What's the connection between functioning as a servant of God and hoping in the inheritance as a son of God?
Fr. Paul Hodge remembers the aphorism of Fr. Thomas Hopko of blessed memory, "Beware of consolation before the crucifixion." Like a child who wants dessert before dinner, we may want all of the glory of God's promises now. Looking to Romans 8, we are reminded of the order and the responsibility to receiving God's gift. Sharing in the inheritance as sons comes after suffering with Christ, and not before. Read the full episode transcript here.
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What do you wish for in this new year? Imagine if your every wish stirred an impulse to serve your neighbor with the very thing you first desire from them?
Fr. Timothy Lowe turns to Matthew 7 which challenges our presumptions and turns the worldly order upside-down. The easy path leads to destruction while the narrow gate leads to life. Those who look like sheep may be ravenous wolves, so you must know them by their fruits. And those who fall prey to false teaching may need to check their very wishes and desires against the fruit of Christ's teaching. Read the full episode transcript here. 
In what ways do we categorize one another and divide "us" from "them?" Who will care about these divisions on the Last Day?
Fr. Timothy Lowe suggests that if we insist on categories and divisions, then we have not been transformed by setting our minds on things above, as the Apostle Paul describes in this letter to the Colossians. Where the Roman Empire divides and conquers, the peace of Christ rules as one united body. If we put off the old and put on the new, then love binds everything together in perfect harmony. Read the full episode transcript here. 
A new year offers a chance to reflect and reset priorities. What kinds of new year resolutions are set by the servants of the Lord?
Fr. Timothy Lowe suggests we resolve to pray, out loud and often, the very words provided by Jesus in Matthew's Gospel. Our daily bread is closely linked to the daily practice of forgiveness, suggesting that as often as we eat, we must seek the Lord's daily bread through His Word and extend His mercy to one another. Noting its priorities, its communal emphasis, and even its own powerful simplicity in what the prayer leaves out, the Lord's Prayer sets the ultimate goal and direction for those who pray, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done." Read the full episode transcript here. 
In what ways is prayer used to gain the favor of men, to bargain for position, or even to gossip and control others?
Fr. Timothy Lowe submits to the critique of Matthew's Gospel which warns about heaping up empty words and praying in order to be seen by men. A father provides for his children, and Our Father in Heaven knows what you need before you even ask. We can't keep secrets from Him anyway. As Matthew instructs, "When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Fr. Timothy reminds us, like Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, it is in the acceptance of the simple prayer, "Thy will be done." Read the full episode transcript here. 
Does your parish have a dedicated outreach or missions and evangelism team? Fr. Evan Armatas boldly suggests that the Great Commission cannot be sequestered to committee - it must be at the heart of parish life!
Reflecting on Hebrews 13 where the Apostle Paul summarizes, "Do not neglect to good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God," Fr. Evan demonstrates how there's always room for one more at the table. He affirms that the degree of diversity within the parish directly correlates to the degree of parish health. Fr. Evan shares how the Great Commission is inextricably linked to parish health in his new book, Reclaiming the Great Commission: A Roadmap to Parish Health. The book is written as a practical guide for parish leaders to digest and implement in order to reclaim the Great Commission toward parish health. Read the full episode transcript here. 
Reactions to Black Friday and Giving Tuesday range from enthusiasm to disgust. Many just feel conflicted with the commercialization of the holidays which is intended as a time for thanksgiving, spending time with loved ones, and extending acts of mercy and generosity as the Lord graciously offers His Son for the salvation of all.
How do business and nonprofit leaders who strive to serve the Lord respond to the pressure of these events? How do consumers and patrons respond in light of their baptism in Christ? Fr. Timothy Lowe turns to Matthew's Gospel which critiques our motivations surrounding Black Friday and Giving Tuesday in light of Christ's Sermon on the Mount. Read the full episode transcript here. 
How can the Apostle Paul call himself a "blasphemer" and the "chief of sinners" and then go on to lay out expectations for the bishops and the deacons to live above reproach?
In this episode, Andrea Bakas provides an in-depth word study which unveils powerful imagery stemming from episkopos and diakonos. We look to First Timothy to understand what is expected of bishops and deacons, functional leaders of the church who are reminded to manage their households well. Read the full episode transcript here. 
What motivates our questions? Do we seek security, favor, and position when we ask that which we already know? Or do we seek clarity and common reference in the Scripture so that we can get on with the business of doing?
The story of the Good Samaritan and the inverted question Jesus asks, "Who was neighbor to that man?" clarifies the question asked by the lawyer to tempt Jesus. The one who showed mercy clarified the work for the innkeeper to further extend mercy, and mercy abounds! "Do this and you will live," is the clear answer. Any questions? Read the full episode transcript here. 
What does judgment have to do with servant leadership? On the one hand, absolutely nothing. If judgment is the Lord's, the doulos, the servant or slave in the Lord's household, cannot stand in the place of judge. The Lord alone is Judge. On the other hand, our daily activities and responsibilities require us to exercise fairness and a certain level of judgment, right?
"We are called to do the Lord's will; no less and no more," says Richard Benton, PhD, author of Hosea: A Commentary and of Loving Language: Learning to Hear Your Neighbor. The temptation is to overstep with paybacks, applying strictness or neglect, as we see in the Book of Joel. The Lord used the other nations as an instrument of judgment against Israel, but they have overstepped. Incapable of payback, the Lord will requite their deeds upon their own heads. And that's how we know it's fair, when everyone in every nation stands under the same judgment and mercy of One Lord. Read the full episode transcript here. |
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