A Voice from the Isles: Recent Episodes
Fr. Gregory Hallam and Ancient Faith Radio
Listen to the weekly sermons and other recorded lectures of Fr. Gregory and stay connected to the Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom.
What does it mean to be “ascended”? We need to know because as surely as Christ ascended, so shall we in Him also ascend.
Holy Women and Holy Men In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God is one.Amen. We celebrate today the lives of seven holy women and two holy men. Each of these followers of Christ expressed their faith in Him through their prayers and actions. It is good for us to pause and consider their lives and how those lives might guide us in the challenges we face today.
Many women named Mary were among the followers of Jesus Christ. There is some dispute among Biblical scholars as to who was “Mary, the mother of James;” but this is generally agreed to be the Virgin Mary, The Theotokos, who was the step-mother of Joseph’s son, James. Certainly, along with many other women, she was present with Jesus Christ throughout His ministry on earth and at His Crucifixion (Matthew 27.55; Mark 15.40-41; Luke 23.49; John 19.25-27). A note in The Orthodox Study Bible points out that “the women disciples remain faithful while the men flee and hide. [Then] it is the women who bring the message of the Resurrection to the men” [p. 1356, citing Mark 16.9-11 and Luke 24.9-11]. Yet the men do not believe them (Mark 16.11; Luke 24.11). Perhaps that tendency of men not to believe women who are seeking to guide them to Christ is still present at times today.
The sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, were deeply devoted to Jesus Christ. It was Mary, who had taken expensive perfume and anointed the feet of the Saviour when He arrived in Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover celebration (John 12.1). Martha was always working hard to serve all of those who came to be with Jesus; and she also had great faith in the Saviour. She said to Him, after Lazarus had died, before her brother was raised from the dead, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11.21). Together, Mary and Martha, have come to stand together for serving Christ through both prayer and action. We too can learn to live with the same aspiration—the same determination—to serve Christ through both prayer and action.
All four of the gospels of Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John mention Mary Magdalene as an important follower of Jesus Christ. We know little about her life except that Mary Magdalene “had been healed of evil spirits and of infirmities” and that she often travelled with Jesus Christ and the apostles throughout Palestine (Luke 8.2). There is no Biblical evidence that this Mary from the town of Magdala was a great sinner. She was clearly a person of great integrity, with the courage to be a witness of the Crucifixion. Furthermore, when Jesus Christ was no longer dead, but not yet raised to heaven, Mary Magdalene was the first person to whom Christ revealed Himself (Mark 16.9; John 20.11-31).
Several other women including Susanna, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, had also been “healed of evil spirits.” However, we know little about them or about Mary, the wife of Cleophas to whom Jesus Christ appeared on the Emmaus Road, except that they “provided for [Jesus Christ and His followers] out of their own possessions” (Luke 8.3). Another significant follower of Christ was Salome, the wife of Zebedee and the mother of the apostles James and John. Although we know far more about the apostles than the women who followed Christ, it is clear that Christ chose many of His 12 disciples (Matthew 10.1-4; Mark 3.13-19; Luke 6.12-16) from deeply religious Jewish families. Other members of these families supported their sons who had been chosen to follow Christ. This pattern of deeply committed Christians often emerging from holy families has not changed over the centuries.
The two holy men that we remember today are Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who took the body of Jesus Christ down from the cross and buried Him (John 19.38-41). By this action they publicly declared their belief in Christ, when many of His disciples fled in fear. Nicodemus also brought a valuable mixture of myrrh and aloes with which to anoint the body of Jesus Christ, just as one of the wise men had brought myrrh to the new-born Jesus Christ in the stable in Bethlehem (Matthew 2.11). The action of Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Jewish Council, the Sanhedrin, is especially impressive, because he had kept his faith in Christ a secret until this time, but now faith overcame fear. All four evangelists mention the importance of how Jesus Christ was buried (Matthew 27.57, Mark 15.43, Luke 23.51, John 19.38). As a note in The Orthodox Study Bible explains, “If the apostles had buried Christ, doubters would claim His body was simply hidden away. Joseph being both a council member and a good and just man refutes any possibility that the Lord’s body was deceptively hidden by the apostles” (p. 1414) [End quote].
Each of these holy women and holy men proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, through their faith, their prayers and their actions. We too can follow them in their steps.
