Those familiar with old-time Pentecostalist liturgy will identify the title of this piece as a part of that liturgy. Not, of course, that tongue-speaking Pentecostalists of the old school would admit to having liturgy. Liturgy, for them, is what the Catholics have (along with their step-children, the Anglicans) because they do not have God or the Holy Spirit. Liturgy is usually described by them as “dead liturgy” because the people using the liturgical book are spiritually dead and need such substitutes for true Spirit-led worship.

I would like to share with you an easy technique for avoiding moral accountability. Whenever you are caught and called to account for doing something wrong (that is, when you are “busted”), you simply invoke the figure of the Pharisee. Tell your accuser that he is being judgmental and Pharisaical, and that he has no right to judge you. After all, the Lord says, “Judge not”. It works almost every time, functioning as a moral Get Out of Jail Free card.

I have been reading liberal theology since my college days—i.e. theologies which deny many, most, or all of the major tenets of the traditional Christian Faith. The theologies are as many and as varied as their authors, but they all share a conviction that Jesus of Nazareth didn’t say and do all the things which the New Testament recorded that He said and did, that the Gospels are not to be trusted as history, and that therefore the basic dogmas of the historical Church are wrong. The late Bishop John Spong (inset) is a modern and sterling example.

G. K. Chesterton wrote that he once left fairy tales lying on the floor of the nursery and hadn’t found any books so sensible since (from his Orthodoxy, “The Ethics of Elfland”). I suggest that Christianity is one such fairy tale, and also that it is a myth. But it is a fairy tale come true, and a myth that became a fact.

I recently spoke with a dear friend who dolefully reported that a distant family member had left his very traditional Protestant church (with its stress on doctrine and Reformed worship) for a group called “The Bridge”. The name of the group reminded me of similar names of such new churches, such as “Connect”, and “Relate”—i.e. the names were intended to highlight their emphasis on relationships. So much for “St. James Anglican Cathedral”, or “Ferndale Baptist Church”, or even “Living Waters Pentecostal Assembly”.

Fr. Apostolos reminds us this Halloween season of the absolute and exclusive claims laid upon us by Jesus Christ.

Fr. Apostolos continues his homiletic series on prayer.

Fr. Apostolos explains that the Gospel message is the meaning of Christmas.

Fr. Apostolos encourages us that it is possible to change. May we approach the Feast of the Transfiguration "with a sense of humility and anticipation that we too might be radically changed into that same image from glory to glory."

Fr. Apostolos shares about agape from St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.

Fr. Apostolos invites the faithful to complete the journey from the gates of Jerusalem and Christ's triumphal entry to Golgotha and the borrowed tomb that could not hold the Lord of Life.

In this homily, Fr. Apostolos deals with focusing on the positive goal of our faith in Jesus Christ as opposed to getting bogged down in a negative view of merely keeping the "rules."

Fr. Apostolos connects the gospel on the Rich Young Ruler with the change in church attendance, exhorting us not to get waylaid with the cares of this world.

Fr. Apostolos Hill discusses the Sunday of the Cross and the importance of learning to pick up our cross in the simple day-to-day choices we make.

Fr. Apostolos Hill unpacks the story of Hosea and Gomer, contrasting the covenant between God and Israel and Gomer's infidelity in her pursuit of an "open marriage." Jesus' words in the Gospel reading today about the exclusive nature of our union with Him in the New Covenant ("whoever loves father, mother, son, daughter more than Me...") indicates that our fidelity to Him cannot be divided.

Fr. Apostolos Hill shares a homily centered on the Epistle reading and St. Paul's admonition that we exercise the spiritual gifts given to us for the building up of the Body of Christ.

Fr. Apostolos Hill speaks on the theme of the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise and how we acquire a thirst for the Kingdom.

Fr. Apostolos Hill talks about deconstruction of determinism on both a personal and corporate level. The change Jesus invites us to experience is one He Himself provides. To suggest that real change is impossible, as determinists insist, is to abandon the path of salvation.

