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An Introduction to God: Encountering the Divine in Orthodox Christianity

How can we know God? A question that has been pondered through the centuries. In this special episode, Fr. Andrew delivers a talk at Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Harrisburg, PA.




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Sermon Jan. 27, 2013 (Relics of St. John Chrysostom)

On this Sunday, Fr. Andrew speaks about the idea of 'veiling' in the church.




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Christ has not left us!: Pentecost and the Incarnation (Sermon June 23, 2013)

On this Sunday of Pentecost we are reminded that with the coming of the Holy Spirit, we are assured that Christ has not left us.




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The Acceptable Year of the Lord: Time and Orthodox Christianity (Sermon Sept. 1, 2013).

On this Sunday, Fr. Andrew reminds us that in Orthodoxy there is a purpose for history, and with this New Year in the Orthodox Church, we can participate in the Acceptable Year of the Lord.




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Resetting Life Through the Cross (Sermon Sept. 15, 2013)

On this Sunday, Fr. Andrew asks if we ever feel that we need a reset, a do-over in our lives. If we do, then the Cross is where we start over.




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Baptism Into Data: Orthodox Christian Reflections and Comparisons with Evangelical Evangelism

In this presentation, Fr. Andrew compares the data-centered efforts of Evangelical Protestant Evangelism, with the church-centered efforts of Orthodox Evangelism.




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Paradoxes of Christianity (Sermon Oct. 6, 2013)

On this Sunday, Fr. Andrew tells us how God presents us with a series of contradictions that ultimately lead us to Christ.




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The Church in the Bible: The Body of Christ in the Holy Scriptures

What does the Bible say about the Church? How did the first Christians understand the Church? How did (and does) the Church fit into God’s plan for man’s salvation?




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The Church after the Bible: The Body of Christ after the Apostles

What impact did the written New Testament have on the early Church? How did the early Church develop along with the Bible? Finally, how does the New Testament faith community compare with the Church today?




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The Orthodox Christian and Public Discourse: Racism, Bullying, Intolerance and the Media

How do the media determine public discourse? Are bullying, racism, etc., the biggest problems of our day? Are these things common or becoming bigger problems? What is at the root of these behaviors? Why do people bully? Why do they have racist attitudes? What makes people intolerant? What should we as Orthodox Christians do when we encounter these behaviors in others? What should we do when we are tempted to engage in them ourselves? What are some spiritual strategies for preparing to encounter these behaviors in others, in ourselves, or in discussion?




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Incarnate Faith in a Virtual World: Orthodox Christianity and Social Media

Chatter about the Orthodox Faith abounds in social media but not all of it is true. How should Orthodox Christians approach Facebook, Twitter, etc., both in terms of their own posts but also in reading posts by others? Fr. Andrew Damick shares some reflections as well as his own guidelines for using social media.




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The Prostitute Who Became an Ancestor of Christ (Sermon Dec. 22, 2013)

On this Sunday before the Nativity, Fr. Andrew reflects on the place of the prostitute Rahab in salvation history and what it means for us.




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Becoming a Bridge: Christ and the Woman at the Well (Sermon May 18, 2014)

On this Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, Fr. Andrew examines how Christ becomes a bridge for her, how she becomes a bridge between Him and her people, and how we may also become bridges.




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The Seed of Christ (Sermon June 1, 2014)

On this Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, Fr. Andrew draws on their witness and the witness of St. Justin Martyr to ask how we are to relate to those outside of Orthodoxy and those within it who are not fully faithful.




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Two Things Needed by the Christian (Sermon Aug. 17, 2014)

On this 10th Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Andrew explores two things St. Paul shows in the epistle reading that are needed by the Christian: suffering and spiritual fatherhood.




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Will You Be Left Behind?: The Rapture in Light of Ancient Christianity

Fr. Andrew speaks at Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.




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Your Own Personal Jesus: Christmas and Paul (Sermon Dec. 28, 2014)

On this Sunday after the Nativity of Christ, Fr. Andrew talks about Paul's personal sense of Christ in himself.




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The Entry of Christ into our Homes (Sermon Jan. 25, 2015)

Fr. Andrew speaks on Zacchaeus Sunday, combining the themes of Zacchaeus and the blessing of houses, concerning the preparation needed for the entry of Christ into our homes.




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The Gospel Message: The Heart of the Orthodox Christian

A talk given at the Orthodox Homeschooling Conference (Apr. 23-26) at the Antiochian Village.




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The Christianity of the Ascension: Our Potential in Christ (Sermon May 24, 2015)

On this Sunday after the Ascension, Fr. Andrew discusses the central place the Ascension of Christ has in the life of the Christian.




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Not Abolition, But Fulfillment: Reading Everything in the Light of Christ (Sermon July 19, 2015)

On this Sunday of the Fathers, Fr. Andrew discusses Christ's comments on His followers being the light of the world in light of His teaching that He came to fulfill the Law.




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How Does Faith Justify in Christ? (Sermon Sept. 20, 2015)

Fr. Andrew discusses justification, faith, the Gospel and the New Covenant, and how they all relate to one another.




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Following the Leader of our Salvation Through Sacrifice (Sermon Nov. 8, 2015)

Commenting on the epistle reading for the Feast of the Archangels, Fr. Andrew discusses how we can follow Christ, the 'Leader of our Salvation.'