And so, we ascribe as is justly due all might, majesty, dominion, power and praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Father Emmanuel Kahn
Kingdom Struggles In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God is one. Amen. On this Meatfare Sunday we are urged by the Church not to eat meat for the next week, as we prepare ourselves for Lent that begins on Monday, the 2nd of March. The challenge is to practise self-discipline, to experience that we “eat to live,” not “live to eat.” Yet in the Gospel today from the 25th chapter of St Matthew, Jesus Christ praises those righteous people who gave Him food when he was hungry and drink when He was thirsty. The righteous are puzzled, because they have not seen Jesus Christ. However, He explains to them that when you gave food and drink to those in need, you gave that nourishment “to Me.”
It appears that possibly the Gospel and the theme for Meatfare Sunday might be in conflict about what attitude to take to food. However, in fact, the Gospel and Meatfare Sunday strongly support each other, because what is being considered is not our attitude to food, but our relationship to Jesus Christ. Meatfare Sunday urges us to become more self-disciplined so that we can draw closer to Christ. The Gospel today urges us to help those in need, to seek social justice, so that we can draw closer to Christ. In brief, both Meatfare Sunday and this Gospel are urging us to draw closer to Christ.
In this Gospel “the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Later, in the Gospel of St John, Jesus Christ states: “I am the good shepherd; [and] the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” So, why are the sheep praised so much and the goats so rejected? The correct translation of this Gospel verse is “As the shepherd separates the sheep from the young kids.” St John Chrysostom points out that “indeed from sheep great is the profit—as from the milk, as from the wool, and from the young, of all which things the young kid [does not have]” [cited by The Orthodox New Testament: The Holy Gospels, Volume 1, Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Colorado, p. 123]. To put it bluntly, the sheep have grown up and reached spiritual maturity, but the young kids have only begun their lives and are not yet spiritually mature.
The division between sheep and young kids in this Gospel passage from St Matthew is linked to judgment on our lives, both God’s judgment of us and our own judgment of ourselves. Metropolitan Antony Bloom has written, and I quote, of how: “the day will come when we shall stand before God and [we will] be judged, but as long as our pilgrimage [on earth] continues, as long as we live in the process of becoming [that is, of growing closer to Christ], as long as there is ahead of us this road that leads to the full measure of the stature of Christ [that is, the importance of following Christ in our lives] which is our vocation [our calling], judgment must be [given on ourselves] by ourselves…. On [this] road [that leads to Christ] judgment is something which is happening all the time with[in] us; there is a dialogue, a … tension between [on the one hand,] our thoughts, emotions, feelings, actions and [on the other hand,] our conscience, which stands in judgment upon us…. There is a continuing dialogue with[in] us through our life,” concluded Metropolitan Antony [Meditations: A Spiritual Journey, Dimension Books, pp. 3-4].
In the reflection that Metropolitan Antony has set out, the sheep could be viewed as our consciences—our awareness of what is right—in conflict with many of “our thoughts, emotions, feelings [and] actions,” that represent the young kids. If Metropolitan Antony is right that “judgment is something which is happening all the time with[in] us”—and that is certainly an Orthodox Christian approach—then this separation between sheep and young kids is happening within us throughout our lives, as well as on the Final Day of Judgment. Essentially, we are trying now to rid ourselves of sin, through sinning less and less, as well as confessing whenever appropriate. However, we can’t rid ourselves of sin through willpower, but rather through prayer and listening to our consciences and listening to the Lord.
In our lifelong battle with the tendency to sin, Metropolitan Antony points out; and I quote: “We very often walk in darkness, and this darkness is the result of our darkened mind, of our darkened heart, of our darkened eye; and it is only if the Lord Himself sheds His light into our soul, upon our life, that we can begin to see what is wrong and what is right in [our souls].” Metropolitan Antony then draws upon the writings of the Russian Orthodox priest, St John of Kronstadt, who boldly and rightly claimed that “God does not reveal to us the ugliness of our souls unless He can [observe] in us sufficient faith and sufficient hope for us not to be broken by the vision of our sins. In other words,” continues Metropolitan Antony, “whenever we see ourselves with our dark side, this knowledge increases, as we can understand ourselves [better and better,] more [and more,] in the light of God, that is, in the light of the Divine Judgement…. This means two things: it means, indeed that we sadly discover our own ugliness, but also that we can rejoice at the same time, because God has granted us His trust. He has entrusted to us a new knowledge of ourselves as we are, as He always saw us … [but in His mercy] He did not allow us to see ourselves [earlier] because we could not [yet] bear the sight of truth….[Thus] judgement becomes joy, because although we discover what is wrong [with our thoughts and our actions], this discovery is [given to us with] the knowledge that God has seen enough faith, enough hope and enough [courage in the face of pain and suffering] in us to allow us to see, because He knows that now we can act,” concludes Metropolitan Antony [Meditations, pp. 4-5].
