When Jesus teaches us about life in God’s Kingdom, it’s not what you might expect. My sermon yesterday at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church.
Tag: Heaven
Morning Prayer
Lord, give rest to the souls of your departed servants, in a place of brightness, refreshment, and repose; where all suffering, sorrow, and sighing have fled away.
John 3:17
Lots of people know John 3:16, but John 3:17 is equally important. When you read the two verse together, it’s clear that verse 17 completes the teaching:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
The Beheading
Today is the feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (see Mark 6:14-30). This holy day is a day of strict fasting in the Orthodox Church, as we remember the death of an innocent and holy man at the hands of a weak leader governed by his ego and insatiable appetites.
Taste and see…
Christianity was never meant to be merely a topic of academic study. Christianity is communion with the living God. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalms of David)
Yes, we must use our heads when learning the Faith. But Christ doesn’t want us to leave him in our heads, he wants us to invite him to sit on the throne of our hearts.
Arise, O Lord!
“Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up your hand. Do not forget the humble.” (Psalm 10:12)
Good deeds
Good deeds are meant to be multiplied — to the glory of God and to the building up of his kingdom.
For us, he walked on water
Everything Jesus said and did that’s recorded in the Gospels has something to teach us. In this episode, we discuss our “take-home” lesson in Jesus walking on water.
Here’s a link to the audio podcast on anchor.fm.
All ends of the world shall remember
“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.” (Psalm 22)
Sojourners
People of every culture have looked at themselves, at their respective values, worldview, and accomplishments, and thought, “Surely, this is as good as it gets. Surely, we’ve arrived.”
In truth, every one of them (including our own) is transient. Christians should know this. Wherever and whenever we may be, we are sojourners.
We have not arrived until God has said, “Now. Now you have arrived. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
Continue reading “Sojourners”
