Did Jesus have serious concerns about wealth and the wealthy? Clearly yes. But let's not forget that Jesus had many wealthy people among his followers: Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, several wealthy women that supported him and his disciples financially and materially… and in his parables he often used images of rich people to represent God and the …
Simple words that make life possible
The lesson of our Gospel reading this morning is very simple: Say "thank you"! The lesson is simple, but the consequences are profound. Our failure in this simple but essential act is at the root of so much of our woes. Consider only the news of the past week or so. Fact: 2014 was the …
The Heart is the Mediator
(Apologies for some sound glitches on this audio file) Our Gospel reading this morning takes us to the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. After his baptism, he was tested in the desert by three temptations. It was only after he overcame these three temptations that he began preaching that the kingdom of God had arrived. …
When did the good news become a gospel?
Today's Gospel reading is the first eight verses of the Gospel written by Mark. Here's how it begins: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet... The Greek word translated as "gospel" is evangelion = "good news." So how did "good news" …
Christmas: Story of Liberation
Audio File of Sermon, 28 Dec. 2014 (click the arrow to hear) The Bible is a people's history; but we rarely think of it that way. No wonder we have domesticated the Christmas story by turning it into a festival of gift-giving and consumption, with Santa Claus as its symbol. So the story of …
A Christmas Community
(I apologize that I had to remove the audio file of my complete sermon, as there seems to have been a technical glitch. In compensation, I'll try to flesh out the brief version of my sermon below. Check back in a day or two to see if I have expanded what is shown here.) A …
You know what is boring?
Audio file of today's sermon "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means …
Marks of Community
Today's Gospel reading, Luke 13:10-17, should be read in the context of the entire chapter 13 of Luke. Jesus heals the woman who was bent over for eighteen years in the midst of various parables and confrontational dialogues. What unifies all these segments of chapter 13 is the idea of community. A careful reading of this …
Priests of thanksgiving
Today, November 30th, we celebrate the memory of St. Andrew the Apostle, the brother of Saint Peter. The Gospel of John tells us that Andrew was the first of the apostles to follow Jesus and it was Andrew who then brought Peter to Jesus. Thus, in the Orthodox Church St. Andrew is called the First-Called. …
Why we need Mary
The feast of the Entrance of Mary in the Temple is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on November 21st. According to tradition, Mary was brought to the Temple in Jerusalem and she lived inside the holy of holies. It almost certainly is not a historical event in the life of Mary: Only one person, the …