I find those insights from Metropolitan Antony and St John of Kronstadt quite inspiring. When we seek to draw closer to Christ’s unique will for each of us, we still face problems and challenges in our lives However, we can be confident that as we see our sins more clearly this is itself a beautiful sign that God trusts us and is telling us that we are now ready to face and remove those sins from our lives. We are all in the midst of the pilgrimage on earth to draw closer to Christ, with the support of the Theotokos, the Mother of God, and the angels and the saints. This is not a mystic journey reserved for a few holy and sinless souls. On the contrary, precisely as Metropolitan Antony says: on this journey of drawing closer and closer to Christ, “the first step is to get to know ourselves”—our strengths and weaknesses, our hopes and our fears—both within ourselves and with regard to others. “The first step … in our evaluation of ourselves will be to measure this state of disruption [caused by the sin that presently exists within us].” To encourage us to evaluate ourselves, Metropolitan Antony sets out a number of tough questions that each of us, whatever our age, must answer for ourselves: “How much are my heart and my mind at variance [that is, not consistent] with one another? Is my will directed to one unique goal [of drawing closer and closer to Christ] or is [my will continually] wavering? How far are my [thoughts and my] actions directed by my [conscience and by my] convictions [or] how far are [my thoughts and my actions] under the [influence] of unruly impulses [that is, the sudden desire to do something without thinking of the consequences]? Is there any wholeness within me? … How separated am I from God and my neighbour?” [Meditations, p. 5].
These are tough questions that Metropolitan Antony poses to each of us. However, the very fact that we are asking ourselves these questions now is a sign that God is with us and that He will guide us to face our sins and draw closer to Him. Meatfare Sunday and this Gospel about the sheep and the young kids offer us encouraging guidelines for how to prepare for the season of Lent that will soon be upon us. Let us each face our sins, bring them to Confession, and get to know ourselves, so that we will then come to know Christ in His full, resurrected Glory. And so, we ascribe as is justly due all might, majesty, dominion, power and praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Father Emmanuel Kahn
Fr. Emmanuel discusses the eighth chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke. How does the Lord heal?
In the Afterfeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, we reflect as Orthodox Christians on the role of Our Lady in our salvation
When we seek the intervention of the Mother of God in our lives, our request to Her for help and intervention needs to be joined to how we are living our lives
Fr. Gregory Hallam reminds us that placing our ultimate hope in net gains through life is an exercise in futility, because, in the end, all that we have accomplished, all the disasters we have avoided, will not endure death, and within a century or so will most probably not even be remembered by our descendants.
Two sermons today - first Fr. Gregory Hallam followed by Fr. Emmanuel Kahn helping us prepare for the Dormition of the Mother of God.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn says if we wish to be saved to live forever with the Holy Trinity in heaven, we first need to learn how to grow our own personal integrity and morality here on earth.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn reminds us that it is good that we should understand the choice before each of us. Will we continue to sin or will we seek to be holy?
How could Jesus enter a room through a locked door and then show the disciples the wounds of the Crucifixion in His hands and His sides? Fr. Emmanuel Kahn explains how the Church Fathers interpret this Biblical passage.
During these three days between the crucifixion and the resurrection, when living human beings could not touch Christ, He descended into hell. There, St Peter tells us in First Peter, chapter 4, verse 6, Christ “preached the Good News to the dead.” Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon on Holy Saturday
Fr. Gregory Hallam gives the sermon at Vesperal Divine Liturgy on Great and Holy Thursday 2019
How did Jesus respond to these many people in first century Palestine who were saying that He is the Messiah, the Christ, who had come to save them? Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the Palm Sunday sermon.
The Gospel today from the 11th chapter of the Gospel of St John is about a close friend of Jesus Christ, Lazarus. Fr. Emmanuel Kahn is the preacher.
Fr. Emmanuel gives the sermon entitled The Thanksgiving Principle with an introduction by Fr Gregory on St Gregory Palamas.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn talks about two people who came into the Temple. Only one of them is to be admired.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon in celebration of the Translation of the Relics of St. John Chrysostom in 434.
The Epistle today from the fourth chapter of St Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians begins with the firm statement that “grace has been given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
We celebrate today the lives of two great fourth-century Church leaders, St Basil the Great and his close friend, St Gregory of Nazianzus. Let’s try to understand what they were teaching.
