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Are We Ready for Jesus to Visit? (Sermon Jan. 22, 2017)

On this Sunday of Zacchaeus, Fr. Andrew connects the entrance of Christ into Zacchaeus's house with His visitation in the tradition of home blessings.




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Loving God When It Makes No Sense (Sermon Jan. 29, 2017)

Fr. Andrew uses the example of the persistence of the Canaanite Woman to show what humility and love for God look like.




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Lent and Priesthood #1: The Priesthood of Humility (Sermon Feb. 5, 2017)

With this first Sunday of the Triodion, Fr. Andrew begins a 10-week sermon series on the priesthood, focusing this Sunday on what is taught by the parable of the Publican and Pharisee.




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Lent and Priesthood #2: The Priesthood of Return (Sermon Feb. 12, 2017)

Using the parable of the Prodigal Son, Fr. Andrew continues his series on the priesthood, discussing how the priesthood is exercised by each of the main characters in the story.




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Lent and Priesthood #3: The Priesthood of the Last Judgment (Sermon Feb. 19, 2017)

Fr. Andrew describes the Last Judgment as a priestly, liturgical act.




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Lent and Priesthood #4: The Priesthood of Forgiveness (Sermon Feb. 26, 2017)

Continuing his series on the priesthood, Fr. Andrew discusses the act of forgiveness as a priestly offering.




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Lent and Priesthood #5: The Priesthood of Reconnection (Sermon March 4, 2017)

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, Fr. Andrew preaches on the incarnation, iconography and how the priesthood ties them together.




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Lent and Priesthood #6: The Priesthood of Union (Sermon Mar. 12, 2017)

Reflecting on the theological contributions of St. Gregory Palamas, Fr. Andrew talks about the priesthood in terms of how it unites us with God.




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Lent and Priesthood #7: The Priesthood of Sacrifice (Sermon Mar. 19, 2017)

On this Sunday of the Adoration of the Cross, Fr. Andrew speaks on the ultimate priestly act of Jesus on the cross—sacrifice.




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Lent and Priesthood #8: The Priesthood of Hope (Sermon Mar. 26, 2017)

On the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Fr. Andrew discusses the link St. Paul makes in Hebrews 6:18-20 between hope and the priesthood of Christ.




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Lent and Priesthood #9: The Priesthood of Purification (Sermon Apr. 2, 2017)

With the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt, Fr. Andrew uses both her life and the reading from Hebrews to discuss the priesthood of Christ in terms of purification.




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Lent and Priesthood #10: The Priesthood of Paradox (Sermon Apr. 9, 2017)

Fr. Andrew wraps up his 10-week sermon series on the priesthood with his Palm Sunday emphasis on paradox.




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The Priesthood After the Resurrection (Sermon Apr. 23, 2017)

Reflecting on both the Sunday of St. Thomas and the feast of St. George, Fr. Andrew looks back on his sermon series on the priesthood and asks what this ministry means in the light of the resurrection.




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Receiving the Body of Jesus: Holy Communion and Joseph of Arimathea (Sermon Apr. 30, 2017)

On this Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers, Fr. Andrew presents St. Theophylact's teaching on how Joseph of Arimathea's care for the body of Jesus is an image of receiving Holy Communion.




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What's the Point of Miracles? (Sermon May 7, 2017)

On this Sunday of the Paralytic, Fr. Andrew discusses three miraculous healings and how these kinds of experiences fit into the Christian life.




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Christianity is Historical and Therefore Makes Demands (Sermon May 14, 2017)

Using Jesus' observation to the Samaritan woman at the well that 'salvation is from the Jews,' Fr. Andrew discusses the historical particularity of the Christian faith.




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Jesus Doesn't Fit Into My Life (Sermon May 21, 2017)

Fr. Andrew discusses the idea of Christianity being an important part of life on this Sunday of the Blind Man.




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Did Jesus Abandon Us at the Ascension? (Sermon May 28, 2017)

Discussing the idea that the Ascension was Jesus abandoning His flock, Fr. Andrew unpacks what's really going on in the feast, what it says about Who Jesus is, about what His mission is, and about our salvation and our mission.




