St Mark Sermons

The sermon reflects on the parable of the Prodigal Son as a meditation on "home" — physical, emotional, and spiritual. Fr Thomas traces the younger son's journey away from his father, his descent into destitution, and his return in repentance, met by the father's unconditional, joyful embrace before he can even finish his rehearsed apology, contrasted with the elder son, who, though physically pre...

The sermon reflects on Luke 5:1–11, the account of Jesus calling Simon Peter after a night of failed fishing. The central focus is Simon's response to Jesus's instruction to cast his nets again: "Nevertheless at Your word, I will let down the net." Fr Thomas builds the message around that single word, "nevertheless," as a posture of trust that persists despite exhaustion, disappointment, or a sens...

This Coptic New Year, Fr David challenges us to consider that we are known not only by others but by God, explaining that worldly appearances do not define our true spiritual identity.

This sermon, titled "Hearts Blameless in Holiness," reflects on 1 Thessalonians 3:11–13, where Paul prays that the church would abound in love so that God may establish their hearts blameless in holiness as they anticipate Christ's second coming. Fr Pishoy examines what it means to have a heart "after God's own heart," using David and Abraham as examples showing that holiness requires obedience, t...

The sermon, titled "Going Through the Motions," is a call to spiritual renewal rather than routine religious observance. Fr Thomas opens with the idea that Christians often "grow older" in faith without truly "growing up," treating prayer, fasting, and church attendance as habitual tasks rather than transformative acts. He connects this to the Gospel passage where the Pharisees question Jesus abou...

This sermon, delivered on the Feast of the Assumption of the Body of the Virgin Mary, is titled "The Practice of the Presence of God." Fr Pishoy draws on Saint Mary's readiness to receive the Archangel Gabriel, the Transfiguration of Christ, and Moses's encounter with God on Mount Sinai to show that being aware of and dwelling in God's presence is central to the spiritual life. He notes that busyn...

The sermon reflects on the Gospel passage where the disciples ask who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and Christ responds by placing a child before them as the model of true discipleship. Rather than greatness coming from personal ambition, Fr Thomas explains, Christ points to the virtues found naturally in children: dependence, simplicity, obedience, trust, and the willingness to love witho...

This sermon, delivered on the first Sunday of Great Lent, introduces a new six-week series called "Finding Hope," exploring how Christians can remain anchored in hope amid uncertainty, pressure, temptation, shame, and darkness. Fr Thomas explains that Lent is not a season of gloom but one of joy, purification, healing, and renewal — a time to return to loving God fully and loving one's neighbor. D...

Amazon Prime, Uber eats, changing lanes while driving. We are all programed to choose fast and quick. How can we slow down?

The sermon, titled "God Loves a Cheerful Giver," reflects on the feeding of the multitude, focusing on the boy who gave his five loaves and two fish to Jesus. Fr Pishoy draws out the idea that the child gave willingly and joyfully, and Christ multiplied that small gift. The homily connects this to the poor widow's two coins, emphasizing that true giving is measured not by quantity but by the heart...

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...