Holy Trinity + Holy Cross - Sermons

On this Saturday of the Souls, Fr. Gregory addresses the question of why Orthodox Christians pray for the reposed. He explains that we are comfortable with both the idea that life is for repentance, not death, but also that prayers for the reposed are effective. He gives the example of St. Gregory the Dialogus and the story of Luke 18 to demonstrate the power of consistent prayer. He continues, gi...

Fr. Micah begins today’s sermon by quoting the Epistle, in which Paul says, “Glorify God in your body.” Fr. Micah emphasizes the importance of the physical and the sacredness of the body. He then references the parable of the prodigal son in today's gospel reading, pointing out that a physical hunger is the starting point of the prodigal son’s transformation. He explains that hunger causes us to r...

This Sunday is the beginning of the Triodion, a three-week period of preparation for Holy Lent which begins with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. In the Gospel reading, Christ gives a parable contrasting two kinds of prayer, demonstrating the importance of humility. In the parable, a Pharisee and a publican (tax collector) go to the temple to pray. The Pharisee prays by giving thanks t...

This Sunday, we celebrate the Presentation of Christ at the Temple, 40 days after his birth. We read the story of St. Symeon, a righteous and devout elderly man who had eagerly waited at the Temple to behold Christ as he was promised by the Holy Spirit. When he takes Christ into his arms, he says to him, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace according to your word; for my eyes have...

In this period of time following Theophany, we invite Jesus into our homes through house blessings. Similarly, in today’s Gospel reading, a sinful tax collector named Zacchaeus welcomes Jesus into his home and thereby gains salvation for him and his household. In today’s sermon, Fr. Gregory points out several aspects of the story of Zacchaeus and how we can apply them to our own lives. First, we s...

In today’s Gospel reading, we encounter 10 lepers crying out to Christ, saying, “Jesus Most High, have mercy on us.” Christ heals them all, but only one, a Samaritan, returns to thank him. Fr. Micah encourages us to be like the lepers, coming to the Lord in our times of need. Not only can we come to Christ in our times of need, though, but we can come to him in every circumstance. Fr. Micah gives...

Fr. Gregory begins today’s sermon by relaying a message told to him by Elder Gabriel when he was visiting Mount Athos last week. He said, “Why do we exist here on earth? It is to give glory to God and to give joy to others.” In today’s Epistle reading, St. Paul gives a similar message to the Ephesians. He tells them that God has given each of them gifts to use for the building up of the church. Fr...

Fr. Micah begins today’s sermon by contrasting the Christian tradition of celebrating one’s name day with the more modern practice of celebrating one’s birthday. He explains that one’s name day is the day that has eternal significance rather than mere biological significance. It is the day of one’s birth within the church, a remembrance of one’s baptism. On this eve of Theophany, Fr. Micah further...

In today’s sermon, Fr. Micah contrasts being right with being righteous. He draws our attention to one line from the Gospel reading, which says, “Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to put her to shame…” Joseph’s righteousness was not in his being right, but in his unwillingness to put Mary to shame. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ tells us to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfe...

In today’s Gospel reading, we find Christ’s parable of the great banquet. In the parable, all are invited to attend a wealthy man’s feast, which represents God’s Kingdom. Fr. Gregory opens his sermon by explaining that a growing number of people are religiously unaffiliated. Studies show that many of them would come to church if only they were invited, but a very small percentage of Christians eve...

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Christ heals a woman who has been bent over for eighteen years, making her stand up straight. However, the synagogue leader condemned Christ, saying that he was doing work on the Sabbath, which was forbidden according to the Old Testament law. However, Christ references the Old Testament law that permits an animal to be untethered and taken to water on the Sabbath....

In this Sunday’s reading from the Gospel of Luke, Christ gives a blind man his sight. Fr. Micah challenges us to ask ourselves if we, too, suffer from blindness. All too often, we are blind to the image of Christ in the faces of those all around us. Fr. Micah explains that we must have respect for the other, including the stranger, to truly see them. We must be willing to be quiet and listen, havi...