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The Descent of God in Fire: Pentecost and the Exodus (Sermon June 4, 2017)

With the great feast of Pentecost, Fr. Andrew discusses it as a fulfillment of the Old Testament Exodus from Egypt.




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Can We Do What the Saints Did? (Sermon June 11, 2017)

With the Sunday of All Saints, Fr. Andrew discusses how the saints could do what they did and what it really means for us to be like them.




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Becoming Fishers of Men: A How-To (Sermon June 18, 2017)

Jesus says to His disciples and us: Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And then He shows us how it's done.




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Jesus Didn't Come to Earth to Help Us (Sermon June 25, 2017)

Focusing on Christ's command to 'seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness', Fr. Andrew fleshes out what that means in terms of our participation in Christ.




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Is Faith Like in the Bible Even Possible? (Sermon July 2, 2017)

Using the example of the centurion, who believes that Jesus will heal his servant with just a word, Fr. Andrew asks if that kind of faith is even possible in our own age.




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Where Does Zeal for God Come From? (Sermon July 9, 2017)

Using Paul's criticism of those who have a "zeal for God, but not according to knowledge," Fr. Andrew discusses various types of that kind of zeal and addresses where the true zeal for God comes from.




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Orthodox Christology and Why It Matters (Sermon July 16, 2017)

Fr. Andrew summarizes and explains Orthodox Christology with the feast of the Sunday of the Fourth Ecumenical Council.




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The Prophet-Priest Ezekiel (Sermon July 23, 2017)

On the feast of the Prophet Ezekiel, Fr. Andrew gives an overview of his life and discusses some images from his book of prophecy.




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Is Orthodox Christianity Always the Same? (Sermon July 30, 2017)

Discussing St. Paul's admonition that we 'all speak the same thing,' Fr. Andrew discusses which elements of Orthodox Christianity cannot vary and which can and do.




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The Transfiguration as Model for Ministry (Sermon Aug. 6, 2017)

Celebrating the great feast of the Transfiguration of Christ, Fr. Andrew discusses how what we learn from it about Who Jesus is also teaches us about how to do ministry. And he gives one suggestion for applying what we learn.




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Holiness How-To: Imitate our Gospel Parents (Sermon Aug. 13, 2017)

Using Paul's exhortation to the Corinthians to imitate him as their father in the Gospel, Fr. Andrew expands this outward to discuss the role of spiritual fathers and mothers in our lives.




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The Birth of a Prophet (Sermon Aug. 20, 2017)

Using the occasion of the feast of the Prophet Samuel, Fr. Andrew tells the story of his birth and connects that with salvation history and with our own lives.




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A Tale of Two Rich Young Men (Sermon Aug. 27, 2017)

Fr. Andrew talks about Jesus' response to the rich young man on how to gain eternal life and connects it with a piece of 3rd century Church history and with our own lives.




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Whose Vineyard is This, Anyway? (Sermon Sept. 3, 2017)

In Christ's telling of the parable of the vineyard and its wicked tenants, Fr. Andrew connects the story directly with our own lives in the Church.




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Love vs. Truth: Who Wins? (Sermon Sept. 10, 2017)

Discussing the famous verses John 3:16-17, Fr. Andrew talks about the relationship between love and truth—which one will win?




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A Christmas More Meaningful Than Magical (Sermon Dec. 25, 2016)

In his Nativity sermon, Fr. Andrew discusses how negative experiences at Christmas reveal the feast's true purpose.




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All Stars: Discussing Servant Leadership with Athena Vlamis

"But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant"- Matthew 20:26 The All-Stars series continues with guest Athena Vlamis, a senior at Kennesaw State University and Georgia District Student Leader for OCF. In this podcast, Tasya and Athena talk about Athena's leadership role in a new Pan-Orthodox initiative, the Connect Conference. The college seniors also discuss servant leadership, using our talents for the glory of God, the role of young adults in the church, the foundation OCF has laid in their lives, the importance of living as an Orthodox in day-to-day life, and more.




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A Perspective on Serving on the Front Lines of the Coronavirus

Fr. Nick and Pres. Roxanne host a special guest, Dr. D, a physician in Manhattan at one of the hardest hit hospitals dealing with coronavirus.