2019 is nearly upon us and inevitably we become more conscious of the passage of time and with this, questions about time, being human and living a full life in our relationships with God and each other become more prominent. Fr. Gregory Hallam gives the sermon.
So, let’s seek to understand what the birth of Christ means for our lives now and in the years to come. Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon for Christmas Day.
Fr. Gregory Hallam and Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preach on the Conception of the Most HolyTheotokos by the Righteous Anna, as well as the life of the Prophetess Anna, mother of the Prophet Samuel.
In this very important sermon, Fr. Gregory Hallam tells us that we do not believe in God to satisfy our ignorance about the world; in short to give us a nice and comforting alternative to science with its allegedly godless explanations and “theories.” If we are thinking like that then we do not truly believe in the God who is the source of ALL truth both religious and scientific, nor do we understand the world as it truly is.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon after Fr. Gregory Hallam speaks to the children. If we wish to understand the will of God for each of our lives and be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to ask the Lord for that understanding and empty ourselves of whatever is blocking us from experiencing “the good days” that the Lord has prepared for us.
When we fast we are confronted with an important decision: Am I living primarily for self or for service to God and service to others?
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn tells us if we learn to trust God and His will for each of our lives, God will take care of us.
Two Orthodox saints from the fifth and sixth centuries, St Caesarius of Arles and St John Chrysostom, are showing us how we can live with Christ today and tomorrow and for the rest of our lives on earth.
In Greek mythology the young man Narcissus who pined away in love with his own image in a pool of water was turned into the flower that bears his name. Anyone can be a narcissist—young or old, male or female. However, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn says there are in fact two types of narcissists, extrovert and introvert.
Fr. Gregory Hallam preaches on Thursday, 30 August, at the Vesperal Liturgy for St Aidan, Patron Saint of the parish.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaches from the 19th chapter of the Gospel of St Matthew about a rich young man who did not wish to give away his wealth to the poor and to then follow Jesus.
Fr. Gregory Hallam gives the sermon at the Vesperal Divine Liturgy for the Dormition of the Theotokos.
From the Gospel record of St Peter walking across the water on Galilee to Christ. Fr Gregory Hallam shows how important it is to keep our eyes firmly fixed on Christ amid all the challenges of life. From the Apostle reading he explains St Paul's teaching of Christians fulfilling their role as God's co-workers and fellow builders. We build on that sure foundation which is Christ, a gold that will never tarnish or be destroyed.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn speaks on the Gospel from the 14th chapter of St Matthew about how Jesus Christ fed more than 5,000 people at the end of the day “in a lonely place.”
We are each challenged to confess with words that “Christ is Lord” of our lives and believe in our hearts “that God has raised [Jesus Christ] from the dead.” How can we do that?
After Fr. Gregory Hallam speaks to the children, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn reminds us of the words of St. Matthew: “The eye is the lamp of the body,”
Today we celebrate all the saints, both those who have been declared saints by the Church and those whose holy lives are known to God alone. Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon.
After Fr. Gregory Hallam speaks to the children, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaches to the adults and says our faith in the Truth that is Jesus Christ makes us one with Him, completes our life on earth and brings us eternal life.
Fr. Gregory Hallam teaches that Christ the Head ascended unto Heaven; His holy members, the true Christians, will ascend as well.
Fr. Gregory Hallam begins with the children and then Fr. Emmanuel Kahn speaks to the adults about Joseph of Arimathea.
After Fr. Gregory Hallam speaks to the children, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon for Pascha as we rejoice in the resurrection of Christ.
Fr. Gregory Hallam reads The Dream of the Rood, an old English poem for the Sunday of the Cross in Great Lent.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon about the second chapter of the Gospel of St Mark and the healing of a man who was paralysed.
After Fr. Gregory Hallam speaks to the children, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn talks about the Last Judgement.
Fr. Gregory Hallam encourages us to look at the parable of the Prodigal Son with fresh eyes and ears.
Fr. Gregory Hallam gives a sermon about the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple.
After Fr. Gregory Hallam speaks to the children, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaches on the Publican and the Pharisee.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaches on the life of St. Maximus the Confessor and concludes that once we have learned how to respect and love ourselves as we are, with our very own strengths and weaknesses, we are on the launching pad for a life with purpose.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn says that it is good to travel, to visit holy places but our primary relationship to the Lord God and to others is in our own homes within our own families.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaches on The Theophany, when God was revealed in the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan River in ancient Palestine.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn says as we take leave of the Feast of the Nativity, perhaps we can also leave behind our awareness of Jesus Christ as a baby and begin to grow older with Christ Himself.
