Posts Tagged ‘gospel of john’
When Light Shines
Since we were children, we have understood the power of light to reveal the truth. A glimmer of light was enough to send monsters into hiding, and a mere night light was sufficient to keep them away. There is nothing hidden when the light shines. Today the Church commemorates the appearance of the Cross as…
Read MoreA New Month Means a New Challenge
Today is a good day to be reminded by the Church about the source of life. We may think life comes from the earth but that is only the tip of the iceberg. We only get our flesh and blood from the earth. That flesh and blood remain dead without God. The Lord said to…
Read MorePower Before Our Eyes
For many years I used to wonder why so many people do not believe in Jesus Christ as God. He has presented Himself to the entire world through direct personal interaction, and through the Gospel and the Church. Still, so many choose not to believe. This is what comes to my mind when I read…
Read MoreDo What He Tells You
Every Orthodox Christian is taught that obedience is a blessing. We are taught to be obedient first to God, then to the Church through our spiritual father. There are many stories of blessings that come from obedience, not the last of which is eternal life. In today’s readings I was reminded of obedience. Take a…
Read MoreBelieving is Living
Christ is Risen! They say seeing is believing, but I say believing is living. We are now enjoying the 5th Day of Pascha. We still greet each other with ‘Christ is Risen’ and we still sing the hymn. Soon enough, unfortunately, we will grow lax in our celebration and life will return to normal. I…
Read MoreGreater Things to Come
Day Four of Pascha and, if you’re like me, you have been working through your favorite foods. You may even be a bit bloated since fasting is forbidden this week. Fear not! There is plenty of time for fasting next week. This week we celebrate the promise of greater things from God. At that time,…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 7
A Celebration of Truth and Communion One of the things I love about Great Lent is the Sunday themes. The theme sets the tone for the week, both the week we just finished and the week ahead. Today the Church celebrates the victory of Holy Icons and the Incarnation of Christ. Year round every Sunday…
Read MoreThe Blood of Christ Saves
Throughout my years of ministry I have heard many ‘catch phrases’ about salvation. Among my favorites is about the blood of Christ. Phrases such as, ‘saved by the blood’ indicate deep faith in Christ. They also indicate an ignorance of the Scriptures. When Orthodox Christians speak about the Blood of Christ, we speak about Holy…
Read MoreMany Chances to Repent
The sense of guilt can be a strong and even crippling emotion. When we sin once or twice, it is easy to return to God. But when we sin multiple times, guilt can get the best of us and we often choose to stay away from God. Thankfully, God gives us as many chances as…
Read MoreEpisode 459 – Climbing to Heaven Together
When we think of making our way up to heaven, we must first descend into our hearts. We must stop looking down on others as not being worthy. Christ descended to our level to show us the way to heaven. He came down to lift us up with Him. Our job is to get down…
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