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Eastern Christian Insights

390 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratings

Homilies from St. Luke Orthodox Church in Abilene, Texas

Christianity Religion & Spirituality homilies sermons texas orthodox church christian priest ethics theology mcmurry
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Episodes

The Healing of the Demon Possessed Man of Gadarene

October 24, 2017 15:06

Our favorite sins drive us into the isolation of the wilderness, away from the healing power of Jesus. Once healed, the best witness to the transforming power of Christ is the personal story of those set free.

The Parable of the Sower

October 16, 2017 21:38

What is the point of our lives according to Jesus?

Living Temple

October 02, 2017 21:23

Who do you think you are? Is it leading you more and more into the likeness of Jesus?

The Exaltation of the Cross

September 19, 2017 22:48

Jesus calls all to take up our cross and follow him for our entire life.

Dying to Live in Christ

September 13, 2017 18:40

Each one of us are invited into new life in Christ. However, we must be willing to die to those things which hold us back if we are to become a 'new creation' in Christ like the Theotokos.

Self-Centeredness

September 05, 2017 22:25

Self-centeredness is an act of idolatry, addressed by giving of ourselves and our desires to meet the needs of others.

Grace and Shame

August 29, 2017 20:04

Are you willing to look at what your life truly is like? It is the grace of God that moves us more and more into the life of Christ, crucifying our shame and despair.

Fools for Christ

August 25, 2017 21:11

Pride is one of the primary hinderances to our life in Christ. Instead, humility accepts the will of God in our lives, like the Theotokos, even if it makes look like fools to the world.

Feast of the Transfiguration

August 07, 2017 21:02

Observing the Feast of the Transfiguration means that we enter into our own change into the likeness of Jesus Christ through the many opportunities provided to us by the Church.

Loaves and Fishes

August 01, 2017 14:41

We must open the eyes of our souls to the truth of where we stand before Christ. And then, when we know our own inadequacy, it will be possible to offer ourselves truthfully to Him.

St. Timon Sunday

August 01, 2017 14:25

Fr. Philip explains how the hatred and rejection of other people in the name of Godliness leads to the hatred and rejection of our Lord Himself. He also discusses St. Timon and the plight of the people in Syria.

Light of the World

July 18, 2017 02:14

Jesus called his followers to become the light of the world by becoming holy, united through the healing and transforming grace of the One who is the Light of the World.

Healing of the Demon Possessed Men from Gergesene

July 11, 2017 23:29

Being set free from those things which possess us is just the beginning of the process of salvation.

Follow Me

June 21, 2017 02:20

All disciples of Jesus are called to follow Him, in the power of the Holy Spirit, into a new life of holiness.

Ascending with His and Our Wounds

May 30, 2017 01:10

Christ calls us to ascend with Him into the Kingdom of Heaven, becoming like Him in His holiness even now in the Church.

Sunday of the Blind Man

May 24, 2017 01:12

Each of us are in need of the healing and illumination of our risen Lord, opening the eyes of our souls to himself.

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

May 17, 2017 01:33

How do you decided whether you measure up or not? Does shame or blame keep us from opening our souls to the new life offered by our Lord?

Sunday of the Paralytic

May 09, 2017 01:32

Along with the paralytic man, Jesus asks us, "Do you want to be healed?" Or have we become so accustomed to our illnesses that we no longer feel the need for healing and transformation?

The Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women

May 05, 2017 15:56

The Myrrh-Bearers lived a life of service for the flourishing of the Church, much like the early Deacons, modeling the kind of life that all Christians are called to live.

Bearing Witness to the Risen Christ

April 27, 2017 00:34

We are called to bear witness of the resurrected Lord, along with St. Thomas, who sought to know Christ through a personal experience with Him.

Palm Sunday

April 12, 2017 14:26

Why did Jesus come as one of us, entering on the foal of a donkey on his way to the cross?

The Path to True Greatness

April 03, 2017 23:46

Entering the final week of Lent, we are reminded once again of our own weakness and failings and our needs for the mercy of God.

The Simple Path

April 03, 2017 23:36

During the season of Lent, we are called to crucify our passions and turn from sin so that we can gain the strength to respond like the Theotokos in simple, trusting obedience.

The Cross Kills the Fear of Death

March 21, 2017 02:21

Is the cross a symbol of death or life, victory or defeat? This Lent we are called once again to take up our cross and follow our Savior, setting us free from the fear of death.