Fr. Gregory first speaks to the children then reads a Nativity sermon from St. John of Kronstadt.
Fr. Gregory and Fr. Emmanuel team up to preach on St. Paul's admonishment to "put off the old nature and put on the new nature."
St Jerome, a fourth century monk who translated the entire Bible into Latin has written: “Those who love Christ follow Him. They are bonded with Him [that is, united with Him] in the ties of love.”
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaching on the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple.
Fr. Gregory Hallam begins with the children then Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon and says St. John Chrysostom reminds us that if we wish to sit with Christ in heaven after we die, we need to prepare ourselves by first walking with Him on earth.
Fr. Gregory Hallam starts with the children followed by Fr. Emmanuel Kahn's homily reflecting on the vision of the Protecting Veil in the church in Constantinople which was clearly a miracle.
Fr. Gregory tackles the difficult subject of depression and other mental health issues.
Fr. Emmanuel talks about the Seed and the Sower after Fr. Gregory speaks with the children.
Fr. Gregory helps the children and adults understand true love with a very practical illustration.
We love and respect God first. Then we love and respect ourselves because we are each made in the image of God.
Fr. Emmanuel gives the sermon and asks, "What is the relationship between loving God, loving your neighbour and loving yourself"?
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn is the preacher today. The Church Fathers taught clearly that to believe fully that Christ has been crucified is also to believe in the Incarnation, the life of Christ on earth, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ into heaven.
On the feast day of St. Aidan, the patron saint of the parish, Fr. Emmanuel explores how does a person become a saint and how did St Aidan become a saint?
Fr. Gregory quotes St. Paul when he said of Christ's resurrection: "Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time."
Fr. Gregory Hallam says we are often not aware of how much we owe the Lord, how he looks after us, how he guides and protects us.
Let’s consider why these three disciples—Saints Peter, James and John—were chosen by Jesus Christ to come up with Him to this “high mountain apart” from all His followers. Let’s consider also the response of St Peter as the spokesperson for the three disciples.
We count our own righteousness as rubbish (actually an even stronger word in the Greek).
We can be confident that Jesus Christ will forgive us and guide us and heal us - always.
Today in our cycle of veneration of Orthodox Christian Saints we remember and celebrate those of the Orthodox Church of the British Isles and Ireland in the first millennium.
Today we celebrate the lives and deaths of all the saints. Here are people so committed to Christ and His Church that we want to remember them and seek their prayers and fellowship.
What does it mean to be “ascended”? We need to know because as surely as Christ ascended, so shall we in Him also ascend.
Fr. Gregory considers St Constantine and his role in ending 300 years of persecution of the Christian Church by the Roman Empire. Today is about Church history, so sit back and enjoy the ride!
The Holy Myrrh-bearing women came to the tomb of Jesus Christ to anoint His body with myrrh. Fr. Emmanuel reflects on that in today's sermon.
Fr. Gregory reflects on the unexpected dimension of the veneration of St George among the English. How did a soldier saint from central Asia of Greek origin come to be so revered in England in the late Middle Ages?
Fr. Emmanuel gives the 2nd sermon on Pascha. The first one of course, was read by Fr. Gregory and it was the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom.
What happens when two disciples ask Jesus for special treatment? A lesson for both the children and adults from Fr. Gregory and Fr. Emmanuel.
Fr. Gregory Hallam shows from antiquity that the early Christians venerated the Holy Virgin.
The Annunciation is one of the most important announcements in human history. And the announcement—the message—is not only to Holy Mary that she is the Theotokos, but a message to each of us that our lives, like the life of Holy Mary, can be suddenly and unexpectedly changed because of the intervention of Christ guiding us to His purposes.
Today on this third Sunday in Lent, we venerate the cross of Christ—that is, we show profound respect and awe for what Jesus Christ achieved in the Crucifixion, as well as how the Crucifixion led to the Resurrection.
Fr. Emmanuel preaches on this the first Sunday in Lent known as The Triumph of Orthodoxy. Today we celebrate the endurance of the Orthodox Faith for nearly 2,000 years in the face of persecution and heresy—in the face of hostility and suffering, in the face of many wrong understandings of what Jesus Christ taught. Fr. Gregory begins with a lesson for the children.
