Sermons from St. Herman's

On the feast of Pentecost , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about how receiving the Holy Spirit depends upon our connection with Christ. He uses the example of a lamp and power outlet to talk about being in the light of Christ (John 8:12). He challenges folks to examine their "chord" for a bad connection if they feel like they are not receiving the fullness of grace or the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He of...

During the Marriage Crowning Service for Doug Penn and Vicki Dull, Fr. Matthew Howell offers encouragement that God will manifest His glory within their marriage through their mutual submission to each other and their gratitude. 

During the Baptismal service for five catechumens (Vicki Dull, Doug Penn, Olivia Bell, Theodore Bell, and Olivia Johnson), Fr. Matthew Howell offers a reflection on the communal nature of our salvation in the Orthodox Church. He points out that the baptism is not the end of the journey, but is the  beginning  of the odyssey, much like a rocket ship launching into outer space. Epistle: Romans 6:3-1...

On the Sunday after Ascension on which the Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council , Fr. Matthew Howell uses John 17:3 to discuss the difference between knowing about  God and truly  knowing  God, leaning on a quote from St. Nikolai Velimirovic: "We should not, then, consider that a man knows God when he comes, through his mental processes, to t...

On the feast of the Ascension , Fr. Matthew Howell explains why this is the feast of deification. He then goes on to point out three distinct references to the Ascension within the Divine Liturgy.

On the sixth Sunday of Pascha , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the final play of Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young's career in which he was sacked and knocked out cold by a player coming from his "blind side." Fr. Matthew then connects this to today's gospel reading about Jesus healing the blind man (John 9:1-38) and explains how we need "spiritual blockers" (or linemen) to keep us from getting...

On the fifth Sunday of Pascha on which the Church commemorates Christ's conversation with the Samaritan Woman, Fr. Matthew Howell uses the phrase and example of his friend, Patricia Bower to explain "Bonus Rounds": unexpected yet edifying encounters of fellowship with others. He talks about Christ's "Bonus Round" with the Samaritan Woman, pointing out that we can't offer love and the grace of the...

On the fourth Sunday of Pascha , Fr. Matthew Howell hearkens back to the first lesson he learned in his first college economics class: "There is no such thing as a free lunch." He then connects it to Christ's healing of the paralytic, stating that Jesus heals the man as a gift, but then gives him a condition to  preserve the gift. In a similar manner, we are all forgiven and saved freely thro...

On the third Sunday of Pascha on which the Orthodox Church commemorates Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and the Myrrh-Bearing Women , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about what we can learn from their faithfulness to Christ. He discusses faith is an action, not just a passive agreement, and that faith requires follow through, especially when it comes to "finishing the job" of working out our salvation wi...

On the second Sunday of Pascha known as Thomas Sunday , Fr. Matthew explains why the apostles were gathering behind locked doors. He also talks about how the doubt of Thomas was because of his desire to believe in the resurrection, not because of his desire to disbelieve something simply to remain correct in his opinion. Fr. Matthew also touches on other subjects such as Christ breathing the Holy...

This homily was originally given by St. John Chrysostom (+407 AD). In the Orthodox Church, this homily is read during the Pascha Vigil in every parish throughout the world. This reading of the homily was done by Fr. Matthew Howell on  April 24, 2022 during the Pascha  service at St. Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church.

On Holy Saturday during the Vesperal Liturgy, Fr. Matthew Howell gives a homily about how much God loves us and how we just need to respond by offering our broken and humble heart to Him.

On Holy Friday night, at the end of the Orthros service for Great and Holy Saturday (the Lamentations service), Fr. Matthew Howell reflects on the themes that we heard during the service. He explains how the procession that went around the church temple was not only a stroll through Wasilla, Alaska but was also a mystical procession  with Christ through Hades. He explains how Christ frees us...

At the Vesperal Divine Liturgy on Holy Thursday , Fr. Matthew Howell preaches about a line from the matins Gospel in which Christ tells Peter, "When you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren" (Luke 22:32). He states that we must always return to Christ--especially after committing our worst sins--and then strengthen our brothers and sisters to do the same, encouraging them with open arms o...

On Palm Sunday , inspired by a podcast by Bishop Irenei Steenberg about Abba Dorotheos of Gaza, Fr. Matthew Howell preaches about the meaning of our Lord Jesus Christ's glorious entrance into Jerusalem. He quotes St. Dorotheos to explain the meaning of palms, branches, and why Christ rode on a donkey. He then focuses on how the donkey represents the irrational soul and how we must bring it into su...

On Lazarus Saturday , Fr. Matthew Howell explains how we need to "enter into" Holy Week. He uses the Greek word "anamnesis" to talk about how we actively enter into the events of Holy Week and how we also need to see ourselves in the various people who encounter our Lord during His passion week. Fr. Matthew gives a long (but not exhaustive) list of examples of people that we need to identify with,...

At the end of the Little Compline with the Canon for the Raising of Lazarus , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about how Christ is issuing a warning to Hades along the lines of a parent saying, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Fr. Matthew points out a few hymns that show how Hades is afraid of Christ's voice which calls Lazarus back to life. And if Hades is afraid of Christ's voice, how much...

At the end of the Presanctified Liturgy on Wednesday of the sixth week of Great Lent, Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the death of Lazarus and how this leads to the greatest miracle that our Lord Jesus Christ performs before His own resurrection. Fr. Matthew also explains how the Orthodox Church counts days after someone dies.

On the fifth Sunday of Great Lent , Fr. Matthew Howell explores the lessons to be learned from the life of St. Mary of Egypt, including the hope that God can forgive anyone who is repentant, the importance of lifelong and complete repentance, the meaning of keeping vows, and the importance of running away from evil. He frames this within the context of spiritual battle in the heart, quoting St. Ma...

On the fourth Sunday of Great Lent , Fr. Matthew Howell preaches about The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus. This year he preaches about Step 5 (which is about penitence and repentance) by reading several passages from the chapter. Along the way, he makes a reference to "Scary Icon Sunday" and a hypothetical Orthodox theme park. Previous Homilies for the Fourth Sunday of Lent...

On the third Sunday of Great Lent , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about dopamine and its effect on the brain and human behavior, especially as it relates to addictive behaviors. He then explains how neuroscientists are discovering that indulging in pain can lead to prolonged feelings of happiness. He ties this back to how our Christian life is one that must be crucified to the passions and how we must...

On the feast of the Annunciation , Fr. Matthew Howell preaches about the Sanctity of Life. He explains how the Word of God sanctified all parts of human life including the time spent in the womb before birth. He then reads a statement issued that day by His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH and three other hierarchs in America about the Sanctity of Life. He finishes by reminding everyone that we if we...

On the second Sunday of Great Lent on which the Orthodox Church commemorates St. Gregory Palamas, who is a "preacher of grace" and leader of the hesychastic movement in the 14th century, Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the place of prayer in our lives. He declares that prayer is about relationship with God rather than simply fulfilling an obligation to recite words from a book. After examining what...

At the end of the Presanctified Liturgy on the second Wednesday of Great Lent, Fr. Matthew takes some time to preach about St. Patrick of Ireland . He reminds everyone that St. Patrick was a bishop, not a bartender, and that the most "Irish" way to honor the saint is not by going to a pub but by going to church. He then reads an excerpt from an essay about The Breastplate of St. Patrick by Kh. Fre...

On the first Sunday of Great Lent , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about how icons are, for Orthodox Christians, gateways of relationship with the Incarnate God. This is the same God whom the prophets knew and suffered for as mentioned in the reading from Hebrews (11:24-26; 32-40) and in the Gospel account: "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote" (John 1:45). Fr. Matthew...