Holy Trinity + Holy Cross - Sermons

On this Sunday, we commemorate the miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonae. Fr. Micah gathers the children to tell them this marvelous story and to teach them about Saint Archippos, the young man who dedicated his life to prayer and asceticism at Chonae. Using St. Archippos' story, Fr. Micah encourages the children to be brave and to call upon Christ for help in times of need.

In today’s Epistle reading, St. Paul concludes his first letter to the Corinthians with several exhortations: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” Then, he gives a concrete example of this. He says that Stephanas and his household have “devoted themselves to the service of the saints.” In his sermon, Fr. Gregory focuses on what it...

Fr. Micah begins today’s sermon with the ending of the Gospel reading: “With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” Though this is a simple saying, Fr. Micah argues that most of us deeply struggle with this in the manner we live, because we live as if we can do anything. Fr. Micah then turns to what precedes today’s Gospel reading, when Christ tells us how we must become...

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear of Christ’s compassion on a great crowd, teaching and healing them. When evening came, the apostles ask him to send them away that they may find something to eat. Christ responds, “You give them something to eat.” He asks them to give what little they have into his hands. After he multiplies the loaves, he gives it to the disciples to give to the crowds. Fr. Greg...

Today’s Epistle reading from Romans 12 describe a way of life that Fr. Gregory sums up with the Greek word philotimo. This word is translated as “love of honor,” but it has no true equivalent in the English language. This Sunday is the feast day of St. Paisios, who spoke of philotimo and embodied it radiantly, and Fr. Gregory draws from his teachings in today’s sermon. Using the rich meaning of ph...

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, our Lord tells us to, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Fr. Micah poses the question, “What are these good works?” He asserts that the key to this question is found in the passage that follows, when Christ says, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I have...

In this Sunday’s epistle reading, St. Paul gives us one of the most beautiful descriptions of the Christian life: “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Fr. Gregory emphasizes the verse that follows, though, which says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” He explains that the fruits of the...

In today’s sermon, Fr. Gregory focuses on a specific part of the Epistle reading in Romans 6 in which St. Paul says, “Just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification.” He expounds on the phrase “yield your members,” explaining that “yield” here means “to offer,” and “members” refers to our body. Fr...

In today’s Gospel reading, Christ commands us to not be anxious, and Fr. Micah presents the question, “How are we to not be anxious?” In the beginning of today’s Gospel reading, Fr. Micah asserts, we find the answer. Christ says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness.”...

In this Sunday’s sermon, Fr. Gregory presents the question, “Is nothing sacred?” Beneath that, he says, lies another question: “Do we have eyes to see what is holy?” To answer these questions, Fr. Gregory focuses on the topics of reverence and the fear of God. Reverence, he explains, is approaching and handling holy things in a holy way. The fear of God is avoiding evil out of love for God and the...

Today, on the Feast of All Saints, Fr. Micah teaches the children about what it means to be a saint. He points out that “saint” means “holy” — that which is set apart for God. While Christ is the one who is holy, he overflows with holiness and shares it with all creation. Fr. Micah explains that the saints receive the same grace and holiness we’ve all been given, but they have preserved it, not tu...

Fr. Gregory points out several characteristics of the Holy Spirit and the way in which it descended on the church. First, he points out that the Holy Spirit descended on a community, creating a visible, ordered, worshipping, and sacramental body called his church. The Holy Spirit does not scatter us into private spirit lives, but gathers us into the church. The Holy Spirit creates unity without de...

On this Sunday, we celebrate the fathers of the church who gathered at the First Ecumenical Council and defended the faith that the Son of God was indeed the Son of Man, not a creature as Arius taught. Fr. Micah explains that the liturgy and worship of the church not only confess this truth but also glorify Christ’s humility. He expounds on this humility, this divine humiliation, that is a fruit o...

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear the story of the Samaritan woman, St. Photini, who encounters Christ at Jacob’s Well. Fr. Gregory recounts the story and emphasizes a phrase near the end, in which Christ says, “The hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” Fr. Gregory draws from the teachings of St. Symeon to explain what it means to worship...

Today, on the Sunday of the Paralytic, Fr. Micah invites the children to the solea for the homily. He tells them the story of the paralytic, the man who had been paralyzed for 38 years, unable to get up from his bed. He lay by a pool, where an angel would come stir up the water, and the first person into the water would be healed. Christ asks him if he wants to be healed, and he replies that he ha...

This Sunday, Metropolitan Sevastianos joined us for the ordination of Deacon Haralambos. During his homily, he drew our attention to the Gospel reading, where we hear of the myrrh-bearing women. These women went to the tomb to anoint the dead body of Christ, and instead found an angel who told them he was resurrected. Metropolitan Sevastianos encouraged us to be like these women, doing acts of lov...

This Sunday, as we celebrate Antipascha, the church gives us the story of Thomas. This story, Fr. Gregory explains, shows us something profound about what it means to touch the risen Lord. In the story, on the evening of the first Pascha, Christ appeared to the apostles in a room, but Thomas was not there. When he heard what had occurred, he said that he would not believe unless he saw and touched...

As we enter into Holy Week on this Palm Sunday, Fr. Gregory reminds us that the Orthodox faith isn’t something we simply study, but it’s something we enter. Holy Week is not a reenactment of the past, but an entrance into liturgical time. The church gives us not only something to hear, but to live and experience service by service. Fr. Gregory explains the order of Holy Week, which we follow as th...

In today’s Gospel reading, John and James go to our Lord and ask him to, when he is seated on his throne, place each of them at his right and left. He tells them that he cannot do this, that those places are preserved for others. The other ten apostles are indignant at James and John that they would ask this of Christ. Then, Christ tells the twelve, "You know that those who are supposed to rule ov...

This Sunday, the Church places before us St. John Climacus, the author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent, which presents the Christian life as a long ascent from the distorted, fallen world to participation in the very mind of Christ. After recounting the story of St. John Climacus, Fr. Gregory turns his attention to The Ladder of Divine Ascent, containing 30 rungs beginning with repentance and endin...

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, we hear Christ say, “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” In his sermon, Fr. Micah encourages us to ask ourselves, “Are we ashamed of him?” Many of us would say “no.” However, Fr. Micah also encourages us to also...

On this second Sunday of Great Lent, the church places before us the witness of St. Gregory Palamas, who defended the truth that God is not distant or abstract, but present and active. He is not knowable in his essence, which remains beyond comprehension, but in his living and uncreated grace. Through prayer, repentance, and the life of the church, humans may participate in the living presence of...

On this Sunday of Orthodoxy, visiting priest Fr. Christopher Rowe, Development Director at the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, delivers a homily on the church’s mission of restoration. He explains that today’s Gospel reading reveals something simple and profound about the Christian life. When Christ calls Philip, Philip goes to find Nathaniel and says, “Come and see.” In this story, we see that...

On this Sunday, as we stand at the threshold of Lent, Christ tells us, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Fr. Gregory emphasizes this passage in today’s sermon. Fr. Gregory explains that forgiveness isn’t optional; if we desire mercy, we must be merc...