Sermon on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Romans 6:18-23; Matthew 8:5-13)

Sermon on the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (I Corinthians 3:9-17; Matthew 14:22-34)

Sermon on the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost (Ephesians 2:4-10; Luke 12:16-21)

Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost

As Christians, we have been entrusted with the Kingdom of God. But this great gift comes with a responsibility. Fr Tom explains that the parable of the Vinedressers is God's warning to us to fulfill our essential mission to grow the Church. (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

Short-of-stature Zacchaeus overcomes his obstacles to seeing Jesus. Fr Tom reminds us that our actions and behaviors reveal to the world and to God what things are most important to us, but we can rise above the crowd of the world in order to be united with God. (Thirty-seventh Sunday after Pentecost)

Jesus is given various titles in the New Testament: Teacher, Master, Lord and others. Fr Tom reminds us that, as Orthodox Christians, we must strive to approach God for not only who He really is, but who we really are too. (Thirty-first Sunday after Pentecost)

The parable of the talents can be perplexing to understand if we see the Master's demands as unreasonable and unfair. Fr Tom reminds us that God has given every believer certain abilities to build up the church. But more importantly, He gives everyone the ability to love. (Thirty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

God uses even the difficult circumstances of our life for our salvation. Fr Tom reminds us that in these tests of life, God wants us to persevere and draw closer to Him. (Thirty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost)

The awesome day of the Lord's return in glory to judge the earth is presented powerfully by the words of the Lord Himself. Fr Tom reminds us that we will experience the mercy and truth of God's presence as the ultimate judgment of how we've lived His command to love God and neighbor.

Our Lord taught his disciples to put away anxiety about life and instead trust in God. Fr Thomas reminds us that by seeing life through the teachings of Christ, even the difficulties and tribulations of life will build us up to be stronger followers of Him. (Third Sunday after Pentecost)

Christ walking on the water is often portrayed as a demonstration of His power over creation. But Fr Thomas reminds us that even though the storms of this life are always present, Jesus uses this difficult circumstance to remind his disciples that He is always with those who love Him and that they should never fear. (Ninth Sunday after Pentecost)

The parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man is a dramatic illustration of the importance of being merciful to those in need. Fr Thomas reminds us that the torment experienced by the Rich Man is a result of his choice to ignore Lazarus laying at his gate. (Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost)

The parable of the soils sets the tone for other parables taught by our Lord. Fr. Thomas reminds us that this parable brilliantly expresses the importance of both hearing and actively receiving the Word of God in us. (Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

In the healing of the man born blind, Jesus heals not only his blindness, but also his spiritual understanding. Fr Thomas reminds us that just as the man born blind came to a fuller revelation of who Jesus was, we too must also allow the mercy and grace of God to heal us in order to experience Him in a deeper way. (Sunday of the Blind Man)

It's becoming more and more common today for some people to leave the religion of their childhood and explore other faiths. While Orthodoxy has recently gained a tremendous number of converts from this movement, admittedly, "the door swings both ways." Fr Thomas teaches about why the Church is one and gives an impassioned and compelling presentation on the remarkable uniqueness of the Orthodox Faith. (Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council/7th Sunday of Pascha)

Orthodox Churches are often culturally rich and sometimes churches hold festivals to showcase their delicious ethnic foods. Fr Thomas reminds us that, while there is nothing wrong with ethnic foods or festivals, we should ensure that our emphasis is on the Faith and that our focus is on Christ. (Eighth Sunday after Pentecost)

The two great commandments of loving God and neighbor are presented by Christ as the focus of all the Law and Prophets. Fr Thomas reminds us that in fulfilling these commands, we grow in God's likeness, accomplishing our original purpose. (15th Sunday after Pentecost/Leavetaking of the Exaltation of the Cross)

Bishops and priests are most accountable before God for the state of the church. But Fr Thomas reminds us that all of us share responsibility for our church communities and gives practical advice on how to remain faithful and focused.

Christ crossed over a border to hear the pleas of the Canaanite woman and heal her daughter. But more than a story about a healing, Fr Thomas delivers an important lesson about the makeup of the Church that every parish and every parishioner needs to hear: The Church isn't just for your kind of people.

At every post-Resurrection appearance, the Lord Jesus Christ greets His Disciples with the words "Peace be with you! Do not be afraid!" Fr Thomas teaches us that because of Christ's destruction of the sting of death by His own death, and our participation in His death and resurrection through our baptism, we have nothing to fear, not even death itself!

Christ appeared to his apostles, and Thomas, eight days after his Holy Resurrection. Fr Thomas teaches us that we learn of the mystery of the Resurrection, the mystery of the Church, and the mystery of Faith, all in a single life-changing encounter.

