Sermons from St. Herman's

During the Wedding Crowning Service of Jacob and Marlena Maxwell following their baptism earlier that morning, Fr. Matthew Howell offers a reminder about the importance of humility and love in marriage. He points out that he has never met a couple that was truly humble that got divorced, and says that humility coupled with repentance can lead to a long, happy, and holy marriage that manifests the...

During the baptism of the Maxwell Family, Fr. Matthew Howell preaches about their new calling as Christians in the Lord's Army. He mentions that they are no commissioned officers who are being sent out with a purpose: to transform their own lives through repentance and to preach the Gospel their their holiness to all whom they encounter. Along the way, he quotes St. Francis of Assisi. Epistle:...

On the feast of the Ascension , at the end of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Matthew Howell explains the liturgical movements that the priest does following Holy Communion and how they relate to the Ascension. He talks about the priest putting the particles of commemoration from Proskomedia into the chalice while saying "By thy precious blood, O Lord, wash away the sins of all thy servants commemora...

On the feast of the Ascension , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about how the feast of Pascha is about the resurrection but the feast of the Ascension is about our deification. He also talks about how the Ascension of Christ enthrones our human nature in heaven and adds permanence to our spiritual quest for union and communion with God.   Previous Homilies for the Feast of the Ascension: May 29, 2025 - A...

On the Leavetaking of Pascha , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about keeping the joy of Pascha alive within us throughout the year by regularly reading the Holy Scriptures. He uses the gospel reading to remind us that the Light of Christ illumines us through the divinely inspired Scriptures, and that living in and walking in that light brings us joy. Epistle: Acts of the Apostles 18:22-28 IN THOSE DAYS,...

On the 6th Sunday of Pascha , Fr. Matthew Howell preaches about the healing of the blind man while focusing on the envy of the Pharisees who stake their credibility on following Moses instead of Christ. Fr. Matthew talks about how to be authentic and what that looks like so that we can avoid the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.   Previous homilies for this Sunday: To See the Truth - May 21, 2023 The Bl...

On the 5th Sunday of Pascha , the Archpriest Gregory Rogers gives the homily while visiting St. Herman Church. He connects Christ's encounter with the Samaritan Woman at the well to the encounters with God in the Old Testament at wells (Isaac, Jacob, Moses), and reminds us that the same God who revealed Himself to them reveals Himself to the woman at the well ("I AM"). He also contex...

On the ⁠4th Sunday of Pascha⁠ , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about how we all need to work to retain the healing grace that God our Lord offers to us through Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha in order to be made whole. He points out three things we need to do to hold onto the healing grace: we must be patient, we must hasten to the temple to worship, and we must cease from sin and surrender ourselves to the...

On the 3rd Sunday of Pascha on which the Church commemorates the Myrrhbearing Women, Fr. Matthew Howell starts by offering an apology for the previous week's outburst and then explains in a much calmer and better manner what he tried to convey in the previous week: the importance of hastening to be early or on time to Church to care for the Lord's body (the Liturgy). He uses Zacchaeus as a...

On the 2nd Sunday of Pascha known as Thomas Sunday, Fr. Matthew Howell contrasts the unbelief of Thomas with the cynicism and skepticism of the Pharisees and the crowd at the foot of the Cross. Fr. Matthew points out that Thomas was looking for reasons to believe and then was willing to dedicate his life to the mission of the resurrection even to the point of martyrdom, whereas the others were sea...

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 read in English by Fr. Matthew Howell on April 20, 2025 during the Pascha service at St. Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church.   Previous Readings of the Homily of St. John Chrysostom by Fr. Matthew...

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 in Slavonic was read by Yaroslav Dopirchuk during the ⁠⁠Pascha  service at Saint Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church in Wasilla, Alaska.    Previous Homilies of St. John Chrysostom in Slavonic: May...

On Holy Saturday at the Vesperal Liturgy , Fr. Matthew Howell offers three reflections. First, the 15 Old Testament Readings that are curated by the Church for this day are simply beautiful and should get people excited about hearing them in Church. He points out that if someone complains about hearing all these scripture readings in Church then they should probably read the Bible more at home dur...

