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Orthodox Christianity is a way of life, not a religion. Too often we relegate our belief in Christ to a mere mental exercise. Be Transfigured! And Live a New Life in Jesus Christ.
Episodes
Tuesday Jan 05, 2016
Tuesday Jan 05, 2016
Humility Prepares the Way for Christ
When the Holy Trinity was about to be revealed to the world, God did not send a king, a governor, or an emperor. He sent a man of incredible humility. John the Baptist expressed his humility by declaring, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.” (Mark 1.7) He knew he was not worthy of God, but still God referred to him as the greatest woman ever to be born of a woman. (Matthew 11.11) If you want to prepare your heart and soul for Christ, consider the humility of John the Baptist.
Monday Dec 28, 2015
Monday Dec 28, 2015
When we hear the Good News of Christmas, we get to choose how we respond. We can respond as Herod the King with rage because we don’t want to give up our comforts and material way of life. We can choose to embrace the Good News as freedom from the anxiety and pressures of the worldly life or we can stand up and fight against the truth of the Church, as the crowd stood up and stoned Saint Stephen. King Herod had the chance to see the joy and freedom of the Good News of Christ’s Birth, but he couldn’t even see Christ as the coming freedom from Rome. How will you respond to the Good News of Christmas this year? Will you respond like Herod and the crowd, or sing God’s praises as the Angels? Christ is born; Glorify Him; you have been set free!
Saturday Dec 26, 2015
Saturday Dec 26, 2015
This Bible Study was originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube on Wednesday, December 16, 2015.
Friday Dec 25, 2015
Friday Dec 25, 2015
More than half of all Americans consider Christmas a “cultural experience” rather than a religious holiday. We all know at least one person, maybe even a family member, that considers Christmas just about decorations, gifts and a big family dinner. But if the God Who created the universe really became a human on this day we call Christmas, then that has to mean something. Calling God our savior is more than just a few words. If He came to save us, we have to want to be saved. If Christmas is just another day for family to gather around the dinner table, then it isn’t Christmas. Something so significant and life changing – life saving – as God becoming a baby has to mean something.
Monday Dec 21, 2015
Monday Dec 21, 2015
When most people read the Old Testament, they read with the belief they are reading about the saved people of God. If the Old Testament is a story about God saving His people from death, the story is a failure since every human being, righteous and sinful with the exception of Elias and Enoch, dies in the Old Testament. But if the Old Testament is the story of the SAVIOR rather than the saved, it is a great success. The Old Testament is a story about how God, just in the nick of time, provides a savior to continue the human race, so He can enter into His Creation at Christmas. The entire Old Testament is the story of the lineage of Jesus Christ and not the lineage of the Saved. This is why on the Sunday before Christmas, the Church reads the genealogy of Jesus Christ as written in the Gospel According to Matthew. When we read the Old Testament in this way, we are better prepared to greet Him at Christmas as our Savior. God has saved us from the materialism of the world and all the fallen passions. Although we will still die like those of the Old Testament, God has something better for us when He returns. Although we still struggle like those of the Old Testament, God has something better for us when He returns.
Tuesday Dec 15, 2015
Tuesday Dec 15, 2015
In the Parable of the Great Banquet found in the Gospel of Luke 14.16-24, Jesus warns us of the result of excuses. When we continue to come up with excuses why we can’t attend Church, or why we can’t live the life of the Church which is meant to prepare us for heaven, then we will find ourselves left out. The life of the Church has only one purpose, to prepare us for heaven. It doesn’t matter if our name is on the membership list in the Church office, if we make excuses and don’t accept God’s invitation to attend the banquet known as the Divine Liturgy. If we live a life filled with excuses about church when we are alive, the chances are much greater that we will continue to make excuses when God reminds us that heaven is ready and waiting for us. It won’t make any difference when we claim our name is on the invitation list, it will be too late.
Thursday Dec 10, 2015
Thursday Dec 10, 2015
This Bible study was originally LIVE STREAM on Wednesday, December 9, 2015, in Florence, SC
Monday Dec 07, 2015
Monday Dec 07, 2015
It seems like the holiday season is one of the most difficult times to follow the life of the Church. Around every turn our society is urging us to turn away from following the life of the Church in favor of secular parties and materialism. With the burden of Christmas shopping, laying out decorations, attending holiday parties at work or in the neighborhood, most people are just happy Christmas is over, once it finally arrives. Attending Divine Liturgy is nothing more than an obligatory punctuation mark to an over-scheduled, over-hyped and over-worked season. An all the while the Church expects us to prepare for Christmas with fasting, prayer, reading the Scriptures, helping the poor, going for Holy Confession. We have a choice. We can either obey the Church, with her two thousand year history of experience and grace, or we can obey the society and look at the expectations of the Church with ridicule. The choice is yours.
Friday Dec 04, 2015
Friday Dec 04, 2015
This Bible study was originally LIVE STREAM via YouTube on Wednesday, December 2, 2015, from Florence, SC.
Monday Nov 30, 2015
Monday Nov 30, 2015
Look around at any family gathering and you will no doubt see children acting like their parents. Parents often look at their children with pride as they “see themselves” in their children because children often reflect their parents. In fact each of us reflects what is most important in our hearts. Like the rich man in the Gospel (Luke 18.18-27) our heart can also be cold and greedy and turned away from the love of God. A quick look at news coverage during the Thanksgiving Holiday, and we can see the priorities of many in our society. Shopping malls are filled with angry and sometimes violent shoppers grabbing for that discounted product, while their brothers and sisters are living in the streets with nothing to eat. The world can be a dark and lonely place, and for those lost in the darkness, just a glimpse of light can bring hope for a better tomorrow. As Saint Paul said, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5.8) As Orthodox Christians we have an opportunity to reflect the Light of Christ for those lost in the darkness, and bring hope that there is Way out of the darkness. We have an opportunity to reflect the Light of Christ so others will see the Light and follow the Light to the Church. If we indeed are children of light, then we should reflect our Father’s Light.