St Mark Sermons

This sermon, part of an Advent series called "Songs of Hope," focuses on this week's theme: the "Song of Synergy" — the idea of working together with God. Fr Thomas recalls last week's message on Zacharias and Elizabeth, whose impossible conception showed that transformation comes through silence and pondering God's work. He then turns to Saint Mary, drawing on Saints Augustine, Athanasius, and Or...

This sermon, titled "The Lamp of the Body Is the Eye," reflects on Christ's teaching that a good eye fills the body with light while a bad eye brings darkness. Fr Pishoy connects this to Christ healing the man born blind, and to Ephesians 1, where Paul prays for "the eyes of the heart" to be enlightened. He notes that people hear the same Gospel yet respond differently — some are transformed, whil...

This evening's sermon, delivered on the Feast of Theophany (Epiphany), centers on the baptism of Christ as the revelation of the Holy Trinity. Fr Thomas calls this the "Feast of Lights," marking God's illumination of a world in darkness, and urges the congregation to move beyond festive celebration into personal reflection on the meaning of their own baptism. The sermon builds around three "make n...

This sermon, titled "Christ in Our Home," reflects on Mark 2, where Jesus enters "the house" in Capernaum, later identified as Peter's home, the earliest known church site. Fr Pishoy identifies three settings of Christ's ministry: public spaces, the temple/synagogue, and homes — citing Mary and Martha, Simon the Pharisee, and Zacchaeus as examples of homes transformed by Christ's presence. The foc...

This sermon, delivered around the Feast of Epiphany/Theophany, centers on the meaning and daily demands of baptism. Fr Thomas explains that Epiphany celebrates the revelation of the Holy Trinity at Christ's baptism and was historically called the "day of illumination." Drawing on St. Gregory of Nyssa's "Great Catechism," he offers three "make no mistake" statements: baptism gives us the choice of...

The sermon, titled "Simon, I Have Something to Say to You," reflects on Luke 7, where Jesus dines at the home of a Pharisee named Simon and a woman labeled "sinful" weeps at His feet, washing them with her tears and hair. While Simon judges her by outward appearance, Jesus sees her heart and declares her sins forgiven because she loved much. Fr Pishoy draws a parallel to God looking at the heart r...

This sermon, titled "Eyes on the Prize," was given as the Coptic Church prepares for the Coptic New Year, a season centered on the martyrs. Fr Thomas addresses why the Church pairs this joyful new year with Christ's sobering warnings about wars, persecution, and hardship: these hard sayings aren't meant to discourage but to redirect focus toward the true prize. Drawing on the Gospel account where...

This Palm Sunday sermon reflects on why the Church celebrates feasts — not as commemorations of past historical events, but as living, eternal realities present today. Palm Sunday marks Christ's entrance into Jerusalem, but Fr Thomas emphasizes that Christ is also entering into each person's heart, intimately and without fanfare, unlike the loud, guarded entrances the world gives to important peop...

This Sunday marks the beginning of the fifty-day feast leading to Pentecost. It is the Sunday of Thomas, but the sermon reframes him as "courageous Thomas," possibly the one brave enough to leave the room while the other disciples hid in fear. When Christ appeared to the fearful disciples, His first words were "Peace be with you," bringing comfort that dispelled their anxiety — a gift He continues...

This sermon, delivered on the fourth Sunday of Great Lent as part of a series titled "Finding Hope When...," focuses on "Finding Hope When I Am Ashamed." Reflecting on Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman, Fr Pishoy challenges the impulse to judge her, framing her instead as likely a victim of repeated abuse. Christ's response models true healing: He believed her, spared her public embarras...

This sermon, part of a Lenten series called "Finding Hope When...," addresses finding hope when we feel forgotten. It centers on the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, who waited 38 years because "I have no one" to help him into the healing waters. Fr Thomas highlights how, for nearly four decades, no one stopped to help this suffering man, and uses this as a call to action: we are all created in...

This second-Sunday-of-Lent sermon, part of a "Finding Hope" series, centers on Christ's temptation in the wilderness and how believers find hope amid temptation. Fr Pishoy outlines the three temptations — desire of the flesh, desire of the eyes, and pride of life — showing how Christ responded to each with Scripture and firm resolve. He explores the Greek word for "temptation" (peirasmos), noting...

