St Peters Orthodox Church

June 9, 2019 - As our Lord Jesus Christ Ascended, He comforted His disciples by telling them that it was better for them that He Ascend, for then He would send the promised Comforter; the Holy Spirit. As we are between the Ascension and Pentecost on this Sunday, today we set ourselves to remember the role of the Holy Spirit as our Comforter. We also look to see how we might prayerfully prepare for Pentecost that we might be reawakened to the reality of the great gift we have been given as the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon mankind.

June 6, 2019 - When our Lord Jesus Christ Ascended into Heaven, He comforted His disciples with the promise that He would send the Holy Spirit. We, just as the disciples, are a people of that same promise. In this reflection on the Ascension we remember that just as we are promised the Holy Spirit and given the Holy Spirit at our Baptism, we also in response to such love promise ourselves by offering ourselves to God. As God offers Himself to us and we offer ourselves back to God, there we experience the fullness of the gift we have been given and there is the experience of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.

June 2, 2019 - The power of the tongue is immense. With it the greatest good is accomplished. And, with the tongue the most damaging evil is done. The focus of the Epistle of St. James chapter 1 is this very issue. In that chapter we are taught to be slow to speak and slow to wrath and to bridle our tongues. In doing so we protect the peace of Christ on behalf of one another and our own souls. When we tame the tongue we keep the serpent out of the garden of peace.

May 26, 2019 - St. James in the first chapter of his Epistle teaches us to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath." This homily explores the wisdom of this teaching and how it protects relationships, preserves peace in the Body of Christ, and preserves the witness of the living Jesus Christ through us to those who most need to see Him.

May 19th, 2019 - St. Peter writes in 1 Peter 2 that we are to live as sojourners and pilgrims by abstaining from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. He also exhorts us to live out the new life we have been given in Christ before all of those around us. What does it mean to live as foreigners in this world? The homily explores this question and reminds us that as we detach from that which causes damage and death to the soul, and as we grow in the likeness of God, our salvation becomes Christ's offering of salvation through us to those who so still dwell in darkness.

May 12, 2019 - In the Gospel of John Chapter 10, Jesus calls Himself The Good Shepherd and then uses some of the most profound language of relationship to describe His relationship with His sheep and they with Him. He tells us that we can truly know Him. And as we grow to know Christ our God, our Good Shepherd, we can hear His voice and follow Him. This homily reflects on these three aspects of relationship that we are to have with our Lord Jesus Christ: We can know Him, hear Him, and follow Him to the healing of our soul and our salvation.

May 5, 2019 - Holy Scripture is a testimony of Christ. Through the Divine reading of Holy Scripture we learn to hear the voice of Christ and through Holy Scripture Christ is revealed to us. The Church has always seen the prayerful readings and attention to Scripture as a means by which we can come to know Christ our God.

April 21, 2019 - On this Palm Sunday we take a look at yet another of the Old Testament Festal Celebrations that prophesied the coming of the Messiah and why He would come. In Leviticus, the Scriptures describe for us what was to be done while celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. It was during this 7 day Feast that the priests would process with a large golden container of water from the Pool of Siloam to the Altar of Sacrifice in the Temple. As they would process, they would move through a crowd of people who were told to have palm branches and to rejoice. The priests would lead the chanting of Psalms 113 - 118 which were songs of deliverance. And in Psalm 118 we find these words "Hosanna (which means save us now, O Lord). Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord." These are the very words cried out as Christ would enter Jerusalem to the waving of the palms. Today we rejoice and we wave our palms because our deliverer has come to deliver us. And we cry out with these same words, "Save us no

In this class we focus on how to live faithfully to Christ within the teachings of the Orthodox Faith as we live in an American culture very unfamiliar with Orthodoxy. We are reminded that our faithfulness is to allow Christ to heal our soul and from that many will come to know Him.

There is so much to learn when first trying to understand the liturgy of the Church. We participate in so many ways in our worship of God. It is, therefore, both important and helpful to know what to do and when. It is also equally important to understand why we do all that we do as we worship God. This class focuses on these very important issues.

Today we look at the Gospel of St. John and Chapter 11 which gives us the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. Jesus, the Word of God, calls forth Lazarus from the grave and his soul rejoins to his body which is completely renewed. Jesus also with the same voice commands Lazarus to be loosed from that which bound him. As we look at the incredible testimony of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, we pay great attention to see how we have both been raised from the dead and loosed from our bondage by the same Word of God Who did so for Lazarus.

April 14, 2019 - On this Passion Sunday we are given the scripture from Hebrews 9 describing Jesus Christ as our eternal Great High Priest. But to understand what St. Paul is teaching, we must go back to one of the major Feast Days of the Old Covenant; the Day of Atonement. By looking at the High Priests actions on the Day of Atonement and the sacrifice commanded by God, we see that even in the Old Covenant God was showing Himself to be a God of limitless mercy. How much more do we see the mercy of God eternally being granted through our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ?

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins we are all called to live a prepared spiritual life all of our days. This is how we have oil in our lamp and will not miss the Bridegroom when He comes for us. But our living a prepared life is done knowing the value and worth of God and all that He does on our behalf. In the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price we see this image. Are we living in such a way to give all that might receive the King of All and all of the benefits of His Kingdom?

Christ teaches that He is the Good Shepherd in the Gospel of St. John Chapter 10. In this session we look at what Christ reveals about Himself regarding His being our Good Shepherd. We also looked at how important this image and truth was to the earliest Christians and their worship. Even in the Catacombs of Rome, where Christians worshiped while under Roman persecution, the most prevalent image on the walls was Christ shown as the Shepherd of His sheep.

April 7, 2019 - Over halfway into Lent, Christ through His Church gives us a liturgy in which we are reminded to rejoice in the Lord. In order for us to truly rejoice it is important that we be reminded of the very source of true rejoicing. Through both examples from Holy Scripture and modern day, this homily explores the encounter humanity has with the Savior that leads the soul to rejoice.

March 31, 2019 - Today we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Innocent of Alaska. When we look at his life we see a man willing to obediently follow God to great distances and willing to make great sacrifices for the sake of Christ and for the salvation and care of many souls. This homily encourages us to offer ourselves for the sake of the souls around us. Not all are called on missionary journeys. But we are all called to walk in and from our Lord Jesus Christ; that as our lives are transformed by Him, others may experience Him and find salvation. What are we willing to offer to Christ that He may do His good works in and through us on behalf of others.

In the Parable of the Dragnet our Lord Jesus Christ says that the Kingdom of God is like a dragnet cast in the sea catching fish and bringing them into the boat. When the boat, full of fish, comes to the shore the fish get separated; the good from the bad and the bad are thrown away. He does this to teach us of the end times and the final judgment. This session explores the parable and one of the most important questions: Lord, how do You, the righteous judge of every soul, discern the good from the bad who have been caught and brought into the Ark of Salvation?

Here we have the second session of our Lenten "The Kingdom of God is Like" series. In this parable, our Lord speaks of the command that we must forgive as we have been forgiven. This session explores that call and the grace we have been given to do so. It also speaks to the impact a lack of forgiveness has on us all.

We begin our Lenten series this year with a teaching on true repentance. How has the Church always taught this very important aspect of our life in Christ? It is far more than just sorrow over our sins and it is the foundation on which Christ constructs the work of salvation in the lives of all out of His great love for us.

Today we look at the story of the woman caught in adultery brought by the Scribes and Pharisees before Christ. It is in the Gospel of St. John that we have those familiar words given by Christ, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." In this narrative we explore the ministry of Christ overthrowing the accusers and we see clearly the God of mercy in action toward one who could never deserve it.