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, a rich man comes to Christ and asks him what he must do to inherit everlasting life, and Christ tells the rich man to keep the commandments. The man responds that he has kept the commandments. Christ doesn’t correct his response but proceeds to tell him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow him. The rich man went away sorrowful, as he had great poss...

This Sunday, on Stewardship Sunday, Fr. Gregory outlines the history of stewardship in the Scriptures. In the Old Testament, stewardship served three main purposes: acknowledgment that everything belongs to God, thanksgiving for God sharing his creation with us, and providing for the priest and tabernacle/temple. In the New Testament, there is an emphasis on stewardship being a sacrificial free wi...

Fr. Joseph Copeland, this Sunday’s guest priest, opens his sermon with the purpose of humanity as defined by our sacred Tradition: to become like God. This is the purpose today, and this was the purpose in the beginning. However, our first parents chose their own way, forsaking intimacy and communion with God. Consequentially, we live in a confused, broken world. Fr. Joseph relates this concept to...

Fr. Gregory opens his sermon with a quote from St. Silouan the Athonite, who said “My brother is my life.” This Sunday’s Gospel reading — the story of the rich man and Lazarus — is one of many which illustrates the importance of this lesson. Fr. Gregory explains that the rich man’s sin was not his wealth, nor anything that he did. Rather, it was what he left undone, his unwillingness to show compa...

This Sunday, Fr. Micah spoke on generosity. He quoted 2 Corinthians 9, starting in verse 6, in which St. Paul says, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.” Fr. Micah points out that, even if we sow just a little — give just a little, pray just a little — we will see the fruit. However, those who wish to sow bountifully will have an incalculable harvest. We see this bountiful sowing in th...

This Sunday, guest priest Fr. Stephen Freeman gave a sermon on the topic of chaos and order. He begins by explaining that we as humans do not like chaos, but we like to make sense of things. We have a need to bring order from chaos, just as God did in creation and children do as they grow. This Sunday's Gospel reading is the story of a man who had chaos inside him, being possessed by many demons....

This Sunday, we celebrate the synaxis — the coming together — of the holy fathers at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. These councils gathered not to add to the faith, but rather to refute a heresy, something that sought to take away from the fullness of the faith. The fathers at the Seventh Ecumenical Council gathered at Nicaea to combat the heresy of iconoclasm. Iconoclasts were those who felt tha...

In today’s Gospel reading, Christ has compassion on the widow of Nain, and he raises her son from the dead. Fr. Micah points out that he doesn’t merely speak to the young man to raise him, but he touches the bier. He uses the intimacy of touch, being God made man in flesh. To us today, he offers the same intimacy and more, saying, "This is my body which is broken for you." The one who touched and...

In today’s Gospel reading, Christ contrasts the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of the world to come, his kingdom. Fr. Gregory focuses on this contrast in today’s sermon, and he encourages us to to be in the world but not of the world. First, he clarifies the meaning of the term 'world,' which can be used in two different and opposite ways. It can reference God’s creation, the product of his...

Today, the Sunday after the Elevation of the Cross, we read about the Cross in both the Gospel and Epistle readings. In the Gospel, Christ tells us that if we wish to follow him, we must take up our cross, we must deny ourselves. St. Paul elaborates on this in the Epistle reading, saying “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” In his sermon, Fr. Gre...

Fr. Micah begins his sermon today with a Greek saying which says, “Life without festivals is like a journey without an end.” As humans, we are created to celebrate, and our Orthodox calendar is filled with celebrations. Fr. Micah points out the significance of Christ’s first miracle — transforming water into wine at a wedding banquet — which reminds us that we were created to rejoice in the goodne...

On September 1, we celebrate the Church New Year. In his sermon, Fr. Gregory reflects on time and its significance in our faith and lives. First, he speaks on the Gospel reading from Luke, in which Christ reads from the prophecy of Isaiah and proclaims “Today, this reading has been fulfilled in your hearing.” In this, Christ brings together the past and future to the present. When Christ entered i...