Sermons at St. Nicholas

"God is Love" has become one of the most abused verses of Scripture. It's used today to justify every sin and excuse every condition. Fr Thomas urges us to look at the entirety of the Gospel message to truly understand the implications of being a creature of God Who is Love.

On the day before the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, Fr Thomas weaves the themes from the gospel of the Second Sunday of Lent (the healing of the paralytic) and from the Annunciation to remind us that the Word of God is given to us to increase our faith and trust in Him.

On the Sunday after Theophany, the reading from the Apostle teaches us that there is a close relationship between Christ's filling all of creation with Himself and the gifts that He bestows on us. Fr Thomas reminds us that those gifts need to be discerned and exercised to continue the work of renewal in the world and in our parishes.

Christmas is indeed a time to enjoy the delight of children during the feast. Fr Thomas teaches us to also remember yet another great gift of Christmas: we become children of God.

On the Sunday before Christmas, the kingly lineage of Jesus according to St Mathew is read. Fr Thomas teaches us that the names recount that Jesus is anything but a distant ruler, but rather that He identifies with the brokenness of humanity and comes to redeem us from it.

The beauty of Orthodoxy is richly expressed in her magnificent iconography adorning the walls and ceilings of our churches. As the parish of St Nicholas continues the iconographic renewal of their temple, Fr Thomas encourages parishioners to look up and see the Kingdom to come.

One day after the horrendous killings of 11 Jewish worshippers in a Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Fr Thomas gives a sobering reflection from the reading of the Sunday: the exorcism of the Gadarene demoniac.

Christians are called to live in the will of God, but how do we find it? Fr Thomas teaches us that living in the will of God means identifying with God's Kingdom and not with the values of this fallen world.

In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus illustrates the consequences of unforgiveness. Fr Thomas teaches us that it is the God of love, mercy, and compassion who commands us to forgive and warns us of the judgment to come if we do not.

Using the example of the crowd who followed Jesus to a deserted place where he healed and fed them, Deacon Luke Loboda encourages us to trust Christ to come into the desolate places of our life to be present with us and heal us.

Everyone has difficulties and problems that they face on a daily basis. Fr Thomas teaches us that in the midst of the storms of life we can experience the "peace from above" which is found only in Christ.

The societal and moral changes sweeping across the world pose profound challenges to Orthodox Christian believers. Fr Thomas reminds us that we must face these challenges squarely and never compromise what we believe by adopting worldly values.

Fr Thomas challenges us to recognize that our task as Christians is not simply to come to church to be fed for our own purposes, but to be sent out to build up the body of Christ.

in Romans 10, St Paul writes about the importance of his fellow Jews hearing about Christ and why it's important for their salvation. Fr Thomas reminds us that evangelism should not be a foreign concept to Orthodox Christians. We must get comfortable with sharing our faith in Christ and speaking about God's work in our life.

On the seventh Sunday of Holy Pascha we recall the words of our Lord to His apostles before His passion, reminding them that what He taught them was given by God Himself. Fr Thomas reminds Orthodox Christians that we must also receive this apostolic teaching and pass it on to new believers without any change or error.

The healing of the blind man in John 9 is a dramatic story of the healing power of God. Fr Thomas teaches us that we also have been healed by virtue of our baptism and we should tell others the story of our recreation.

Fr Thomas shows us how the story of the Lord's conversion of the Samaritan Woman at the well is the pattern for telling others about the good news of Jesus Christ to make them true worshippers.

On the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers, Fr Thomas reminds us that every Sunday, the Lord's Day, is set apart for us to sacrificially offer our time to worship the Risen Christ.

On the Sunday of St Thomas, we hear of the encounter of the Apostle with the risen Christ. Fr Thomas teaches us that we too must make every effort to encounter the resurrected Christ both in the Holy Scriptures and in the Eucharist.

On the great feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, Fr Thomas reminds us that the message given by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary is the very essence of the gospel message. This same message about the person of Jesus Christ also requires a response from us.

On the fourth Sunday of Lent, the Church presents the Gospel reading of the healing of the demon possessed boy, and we also commemorate St John of "The Ladder." Fr Thomas teaches us that, if we want to spiritually grow, we have to be able to accept God's difficult answers to our ultimate questions.

On the Sunday of the Cross in Great Lent, Fr Thomas teaches us that the power of God is found in the righteous actions required of us when we take up our own cross to follow Christ.

Fr Thomas shares a powerful message, correcting those who make themselves the measure of faith, and encouraging all of us to remember that Orthodox Christianity is the ideal we are striving for.

Fr Thomas gives a compelling case for the intense spiritual and physical efforts involved in observing Great Lent, beginning with the end in mind: the true significance of the Resurrection of Christ.

As the Church prepares us for the Great Lenten season by hearing the parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25, Fr Thomas reminds us that our preparation for that Great Day begins every time we prepare ourselves for the Eucharist. It is a fire that consumes the unworthy.