What is Christian Marriage?

Me and my wife with my daughter Catherine, and son-in-law Benjamin Dixon

The following sermon was given on May 7, 2023, at the wedding of my daughter Catherine Whiteford and my son-in-law Benjamin Dixon, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Marriage was established by God in Creation. Although many people get confused as to what marriage is these days, I can guarantee you 100 percent of the people here have a male father and a female mother and only one of each. That's the basis for all human life. God made it the very root and foundation of society, and in a healthy society most people would be born from parents married to each other and live in a stable home. The more that ceases to be the norm, the more unstable society becomes.

That's why it's all the more important for us as Christians to be committed to marriage, because each marriage is like one thread in a big, woven cloth. You might pull one string out without messing up the whole garment, but if you keep pulling out strings, one after and another, pretty soon the whole thing unravels. Marriage is that important.

Christian marriage is something in addition to that. In the Gospel reading, we heard about how Christ took natural water–which is good in of itself and made by God at the time of Creation–and how, when He blessed it, He turned that water into wine. God takes what He already blesses from Creation in terms of natural marriage and makes it into something else. It's not just an avenue through which life comes forth and we produce future generations, nor just the basis of society. It's also the path by which you can save your souls.

A husband and a wife in a Christian home are to be committed to each other in such a way that when one person is weak, the other one is strong. If you have to drag the other person across the finish line of life into heaven, you do that, because you are that committed to the relationship. 

It's not just important for you, but also important for your children. It's difficult for children to see parents who don't get along, particularly if it was those parents who taught them the Faith. They can reasonably ask, "if my parents taught me the Faith but they couldn't keep the marriage together, then what good is it?"

We as parents need to be good models of what it means to be Christian parents, even if it's difficult. The thing is, there are always going to be times that are difficult. There will always be times in your marriage when you think, “I made a big mistake, I don't know about this, this is not going well.” But the thing is, if you remain committed to it–and both of you remain committed to it–you will be able to stand firm. 

How do you get that kind of blessing from God? You do what the Virgin Mary said to the servants in the Gospel reading: “Do whatever He tells you.” And then they took that water to Christ and He blessed it, turning it into wine. If you do whatever Christ tells you to do, then you will have no problems between each other, your children will be blessed, and society around you will be blessed because they can look to you as an example of a Christian man and woman. 

May God bless you.

Sermons on Psalm 118[119]

An Orthodox Funeral, at which is chanted Psalm 118

In August 2014, I began a series of sermons on Psalm 118 (in the Septuagint, Psalm 119 in Protestant translations), and have preached an average of 4 sermons a year on this Psalm, and so after 5 1/2 years, I have finally finished the series. Here is the text of the Psalm, with the sermons at the end of each of the 22 sections, which in the Hebrew text consist of 8 lines each, and in each section the lines all begin with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet which correspond to that section. This is thus an acrostic Psalm, and the longest chapter in the Bible.

I drew heavily upon St. Theophan the Recluse's commentary on Psalm 118, but also on Blessed Theodoret, St. Augustine, and Cassiodorus, as well as some the occasional commentaries of some other saints. I would strongly recommend reading all of these commentaries, but if you were looking for a single source on Psalm 118, St. Theophan's commentary is the one to get.

St. John of Shanghai's words on the importance of the Psalms in general and of this Psalm in particular are mentioned several times in the various sermons below:

"Perhaps it will happen that you will die without having once in your life read in full the Psalter of David... You will die, and only then will good people read over your lifeless body this holy Psalter, which you had no time even, to open while you lived on earth! Only then, at your burial, will they sing over you the wondrously instructive, sweetly-wise-but alas, to you completely unknown-words of David: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord... Blessed are they who search His testimonies. who keep His revelations, and seek Him with their whole heart. Do you hear: Blessed are they who search His testimonies, seek out the revelations of the Lord; and you had no time even to think of them! What will your poor soul feel then, your soul to which every word of the Psalmist, repeated by a reader or singer over your coffin, will sound as a strict reproach that you never read this sacred book?... Open now, before it is too late, this wondrous book of the Prophet King. Open it and read with attention at least this 118th Psalm, and you will involuntarily feel that your heart becomes humble, soft, that in the words of David are the words of the merit of God, and you will repeat involuntarily, many times, with sighing of heart, the verse of this Psalm: I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; seek out Thy slave, Lord!" (from his weekly diocesan bulletin (Shanghai, November 24, 1941, no. 503, emphasis added).