In this, the time of salvation, God does not hold our sins against us—if we come to him for forgiveness and cooperate with Him in turning our life around.
We are not saved by good works. We are saved by grace for good works. We do good works not only for Christ but also to Christ. Such are the prepositions of salvation: "by", "for" and "to."
Fr. Emmanuel preaches on the Sunday of the Canaanite Woman but first a practical lesson for the children with Fr. Gregory.
On January 1 in the Holy Orthodox Church, we commemorate our Father among the Saints Basil the Great, archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon for the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Putting on Jesus Christ is, for St Paul, an entirely different kind of clothing, because it involves God warming us up from inside our hearts.
We are not called to set ourselves free, but we do need to want to be healed. We do need to praise God for coming into our lives—for joining us to Him and to each other in the Church.
Fr. Gregory tells us that one ordinary person hearing but one verse of Scripture in the Church and, more importantly, acting on it can change the whole world.
On the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn reflects on the hymns and poetry of the feast.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaches on the Forefeast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple.
Fr. Gregory gives us a lesson from the Gospel account of the raising of Jairus’ daughter.
Salvation for a Christian is God making good that deficit from perfection that we discover when we attempt to serve God, a falling short.
Fr. Emmanuel and Fr. Gregory team together to celebrate the life of St. James but also to reflect on the growth of St. Aidan's.
Fr. Gregory Hallam begins with the children and then Fr. Emmanuel Kahn speaks to the adults about the widow in Luke 7.
Christianity is really quite simple. There is a gift, Jesus Christ and we are called to receive Him.
Fr. Gregory begins with a lesson for the children followed by Fr. Emmanuel's sermon on the Gospel of St. Mark.
Fr. Gregory begins with the children and the Fr. Emmanuel gives the sermon from the eighth chapter of the Gospel of St Mark about how to become a disciple of Christ—how to become a person who learns from Christ.
Why does the Orthodox Church call Moses a prophet and set aside a day in the Church calendar to remember him? Fr. Emmanuel addresses that question in today's sermon.
Orthodox Christians will bear three things in mind if they want to live honestly and in a God-pleasing way.
After Fr. Gregory speaks with the children, Fr. Emmanuel speaks from I Corinthians saying that the cultures of the first and twenty-first centuries are certainly different, but the foundations for living are the same. What are these foundations for living that St Paul wishes to communicate to his fellow workers in the first century and to us today?
Fr. Gregory speaks about the Dormition of the Theotokos and calls it the most important feast of the Mother of God in our calendar.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn suggest that by praying and by seeking to live a good life, we can be transformed.
It is fitting that we are reminded of the centrality of the Cross in our Christian lives at all times but especially before the feast of our Lord’s Transfiguration on 6 August.
An anxious person needs a particular kind of repentance in order to get better, and since getting better is a progressive and slow process, so also must repentance be continual and measured.
We can know when Christ is present in our lives because He brings us a deep sense of inner peace.
Fr. Gregory says it cannot be stressed too highly how important the saints are for us in the Church.
Fr. Gregory welcomes visiting priest Fr. Raphael Barberg of St James the Apostle Antiochian Church, Westminster, Maryland to speak on Pentecost Sunday.
Fr. Gregory and Fr. Emmanuel team up today to discuss the significance of the Ascension.
On the Sunday of the Blind Man, Fr. Gregory points out that Jesus is referring not to the blind man who now sees but rather addresses the hostile questioning of the Pharisees who see physically but not spiritually.
Fr. Emmanuel gives the sermon and reminds his listeners that the way that we as Antiochian Orthodox Christians live and study and reach out to bring Christ to others can become the standard for Orthodox Christianity. There is no need for power politics or wealth or prestige within any part of the Orthodox Church.
There are people who want to be healed, sometimes desperately, but there are others who, while they claim that they want to be healed, deep down do not.
Fr. Emmanuel talks to the adults and Fr. Gregory to the children about how we can each give more of ourselves—of our abilities, our insights, our time, our energy, our prayer life—to Christ and to this parish church.
Fr. Gregory says we should take care every day to do a spiritual health check; to make sure that we are consciously living in the new life that Christ gives us out of his generosity and love.
Fr. Gregory begins with the children and then Fr. Emmanuel concludes with the sermon for Pascha.
Fr. Emmanuel gives the sermon on the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Great and Holy Saturday.
Fr. Gregory reminds us that the kingdom of God is not something to be built by human design and human powers.
