Homily 282 – 19th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa October 15, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. Tilling soil is a violent act. Many of you know this better than I do, from study, and from life experience. The…

Homily 281 – 17th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa October 1, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. What does it mean to be a sanctuary of the Living God? If what St. Paul writes is true, which it is,…

Homily 279 – 15th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa September 17, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. St. Paul in his letters to the Corinthians and to the Romans offers us a strange encouragement. He tells them, and us,…

Homily 279 – 15th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa September 17, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. The central practice of the Christian faith is this idea of denying ourselves, picking up our Cross, and following Christ. Our society…

Homily 278 – 14th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa September 10, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. We hear of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. That account is from the Old Testament, from the Fourth Book…

Homily 277 – 13th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa September 3, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. In the Parable Jesus tells this morning we hear the entire history of the people of Israel in one story. God planted…

Homily 276 – 12th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa August 27, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. In the account of the Rich Young Ruler, we should all probably see ourselves. And we should all probably be concerned about…

Homily 275 – 11th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa August 20, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. Forgive us our transgressions, as we forgive those who transgress against us. In a short while, that statement is what we will…

Homily 274 – 10th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa August 13, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. The gospel speaks of something called faith. And if we have but a small quantity of it, amazing things can be accomplished.…

Homily 272 – 8th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa July 30, 2017 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God. We hear about the feeding of the 5,000 this morning. I have heard this story so many times, I confess that I…