Messiah Archives - Saint Sophia

The Twenty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. Accepting the Lord’s invitation

12/11/2024

By Fr. Steven Kostoff Within the Orthodox Church, the Sunday between December 11-17 is called, simply enough, the “Second Sunday Before the Nativity of the Lord,” and more specifically, the “Sunday of the Forefathers.” This liturgical preparation for the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity—something of a build-up—is a conscious echo of the lengthy time of preparation, determined by God and embodied in the history of Israel, before the sending of His only-begotten Son into the

Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: The Conception of Mary

12/09/2024

On the ninth of December the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the conception of the Virgin Mary by her parents Joachim and Anna.1 On this major festival which finds its place in the Church’s preparation for Christmas, the faithful rejoice in the event by which Mary is conceived in fulfillment of her parents’ prayers in order to be formed in the womb, born on the earth, dedicated to the Lord, and nurtured in holiness

The Sixteenth Day of Christmas Advent. St. Andrew the First-called Apostle

11/30/2024

Saint Andrew the Apostle (Greek: ‘Ανδρέας, Andreas; early first century—mid to late first century AD), called in the Orthodox tradition Protokletos, or the First-called, is the brother of Peter the Apostle. The name “Andrew” (from Greek: “ανδρεία”, Andreia, manhood, or valour), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the second or third century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him. The New Testament records that Andrew

The Second Day of Christmas Advent. Apostle and Evangelist Matthew.

11/16/2024

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); he was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). He was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. He lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. When Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ:

Nativity of the Theotokos

09/08/2024

In addition to the celebration of the Annunciation, there are three major feasts in the Church honoring Mary, the Theotokos. The first of these is the feast of her nativity which is kept on the eighth of September. The record of the birth of Mary is not found in the Bible. The traditional account of the event is taken from the apocryphal writings which are not part of the New Testament scriptures. The traditional teaching

The Great Messianic Banquet

07/09/2024

Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, December 12, 2021 We know that Jesus used parables in his teaching. It is important to remember what a parable is. Parables are extended metaphors that use concrete examples to form a brief, coherent story. Parables are not history and their meaning is not immediately accessible. They are meant to draw us in and provoke us to “subvert conventional ways of seeing and living and to invite hearers

Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord

06/19/2024

The Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife. The Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, “… neither did his brethren believe in Him” (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord

The Sixth Thursday of Great Lent: The Message of the Suffering Servant

04/25/2024

Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, April 5, 2015 The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John. (12:1-18) The most popular reading material in first century Palestine was the Book of Daniel with all its apocalyptic language and imagery. The brutality of the Roman Empire drove the people to long for a Messiah that would destroy the Empire and restore the Kingdom of David. It is not hard to see why

His Name is Compassion

02/13/2024

Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, August 7, 2016 The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (9:27-35) The two blind men said to him, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” Whether from desperation or from the well-spring of faith and deep understanding, they call him “Son of David,” in other words, Messiah. And they pray for mercy for the healing of their eyes. Still, mercy is like a virus.

Presentation of Christ to the Temple

02/02/2024

Introduction This feast, celebrated on February 2, is known in the Orthodox Church as The Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Another name for the feast is The Meeting of our Lord. Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians call the feast, The Purification of the Holy Virgin. About 450 AD in Jerusalem, people began the custom of holding lighted candles during the Divine Liturgy of this feast day. Therefore, some churches in the West refer to

Tags

The Twenty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. Accepting the Lord’s invitation

Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: The Conception of Mary

The Sixteenth Day of Christmas Advent. St. Andrew the First-called Apostle

The Second Day of Christmas Advent. Apostle and Evangelist Matthew.

Nativity of the Theotokos

The Great Messianic Banquet

Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord

The Sixth Thursday of Great Lent: The Message of the Suffering Servant

His Name is Compassion

Presentation of Christ to the Temple

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