St Peters Orthodox Church

St. Peter teaches the Church to, "Be of one mind." What an important reality we are being taught. For each living stone in Christ's Church to be of one mind is to exist like the Holy Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three Persons yet One. How are they One? The exist in the bonds of absolute love, unity, and harmony of the will. So the Church is called to be of one mind with one another and with our God. Our God is glorified in the wonder of Christian unity.

May 13, 2018 - St. James teaches us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. He says that those who are hearers only are deceiving themselves. Why? Because being a disciple of Christ, a follower of the Resurrected Jesus Christ, is an actual living experience and not just a mere intellectual or rational one. In this teaching, we examine the power of habits in our lives. Habits can either be life-giving to the Christian or they can be great distractions or even destructive to the beloved in Christ. By the grace of God, when we are doers of the Word, we become that which we do...we become like God.

In the second half of 1 Peter 2 and the first half of 1 Peter 3, St. Peter instructs the Church on how they are to glorify God by the way in which they live; even and especially as they are facing Roman persecution. He begins by reminding Christians that they are sojourners and pilgrims in this world. Therefore, the world needs to see just how foreign the Christian is in this world. From there St. Peter moves to teach very practically how Christians must live in regards to submitting to civil authorities, how Christian servants are to live toward their masters, and how husbands and wives live together in Holy Matrimony in such a way that the relationship of the Trinity is made manifest for all to witness.

Creating sacred space in the home, but also spending time with God in that sacred space, is a vital part of our ongoing experience of the union we have been giving with God. This class discusses prayer, our communion and fellowship with God, in the place in which we dwell.

May 6, 2018 - On this 4th Sunday after Easter we listen as Psalm 98 tells us to "Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things." But what is the new song of the Christian. In this sermon we remember that the new song is Christ Himself. He is the content of the new song and we have all become the expression of that content. We are the voice and instruments to the song of the Resurrected Jesus Christ.

April 29, 2018 - Today we remember the testimony of St. George the Martyr, who when the government persecuted Christians stood up against the government and would not bow down to their actions was martyred for his faith in Christ. St. Peter instructions us in our Epistle reading from 1 Peter that we are to submit to the government. So where does the Christian draw the line. We are to submit to our government for Christ allows all governments to be in place. In this homily reminds us, however, of where our true allegiance belongs. We are a people of the Kingdom of God and we stand for that Kingdom first and foremost both when governments make room for our faith and when they strike against it.

St. Peter ended chapter 1 of his first Epistle by calling the Church to live in the love of God toward one another. He begins chapter 2 encouraging the Church to lay aside all things that hinder us from loving one another. St. Peter then moves to remind us of who we are as individuals in Christ, but equally as important, who we are as the Body of Christ. He teaches us that Christ is the Cornerstone, the Apostles are the foundation, and we are are the Living Stones built upon that foundation to be the Temple of God through which God intends to glorify Himself and offer His life to the world.

Today's Catechism Class focuses on the role of the Spiritual Father in the life of the Christian. In this teaching, we are encouraged to see the Priest as a familial Father who is placed in that position by God to help every Christian soul grow to maturity in Christ by feeding them all they need by his time, listening, teaching, and offering every Sacrament given by God for the health of all God's children. We are also encouraged to see the Priest as a physician; one we go to with the suffering of our soul in hopes that we might hear, through the Priest, our true Great Physician Jesus Christ who offers the remedy to the illness of our soul.

April 22, 2018 - Today we cover 1 Peter Chapter 1. Remembering that St. Peter is writing a pastoral letter to those suffering the beginning of the Roman persecution of the Church under Nero, St. Peter begins by calling the Church to great praise. And, by doing so, he is calling them to fix their eyes back up Christ in order to receive all of the grace He longs to give them to endure this time of trials. St. Peter also begins reminding them just how to live as the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ in the face of persecution.

April 22, 2018 - Today is the Sunday of the Good Shepherd and we here the Gospel of St. John Chapter 10. In this sermon we remember Who it is that says He is our Good Shepherd. We also look at what our Lord Jesus actively does on our behalf in that role. Finally, it is also vitally important to know how to live as a sheep to the Good Shepherd that we might experience every benefit He offers us in this life and throughout eternity.

Today begins a 6 week journey through the First Epistle of St. Peter. I this session we look at the life and ministry of St. Peter in order to better get to know our Patron Saint, the one who comes alongside the Parish and intercedes on our behalf. We also have an introduction to 1 Peter and briefly look at the introduction to the Epistle.

April 15, 2018 - In the Gospel of St. John Chapter 20 the Resurrected Jesus Christ reveals Himself to Thomas granting him the gift of faith. The story of Thomas is the story of us all. One of the greatest prayers of the authentic follower of Christ is, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." We all believe but also have areas in our lives where we are still weaker in our faith. This sermon encourages us as we look to see how Christ meets Thomas in a weak area of his faith and how He delights in doing the same for us.

April 8, 2018 - As is customary in the Orthodox Church, on Easter Sunday we hear the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom; Archbishop of Constantinople in the late 4th century - the early 5th century.

April 7, 2018 - May the light of Christ gloriously rising scatter the darkness of heart and mind. This is the prayer we pray as the Paschal Candle is lit. Darkness cannot exist where light is present. In this reflection on the Resurrection we look at how the light of life overcame death, how the light of God releases us from our bondage, and how Christ has called us the light of the world having made us His dwelling place.

April 6, 2018 - We are told in Hebrews 12 that our Lord Jesus Christ endured the Cross for the joy set before Him. Through the Cross He would become our eternal Great High Priest and our Mediator and Advocate. But even these eternal heavenly roles point to His true joy for which He endured such agony and shame. What is His joy? His joy is you; it is all of humanity for which He endured the Cross to make a way for us to be with Him forever. Our God desires us.

April 5, 2018 - This reflections begins with the asking of a difficult question. How much time in our lives is spent thinking of ourselves? We all have tendencies to live self-consumed lives. The truth is that this manner of living is a bondage where there is limited peace and a lack of contentment. Tonight, as our Lord Jesus Christ garbs Himself as the least of these, a servant, and washes the feet of His disciples...He demonstrates for us the prescription for freedom from this lifestyle of bondage. The antidote is selfless and self-offering love which conquers all sin.

April 4, 2018 - What is a Sacrament? God takes the stuff of earth that He has created, blesses it...consecrating it for His holy use, and through that which He has created He acts on man's behalf. This homily reflects on the Oil of Holy Unction for the sick. We come to understand God's will and purpose for this Sacrament by looking at the prayers He has us pray as He sets it aside for the healing of body, mind, and soul.

April 4, 2018 - Jesus proclaimed that He has the power to lay down His life and the power to take it up again. This reflection focuses on His power to lay down His own life as a pure and perfect example of humility. It is as we take on this humility in our own lives that we experience the healing grace of God unto the transformation of our souls.

April 1, 2018 - The Early Church used iconography to teach the truths of the Christian faith to the people of God. On this Palm Sunday, we look at the icon of this great Feast Day in order to discover what the Church has always taught about our Lord's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. In the icon we can see what Christ came to offer and we are also taught how we may receive the King and all of the benefits of His Kingdom.

Today's Catechism Class is an open question and answer session based on anything those attending the class have a question about.