א

Aleph

Blessed are the blameless in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.  Blessed are they that search out His testimonies; with their whole heart shall they seek after Him.  For they that work iniquity have not walked in His ways.  Thou hast enjoined Thy commandments, that we should keep them most diligently.  Would that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes.  Then shall I not be ashamed, when I look on all Thy commandments.  I will confess Thee with uprightness of heart, when I have learned the judgments of Thy righteousness.  I will keep thy statutes; do not utterly forsake me.

Blessed are the Blameless (Psalm 118:1-8)

ב

Beth

Wherewithal shall a young man correct his way? By keeping Thy words.  With my whole heart have I sought after Thee, cast me not away from Thy commandments.  In my heart have I hid Thy sayings that I might not sin against Thee.  Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.  With my lips have I declared all the judgments of Thy mouth.  In the way of Thy testimonies have I found delight, as much as in all riches.  On Thy commandments will I ponder, and I will understand Thy ways.  On Thy statutes will I meditate; I will not forget Thy words.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Teach Me Thy Statutes (Psalm 118:9-16)

ג

Gimel

Give reward unto Thy servant, quicken me and I will keep Thy words.  O unveil mine eyes, and I shall perceive wondrous things out of Thy law.  I am a sojourner on the earth, hide not from me Thy commandments.  My soul hath longed to desire Thy judgments at all times.  Thou hast rebuked the proud; cursed are they that decline from Thy commandments.  Remove from me reproach and contempt, for after Thy testimonies have I sought.  For princes sat and they spake against me, but Thy servant pondered on Thy statutes.  For Thy testimonies are my meditation, and Thy statutes are my counselors.

Unveil Mine Eyes (Psalm 118:17-24)

ד

Daleth

My soul hath cleaved unto the earth; quicken me according to Thy word.  My ways have I declared, and Thou hast heard me; teach me Thy statutes.  Make me to understand the way of Thy statutes, and I will ponder on Thy wondrous works.  My soul hath slumbered from despondency, strengthen me with Thy words.  Remove from me the way of unrighteousness, and with Thy law have mercy on me.  I have chosen the way of truth, and Thy judgments have I not forgotten.  I have cleaved to Thy testimonies, O Lord; put me not to shame.  The way of Thy commandments have I run, when Thou didst enlarge my heart.

The Doors of Repentance (Psalm 118:25-32)

ה

He

Set before me for a law, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes, and I will seek after it continually.  Give me understanding, and I will search out Thy law, and I will keep it with my whole heart.  Guide me in the path of Thy commandments, for I have desired it.  Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies and not unto covetousness.  Turn away mine eyes that I may not see vanity, quicken Thou me in Thy way.  Establish for Thy servant Thine oracle unto fear of Thee.  Remove my reproach which I have feared, for Thy judgments are good.  Behold, I have longed after Thy commandments; in Thy righteousness quicken me.

The Way of Thy Statutes (Psalm 118:33-40)

ו

Vav

Let Thy mercy come also upon me, O Lord, even Thy salvation according to Thy word.  So shall I give an answer to them that reproach me, for I have hoped in Thy words.  And take not utterly out of my mouth the word of truth, for in Thy judgments have I hoped.  So shall I keep Thy law continually, for ever, and unto the ages of ages.  And I walked in spaciousness, for after Thy commandments have I sought.  And I spake of Thy testimonies before kings, and I was not ashamed.  And I meditated on Thy commandments which I have greatly loved.  And I lifted up my hands to Thy commandments which I have loved, and I pondered on Thy statutes.

 Our Anchor of Hope (Psalm 118:41-48)

ז

Zayin

Remember Thy words to Thy servant, wherein Thou hast made me to hope.  This hath comforted me in my humiliation, for Thine oracle hath quickened me.  The proud have transgressed exceedingly, but from Thy law have I not declined.  I remembered Thy judgments of old, O Lord, and was comforted.  Despondency took hold upon me because of the sinners who forsake Thy law.  Thy statutes were my songs in the place of my sojourning.  I remembered Thy name in the night, O Lord, and I kept Thy law.  This hath happened unto me because I sought after Thy statutes.

