Today we read our epistle (1 Corinthians 16:13-24) and gospel (Matthew 21:33-42) in the light of Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:1-13 and 2 Peter 1: 3-12. We are led to see that there is a new song of hope that replaces the prophet’s lament over God’s people, because Jesus has become the cornerstone of God’s Temple.

Daring to be Different: Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Second of Luke, and feast day of the Apostle Ananias. Our readings for this week (2 Cor 6:16-18, 7:1; Luke 6:31-36) bring us face-to-face with an uncomfortable part of our faith: we are to be “holy” or different. We look to the challenge God gives to Israel in Exodus, and the promises to fulfill this holiness in the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel to help us to understand our calling.

This Sunday, the fourteenth of Luke, we also commemorate the prophet Zephaniah, whose tiny book in the OT speaks eloquently both of the dark state of God’s people, and his aim to bring them into the light (Zephaniah 1:14-17; 3:9-20). Those themes help us to think more concretely, and as a community, concerning the gospel and epistle for today (Ephesians 5:8-19; Luke 18:35-43), where spiritual blindness and sight is also addressed.

This week, as we approach Great Lent, Dr. Edith Humphrey helps us prepare our minds by focusing upon godly humility, as seen in Job, in the model laid out for Timothy by St. Paul, and in the well-known parable of the Publican and the Pharisee.

This week we meditate upon the resurrectional hymns in tone three, rejoicing in our solidarity with the righteous of the Old Testament. God’s ancient people saw His mighty arm outstretched for them, understood themselves to be the first-born of the LORD, and were vouchsafed glimpses of the great release from Hades. We look especially to Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Wisdom for these insights.

We read 1 Cor. 8:8-9:2 in the context of St. Paul’s larger discussion of our One LORD God, while looking back to Deuteronomy 6:4, the food regulations of Leviticus, and the words of Amos and Isaiah on formalism and idolatry. We also consider how this passage prepares us for a Holy Lent.

On this Sunday of the Cross, we unpack Hebrews 4:14-5:9, plus a few extra verses, with the help of St. John Chrysostom, Leviticus 16, Genesis 14 and Psalm 109/110. Special encouragement is found here for this difficult time of isolation and waiting.

This week we tackle the paradox of service and freedom, and the fruit that comes from service to God, as seen in Romans 6:18-23 and Galatians 5:22-26; 6:1-2. We are helped in understanding this through the words of Saints Augustine and Chrysostom, and by reading Genesis 22 and Leviticus 26:12-18.

We examine St. Paul’s poignant picture of the apostles (1 Cor 4:9-16) as the “refuse of the world,” noticing that even the OT is ambivalent towards outward success, considering the problem of calling something “father,” and focusing upon the utter humility of Jesus, who St. Paul sought to follow.

This week we hear the apostle Paul’s vulnerable plea to his congregation, and are reminded to pray and encourage our pastors (bishops, priests, deacons) as they work together with Christ, taking on his suffering for our sake, that we might be effective ministers in the world. (2 Cor 6:1-11; Psalm 68/69; Isaiah 52:13-53:12)

After completing our analysis on the troparia, kontakia, and theotokia, we turn to reading the epistles for Divine Liturgy, beginning with this week’s section from 2 Timothy. The Apostle Paul’s words to this young leader are applicable to everyone, not simply to those who lead the Church, since the Scriptures, Old and New Testament, are for all. We seek to understand the Apostle’s instructions by reference to Psalm 118 (MT 119), and by remembering those who have suffered for their faithfulness—most especially our Lord Jesus himself.

This week we read Revelation 10, by which we are taught both how God has revealed Himself clearly in Jesus, and also how there remain mysteries that we cannot fathom. We read this chapter in the light of Ezekiel 3:1-3 and Daniel 9-12, learning that the new covenant brings us a new intimacy with God, but also calls for patience as we await God’s completion of His work.