The sermon reflects on the Gospel account of the feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Rather than focusing solely on Christ's power to multiply so little into so much, Fr Thomas highlights the "unbroken chain" of ordinary people behind the miracle: the boy who offered his lunch, the mother who packed it, the father who provided for the family, the fisherman...

In this sermon, Fr Luke explores what it means to "launch out into the deep" in everyday life. Rather than grand, dramatic callings, the deep often involves a quiet, daily obedience to God. The sermon examines four distinct spiritual postures and personalities to help listeners discern where they stand in their faith journey: 1. Those who know their calling but are afraid: Using St. Mary's example...

This sermon reflects on John 9 with story of the man born blind, developing a "theology of disability" around the theme of full restoration in Christ. When the disciples ask whether the blind man's or his parents' sin caused his blindness, Jesus rejects this link, saying it was so "the works of God should be revealed in him." The sermon traces how Old Testament passages fostered a harmful equation...

The sermon, titled "I've Got the Joy," explores true spiritual joy through the witness of Saint John the Baptist. When John's disciples worried that his followers were leaving to join Jesus, John rejoiced instead, declaring "he must increase, but I must decrease." This models a life-changing principle: real joy comes not from earthly success but from focusing on Christ and decreasing our own ego.

The sermon, titled "I Spy With My Little Eye," explores how we perceive the world based on our inner spiritual condition. Fr Thomas illustrates that we see reality not as it is, but as we are, connecting this to Luke 11:34, where Jesus teaches that the eye is the lamp of the body. The sermon explains that only those searching for God — the Magi, Simeon, and Anna — recognized Christ, because they w...

This sermon, titled "The God of Hope," is inspired by Romans 15:13 and the year's theme verse describing hope as "an anchor of the soul." Fr Pishoy explains that biblical hope is not wishful thinking but a confident, certain expectation rooted in God's faithfulness. David the prophet is offered as the primary example: despite immense suffering, David's hope never broke, and he continually returned...

This sermon, delivered on the Feast of the Nativity, centers on hope born through the humility of Christ's birth. Fr Thomas opens by recalling the joy inherent in any child's birth, then magnifies that to the birth of the Son of God, quoting St. John Chrysostom's homily on the Nativity describing the wonder of heaven and earth uniting at the manger. Fr Thomas acknowledges the real suffering of the...

This sermon, titled "Serving Him Without Fear," reflects on the closing of Luke 1, focusing on Zechariah's prophecy that his son John would help deliver people so they might "serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness." Fr Pishoy contrasts an Old Testament view of God as a feared master with the New Testament revelation of God as a loving Father, warning against raising children (and ou...

This sermon, inspired by the Gospel of Luke and the call of Levi (Matthew), explores the transformative power of Jesus' call to repentance and contrasts it with the judgmental attitudes of the Pharisees. Fr Pishoy examines three key figures in the passage: Jesus, who sees the hidden potential in sinners and offers gentle grace; Levi, who responds immediately by leaving his old life behind and crea...

In this Father's Day sermon, the pastor examines the biblical account of the paralyzed man and his four loyal friends from the Gospel. Drawing a parallel between these men and the role of fathers, the message outlines three primary callings for a godly father: bringing their children to Christ, persevering through obstacles, and prioritizing the spiritual condition of the soul above worldly succes...

This sermon, delivered on the fourth Sunday of the Holy 50 (known as the Sunday of light), explores the journey of believers through the lens of the Israelites' wanderings in the wilderness. Drawing parallels between the wilderness journey and the post-resurrection life, Fr James highlights how God sustains believers through faith (Thomas Sunday), nourishment from the bread of life, living water (...

This sermon, titled "Bridging the Generation Gap," draws on the Book of Jonah as the church begins the Fast of Nineveh. Fr Pishoy recalls how Nineveh repented after Jonah's warning, but only two generations later the prophet Nahum pronounced judgment on the same city, which had fallen back into evil — the lesson being that one generation failed to pass down the memory of God's mercy to the next. A...

This sermon, delivered on the first Sunday of the Apostles' Fast, explores the themes of Christian service, noticing the needs of others, and partnering with God in ministry through the miracle of feeding the five thousand. Fr James emphasizes that Christians often miss people right in front of them—such as the lonely, children, or those in need—because they are too focused on their own circles or...