Remember  Thy Words to Thy Servant (Psalm 118:49-56)

ח

Heth

Thou art my portion, O Lord; I said that I would keep Thy law.  I entreated Thy countenance with my whole heart: Have mercy on me according to Thy word.  I have thought on Thy ways, and I have turned my feet back to Thy testimonies.  I made ready, and I was not troubled, that I might keep Thy commandments.  The cords of sinners have entangled me, but Thy law have I not forgotten.  At midnight I arose to give thanks unto Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness.  I am a partaker with all them that fear Thee, and with them that keep Thy commandments.  The earth, O Lord, is full of Thy mercy; teach me Thy statutes.

Overcoming Sin (Psalm 118:57-64)

 ט

Teth

Thou hast dealt graciously with Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word.  Goodness and discipline and knowledge teach Thou me, for in Thy commandments have I believed.  Before I was humbled, I transgressed; therefore Thy saying have I kept.  Thou art good, O Lord, and in Thy goodness teach me Thy statutes.  Multiplied against me hath been the unrighteousness of the proud; but as for me, with my whole heart will I search out Thy commandments.  Curdled like milk is their heart; but as for me, in Thy law have I meditated.  It is good for me that Thou hast humbled me, that I might learn Thy statutes.  The law of Thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver.

God's Work to Guide Us on the Path of Salvation (Psalm 118:65-72)

י

Yod

Thy hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding and I will learn Thy commandments.  They that fear Thee shall see me and be glad, for on Thy words have I set my hope.  I have known, O Lord, that Thy judgments are righteousness, and with truth hast Thou humbled me.  Let now Thy mercy be my comfort, according to Thy saying unto Thy servant.  Let Thy compassions come upon me and I shall live, for Thy law is my meditation.  Let the proud be put to shame, for unjustly have they transgressed against me; but as for me, I will ponder on Thy commandments.  Let those that fear Thee return unto me, and those that know Thy testimonies.  Let my heart be blameless in Thy statutes, that I may not be put to shame.

Thy hands have made me and fashioned me (Psalm 118:73-80)

כ

Kaph

My soul fainteth for Thy salvation; on Thy words have I set my hope.  Mine eyes are grown dim with waiting for Thine oracle; they say: When wilt Thou comfort me?  For I am become like a wine-skin in the frost; yet Thy statutes have I not forgotten.  How many are the days of Thy servant? When wilt Thou execute judgment for me on them that persecute me?  Transgressors have told me fables, but they are not like Thy law, O Lord.  All Thy commandments are truth. Without a cause have men persecuted me; do Thou help me.  They well nigh made an end of me on the earth; but as for me, I forsook not Thy commandments.  According to Thy mercy quicken me, and I will keep the testimonies of Thy mouth.

On Thy Words have I Set My Hope (Psalm 118:81-88)

ל

Lamed

For ever, O Lord, Thy word abideth in heaven.  Unto generation and generation is Thy truth; Thou hast laid the foundation of the earth, and it abideth.  By Thine ordinance doth the day abide, for all things are Thy servants.  If Thy law had not been my meditation, then should I have perished in my humiliation.  I will never forget Thy statutes, for in them hast Thou quickened me.  I am Thine, save me; for after Thy statutes have I sought.  Sinners have waited for me to destroy me; but Thy testimonies have I understood.  Of all perfection have I seen the outcome; exceeding spacious is Thy commandment.

Forever, O Lord, Thy Word Abideth in Heaven (Psalm 118:89-96)

מ

Mem

O how I have loved Thy law, O Lord! the whole day long it is my meditation.  Above mine enemies hast Thou made me wise in Thy commandment, for it is mine for ever.  Above all that teach me have I gained understanding, for Thy testimonies are my meditation.  Above mine elders have I received understanding, for after Thy  commandments have I sought.  From every way that is evil have I restrained my feet that I might keep Thy words.  From Thy judgments have I not declined, for Thou hast set a law for me.  How sweet to my palate are Thy sayings! more sweet than honey to my mouth.  From Thy commandments have I gained understanding; therefore have I hated every way of unrighteousness.

Loving God and Hating Sin (Psalm 118:97-104)

נ

Nun

Thy law is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths.  I have sworn and resolved that I will keep the judgments of Thy righteousness.  I was humbled exceedingly; O Lord, quicken me according to Thy word.  The free-will offerings of my mouth be Thou now pleased to receive, O Lord, and teach me Thy judgments.  My soul is in Thy hands continually, and Thy law have I not forgotten.  Sinners have set a snare for me, yet from Thy commandment have I not strayed.  I have inherited Thy testimonies for ever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart.  I have inclined my heart to perform Thy statutes for ever for a recompense.

