Sermons At St. Nicholas

On the first Sunday after Pentecost, the feast of All Saints, Fr Thomas teaches us that, because we are created in the image of God, we have the calling to become Saints who have grown in the likeness of God.

On the great feast of Pentecost, guest homilist Fr Basil Biberdorf teaches us the importance of knowing Who the Holy Spirit is, and of His role in our Christian life.

Cutting through the din of religious pluralism, Fr Thomas reminds us that the Orthodox Faith uniquely gives us everything for life, faith, and spiritual understanding.

We can sometimes take the blessings we receive and miracles we read about in the New Testament for granted. The reading about the healing of the blind man is one such event, because the Lord didn't simply heal his sight, He actually created eyes for the man! Fr Thomas teaches us that the health of our sight is measured by what we're willing to see regarding the love and works of God.

In a spirited presentation about growing the Church, Fr Thomas gives us practical advice about sharing our faith taken from the example of Jesus's conversion of the Samaritan Woman.

Jesus's question to the paralytic, "Do you want to be made well?" is at the heart of our Christian life. Fr Thomas explains the important doctrine of synergy, or cooperation with God, as the key to our daily growth in life, faith, and spiritual understanding.

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!

Modern western societies are experiencing decreasing interest in attending church. Even some Orthodox Christian families are succumbing to secular activities on Sunday morning instead of gathering together as God's People in the church. Using the story of St Thomas' encounter with Christ eight days after His Resurrection, Fr Thomas teaches why coming to church is so important, and reminds us that, if we miss church, we miss a lot!

The Christian life is surely a paradox. Our Lord teaches those who love Him that if they want to be exalted, they must be humble; if they want to be great, they must be a servant. Fr Thomas leads us into Holy Week by telling us that the Lord Jesus Christ not only teaches this paradox, but He lives it, and by so doing, He wins our salvation.

The gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent is about the healing of the demon-possessed boy. In it, we can all relate to the pleading of the boy's father: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!" To help us in our Lenten journey, Father Thomas gives us three practical ways to strengthen and deepen our faith, taken directly from this Sunday's readings.

As the Precious Cross is brought out into the midst of the faithful marking the midpoint of the Lenten journey, Fr Thomas offers two sermons for our edification. The first was preached on Sunday morning at St Nicholas about "Three Aspects of the Cross." The second (beginning at 14:00) was recorded at the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh Diocesan Sunday Evening Vespers in Ambridge, PA on "Christ the Way, the Truth, and the Life Through the Lens of the Cross."

Before we enter into Great Lent, the Church presents us with a depiction of the awesome and fearful Final Judgment of the world by Christ to motivate us to love God and man. In teaching this, Fr Thomas offers an answer to the age-old question, "Why do we have to be judged?"

In some Orthodox traditions, the story of Zacchaeus is the first reminder of the coming of Great Lent. Fr Thomas teaches us that Zacchaeus exhibits the zeal that is an essential prerequisite for true conversion, the conversion that Christ desires of us during the Great and Holy Fast.

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.

The Parable of the Talents is a rich but difficult story, calling everyone who has been given gifts in God's vineyard to the responsibility of growth. On the Sunday of their parish's annual meeting, Fr Thomas delivers a pointed and challenging message to his congregation, reminding them that no one is exempt from accountability in matters concerning church life, since we are all individually members of the one body of Christ.

The image of Christianity is being sullied by TV preachers who justify their desire for riches under the guise of a distorted piety. Hence, prayer, which allows us to ask God for good things, is instead cheapened to demand things which are self-serving. Fr Thomas teaches us the riches of prayer mined from the story of the healing of blind Bartimeaus.

Navigating the din of conflicting messages outside of the Church can be confusing for the uninitiated. Sadly, even Orthodox Christians are susceptible to being confused and influenced by false doctrines concerning Christ. Fr Thomas teaches us about how we come to experience the true Christ in Orthodox worship.

As we continue the celebration of Theophany, the baptism of Christ, the Church turns our attention to the grace which is given to us "according to the measure of Christ's gift." Fr Thomas teaches us that Christ fills the universe with Himself so that we also can be by grace what He is by nature.

At the feast of Theophany, the Baptism of Christ, we celebrate much more than a historic event. Fr Thomas teaches us that we participate in the beginning of the re-creation of the world by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

In a special Christmas edition of Sermons at St Nicholas, Fr Thomas reminds us of the cosmic significance of the birth of Christ. Because God the Father sends His Son to us, the world will never be the same!