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers comes at an important point in the life of Christ, only days before his crucifixion. Jesus reveals the Scribes and Pharisees to be those who rejected the message of the prophets, and now they're going to kill God's Son. Fr Thomas reminds us that, in our own day, those who reject the message and the messengers by choosing the world's lies about God and humanity over the truth we receive in the Church commit the same grave error. (Matthew 21:33-44)

St Paul's letter to the Galatians opens with an impassioned plea to those who once embraced the truth of the Gospel, to return to it. In our own day, numerous Christians are succumbing to the spirit of the age and compromising fundamental truths. Fr Thomas makes his own fervent plea not to accept any other Gospel but that which is given to us by the apostles and their successors. As a listener to the podcast wrote, "truth doesn't bow to feelings."

On the fourth Sunday of Lent, the Church presents the Gospel reading of the healing of the demon possessed boy, and we also commemorate St John of "The Ladder." Fr Thomas teaches us that, if we want to spiritually grow, we have to be able to accept God's difficult answers to our ultimate questions.

The societal and moral changes sweeping across the world pose profound challenges to Orthodox Christian believers. Fr Thomas reminds us that we must face these challenges squarely and never compromise what we believe by adopting worldly values.

"God is Love" has become one of the most abused verses of Scripture. It's used today to justify every sin and excuse every condition. Fr Thomas urges us to look at the entirety of the Gospel message to truly understand the implications of being a creature of God Who is Love.

The Gospel reading for the fifth Sunday of Lent relates the story of the audacious question posed by the apostles James and John, who asked for glorification without first drinking the cup of humiliation. Fr Thomas reminds us that this basic principle of the Christian life proves true even for seemingly mundane things that we might mistakenly think are unimportant, like going to church to worship.

Deacon Luke Loboda teaches us that because we bear God's image, we must resist being slaves to our bodily desires, living like mere animals. Instead, we're called to fulfill the potential of holiness in us by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The saying goes, "actions speak louder than words." Christ Himself condemned the Jewish religious leaders for saying one thing but doing another. Fr Thomas teaches us that, as Orthodox Christians, our actions are important because they have to align with what we claim about God and ourselves. In fact, our eternal judgment is at stake.

When we hear about the miracles that Christ performed for people, it can seem distant. Fr Thomas reminds us that the grace they received is the same life-giving power that we are granted in the Eucharist: the fullness of Christ.

Fr Thomas teaches us that God keeps his promises so that everyone can have an encounter with him—he is faithful.

Fr Thomas encourages us from the scriptures to patiently endure the Coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to turn back to God in repentance.

How do we love God with all of our heart, with all of our mind, and with all of our soul? Fr. Tom shows us that Cross serves as the paragon example of fulfilling the greatest commandment of our Lord.

On the Sunday of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Fr. Tom reminds us of the constant, unseen warfare that surrounds us. How are to understand the role of the Angels in our lives? Do we remember that they are our constant helpers? While this is true, we're not to forget that nothing will override our personal free-will and that we must choose always to be a disciple of Christ first and foremost if we are to benefit from the Angels' help.

Fr. Tom calls us to consider the invitation of the Gospel: union with one another and union with God Himself. Invariably, we all make excuses to God's invitation - what's yours?

Listen as Fr. Tom encourages all seekers to follow in the path of the Canaanite woman.

Is there anything upon which our faith is contingent? Fr. Tom reminds us that, while we may not always have certainty or the privilege of seeing the Lord as the disciples, our prayer will be the seal of our faith.

Reading the Parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus, Fr. Tom urges us to remember our own death and to take heart that the final justice is God's.

As we work our way through the Nativity Fast, Fr. Tom cautions us not to get bogged down in earthly matters, but to embrace our healing in the incarnate Christ.

Everyone has encountered long periods of suffering and grief. How do we engage these times in a manner that is beneficial to our spiritual life? How do we develop patient endurance? Listen as Fr. Tom brings this encouraging message of hope in Christ.

On the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, Fr. Tom reminds us of the deep human need for Truth and how the Holy Spirit guides us into that truth, both in belief and in worship.

On the Sunday of the Blind Man, Fr. Tom discusses what it means to walk in darkness and in the light, and how we must have the truth born in us by being made a new creation in Christ.

The purpose of the Christian life is to become fishers of men, but the power to do so can only be found through Christ, in the Church. Listen as Fr. Tom calls us to build the Church like the Saints of North America!

Fr. Tom discusses St. Paul's exhortation to have nothing to do with idols. Idols bring a communion of death, while the Divine Image of God destroys death and brings life.

Fr. Gregory's sermon for October 31 is on neo-paganism and how it is reflected in Halloween.

The banquet table is set and the invitation is from God Himself. How will we respond?

Perhaps it seems capricious and arbitrary of God to deal one way with one situation and remain distant in another; but to demand to know why God does certain things and not others is to demand that He should be answerable to us.

The Pascha pastoral letter was read from His Eminence Metropolitan John, Archbishop of the Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Fr. Gregory Hallam's sermon on the feast of the conception of the most holy Theotokos by the righteous Anna.