A Light Unto My Paths (Psalm 118:105-112)

ס

Samech

Transgressors have I hated, but Thy law have I loved.  My helper and my protector art Thou; on Thy words have I set my hope.  Depart from me, ye evil-doers, and I will search out the commandments of my God.  Uphold me according to Thy saying and quicken me, and turn me not away in shame from mine expectation.  Help me, and I shall be saved; and I will meditate on Thy statutes continually.  Thou hast set at nought all that depart from Thy statutes, for unrighteous is their inward thought.  I have reckoned as transgressors all the sinners of the earth, therefore have I loved Thy testimonies.  Nail down my flesh with the fear of Thee, for of Thy judgments am I afraid.

Hitherto Hath the Lord Helped Us (Psalm 118:113-120)

ע

Ayin

I have wrought judgment and righteousness; O give me not up to them that wrong me.  Receive Thy servant unto good, let not the proud falsely accuse me.  Mine eyes have failed with waiting for Thy salvation, and for the word of Thy righteousness.  Deal with Thy servant according to Thy mercy, and teach me Thy statutes.  I am Thy servant; give me understanding, and I shall know Thy testimonies.  It is time for the Lord to act; for they have dispersed Thy law.  Therefore have I loved Thy commandments more than gold and topaz.  Therefore I directed myself according to all Thy commandments; every way that is unrighteous have I hated.

The Eye of the Soul (Psalm 118:121-128)

פ

Pe

Wonderful are Thy testimonies; therefore hath my soul searched them out.  The unfolding of Thy words will give light and understanding unto babes.  I opened my mouth and drew in my breath, for I longed for Thy commandments.   Look upon me and have mercy on me, according to the judgment of them that love Thy name.  My steps do Thou direct according to Thy saying, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.  Deliver me from the false accusation of men, and I will keep Thy commandments.  Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant, and teach me Thy statutes.  Mine eyes have poured forth streams of waters, because I kept not Thy law.

Wonderful are Thy Testimonies (Psalm 118:129-136)

צ

Tsade

Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and upright are Thy judgments.  Thou hast ordained as Thy testimonies exceeding righteousness and truth.  My zeal for Thee hath made me to pine away, because mine enemies have forgotten Thy words.  Thine oracle is tried with fire to the uttermost, and Thy servant hath loved it.  I am young and accounted as nothing, yet Thy statutes have I not forgotten.  Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy law is truth.  Tribulations and necessities have found me, Thy commandments are my meditation.  Thy testimonies are righteousness for ever; give me understanding and I shall live.

Blessed are They that Hear the Word of God and Keep it (Psalm 118:137-144)

ק

Qoph

I have cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord, and I will seek after Thy statutes.  I have cried unto Thee; save me, and I will keep Thy testimonies.  I arose in the dead of night and I cried; on Thy words have I set my hope.  Mine eyes woke before the morning that I might meditate on Thy sayings.  Hear my voice, O Lord, according to Thy mercy; according to Thy judgment, quicken me.  They have drawn nigh that lawlessly persecute me, but from Thy law are they far removed.  Near art Thou, O Lord, and all Thy ways are truth. From the beginning I have known from Thy testimonies that Thou hast founded them for ever.

Imitating God (Psalm 118:145-152)

ר

Resh

Behold my humiliation and rescue me, for Thy law have I not forgotten.  Judge my cause and redeem me; for Thy word's sake quicken me.  Far from sinners is salvation, for they have not sought after Thy statutes.  Thy compassions are many, O Lord; according to Thy judgment quicken me.  Many are they that persecute me and afflict me; from Thy testimonies have I not declined.  I beheld men acting foolishly and I pined away, because they kept not Thy sayings.  Behold, how I have loved Thy commandments; O Lord, in Thy mercy, quicken me.  The beginning of Thy words is truth, and all the judgments of Thy righteousness endure for ever.

If They Hear Not Moses and the Prophets (Psalm 118:153-160)

ש

Shin

Princes have persecuted me without a cause, and because of Thy words my heart hath been afraid.  I will rejoice in Thy sayings as one that findeth great spoil.  Unrighteousness have I hated and abhorred, but Thy law have I loved.  Seven times a day have I praised Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness.  Much peace have they that love Thy law, and for them there is no stumbling-block.  I awaited Thy salvation, O Lord, and Thy commandments have I loved.  My soul hath kept Thy testimonies and hath loved them exceedingly.  I have kept Thy commandments and Thy testimonies, for all my ways are before Thee, O Lord.

