Essence and Energies

Essence and Energies

I recently taught a little on this subject drawing on the Patristic materials. These are some notes, but the subject deserves a more detailed consideration to which I will return in due course. We have spoken at some length about the hidden mystery of the divine essence, and yet insisted that God is still truly […]

Mind your language!

Mind your language!

No, I am not reflecting on the use of various languages in the services of the Church, though that is a serious issue. I mean the use of coarse and vulgar language by those of us who are Orthodox Christians, and even by those who have no Christian faith at all. I am grateful that […]

If we really value our youth…

If we really value our youth…

If we really value our youth then it seems to me that we need to orient our service so that we do not simply teach facts about our faith, and stories from the Bible, and do not only make youth into those who are able to participate in religious activities. But we need to be […]

What’s the point of it all?

What’s the point of it all?

Whenever our lives are touched, however tangentially, with the tragedy that seems to be endemic in the world, and which is presented to us almost too directly and insistently by social media platforms and the news industry, we are given an opportunity to reflect on the meaning and purpose of our own lives. This is […]

Judging by Appearances

Judging by Appearances

It’s easy to judge people by appearances. It saves a lot of time, and at some level it makes a bit of sense. My little dog was attacked by a big black Labrador when he was just a puppy. Ever since he has been afraid of black dogs, because his experience of them in the […]

Worship the Lord

Worship the Lord

If I say that I prefer this or that form of worship, as an Orthodox Christian, then it seems to me that I am seeking to enjoy the experience of worship rather than to make the necessary effort to discover God in the place where I am, and among the people I stand with. If […]

Being an Orthodox Parent – Part I

Being an Orthodox Parent –  Part I

I’m not an expert. I’m probably a failure. I’m a failure at most things. But being a parent is just about the most difficult vocation that we can have. And being an Orthodox parent, with a whole range of additional concerns and aspirations just makes it even worse. Not only do we want our children […]

Catholic or not Orthodox at all

Catholic or not Orthodox at all

In modern times, Christian communities have become entrenched in cultural identities that were unknown to the early Christians. Indeed St Paul is clear. In Galatians 3 he says… For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There […]

Noisy Church – When children scream!

Noisy Church – When children scream!

When I was still an Evangelical, and my first child was about a year old, my wife and I attended one of the churches in town with a view to making it our home. Our daughter wasn’t noisy at all, and I say that with many years of experience of noisy children, but as soon […]

One Incarnate Nature of the Word

One Incarnate Nature of the Word

This phrase is part of the language that we use in our Orthodox Church to explain and describe in a partial manner what we believe took place in the incomprehensible incarnation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is a phrase used by St Cyril of Alexandria to express his own understanding, and has […]

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