During the Vesperal Liturgy for Holy Thursday for the Mystical Supper , Fr. Matthew Howell unpacks the line from the Gospel at Orthros that Christ says to Peter: "I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail" (Luke 22:32). Fr. Matthew gives his opinion that "unfailing faith" does not mean not sinning but it means having the strength and fortitude to return to God in re...

On Palm Sunday , Fr. Matthew Howell tries to tie together the Cross, the Palms, and the Victory of Christ over Death that contrasts with the people's disappointment that He wasn't building an earthly kingdom. Along the way, we tells a story the donkey's experience carrying Christ and the lesson that the donkey learned in the barn later that evening.  Fr. Matthew Howell's previous h...

On Lazarus Saturday , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the how Christ calls His Disciples (and us) friends, but says "You are my friends if you keep my commandments." Fr. Matthew then explains, in the context of the baptisms and chrismations from that morning, the nuanced difference between being a friend  of  Christ and a friend  to  Christ. Epistle: Hebrews 12:28-29; 13:1-8⁠ ⁠Gospel: Joh...

On the 5th Sunday of Lent, Fr. Matthew Howell curates a homily about the dangers of worldly ambition instead of holy zeal from Alive from the Dead by Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou (pages 347-368) and adds his own personal flavoring to express his points. He integrates the gospel reading as well as today's saint, Mary of Egypt , while laying out how destructive the desire for worldly glory a...

On the fourth Sunday of Lent on which the Orthodox Church commemorates St. John Climacus , author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent (full text can be found here ), Fr. Matthew Howell preaches about Step 8 of  The Ladder: "On Meekness and Placidity." Fr. Matthew gives a brief overview of St. John's life and seminal text which is read almost universally in Orthodox monasteries during Lent...

On the feast of the Annunciation , Fr. Matthew Howell refers to a line from Vespers that says that "Adam is recalled" in relation to the incarnation of the Word of God. He explains that, whereas most corporate recalls are due to defective manufacturing, the recall of the human nature by God is due to God's love for us, and the defect was caused by us humans not by the manufacturer (G...

On the eve of the feast of the ⁠Annunciation⁠ , which falls on the day after the ⁠Veneration of the Cross⁠ during Lent, following the conclusion of Great Vespers Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the relationship between the Good News delivered by Gabriel, Mary the Theotokos, and the Cross.  Previous Homilies for the feast of the Annunciation: March 25, 2024 - Love is Supported by Humility March 24,...

On the third Sunday of Great Lent, Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the importance of the Holy Cross in our Lives. He talks about a line said quietly by the priest in the middle of the liturgy: "Blessed art Thou on the throne of the glory of Thy kingdom, Who art enthroned upon the cherubim, always now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen." Using this as a starting point, he explains how the Crucifi...

On the second Sunday of Great Lent , overviews the battle between St. Gregory Palamas and Barlaam which centered around knowing and experiencing God via His uncreated energy ("grace") versus knowing  about  God through rationalistic study. Fr. Matthew then goes on to discuss prayer and our problems in how we approach it, and tries to change the paradigm by which we think about prayer and...

On the first Sunday of Lent , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the commemoration of the prophets who spoke the truth and called people back to God, and then relates that to the restoration of the icons, which also speak the truth about reality and call people back to God. Along the way, references the epistle and gospel reading while fighting an obnoxious tickle in his throat. Previous Sermons from...

On the final Sunday before Great Lent begins, Fr. Matthew Howell discusses the relationship between our expulsion from Paradise (like Adam and Eve), our judgment and criticism of our neighbor's, our ability or lack thereof to forgive, and the reopening of Paradise to us. Along the way, he talks about the importance of praying for our enemies, but rebrands the "enemy" list to the &quo...

On the Sunday of the Last Judgment before Lent begins, Fr. Matthew Howell talks about how we judge ourselves by our actions more than by our words. He also takes some time to rant about his wife's pet goats ("hell-bound creatures of wrath"). Along the way he talks about Adam Rifken's 5 minute favors, refers to Shrek , and quotes from St. Ephraim the Syrian as well as Hesychasm by...