All My Ways are Ever Before Thee (Psalm 118:161-168)

ת

Tav

Let my supplication draw nigh before Thee, O Lord; according to Thine oracle give me understanding.  Let my petition come before Thee, O Lord; according to Thine oracle deliver me.  My lips shall pour forth a hymn when Thou hast taught me Thy statutes.  My tongue shall speak of Thy sayings, for all Thy commandments are righteousness.  Let Thy hand be for saving me, for I have chosen Thy commandments.  I have longed for Thy salvation, O Lord, and Thy law is my meditation.  My soul shall live and shall praise Thee, and Thy judgments will help me.  I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; O seek Thy servant, for I have not forgotten Thy commandments. 

The Signs of Life (Psalm 118:169-176)

Note: The translation of Psalm 118 is that of The Psalter According to the Seventy, © Copyright Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved. 

Sermon: Transgenderism Comes to a Texas Suburb

Click here for a sermon given on October 27th, 2019, on the recent case of James Younger, and the push to indoctrinate our children in LGBTQP+ ideology:

https://saintjonah.org/sermons/transgenderism/

Sermon: Papism and Neo-Papism

A sermon given on the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, March 24th, 2019, on the Ukraine Crisis and the ultimate triumph of Orthodoxy.

Click here to listen: http://www.saintjonah.org/podcasts/sermons/neopapism.mp3

The Beheading of St. John the Baptist and 9/11

We do not generally celebrate the birthdays of saints. We celebrate the date of their deaths, because how we end our lives is more important than how we begin them. However, St. John the Baptist is one of the two exceptions to this rule. We celebrate both the conception and the birth of St. John as well as the Theotokos, because these two people are the holiest of the saints. St. John was, we are told in the Gospels, filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb (Luke 1:15), and so he was a great saint, and the greatest of the Prophets.

Though the beheading of St. John the Baptist happened on Herod's birthday, it is the death of St. John we commemorate, not Herod's birthday, because Herod is remembered now only as a very evil and weak man..

The Herod of the Gospel we heard today is not the same as the Herod we hear about on Christmas. This was one of his sons. Herod the Great had five wives, and many children -- several of whom he had executed, and so it was said of Herod that it was safer to be Herod's pig than Herod's son. After Herod the Great died, his kingdom was divided among the surviving sons, and so Herod Antipas was made a Tetrarch, who ruled Galilee and Perea. Galilee was the most prosperous area in the Holy Land. Perea was the land along the eastern bank of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.

It’s difficult to keep track of how the family was related to each other, because this was a family tree that didn’t have a lot of branches. Herod Antipas, was born of Herod's wife Malthake, and was first married to the daughter of King Aretas, a Nabatean King. Herodias was the Granddaughter of Herod the Great, whose grandmother was Mariamne the Hasmonean. She was first married to Herod Philip, another of Herod the Great Son’s, by his wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem, and so was half brother to Herod Antipas. This made Herodias both Herod Antipas’s niece, and his sister-in-law. Herodias had a daughter from Philip, named Salome -- who was both Antipas' niece, and grandniece at the same time.

At one point, Antipas and Herodias were in Rome, and he seduced her. He convinced her to divorce her husband, and promised that he would divorce his wife, and then they would be married, and they both followed through, and were married, with complete disregard to the law of God forbidding the taking of another man's wife while he still lived, and also forbidding taking one's brother's wife at all if she already had a child from the brother.

St. John the Baptist did not say “Who am I to judge”? He did not say, “It is none of my business.” He certainly did not say “Love wins!” as many in our culture today would be inclined to say. Instead he said “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife” (Mark 6:18). He did not care what Roman law said. He did not care what Antipas said the law was. He only cared what the law of God said.

This, of course, did not set well with Herodias, who resented anyone speaking the truth about her. And so finally she persuaded Herod to arrest him, and he put him into prison in the palace fortress of Machaerus, which was on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea.

But what is strange is that having put this simple man into prison, "Herod feared John"(Mark 6:20). He was the man with the power. John was locked in a dungeon, and yet Herod feared him. He feared him because he was a "holy and just man" (Mark 6:20), and he no doubt feared the people, who all thought St. John was a prophet.

