Comments on: Sermon Review: St. George Greek Orthodox Church (New York City)

By: Andrew Preslar

Andrew Preslar — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:40:14 +0000

Thanks for this little glimpse into the Kingdom. I love reading such accounts.

By: ahem

ahem — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:28:24 +0000

Alas, there is such a thing as ‘Orthodox time.’ My priest, however, makes no compromise. He gives the sermon before the blessing of the Eucharist. It lasts about 20 minutes and explicates the biblical passage of the day, referring to the original Greek and Hebrew texts and quoting from Augustine, Irenaeus, Gregory Palamas, the prophets, and other church fathers and theologians he may recall extemporaneously from his prodigious memory. If only one parishoner were present, he would not change the the sermon’s position, or lenght, nor would he simplify its language. Sunday morning is God’s time and we had better be prepared to be serious about worship. As it is, we have about 100–125 people listening, including many children who sit, for the most part, quietly for 20 minutes and listen as he explains the aorist tense of ancient Greek. This includes 2 and 3 year-olds. We love him.

By: greggo

greggo — Tue, 11 May 2010 04:05:56 +0000

Nice review, thanks. If I may? The homily is frequently at the end of the Liturgy in the Orthodox Church. Indeed the Liturgy is the work of the Church where the teaching takes place. The service usually goes on for a couple hours; sometimes it’s hard to know when it begins. And the children? Although birth control is allowed, you’d never know it!