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Sermon on the Mount - Part 1

Fr. John Oliver reads the Sermon on the Mount, in three parts, from the translation titled "The New Testament: A Translation" by David Bentley Hart. (Part 1)




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Sermon on the Mount - Part 2

Fr. John Oliver reads the Sermon on the Mount, in three parts, from the translation titled "The New Testament: A Translation" by David Bentley Hart. (Part 2)




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Sermon on the Mount - Part 3

Fr. John Oliver reads the Sermon on the Mount, in three parts, from the translation titled "The New Testament: A Translation" by David Bentley Hart. (Part 3)




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Serving from the Depths of Bliss

Fr. John Oliver shares a remarkable story of service to inspire us to joyfully use our gifts in service of others.




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Jesus Is For Losers

Fr. John Oliver discusses our responsibility to the lonely.




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Even the Devil is a Servant of God

Fr. John Oliver reflects on the role evil and suffering plays in drawing us closer to God.




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“Speedy Sacraments for Liturgical Losers”

(Fr. Joseph dedicates this program to the memory of Fr. Matthew MacKay, who would have appreciated the humor—he hopes.) This week the Orthodixie podcast catches up with the author of An Empty Church is a Peaceful Church, Fr. Danislav Gregorio, about his new book, Speedy Sacraments for Liturgical Losers.




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A Sermon on Same-Sin Unions

This is really not a sermon about so-called same-sex unions. Really, it's not.




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“Hebbin - Yes, Debbil - No” (And Other Great Sermons)

Where do sermons come from? Well, they sure don't come from Neil Young, Stephen Bishop, George Jones, or the Bay City Rollers! But these, and more, join John Chrysostom and John of Kronstadt in this episode, which begins, of course, with Sammy Davis Jr.




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How You Can Be Ready to Serve the New Wave of Inquirers

Many clergy report an increase in people visiting our parishes. This wave is unique in Church history because these inquirers have primarily, perhaps even exclusively, learned about Orthodoxy on the internet. The growing number of internet evangelists can be a great blessing if that work leads people to immerse themselves in the life of an Orthodox parish. But we need to be ready and able to serve these inquirers well. Are we? In this episode, Steve Christoforou describes how a healthy parish can build upon the work internet evangelists have done while making up for the deficiencies of the on-line experience. As a veteran internet evangelist (e.g. through Be the Bee, We Are Orthodoxy, Pop Culture Coffee Hour) and the Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries (Y2AM), Steven brings a wealth of insight to this critical and often misunderstood topic. In the episode, Steve shares the five needs of young people which are further explored in Y2AM’s online ministry training course, Effective Christian Ministry. Listers can use the code GGWB at checkout to register for 50% off. EffectiveChristianMinistry.org Enjoy the show!




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Fleeing to the Desert

Is it possible to flee to the desert a little bit? No and yes. No, you can’t flee a little bit, for fleeing a little bit is not fleeing at all. But yes, you can flee a little bit, if that little bit is complete. Here’s what I mean. We are all called to flee the world, in the sense of fleeing the sinful ways of the world. But we are not all called to flee in the same way. St. Isaac the Syrian, also known as St. Isaac the Solitary, wrote letters and homilies for hermits, those who had fled the world in the most complete and literal way. Much of the wisdom of these letters and homilies can help anyone flee to the desert completely, even if they only flee completely a little bit.




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Same Sex Attraction and Three Desert Fathers

We live in a generation that has been taught to tie their personal identity to their imagined sexual preferences. Consequently, it is difficult to help people who struggle with sexual passions to find hope and repentance. However, the teaching of holy fathers such as St. Isaac the Syrian and St. Barsanuphius of Gaza provide a very helpful alternative to the world’s way of thinking about such passions. For these saints, same-sex attraction is a passion like any other. It is not part of one’s identity, but is a parasitical passion, resisted and struggled against as all other passions are.




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Jesus - The Servant of the Lord

Listen to a fascinating and instructive word study on the word "servant" and how it is applied to Jesus in both the Old and New Testaments.




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Jesus - The Suffering Servant

What was the nature and purpose of the death of Christ as depicted in the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah? Get your Orthodox Study Bible out and follow along as Fr. Thomas teaches us verse by verse.