However, we are also told that he often went to see John, and "heard him gladly" (Mark 6:20). He was torn, because on the one hand, he had a sin he was not willing to give up – the sin of his adulterous and incestuous relationship with his brother’s wife. But on the other hand, he was drawn to what St. John said, and to what St. John represented. Much like when we later hear of his nephew Agrippa, he was almost persuaded. When St. Paul appeared before Herod Agrippa, after hearing his testimony, he said "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28). And Antipas was almost persuaded to repent. However, "almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades. In the spiritual life, "almost" is not good enough.

So he wavered between two opinions. He would not repent, but he also would not give into the demands of his wife and put St. John to death.

Then, one day he threw himself a birthday party. We are told that "he made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee" (Mark 6:21). And then Salome, the daughter of Herodias, came in and shamelessly danced. This was not the normal behavior of a princess, but she had learned to be shameless from her mother. Antipas, who was no doubt somewhat drunk, was struck with lust for a woman who was his niece, his grandniece, and his step-daughter to boot. And he made a foolish oath: “Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee." And he then swore: "Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom” (Mark 6:23). Some also think that this amounted to a marriage proposal, because normally a ruler shares half of his kingdom only with his queen. She might have asked for all sorts of riches, the possibilities were great, but instead she went and consulted with her mother, and her mother told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. And to make sure that Herod was not given an opportunity to change his made, she demanded that it be given to her on a platter, right then. Rather than renounce a foolish oath, Herod, because he feared the opinion of those who were at his party, gave in:

"And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother" (Mark 6:27-28).

Herod’s conscience troubled him. We know this because we were told at the beginning of today's reading, that when he heard of Christ, he was convinced that this was St. John the Baptist, come back from the dead (Mark 6:14-16).

We hear of Antipas one more time in the Gospels, on the night of Christ’s passion. St. Luke tells us that when Pilate heard that Christ was a Galilean, hoping to pass the buck, he sent him to Antipas, who happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.

“And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing” (Luke 23:8-9).

He would have heard Christ gladly, as he had John, but Christ did not indulge him. He performed no miracle to impress him. And one thing that this tells us is that there comes a time when God will give up a man who continues to reject the call to repentance, and leave him to go his own way. Today, is the day of salvation. Now is the appointed time (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Since Christ would not provide him with with the entertainment that he had hoped for, we are told that he and his men treated Christ with contempt and mocked him, and "arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate" (Luke 23:11). And it happened that Pilate and Herod became friends (Luke 23:12). They previously had been enemies, but became friends in their opposition to Christ.

About a decade after all of this, Antipas fell out of favor. He went to Rome, but was accused of plotting against the Emperor by his nephew Agrippa, and so lost his rule, and was sent into exile with Herodias. No one knows exactly when or how Herod and Herodias died, and this is because no one thought it important enough to record it. In St. John's Troparion, we are told "The memory of the righteous is celebrated with hymns of praise..."  However, the Psalms tell us:

"Not so are the ungodly, not so; but rather they are like the chaff which the wind doth hurl away from the face of the earth. For this reason shall the ungodly not stand up in judgement, nor sinners in the council of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, and the way of the ungodly shall perish" (Psalm 1:4-6).

We celebrate another unhappy anniversary today -- the fifteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I do not believe it is coincidental that these attacks happened on the feast of the beheading of St. John the Baptist.*

St. John of Shanghai was the founder of our cathedral in our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. Most parishes that are dedicated to St. John the Baptist celebrate the feast of his nativity, or the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist -- because both feasts are usually not fast days, and when a parish celebrates a patronal feast, they, of course, like to do it on a day when they can eat whatever they want. However, the feast of the beheading of St. John the Baptist is always a fast day. There is never a year in which this day is anything other than a fast day. And yet St. John insisted that they dedicate their cathedral to this feast. The people tried to convince him otherwise, but he warned them that unless they chose this feast, their parish would not prosper... and being fearful to go against such a warning from such a holy man, they relented.

I know that this story was not concocted to try to connect this feast with the 9/11 attacks, because I remember hearing it long before those attacks. Prior to 9/11, people just thought it was curious. Perhaps St. John simply wanted to encourage people to fast. However, after the 9/11 attacks this story was seen in a very different light. St. John the Baptist was a preacher of repentance. He warned that the axe is already laid to the root of the tree, and any tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and caste into the fire (Matthew 3:10). This means that the axe is already in position to start hacking away at the roots, and to chop the tree down, but there is still an opportunity for repentance.

