Holy Trinity + Holy Cross - Sermons

Today on the Sunday after Theophany the Gospel reading comes to us from Matthew 4:12-17. The intimations of this Gospel are that there is a Resurrection and God exists. The worldwide pandemic in which we find ourselves has caused the loss of income, homes and sadly many of our own family members and friends, all of which, have left many of us in darkness and despair. In the midst of darkness and d...

Today on the Sunday before Epiphany the Gospel reading comes to us from Mark 1:1-8. Saint Mark links together for us repentance, the coming of Christ, His Kingdom and the Holy Spirit all in Baptism. Father Micah reflects on the Grace that comes from the Baptismal font and he reminds us as Orthodox Christians we should often think about the significance of our own Baptism and allow it to affect eac...

True faith regards things not seen as so real that they are more real than the things of this world. On December 27th we commemorate Saint Stephen the First Martyr, a man who realized his Divine calling and continued Jesus’ ministry even to the point of martyrdom. Father Gregory shares with us in his message that the purpose of the Incarnation and the whole life of Jesus is that God became man so...

Today in the Orthodox Church is known as both the Sunday before the Nativity and the Sunday of the Genealogy. The Gospel lesson taken from Matthew 1:1-25 and the Epistle from Hebrews 11:9-10,32-40 both account for us the genealogy of Christ and all those who came before Him. Father Gregory shares with us an inspiring message about how faith is an action, beginning with Abraham and the faith he had...

Today on the eleventh Sunday of Luke the Gospel comes to us from Luke 14:16-24. In this reading Our Lord tells a parable about a man who gave a great banquet and invited many guests who in turn make excuses why they could not attend. In some ways this banquet is seen as a single feast, but also experienced in three ways; including the coming Kingdom of God, the Eucharist and the banquet within us,...

Today on the 10th Sunday of Luke the Gospel lesson comes to us from Luke 13:17-21. In this pericope a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years is healed by Jesus in the synagogue on the sabbath. This healing on the sabbath makes the ruler of the synagogue indignant because he does not know the weightier matters of the law. Father Ernesto shares with us how today’s lesson is the excla...

The question that is on the hearts and minds of most Christians is what must we do to be saved? In today’s Gospel lesson from Luke 18:18-27 a certain young ruler asks Jesus this very question saying, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Our Lord instructs him to keep the commandments to which he replies, “All these things I have kept from my youth”. Jesus reminds the young ruler...

We have often heard that money is neither good nor bad but simply a means to an end. Father Gregory shares with us an uplifting message about how God thinks about money and its proper use. Today on the 9th Sunday of Luke the Gospel reading comes to us from Luke 12:16-21. In this pericope Jesus tells the parable of The Rich Fool to a crowd and to us illustrating to both that He came to bring God an...

Life has a way of becoming dark for each of us if we stop noticing the presence of God in our lives. Beginning with our Churching after forty days and our Baptism where we are clothed with a garment which is cleansed through repentance Orthodox Christians are reminded that Christ is present in the moments that matter most and make up the meaning of life. Father Micah shares with us an inspiring me...

Today on the 7th Sunday of Luke the Gospel reading comes to us from Luke 8:41-56. Therein we hear about two miracles performed by Jesus for people who approached Him in humility and faith. Our country is currently suffering from a pandemic that has hurt us socially, politically and economically. Fr. Deacon Tikhon shares with us a message of hope that the miracles performed by Christ in today’s Gos...

We often hear the message to take care of the poor, be merciful, compassionate and open our hearts to The Scriptures. In today’s Gospel lesson taken from Luke 18:19-31 we read the well-known parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. In this parable Jesus reveals to us an idea of what the afterlife will be like. Father Gregory shares with us as Orthodox Christians our belief that what we do in this life...

For most of us the year 2020 feels like being in a pressure cooker which is expanding each week. We are zealous about many things including wearing or not wearing masks, politics, race relations, and even football. Father Gregory helps us to understand the difference between Biblical zeal, which is a zeal for God’s righteousness vs a zeal for the cares of this world. Today is the 6th Sunday of Luk...