At the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn considers why we receive Christ in Holy Communion.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn asks: What does it mean to live, in St John Chrysostom’s phrase, “among the promises” for my life?
Fr. Gregory takes his theme from the Sunday of the Cross to show that every road can become a Cross-Road on the way to the Resurrection
At the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives a reflection on what the Nicene Creed means in each of our lives.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn looks at the healing of the man who was paralyzed. What does it mean for this paralytic and for us to be healed? From what do we need to be healed?
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn and Fr. Gregory Hallam speak to both the adults and children about the importance of forgiveness.
Fr. Gregory talks about humility as a lesson in the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee.
Fr. Emmanuel Hahn speaks about a woman in Matthew 15 who is not Jewish and asks Jesus Christ for mercy for herself and for her daughter who is seriously ill. Those few crumbs that the Greek woman begged from Christ became the loaves of commitment to Christianity for millions of people throughout the world.
Fr. Gregory says that each one of us has a gift and talent from God no matter how modest we might think it may be.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn says whatever illness or problem you may be experiencing, give thanks to God. He has not brought that illness or problem upon you, even if He has permitted it to happen
Fr. Gregory Hallam says that Theophany is a good time to look afresh at our own baptism and what this means for all Orthodox Christians.
The Forerunner and Baptist John says this to his followers concerning our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ: I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.
This Sunday, December 13, is the Sunday of the Forefathers. This is the day on which in all Orthodox churches throughout the world that we honour those men and women in the Old Testament who prepared the way for Christ and for us, because of their search for God. The preacher is Fr. Emmanuel Kahn.
St Nicholas stands, by his own example, for a holistic understanding of Christian truth, a truth that saves because it is immersed in and expressed by self-giving love.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon today and assures us that God has a purpose for each of us, that He will steadily guide us into those purposes, and that He will empower us to achieve those unique purposes for each of our lives.
Fr. Gregory preaches on how to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
The feast of the Entry of the Mother of God affirms the vital importance of the Panagia’s time of preparation as a young girl in the Temple at Jerusalem prior to her momentous assent to the message of Archangel Gabriel that she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit in her womb who was to be named Jesus
Fr. Gregory Hallam reminds us that although angels are immaterial beings and have undoubted brilliance and glory, we humans are to be measured with no less dignity, particularly if we take up our own vocation to praise God, to be His obedient messengers and His valiant fighters.
Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Luke—the author of the Gospel of St. Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. The preacher today is Fr. Emmanuel Kahn.
Fr. Gregory Hallam says we need to learn how to listen to God and most importantly actually to do it on the basis that He does indeed want to speak to us.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn says St. Paul sets before us a model—that we should be as “beloved children”—that is children who are deeply loved by their parents and others, because God first loves us before we learn to love Him.
Are we slouched downcast in the belly of the fish or are we striding away from the shore with God’s net in our backpack? Fr. Gregory says the choice is always ours. Let us choose well.
In the human heart we must carve out a Cross-shaped impression so that the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ may be planted there; for only if it is planted there will it grow and bear fruit.
Fr. Gregory gives the sermon on the Nativity of the Theotokos as we celebrate this first great feast of the new Church year.
Whether as individuals or as couples we too are each called in the words of Zacharias as set out in the Gospel of St. Luke to “prepare His ways”—that is, to prepare the way of Jesus Christ in our own lives and in the lives of others.
A Bishop is called not to be a successful manager, a smooth operator, a charming person, an efficient administrator, nor even an amazing preacher. Some of these things are good and necessary but without humility they can never be enlisted in the service of love and the God who is love.
Fr. Gregory says that Orthodox Christians, particularly in the West, should reacquaint themselves with what the Orthodox Church teaches about Christ and salvation. In few places is this more clearly and attractively presented than in the writings of early Greek theologian and martyr, St Irenaeus (130 – 202).
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn says we can each be apostles to those with whom we live or work or study—whatever our ages or intellectual ability.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn suggests that as we think about the Dormition of the Theotokos, we need time to understand how the life and death of the Mother of God relates to each of us.
Fr. Gregory Hallam says the Feast of the Transfiguration is without doubt a turning point in the gospels.
Fr. Emmanuel asks how did Jesus Christ take five loaves of bread and two fish and feed 5,000 people?
Fr. Christopher is the preacher today and examines the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord.
St Seraphim of Sarov, the translation of whose relics we celebrate today, remains one of the outstanding examples of Christian holiness
Fr. Gregory introduces a guest preacher today who talks about the pattern of redemption: the Lord heals the soul and then the body.