Unfortunately, I remember how after 9/11 there was an upsurge in Church attendance. People seemed to be more interested in their faith. Like Herod, they heard the preaching of the word of God gladly. But it did not last. And look at what has happened since then. Our country has redefined marriage -- the very issue that lead to St. John being beheaded -- and in a way that Herod could not even imagine. We have thrown the law of God out of the window. And now, increasingly, we see Christ mocked in our culture.

We cannot have our cake and eat it too. This is true of us as a nation, and this is true of us as individuals. We cannot serve both God and our own lusts. We cannot call ourselves Christians, and do whatever we please, contrary to God’ law. We have to choose this day whom we will serve, and we will have to live with that choice for all eternity.  Regardless of what everyone else may do, we as Orthodox Christians must say "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).

*It is worth noting that the comparable terrorist attack in the United Kingdom happened on July 7th, 2005, which on the Church calendar happens to be the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

Click here to listen to the audio of this sermon.

Homily for Holy Saturday by St. Epiphanius of Cyprus

Homily on Holy Saturday: The Lord Descends into Hades

St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus (403 A.D.)

Something strange is happening - there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and He has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and Hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, He has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, He who is both God and the Son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the Cross, the weapon that had won Him the victory. At the sight of Him Adam, the first man He had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone, “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him, “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying, “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.

“I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by My own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in Hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the Life of the dead. Rise up, work of My hands, you who were created in My image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in Me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

“For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

“See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in My image. On My back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See My hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

“I slept on the Cross and a sword pierced My side for you who slept in Paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in Hell. The sword that pierced Me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

“Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly Paradise. I will not restore you to that Paradise, but I will enthrone you in Heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am Life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The Bridal Chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The Kingdom of Heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity. “

From the Synaxarion of the Lenten Triondion and Pentecostarion, Fr. David and Mother Gabriela, eds., HDM Press, Rives Junction, MI, 1999 pp. 160-161.

For the Houston Mayor... Here are My Sermons

As you have probably heard, the Mayor of Houston, Annise Parker, has subpoenaed the sermons of several ministers in Houston, particularly those sermons that mentioned her, homosexuality, or her push to allow men who think they are women to use the ladies room if they wish. I think every clergyman in the country should respond and send her recordings or texts of their sermons.

Her e-mail is mayor@houstontx.gov

Her facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/MayorAnniseParker

Her Twitter account is here: https://twitter.com/AnniseParker

Maybe all those sermons will do her some good.

Here are some of mine:

The Inconvenient Truth about Homosexual Marriage (Romans 1:18-27)

The Empty House: what happens when a person or a nation abandons God? (Luke 11:23-26)

“As it was in the days of Noah” (Genesis 6:5-8)

Flee Sexual Immorality (1 Corinthians 5-6)

All of my other sermons for the past few years are posted here:

http://www.saintjonah.org/podcasts/sermons.htm

You can also see what I have posted on my blog on the subject, here:

http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com/search/label/Gay%20Marriage

You can try to intimidate us all you like, but we still have freedom of religion and freedom of speech in this country, and we will continue to exercise those rights as we see fit.

The Hieromartyr Peter of Krutitsa

This past Sunday was the Sunday of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, and so the sermon was on the life of St. Peter of Krutitsa: Click here to listen.

Sermons on the Ten Commandments

The Fathers say that the two tables of the the Law of Moses were divided according to the two great commandments: 1) To love God; and 2) To love your neighbor.

Here are sermons on the first table of the Law:

1st Commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (12/11/2011)

2nd Commandment: Thou shalt not make unto thee any idols. For this commandment, there are two sermons: one on what it does not mean (3/4/2012), and one on what it does mean (10/21/2012).

3rd commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (8/26/2012).

4th Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (9/16/2012).

And here are sermons on the second table of the Law:

5th Commandment: Honor thy father and thy mother (6/16/2013).

6th Commandment: Thou shalt not kill. For this commandment, there are two sermons: one on what it does mean (7/7/2013), and one on what it does not mean (7/14/2013).

7th Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery (8/11/2013), and a sermon on Divorce (8/18/2013).

8th Commandment: Thou shalt not steal (10/13/2013).

9th Commandment: Thou shalt not bear false witness (11/17/2013).

10th Commandment: Thou shalt not covet (1/26/2014).