This week we consider Revelation 18:1-8, considering the inevitable judgment of Babylon in the light of the prophet Isaiah (13:21-22; 47:7-9) and Malachi.

This week we behold the dramatic laments and final symbolic action concerning Babylon. The colorful vision of Rev 18:9-24, amplified by Amos 3:15-4:2, reveals the network of evil and oppression surrounding “Babylon,” and leads us forward towards joy in the victory of the God’s light and truth.

We read Rev. 22:1-7 in the light of Genesis 1-3, Psalm 1, Psalm 35/36, and Daniel 7, and with the help of ancient commentators, west and east.

We move on in this episode to consider the second royal psalm of Matins, Psalm 20 LXX/21 Hebrew, and see it in the light of Psalm 36/37, as well as 2 Samuel 3. Amazingly, the glory that the LORD Jesus shares with His Father makes its mark on us, as well!

We look to Psalm 62 (LXX)/ 63 (Hebrew text) as a model for practicing the presence of God, and are assured that He is always with us, encouraging us to seek His face.

In this episode we read Esther 3:13a-g, 5:1-13 LXX, and 8:12a-I, considering the royal decrees of the king, the dramatic scene where Esther enters his presence without invitation, and the misinformation about the Jewish people which he finally rejects. We are helped in seeing the significance of these fascinating scenes by recourse to Psalm 85/6, Phil 2:5-11, and 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Bearing the Saint, Chapter thirteen, by Donna Farley (Conciliar Press, 2010).

Bearing the Saint, Chapter fourteen, by Donna Farley (Conciliar Press, 2010).

Bearing the Saint, Chapter fifteen, by Donna Farley (Conciliar Press, 2010).

Bearing the Saint, Chapter sixteen, by Donna Farley (Conciliar Press, 2010).

Bearing the Saint, Chapter seventeen, by Donna Farley (Conciliar Press, 2010).

Bearing the Saint, Chapter eighteen, by Donna Farley (Conciliar Press, 2010).

Bearing the Saint, Chapter nineteen, by Donna Farley (Conciliar Press, 2010).

Bearing the Saint, Chapter twenty-three, by Donna Farley (Conciliar Press, 2010)

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapter One

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters Two and Three.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapter Four.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters Five and Six.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters seven and eight.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters nine and ten.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters eleven and twelve.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters thirteen and fourteen.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters fifteen and sixteen.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters seventeen and eighteen.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters nineteen and twenty.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters twenty one and twenty two.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Chapters twenty three and twenty four.

Keeper of the Light: Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints by Bev Cooke, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis (Conciliar Press, 2006), Conclusion.

The Queen and the Cats: A Story of Saint Helena by Calee M. Lee, illustrated by Turbo Qualls (Xist Publishing, 2011)

Stranger Moon, a novel by Heather Zydek, Chapters twenty-three and twenty-four (Moth Wing Press, 2012)

Stranger Moon, a novel by Heather Zydek, Chapters two and three (Moth Wing Press, 2012).

Stranger Moon, a novel by Heather Zydek, Chapters thirteen and fourteen (Moth Wing Press, 2012).

Stranger Moon, a novel by Heather Zydek, Chapter fifteen (Moth Wing Press, 2012).

Stranger Moon, a novel by Heather Zydek, Chapter sixteen (Moth Wing Press, 2012)

Stranger Moon, a novel by Heather Zydek, Chapter seventeen (Moth Wing Press, 2012)

Stranger Moon, a novel by Heather Zydek, Chapter eighteen (Moth Wing Press, 2012)

Stranger Moon, a novel by Heather Zydek, Chapter nineteen (Moth Wing Press, 2012)

Children’s Bible Reader, part three. 2006, Greek Bible Society, Scripture Quotations taken from Contemporary English Version, Copyright 1995, American Bible Society. Used by permission. Illustrations by Martha Kapetanakou-Xinopoulou. "People continue to sadden God" "A shepherd trusts in God" "Abraham and Sarah have a son"