In June 2022, I was invited to speak on Eastern Orthodox Christianity at Zootown Church in Missoula, Montana. I talked with with my bishop, and he agreed that it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. It was a wonderful visit. I met some very devout and kind hearted believers, and I made some new friends. The theme of my message was how the ancient Christian Church understands the story of our salvation.
Why the Incarnation?
A look at how the Eastern Orthodox Church understands why the Son of God had to become human and what his incarnation did for us.
Prayer and “vain repetition”
In his teaching on prayer in Matthew 6, is Jesus really condemning repetition in prayer? If so, why do we see multiple examples of repetitive prayer in the scriptures? Visions of heaven, in fact, show that around God’s heavenly throne all you hear is repetitive prayer: “Holy! Holy! Holy!”
The Law-Giver
In his earthly ministry, was Jesus really being a rebel… or was something else going on?
Why pray to the saints?
A question that I hear quite frequently concerns the intercession of the saints. Why do the Orthodox believe in this? Can you find references to it in the scriptures? I want to keep these posts short, so let me share with you a link to an episode of my podcast where I talk about this in a bit more detail.
First let me say this. The popular understanding of heaven and earth is that the dead are “up there” while we are “down here” and that there is largely no practical connection between the “up there” and the “down here.” Classical Christianity (ie, Eastern Orthodoxy), does not see the world in this way. The spiritual realm is a lot closer to us than we think, but our ability to perceive it is impaired.
So with that said, here’s the link.
https://anchor.fm/frajarmus/episodes/The-intercession-of-the-saints-e204h4m
Opportunities unexpected and unavoidable
God puts people into our lives whom we could not ignore, in spite of our best efforts. These people are sent by God for our salvation. My sermon at St Nicholas Cathedral in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Sunday, May 7, 2021.
Conspicuous love
The saints’ love for God and neighbor was deep and unshakable… and it showed!
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Preparing the Way
“Prepare the way of the Lord… Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low.” (Isaiah 40:3,4)
When we are alone
The Holy Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness to fast for 40 days. Isolation is a unique spiritual challenge. When alone, be on guard.
The lost person
The Prodigal Son lost a great deal more than his material wealth.
Eastern Orthodoxy 