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The Samaritan is Christ and I am the Beaten Man (Sermon Nov. 15, 2015)

Fr. Andrew discusses the parable of the Good Samaritan, showing how an ancient patristic interpretation opens new fields of understanding.




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Orthodox Christian Morality in Public:  Reflections on Sexuality and Bioethics

What is a person? Is our culture confused about what a person is? What is morality? What does it mean to be moral? How does sex fit in? What about homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research and assisted suicide? How should we as Orthodox Christians live regarding these matters? How should we talk to our family and friends about them? How should we talk to the wider society about them? Should we engage in political action over them?




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Christmas Means War! (Sermon Dec. 20, 2015)

On this Sunday before the Nativity, Fr. Andrew uses a quote from St. Ignatius of Antioch to talk about the true meaning of Christmas.




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Christianity is Not About Your Spiritual Life (Sermon Jan. 10, 2016)

On this Sunday after Theophany, Fr. Andrew talks about the gift of Christ given at baptism that precludes both pietism and clericalism—Christians are called to be ministers to one another.




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Christian Ethics from the IRS (Sermon Jan. 31, 2016)

On this Sunday of Zacchaeus, Fr. Andrew talks about how this ancient tax collector teaches us a lesson in Christian ethics.




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Do Orthodox Christians Have Jesus in Their Hearts? (Sermon Feb. 14, 2016)

Using Paul's language in 2 Corinthians about believers being the temple of the living God, Fr. Andrew discusses the popular language of "having Jesus in your heart."




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Is Christianity About What You Can't Do? (Sermon Aug. 7, 2016)

Fr. Andrew addresses a common feeling about Christianity—that it means a loss of freedom.




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Christian Unity: It Would Take a Miracle! (Sermon Aug. 14, 2016)

Discussing Paul's admonition in 1 Cor. 1 that Christians all be of the same mind, Fr. Andrew comments on how unity is possible.




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Are Christians Allowed to Doubt? (Sermon Aug. 21, 2016)

Using the Gospel reading of Peter walking on water, Fr. Andrew talks about the two kinds of doubt in the Christian life and how to address them.




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How Do Christians Survive Times of Political Insanity? (Sermon July 31, 2016)

Reflecting on St. Paul's admonition to 'bless and do not curse,' Fr. Andrew discusses how that applies in our times of heightened political tension.




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Jesus is Not Part of the Christmas Story (Sermon Dec. 18, 2016)

Fr. Andrew urges us not to 'put Christ back into Christmas,' but to see the true story.




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Who Shall I Be at Christmas? (Sermon Dec. 24, 2016)

On Christmas Eve, Fr. Andrew asks how we will live at Christmas.




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The True Future for Christians (Sermon Jan. 15, 2017)

Speaking on Colossians 3:4, Fr. Andrew discusses how what we desire for the future is what defines our present.




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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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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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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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Out of Appalachia: Orthodox Christianity and the Old Regular Baptists

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick journeys into the hollers of central Appalachia and encounters one of the least-known forms of American Protestant religion, exploring their faith, their music and one of their churches, through the eyes of an Orthodox priest raised in that tradition.




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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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There is No Christmas and No Church Without History (Dec. 24, 2017)

With his Christmas Eve sermon, Fr. Andrew emphasizes that history is not just an aspect of the Church but key to the whole Christian Gospel. In his additional commentary, he shares a meditation titled 'Who Shall I Be at Christmas?'




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Everything and All is Christ (Mar. 4, 2018)

Sharing more of the wisdom he learned from his experience Athonite monasticism, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses how even at the heart of where everything is being done 'right,' the Orthodox Christians there are focused completely on Jesus Christ.




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A Renewing Ministry: Orthodox Christian Witness and Ministry in this Secular Age

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick speaks on the kind of secular age we are actually in (it may be not what you think!), how we evangelize and minister in this context, and how we live a true Christian life here. (This talk was given on Mar. 17, 2018, for the OCA Diocese of New York & New Jersey annual teen retreat.)




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The Triumphal Entry of Christ into the Heart (Apr. 1, 2018)

Jesus enters triumphantly into the Holy City of Jerusalem, as celebrated on Palm Sunday. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick relates that to His entry into the Jerusalem that is our hearts and talks about what happens when that occurs.




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Pentecost: Christ Has Not Left Us (May 27, 2018)

Far from being a substitution at Pentecost, swapping Christ with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit makes Christ present to us for ever. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick meditates on this and related themes.




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Why Christianity Must Have Saints (June 3, 2018)

On the feast of All Saints, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses what it means to be a saint, both for us and for those we usually think of as 'saints,' as well as why saints are actually critical to Christianity.




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No Love? No Church. No Christianity. (July 1, 2018)

St. Paul's famous Love Chapter in 1 Cor. 13 follows on the closing verses of 1 Cor. 12, which are about the gifts God gives the Church in her people. So what is love? Where do we get it? And how does that express itself in these gifts? What about love in daily life?




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Are You a Christian Lunatic? (Aug. 5, 2018)

The man who brings his son with seizures to Jesus tells Him that the boy is a lunatic, that he is being controlled by the moon. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick asks, do we act like lunatics ourselves? Do we have to?




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Christianity is Not a Fair Deal (Sept. 30, 2018)

Speaking on 2 Cor. 9:6-11, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses why Christianity isn't a fair exchange and also why we often can't see what God is giving us.