Fr. Gregory shares a word from Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain and his explanation of Matthew 6:22-23.
Fr. Gregory talks about one of Britain's own- St. Chad, a saint taught by their own St Aidan in his monastic school at Lindisfarne and belonging with his own three brothers to a missionary team that worked in Northumbria and in the north-western part of the ancient kingdom of Mercia in the generation after St Aidan’s death.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon on the Feast of All Saints and encourages us to follow the example of the great "Cloud of Witnesses."
The Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles at Pentecost as a roaring wind and in tongues of fire from Heaven. The river of fire for them meant no danger at all but rather a personal powerful presence of God in their hearts and lives, the promised Holy Spirit.
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn teaches that the challenge which the Father gave to Christ and to his disciples and to us is to learn and to achieve the work on earth that the Father wishes each of us to accomplish.
Fr. Christopher reminds us that the feast of the Ascension marks the transition from Christ’s presence in a limited sense to an unlimited one. He ascends to this universal presence on account of His being both God and man.
How many Christians in the comfortable West would, like St Paul and St Silas, having been thrown into jail for such an uncompromising witness, proceed to sing hymns of praise to God all night in the midst of such a challenging situation?
Fr. Christopher gives the homily about the Samaritan Woman and the example of Christ in relating to people according to their needs and situations.
Fr. Gregory says that St. Peter in Lydda should have taken the trouble to visit Joppa to raise Dorcas from the dead shows the importance that the early Church gave to the plight of widows.
The appointment of Deacons in the church is the subject of today's sermon by Deacon Emmanuel Kahn.
Fr. Christopher asks, when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus, is Church Tradition honest? Could the whole story have been made up? Surely anything less than honesty in the Church is not acceptable.
There is no place where the resurrection of Christ has not touched. All things are “under his feet” – his victorious feet! Pascha is everywhere and nothing is the same.
Fr. Gregory Hallam examines the hymn we sing throughout the Liturgy in commemoration of our Lord's institution of the Holy Eucharist.
Fr. Gregory speaks with children and adults about Palm Sunday and the preparation of our hearts to receive the risen Christ.
Fr. Deacon Emmanuel asks "What was Christ waiting for when he delayed coming to see Lazarus? What is Christ waiting for when He does not answer our prayers immediately?"
Fr. Christopher gives the sermon on St. Mary of Egypt who was prepared to follow Christ, in the company of the saints, wherever that took her. May we have the grace to do the same.
Fr. Christopher says the Feast of the Annunciation marks the entrance of God, physically, into history, when He took upon Himself our human nature.
Fr. Gregory encourages us to embrace not a semi-detached life with all its fatal compromises but a fully detached life with God as our only hope, security and strength.
Fr. Gregory Hallam begins with a message for the children followed by Dn. Emmanuel who tells us that what we are seeking to understand is both life and the world from God’s viewpoint, not from our own.
The dialogue between St. Philip and his friend St. Nathanael in the Gospel concerning Jesus is instructive. Both of them are making good progress spiritually but both still have misunderstandings or difficulties with question of Jesus’s identity.
New Assistant Priest Fr. George Robinson tells us that the righteous will inherit the kingdom of God because only the righteous will want to.
Fr. Christopher talks about the three major characters in the story of the prodigal son.
Every experience of sorrow in our lives could be suffering without meaning but if we have the grace to lay aside self-pity, blame and anger then we shall find in the heart of our suffering God a true hope, and yes even a meaning which in the love of God is the source of a robust wisdom.
Deacon Emmanuel Kahn is the preacher today and says "Great Lent doesn’t begin for another three weeks until Sunday evening, February 22nd. However, I think the tax collector in the Gospel we have just heard from Chapter 18 of St. Luke has some important advice for each of us, whatever our ages, about how we can prepare for Great Lent."
St. Gregory the Theologian speaks for himself this week, with a little extra for the children on avoiding 'silly talk.'
Fr. Christopher asks, "Why do we thank people? A cynic may answer to encourage more present giving in the future, and there is some truth to that. We do it to acknowledge the love and kindnesses of people and because there is a relationship. If there is not a two way exchange it is not a real relationship."
When we repent, when we seek to change our lives and our relationship to Christ, what is “at hand”? What is near? What is about to happen? The kingdom of heaven!
We should all take away from the Feast of Theophany a renewed commitment not only to our own personal renewal in the Spirit but also through our own service of God and a share in the blooming of creation and the healing of the nations.