Today in Orthodoxy we celebrate the feast day of Saint Luke the Evangelist. Father Micah shares with us that Saint Luke the Evangelist and apostle was unique among the New Testament figures, because he was not of the Hebrew people but Greco – Syrian by birth. Saint Luke was highly educated, a doctor, an artist and tradition tells us that he was the first to paint an Icon of the Theotokos as well a...

The proper interpretation of scripture comes through The Church and has salvific significance. There are many passages in the Bible that attest to the power of God’s word and how faith comes from hearing and that God’s word is a light in this world of darkness. Father Paul shares us that the power in God’s Word depends on our willingness to hear and respond to its message. Today on the 4th Sunday...

Today on the Second Sunday of Luke Father Micah expounds on both the Epistle and Gospel of the day. In the Epistle taken from II Corinthians Saint Paul says, Brethren, you are the temple of the living God; and as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”. Jesus says in today’s Gospel taken from Luke 6:31-36, “love your enemies, and do...

The cycle of the Gospel of Saint Luke in the Orthodox Church always starts after the conslusion of the Feast of The Holy Cross. Today on the First Sunday of St. Luke the Gospel lesson comes to us from Luke 5:1-11. Father Gregory shares with us an inspiring message that we can encounter the Living God if we hear and are obedient to His word. In today’s Gospel lesson Peter and the other disciples he...

Today on the Sunday after The Holy Cross the Gospel reading comes to us from Mark 8:34-38;9:1. In this pericope Jesus says, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”. His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios shares with us a message of hope, that the crosses or personal difficulties we encounter in our lives are given to each of us as a responsibility,...

Today Father Micah shares with us a message of hope, that if we look to Jesus in faith and live a life that is permeated with the presence of the Risen Christ, we will inherit eternal life. On the Sunday before the Holy Cross the Gospel reading comes to us from John 3:13-17. In this pericope Jesus says, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, tha...

Today on the 13th Sunday of Matthew Father Gregory shares with us a message of encouragement, that all things are given to us by God for His Glory. The Gospel lesson comes to us from Matthew 21:33-42. In this pericope we hear the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers, who after being given everything needed to produce fruit as tenants chose to forget their place in the vineyard as stewards and even k...

In today's Gospel lesson taken from Matthew 19:16-26, we hear about a young man kneeling before Jesus and asking Him how he might receive eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments and he will live. The young man replies that he has kept the commandments and asks Jesus; what do I still lack? Jesus tells the man to attain perfection he should sell all his possessions, give to the poor a...

Today on the eleventh Sunday of Matthew the Gospel lesson comes to us from Matthew 18:23-35 and it accounts for us the parable of the “Unforgiving Servant”. Peter asks Jesus how many times should he forgive others who sin against him, and using human calculations Peter says; up to seven times? Jesus' answer to Peter is Christian Math and He says seven times seventy, indicating forgiving others an...

In today’s Epistle is taken from I Corinthians 4:9-16, Saint Paul is speaking about a problem of disunity, fighting and scandal within the church. In much the same manner as today, certain self-appointed leaders had begun to preach a prosperity Gospel, where you can live your best life now. Father Gregory shares with us how Saint Paul answers this very problem. Saint Paul, a true apostle contrasts...

It is no mystery we are living in troubled times. The maladies we are contending with have caused us to live in an era of fear. The opposite of fear is courage and peace, the latter of which comes from above and is something we pray for at every Divine Liturgy. Today on the 9th Sunday of Matthew the Gospel lesson comes to us from Matthew 14:22-34. In this pericope the disciples find themselves alo...

A crisis forces us to discern between two things and make a choice, therefore revealing where we stand. The current crisis we find ourselves living in has revealed a lot about this country and the division of its citizens. Jesus Christ brings crisis and presents a fork in the road for His followers, forcing them to choose between what the world is saying and He is saying. In today’s Gospel lesson...

Today in the Orthodox Church we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council. This is one of seven ecumenical councils the Church recognizes that laid the foundation for believers in acknowledging who God is and how He is to be worshipped. Father Deacon Tikhon reminds us that these councils were not without controversy, and despite human shortcomings the Holy Spirit has guided the...