Racism and Jesus Christ
July 17, 2016
This past week, terrible images of racism are on the minds of everyone. Daily we see other biased images and horrible caricatures of people based on their religion, their political views, or some other perspective. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have to seriously pause and re-evaluate our own worldview. Read more »
Deny Self So We Can Fill Self
April 03, 2016
“No one can really embrace the Christian asceticism mapped out in the New Testament unless he has some idea of the positive, constructive function of self-denial. (Thomas Merton) Read more »
A Teaching Divine Liturgy
February 07, 2016
When Prince Vladimir’s emissaries visited the Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople, back in the 10th century, and attended a worship service, they explained to their leader: “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. One thing we understood, that God was in our midst!” Well, what we do every Sunday when we gather to worship our Creator through the Divine Liturgy is we encounter the living God. Read more »
Good news of Great Joy for Challenging Times
December 25, 2015
That’s what Christmas is all about – Good News of comfort and joy! No matter what’s happening in the world, and no matter how much it seems like darkness and evil may be all around us, WE’RE REMINDED NOT TO BE AFRAID! There may be terrorism, random shootings, and what feels like uncontrollable events all around us, but we don’t need to live in fear. Read more »
Passing on the Torch - 35 Years from Now: Time Capsule Sunday
November 16, 2015
So what is my message to this Church in the year AD 2050? What word do I want to offer to the future priest, to the future parishioners of this Church Family 35 years from now? Read more »
Giving Your Life for Another
November 09, 2015
President Harry Truman was the object of an assassination attempt in which two secret service agents were killed while protecting him. In recounting the experience of that terrible day, the President said, “You can’t imagine how a man feels when someone else dies for him.” Read more »
What is Your Name?
October 26, 2015
”Who are you? and What is your name?” The name of every individual is very important to the identity of who someone is. Read more »
Serving as a Priest
October 19, 2015
On the 21st anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, I thought I’d offer some thoughts on serving as a priest. Read more »
Orthodox Church of Indonesia
October 05, 2015
Fr. Lazarus Bambang Sucanto talks about the Orthodox Church of Indonesia Read more »
Migrants, Refugees and Jesus Christ
September 13, 2015
The danger of calling someone a migrant is that the label itself can dehumanize a person; labels can desensitize us into transforming a child of God into something other than ourselves. We no longer look at a Syrian father who is simply trying to save his family as someone like ourselves. Read more »
Rejecting the Invitation
September 06, 2015
Imagine what would happen if next Saturday, nobody showed up to our Festival?!? What would happen if those we expected to come didn’t show up? How would we feel? What would we think? Read more »
Stewards of God's Creation
August 30, 2015
Tending to and caring for this creation is not a political whim or a social fashion. It is a divine commandment; it is a religious obligation. It is no less than the will of God that we leave as light a footprint on our environment. Read more »
Freedom in Christ
July 06, 2015
“It is not freedom when we say everything is permitted. This is slavery.” Read more »
Cultivating a Noble Spirit
June 21, 2015
“You took something very precious away from me. I will never talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again. But I forgive you [the killer]. And have mercy on your soul.” Read more »
Co-Workers with God and Fishers of Men
June 14, 2015
The very first promise that Jesus made to his disciples and followers was that IF they would follow Him, He would show these fishermen how to “fish for people.” His first promise was not one of a an easy life but of something much more important. Read more »
The Incredible Life in the Early Church
April 27, 2015
People saw HOW the followers of Jesus lived, and WERE INSPIRED by what they saw. They witnessed an INCREDIBLY LOVING COMMUNITY OF FAITH and wanted to join them, even though it was dangerous to become one of them! Read more »
He Is Alive
April 13, 2015
There was a Muslim in Nigeria who converted to Christianity. When someone asked, “Why did you become a Christian?” he answered, “Well, it’s like this. Suppose you were going down a road and suddenly at the fork in the road there were two men, one dead and the other alive. Which one would you ask for directions on which way to go?" Read more »
Living Under the Reign of God - Palm Sunday
April 06, 2015
The people wanted a King, and Jesus was a King… but not quite the type they hoped for. Read more »
Your Sins Are Forgiven
March 09, 2015
How many people have a past sin that still haunts them? How about some hidden secret that you want no one to know about? Is there anything from your past that you are not proud of, or which lays heavy on your heart? Read more »
Seeing God in Others
February 16, 2015
God waits, and seeks for us to do little acts, but with great love! Small acts, but with extraordinary love. That is our call as Christians! Read more »
Desire for God
January 25, 2015
“It costs nothing to become a Christian, but once you become one, then it costs you everything!” Read more »
Extremists of Love
January 18, 2015
Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, and violence multiplies violence in a descending spiral of destruction… Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend… Read more »
The Blessing of the Waters
January 11, 2015
Why do we bless the waters? What is the meaning of blessing the waters? Read more »
All Saints - Learning From Albania
January 01, 1970
“Beware not only of the individual ego (which leads us into our self-centered ways), but also of the communal ego, which is just as dangerous as the individual ego. This communal ego can take many forms, such as putting our family above all else, or putting our nation or some other identity with another limited group above all else.” Read more »
Healing Our Loneliness and Offering Us Friendship
January 01, 1970
Someone once asked a famous doctor in America, “What is the most devastating disease among people today.” He immediately replied, “Loneliness. The longer I practice medicine, the surer I am that no illness is so painful and universal as loneliness.” Read more »
Suffering for Christ - Global Persecution of Christians
January 01, 1970