Fr. Apostolos Hill speaks about the Canaanite woman as an example of urgent prayer.

Fr. Apostolos Hill delivers a homily from the commemoration of the 5th Ecumenical Council which condemned the many heresies of Origen of Alexandria and of Universalism in particular.

Fr. Apostolos Hill took the opportunity of his and Presvytera Denise's 38th wedding anniversary to offer a homily about marriage in the Orthodox view.

Fr. Apostolos speaks about Divine Judgement and the pardon offered to all through the blood of Christ.

Sermon on the Leavetaking of the Elevation of the Precious Cross (Galatians 2:16-20; Mark 8:34-9:1)

Sermon on the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ (Hebrews 11:9-10, 17-23, 32-40; Matthew 1:1-25)

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday before the Nativity of Christ

Holy Myrrhbearers - Third Sunday of Pascha

The readings presented by the Church on this day remind us of the most fundamental teachings about what we believe and who we are called to be as Christians. As we celebrate the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God, Fr Tom tells us that the Virgin Mary is the one who embodies hearing and keeping those most basic teachings. (Dormition of the Mother of God, Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost)

The parable of the Prodigal Son is a powerful image of our returning to God and the Father's rich mercy in restoring us. Fr Tom reminds us that we must be able both to admit that we have separated ourselves from God's life and have the deep desire to return to the riches of His Kingdom.

Gifts are given to each one of us by God for the purpose of building up the body of Christ and being salt and light in the world. Fr Tom shows us how both of today's scripture readings clarify our purpose as individual members of the Church.

Technology has become so pervasive that many people are now enslaved to their smartphones, constantly looking down into them! Fr. Thomas reminds us that, like the woman bent over with a spirit of infirmity, the Lord heals us so that we can look up to see the gift of life in Christ. (22nd Sunday after Pentecost)

Though oftentimes it seems God is silent and does not hear our prayers, Fr Thomas reminds us that God is always reaching out to us and uses the circumstances of our life to draw us closer to Him. (Thirty-first Sunday after Pentecost)

Lent is a time of great anticipation as we move toward the celebration of Christ's holy Pascha. But Fr Thomas reminds us that it is also a preparation for our entire Christian life, where we face the challenges of increased prayer, fasting and almsgiving and in turn, learn much about our true selves. (Forgiveness Sunday)

Orthodox Christians around the world will embark upon the most important time of the year, Holy Week, leading to the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Fr Thomas reminds us that Holy Week is our opportunity to experience the value of Christ above all things in our life. (Palm Sunday)

In Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we find the Master Teacher deftly bringing her to faith in Him. Fr Thomas relates this gospel message to the imperative of sharing our own story of faith in Christ with those who are thirsting for God.

In a special Christmas edition of Sermons at St Nicholas, Fr Thomas reminds us of the cosmic significance of the birth of Christ. Because God the Father sends His Son to us, the world will never be the same!

The image of Christianity is being sullied by TV preachers who justify their desire for riches under the guise of a distorted piety. Hence, prayer, which allows us to ask God for good things, is instead cheapened to demand things which are self-serving. Fr Thomas teaches us the riches of prayer mined from the story of the healing of blind Bartimeaus.

Today it's fashionable in some circles to sanction any "lifestyle" under the rubric of humanity being "created in the image of God." Fr Thomas teaches us what bearing the image of God implies for every human person, and why the gospel is at the heart of it.

Recent news has reported that, in the US, church attendance is down, in direct relation to the social changes sweeping the country. Fr Thomas teaches us that when the winds of change blow, the most important thing we can do is assess our own commitment to faith in Christ by checking for spiritual blindness.

In the dramatic parable of the Lazarus and the Rich Man, the Lord teaches us the importance of sharing our wealth with those in need. Fr Thomas turns to the topic of generosity, and how it can transform our lives and even our parishes.