of the Day. I don’t see any historical event on the calendar. Then it occurred to me. We are still celebrating Epiphany and the reading references…
Read MoreFight Another Day
Have you ever wondered why it is that human beings, even those who believe in God, must suffer temptation? Have you ever asked, “Can’t God just protect me from temptation?” Wouldn’t it be nice if we go through life without worrying about temptation around every corner? The answer sadly, is “no.” Without temptation, then we…
Read MoreGod’s Measured Gifts
When it comes to the gifts we receive from God, why is it, we always want more than we receive? We are never satisfied with what we have received. We look around and take notice of the gifts others have received and wonder why we don’t have what they have. This can be a source…
Read MoreEpisode 357 – Already in Heaven
The first sermon Christ spoke after His Baptism began with “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” We must learn to change the way we think about life and about the Church. The Kingdom of Heaven IS at hand. It is not just some future kingdom. The Church is the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, and we must change the way we think about why we come to Church. We don’t come just to hear a sermon and light a candle. We come to Church to commune with God in Heaven.
Read MoreNo Rest for the Weary
In the Orthodox Church we have just completed two long weeks of Church, beginning with the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and culminating with the Feast of Theophany. We knew this would be a long two weeks, but we were prepared by the Church. We began on Christmas Eve with the words, “We…
Read MoreThe Epidemic of Cremation
The past two years has changed the way we even speak as a society. The COVID19 Pandemic has affected every aspect of our society from how we teach our children to how we gather as friends for holidays, but like every other disease the world faces, this too shall pass. What seems to not be…
Read MoreEpisode 357 – Already in Heaven
The first sermon Christ spoke after His Baptism began with “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” We must learn to change the way we think about life and about the Church. The Kingdom of Heaven IS at hand. It is not just some future kingdom. The Church is the Kingdom of Heaven…
Read MoreEpisode 358 – Open the Eyes of Your Heart
“We have seen the Light, the true Light!” These words fill our mouths after we receive Holy Communion, but do we allow the Light to shine for others? When the blind man called out to Christ, the crowd tried to shut him out. It has become too easy for us to shut others out of…
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