Sermon on Skeptical Biblical Scholarship

I recently preached two sermons on Skeptical Biblical Scholarship, which were a response to a series the History Channel's "Bible Secrets Revealed".

You can click here to listen to Part 1.

Click here, to listen to Part 2.

There is one correction that I wanted to make, and one qualification, to the first sermon:

One example that I inserted into the sermon off the cuff, made reference to Tiglath Pileser, but the Assyrian King I actually had in mind was Sargon II -- that's the danger of speaking from memory.

The qualification is to my comment that those who get Ph.D.'s needing to come up with a "new theory". It is true that to get a Ph.D. you have to produce a thesis that present new scholarship, but such scholarship would not necessary entail a particular new theory. What I meant to say was that this need to produce new scholarship encourages the development of new theories, as opposed to taking a traditional view of Scripture, and it is also true that for a biblical scholar to become noteworthy, he has to come up with some ground breaking, new approach to Scripture, or some new theory related to the authorship of part of the Bible, or a re-interpretation of biblical history.

You can also read an excellent essay by an Orthodox Biblical Scholar, Eric Jobe: A Response to the History Channel’s “Bible Secrets Revealed”.

Sermon on the Prophetess Hannah

A sermon on the Prophetess Hannah, and 1st Samuel chapters 1 and 2: Click here.

Sermon on the Newly Established Feast of Ss. Peter and Febronia

This past Sunday was the first Sunday in which the newly established feast of Ss. Peter and Febronia was observed, and so you can listen to my sermon on that occasion by clicking here.

God's Reply to the Supreme Court on Homosexual Marriage

"Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division" 

(Luke 12:51).

On Wednesday, June 26th, the United States Supreme Court struck down much of the Defense of Marriage Act, and began to lay the ground work for declaring homosexual "marriage" to be a constitutional right.

The Orthodox Epistle reading for that same day was Romans 1:18-27:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet."

I don't believe this was mere coincidence.

This past Sunday, I decided to preach on that passage: Click Here to Listen.

Three Homilies on Psalm 67 (68)

Part 1: Let God Arise and let his enemies be scattered (verses 1-6)

Part 2: Butter Mountain? (verses 7-18)

Part 3: Wondrous is God in His Saints (verses 19-35)

Homilies on the Psalms at "Lord, I have cried..."

These are five sermons preached from July 25, 2010 through August 22, 2010 on the Psalms chanted at Lord, I have cried, at Vespers:

Part 1: "Set a watch, O Lord" (Psalm 140:1-3 lxx).

Part 2: "Making excuse with excuses in sins" (Psalm 140:4-5 lxx).

Part 3: "I am alone until I pass by" (Psalm 140:6-10 lxx).

Part 4: "Bring my soul out of prison" (Psalm 141 lxx).

Part 5: "The Truth of the Lord Abideth Forever" (Psalm 129 & 116 lxx).

Sermons now podcasted on Ancient Faith Radio

My sermons on now being podcasted on Ancient Faith Radio, in a series entitled "From the Amvon". First sermon: Does Doctrine Matter. And for those who may ask, what is an "Amvon"? See Orthodoxwiki: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Amvon

Daniel and the Three Youths in a Non-Kosher Cafeteria

A sermon on how the Prophet Daniel (1:1-21) and the Three Youths learned to tame lions, and walk around in fiery furnaces by standing for God in small ways first: Click here to listen.

Torah! Torah! Torah!

The Torah Scroll
The Fathers say that the two tables of the the Law of Moses were divided according to the two great commandments: 1) To love God; and 2) To love your neighbor.

Here are sermons on the first table of the Law:

1st Commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (12/11/2011)

2nd Commandment: Thou shalt not make unto thee any idols. For this commandment, there are two sermons: one on what it does not mean (3/4/2012), and one on what it does mean (10/21/2012).

3rd commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (8/26/2012).

4th Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (9/16/2012).

Mass Shootings and Cultural Decay

This is a sermon reflecting on the shootings in Aurora, Colorado, but the comments are applicable to the shootings of today as well:

Click here to listen

Delivered on 7/22/2012.

Update: The shooter was allegedly a "Goth" who suffered from some personality disorder. This disorder is becoming an epidemic: Spiritual-Deficiency-Disorder.

You should also read "Trained to Kill", by military psychologist Lt. Col. Dave Grossman.

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

A homily on Matthew 6:33, on the subject of putting God first in your life:

Click here to listen.

Delivered on 7/3/2011.