Paralysis: The Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas

March 16, 2017 22:39

How do we break free from the paralysis of our own sin and brokenness? The disciplines of Lent are tools given to us to help us move towards our own salvation.

Icons: The Sunday of Orthodoxy

March 08, 2017 00:43

How can we find joy and healing for our souls as image bearers of God?

Forgiveness Sunday

March 02, 2017 04:31

Are you prepared to enter the Kingdom of God? If not, the Church calls us to enter through forgiveness into the journey of repentance of Great Lent.

The Last Judgment

February 23, 2017 02:06

Are we truly becoming partakers of the divine nature? Our actions reveal what is true our about lives, and will be revealed at the last judgment.

The Pharisee and the Publican

February 14, 2017 01:55

Is pride derailing your spiritual life? The season of Great Lent helps us see our need for repentance and humility.

Prayer and the Danger of Pride

February 07, 2017 00:47

During the coming Lenten season, spiritual disciplines like prayer are intended to help us humble ourselves before the Lord and make us aware how far we are away from God. Pride threatens to weigh us down, while humility lifts us up to God.

The Canaanite Woman

January 31, 2017 00:41

The Savior came to heal, bless and sanctify all who bear his image and likeness. Are we living into that healing and blessing?

Paths to the Kingdom

January 24, 2017 04:07

Does everyone walk the same path of repentance into the Kingdom of God?

Epiphany

January 10, 2017 03:36

We are called to become living epiphanies of God's salvation by offering every dimension of our lives to Christ.

Circumcision

January 09, 2017 01:58

The circumcision of Jesus is a sign that He fulfilled the requirements of the Law, and an invitation for us to receive the circumcision of our own hearts.

Genealogy

December 24, 2016 17:59

Who exactly belongs in the story of Jesus - the perfect as well as the imperfect, the sinner as well as the saint? Perhaps the true meaning of Christmas is more shocking than we first imagined.

Sunday of the Forefathers

December 14, 2016 04:21

Are you prepared to receive the great blessing of the coming of Christ?

Becoming Our True Selves in Advent

December 09, 2016 21:40

What is keeping you "stooped over," hindering you from becoming more like Jesus?

Advent Grace

November 29, 2016 02:39

Does your approach to this Advent season reflect an attitude of self-sufficiency, or does it reveal your reliance on the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus?

The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

November 24, 2016 00:26

Like the Theotokos, we are called to welcome Christ into our own lives and become the Temple of God.

St. John Chrysostom

November 18, 2016 01:53

Does worshipping God in beautiful liturgical services distract us from serving those in need in the world around us? Do we need to pick one over the other?

Reach Out in Humble Faith

November 09, 2016 04:12

Are we coming to Christ with a humble and sincere faith? If so, then we too will experience the gracious mercy which Jesus gives to all who reach out to Him in faith.

Faithful Witnesses

November 01, 2016 00:18

Jesus Christ gives us back our true identities, making us into faithful witnesses of His redeeming work.

The Widow of Nain

October 12, 2016 15:14

In the story of Jesus raising to life the son of the widow of Nain, we see the author of life entering into the painful realities of our world. We too are called to extend the compassion of Christ to the world around us as living icons of His great mercy and salvation.

Obedience Despite Disappointment

September 27, 2016 19:29

Jesus called the Apostles to leave everything to follow Him and become fishers of men. And He calls all of us to take up our cross and follow Him right in the midst of our daily lives, making those places of weakness and failure become occasions of beauty and blessing.

The Cross and the New Creation

September 13, 2016 21:12

Are we participating in the new creation that Christ offers to us through his life, death and resurrection?

Forgiveness

September 12, 2016 16:58

How quickly are we to forgive those who have wronged us in some way?

How to Avoid Sinking

August 23, 2016 14:26

Are you keeping your eyes on Jesus when the stormy seas of life stir up the fear of death?

Our Hope for Eternal Life:  Homily for the Dormition

August 23, 2016 05:01 - 11 minutes - 14 MB

The dormition of the Theotokos is an icon of our hope for eternal life.

Our Hope for Eternal Life:  Homily for the Dormition

August 16, 2016 23:43

The dormition of the Theotokos is an icon of our hope for eternal life.

Being Transfigured Through Prayer

August 10, 2016 00:03

Are you stumbling around in spiritual darkness? Prayer is how we open the darkness of our soul to the brilliant light of Christ, presenting ourselves in faith for His healing.

Books

The Prodigal Son
1 Episode