The book of Exodus describes the escape of the Jews from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses, the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, and the long journey through the wilderness. The people were quickly frustrated by their escape from Egypt and they turned against Moses and his god, lamenting that perhaps they …
Who is this Son of Man?
Today's Gospel reading (John 17:1-13) takes us back to the upper room, where Jesus had his last supper with the disciples before his arrest. On this Sunday After Ascension, one week before Pentecost, we hear Jesus speak of returning to where he was, with God his father, from all eternity. This is what Ascension is …
Different Kinds of Blindness
Who is really blind in today’s gospel reading (John 9)? The man, the people around him, his parents, the Pharisees? My quick answer: all of them! The man was blind - but he had become invisible to everyone who saw him day after day. Their blindness was one of ignoring him. They passed him …
Spirit and Truth
It seems I'm not the only one who read carefully the article about millennials and the church in the Washington Post. It obviously created significant buzz in some circles. A friend of mine sent me an article by David French in a certain magazine, without endorsing its content. It was a rather hateful attack on the same Post …
Church Without Gimmicks
Sermon of 3 May, 2015, Audio file: John is called the Theologian in the Orthodox Church, for good reason. There is much theology in today's reading of John 5:1-15; but there is theology in all the miracle stories in the Gospels, as I always try to point out. At the heart of today's miracle story is a …
Ancient Modern Faith 