O God, give us the strength of your support. Give us encouragement, give the light that goes with it. Make us live by the truths of the faith preached by your holy apostles and the high teaching of the Gospels of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Luke offers the most systematic account of Jesus’ life and teachings. In this episode, we look at the beginning of Luke 5, where Jesus calls three fishermen to be his apostles. This passage shows us how sharing the Gospel is a spiritual discipline.
This quote is related to my sermon at #StNicholasFW last Sunday. If you want to hear it, look for my previous blog post on “The Cross of Christian Love.”
My sermon last Sunday at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (#StNicholasFW).
Most of Matthew 22 finds the Jewish authorities barraging Jesus with questions. The chapter ends with Jesus asking a question of his own, one the Jewish leaders are not comfortable answering. Today we look at Matthew 22:35-46.
You can also find an audio version of this Bible Study on my podcast.
A criticism of Eastern Orthodoxy in America has been that it is more focused on ethnic heritage than Christian identity. The understanding that this pitfall is not exclusive to the Orthodox is an important insight for believers everywhere.
Praise and honor, glory and thanksgiving are the blessing we give you, Lord God of our fathers, for having escorted us through the shadows of the night and shown us, once more, the light of day!
“…therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Corinthians 6:20)
From the St. Nicholas Church website… My message from this morning’s online prayer service for the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God.
On September 8, we celebrate the first great holy day of the Orthodox liturgical calendar (the Church Year begins in September). The Nativity of the Mother of God celebrates the birth of the woman called to be the mother of the Messiah.
The Lord tells the Prophet Jeremiah:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. (Jeremiah 1:5)
If this is the case for the prophets, it is so for all God’s People. God did not choose Mary arbitrarily to be the woman who would bring his Son into the world. Mary’s ministry as “Theotokos”– “Birth-giver of God” – was in the Lord’s mind before he formed her in her mother’s womb. Before she was born, Mary was set apart, consecrated, for this great calling.
Indeed, none of us is here by accident. Like Mary, we all have a part to play in God’s great plan for his creation. What is required of us is the trust, courage, and resolve of our Lord’s Mother, to echo her words:
I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be to me according to your word.
@frajarmus 