St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church Bible Study

Why did Christ touch the coffin of the widow’s son at Nain? In Luke 7:11-16, Christ encounters a funeral procession, touches the bier carrying a dead young man, and raises him back to life. Under the Old Testament Law, contact with the dead could make someone ritually unclean, yet Christ demonstrates that death has no power over Him. In this sermon, Fr. Stephen Osburn explains how this miracle reveals Christ’s authority...

In Luke 6:31–36, Christ gives Christians one of the most difficult commands in the Gospel: love your enemies. In this sermon, Rdr. Ron Somich reflects on why Christian love must go beyond simply treating others the way we want to be treated. Loving those who already love us is easy. The Gospel calls us to something greater: mercy toward those who oppose, hurt, or even hate us. This radical love is part of the Orthodox Christi...

Why does the Orthodox Divine Liturgy begin with the words, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”? Those opening words tell us where the Liturgy is going before anything else happens. The Church gathers to worship the Holy Trinity and participate in the Kingdom of God. In this class, Fr. Stephen Osburn begins walking through the Divine Liturgy itself and explains what its opening ...

What does it mean to become a saint, and would we remain faithful if following Christ cost us everything? In this sermon, Pdn. Vassily Kocher reflects on the saints and martyrs of the Orthodox Church and the courage they showed when faced with persecution, suffering, and death. Their lives remind us that Christian faith is more than something we claim with our words. Orthodox Christianity calls every Christian to a life of holiness...

The world can be loud, exhausting, and filled with reasons to worry. In this Bible study, Anthony Ally looks at what happens when Christians become trapped in anxiety, distraction, and the belief that everything depends on their own strength. Orthodox Christianity teaches that peace does not come from controlling everything around us, but from learning to entrust ourselves to God. Even periods of spiritual dryness can expose our se...

In the Parable of the Talents, Christ tells of a master who gives his servants different amounts according to their abilities. One receives five talents, another two, and another one. The servant with one talent is not judged because he received less than the others, but because he buried what he had been given. This sermon considers what this parable teaches about our God-given gifts and the Orthodox Christian spiritual life. God ...

Why do Christians pray if God already knows what we need? And why do we gather together for worship instead of simply praying at home? In this Bible study, Anthony Ally examines prayer, worship, and our active participation in the Divine Liturgy. The Orthodox Church teaches that we worship not because God needs something from us, but because we were created for communion with Him. Prayer turns us toward God and teaches us to live i...

What does baptism actually do, and why has the Orthodox Church continued to baptize Christians according to an ancient pattern? In this sermon, Fr. Michael Matsko turns to Acts 8 and the experience of the early Church to explain Orthodox Christian baptism, chrismation, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The story of the Samaritans and the Ethiopian eunuch shows that baptism was never separated from faith, repentance, Scripture, and t...

In this sermon, Fr. Stephen Osburn reflects on the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-14 and its warning about the excuses we make in the spiritual life. The king prepares the feast and sends out the invitation, yet those who were invited allow other priorities to keep them away. The Gospel asks us to consider whether we do the same thing with God. Are prayer, worship, fasting, confession, and service central to our lives...

What does spiritual struggle actually mean in Orthodox Christianity? In this Bible study, Anthony Ally reflects on Abba Daniel’s Conference 4 and the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. The Orthodox Church does not teach that the human body is evil, but that our fallen desires and passions need healing. The Christian life is therefore a continual movement toward God through repentance, prayer, humility, and His grace. ...

Matthew 21:33-42 and the Parable of the Wicked Tenants challenge Orthodox Christians to ask what we are doing with the faith God has entrusted to us. The Orthodox Church is called not only to preserve the Gospel, but to live it, share it, and invite others into the life of the Church.

Orthodox evangelism does not mean everyone must become a street preacher or know the answer to every theological question. Sharing the faith can begin...

This sermon reflects on the Gospel of the rich young ruler and one of the most important questions in the Christian life: what does it actually mean to follow Christ? The young man had kept the commandments, but when he was asked to surrender his possessions and follow the Lord, he went away sorrowful. His problem was not simply that he had wealth. His possessions revealed something deeper about what had taken hold of his heart.

The...

The Dormition of the Theotokos is a feast about death, but it is ultimately a celebration of life and resurrection. In this sermon, Rdr. Ron Somich explains why the Orthodox Church celebrates the falling asleep of the Virgin Mary with joy. Her death reminds us that she was fully human, while her entrance into heavenly glory points toward the destiny God intends for humanity. The Dormition teaches us to look beyond the grave toward ...

The Dormition of the Theotokos reveals something important about what it means to be truly human. In this sermon, Fr. Stephen Osburn explains why Orthodox Christians honor the Virgin Mary and why that honor does not compete with the worship that belongs to God alone. The Theotokos shows us a human life centered on God rather than on personal desire. Her Dormition also points us toward the Christian hope of resurrection and eternal ...

Humility is one of the foundations of the Orthodox Christian spiritual life, but what does Christian humility actually mean? It does not mean thinking poorly of ourselves, denying our gifts, or becoming passive. The Orthodox Church understands humility as learning to see ourselves truthfully before God and receiving our lives, abilities, and responsibilities with gratitude. In this Bible study, Anthony Ally considers humility throu...

In Matthew 17:14-23, the disciples encounter something they cannot overcome. They have followed Christ, received authority, and already seen God work through them, yet they are unable to cast out the demon afflicting a young boy. When they ask why, they are pointed back to faith, prayer, and fasting. This sermon looks at what that passage teaches Orthodox Christians about the difference between claiming the faith and actually livin...

The Feast of the Transfiguration gives us a glimpse of the glory of Christ on Mount Tabor, but it also gives us a simple message for the spiritual life: do not be afraid. Peter, James, and John see something far greater than they are prepared to understand, and they are overwhelmed. Yet God does not expect them to understand everything at once. They are being prepared little by little for the Cross and Resurrection that are still t...

Fear is something every Christian experiences, but the Gospel shows us that fear does not have to define us. In this sermon on Matthew 14:22-33, we reflect on Peter walking on the water and what his experience teaches Orthodox Christians about trusting God in the middle of life’s storms. As Peter fixed his eyes on Christ, he walked on the water. When he focused on the wind and the waves, he began to sink. This familiar Gospel...

Work is more than earning a paycheck. In this Bible study, we explore what the Orthodox Church teaches about work, vocation, and the three renunciations found in St. John Cassian’s Conference 3. Drawing from the teaching of Abba Paphnutius, we see how our daily labor can become part of our journey toward theosis rather than something separate from our spiritual life. Orthodox Christians believe that every honest vocation can ...