From the time of Christ’s birth until today, it is estimated that 70 million Christians have been killed for their faith, 42 million of which have been Orthodox Christians! In fact, the vast majority of these deaths have occurred in the past 100 years! It is estimated that each year over the past decade there continue to be between 10,000-100,000 Christian martyrs. Read more »
The Beginning of GOOD NEWS
January 01, 1970
It’s nice to come to Church and hear the first
Sunday Gospel reading of the New Year tell us, “The beginning of the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ!” Read more »
Beware of Idols: Start with the Super Bowl
January 01, 1970
115 million Americans will watch the Super Bowl later today. That makes it the most watched event ever in the history of television. In some parts of the country, 60% of all people will be watching the big game. Read more »
The Divine Justice of the Loving Father
January 01, 1970
Divine justice and charity are an expression of God’s sympathy towards humanity, whereas human justice seeks out fair judgment. The person who has trust in divine justice is neither upset when treated unfairly, nor seeks his justice. Read more »
May God Forgive the ISIS Killers
January 01, 1970
“May God forgive the killers. We don't have hatred towards them. This is Christianity. God forgives the sinners. So shall we." Read more »
Come and See - the Cost, Commitment and Response
January 01, 1970
The great scandal of Christianity is the nominal Christian, those who call themselves Orthodox but don't allow their faith to influence their lives. To be Orthodox does not mean that our parents or grandparents were Orthodox. To be Christian implies that we have asked Jesus to enter and control your life. Read more »
The Life of the Cross
January 01, 1970
A life of self denial, sacrifice, and the cross isn’t meant to be a masochistic life, but a life which brings great joy, discovery, and even abundance. The Church teaches that the more we deny ourselves and give away, the more we will receive. When we learn to carry our cross and die to our egocentric ways, we will discover the purpose of life. It places a higher vision and the divine ideal of Christ-like love, sacrifice and service at the center of one’s life! Read more »
Honoring the Virtues of Mothers
January 01, 1970
When I’ve asked children over the years which virtues they best loved about their mother, I get a variety of beautiful and cute answers... Read more »
Honest Doubt that Nourishes Faith
January 01, 1970
This Sunday of Thomas reminds us of an important lesson about the doubts that linger in our minds. Doubt may surely be a part of our journey of faith, yet we have to ask ourselves, what type of doubt to we harbor? Read more »
Suffering as an Opportunity to Glorify God
January 01, 1970
Jesus doesn’t answer the question about why someone suffers. We live in a fallen world, and in such an imperfect world suffering will exist. So Christ doesn’t answer why someone suffers, instead he puts suffering into a new perspective. How can we glorify God through our difficulties! Read more »
Overcoming our Biases and Prejudices
January 01, 1970
In a recent study published in Psychological Science, evidence was given to show that the human brain categorizes people within the first second after seeing a face. Read more »
My Strength Made Perfect in Weakness - The Supreme Court Ruling
January 01, 1970
This past week we have seen a landmark decision by the Supreme Court. Many are celebrating this historic victory for same-sex partners while others feel threatened by this action. Read more »
How To Inherit Eternal Life
January 01, 1970
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” In other words, what must I do to know God; to dwell with God? What must I do to live under the reign of God, and to orient my life towards my Creator? What must I do to develop such an intimate relationship with Him, that our love for one another will not only enrich and bless this life, but even conquer death itself, so that I may have an eternity of bliss with Him? Read more »
Deny Yourself and Discover the Path of Life
January 01, 1970
Our society doesn’t teach us too often to deny ourselves and to lose our lives for others. Yet this is precisely one of the fundamental teachings of our Lord. Read more »
To Know Christ or To Follow Christ
January 01, 1970
An authentic disciple of Christ will not try to create a faith to fit his or her lifestyle. Quite the opposite! Our lifestyle must come in line with our Orthodox Faith. Our worldview must be formed by our understanding of Jesus Christ. Our words, deeds and even thoughts must come under the influence and reign of our Lord! Read more »
Using Time Wisely
January 01, 1970
Dach day God gives us a precious gift – 1440 minutes of life. He then gives us the freedom to do whatever we want with that time. “What are we doing to use that time wisely? Are we being good “stewards” of this sacred gift of time? Read more »
My Brother is My Life
January 01, 1970
“My brother is my life,” noted St. Silouan. As individualistic as we Americans can be, our Orthodox Christian faith runs radically counter to this autonomous spirit. Read more »
Our Gift Back to God
January 01, 1970
All that we have is a gift from God, yet all we become, and all we do with what we have received, is our gift back to God! Read more »
Terror-Violence-Fear and our Christian Response
January 01, 1970
Terror. Violence. Fear. Sorrow. Anger. Hatred. These are only a few of the emotions that can pass through our minds whenever we encounter a violent and tragic event like the recent happenings. Read more »
Giving Thanks in All Circumstances
January 01, 1970
How beautiful it is to live lives of gratitude and thanksgiving. Living with such a spirit transforms our whole perspective on life. We won’t focus on what we don’t have, or on what others have. Instead, we thank God for each and every blessing. Read more »
Speaking Out On Behalf of Others
January 01, 1970
First they came for the illegal immigrants and criticized the Mexicans, and I did not speak out, because I was neither an illegal immigrant nor a Mexican. Then they started to refuse Syrian refugees... Read more »
Martyrs for Christ
January 01, 1970
70 Million Christian Martyrs! 70 Million people, since the birth of Christ, have been killed because they were followers of this newborn baby we celebrated this past week. That’s quite an incredible number of people who have suffered and died for their Christian faith! Read more »
Monthly Bulletin
Recent Sermons
THE TWO WAYS
April 21, 2024
“There are two ways, my soul, my soul, and they are not the same. One leads to everlasting life. One leads to dust and shame. One leads to dust and shame.”
Read more »
Our Orthodox Faith
A Prayer During the Coronavirus
Lord our God, have mercy on, heal and help those who are afflicted with the coronavirus and comfort and strengthen their families.... Read more »