Today's Sermon in a Nutshell

There once was a little four-year old girl who visited an Orthodox Church with her family for the first time. Upon entering, she was amazed by all of the colorful icons and stained-glass windows, which she had never seen before. Not fully comprehending what she saw, her young mind could only equate them with the many posters she had seen in supermarkets and department stores and blurted out, "Mommy, are these God's advertisements?"

Luckily her mother was astute enough to answer, "Yes;" for that is exactly what saints are. Through their boldness of faith and strength of character they lived their lives "advertising" Jesus Christ; doing so by using their time, talents, and energy for the propagation of the Christian Faith; many even sacrificing everything in their quest to serve Christ and countless others witnessing by giving up their very lives for Him. Now how's that for  product endorsement!

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that we are called to be "ambassadors for Christ," meaning that we are to be actively living, reflecting, and advertising through our very actions...because, after all, an example is the best teaching tool. As the Church Fathers so eloquently taught, "Preach Christ....and if necessary, use words!"

Fr. John