The Power of An Empty Tomb

May 6, 2020

“But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” (John 20:11-13)

That was the scene just moments before Mary became the first witness to the greatest miracle to ever take place – the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus from dead. Try to imagine the scene – she is standing outside the tomb and sees the stone has been rolled away (a feat that no human could have done alone). She’s weeping. She’s sobbing. Her emotions are going from bad to worse – not only is He dead, but they’ve gotten rid of His Body too (something very disgraceful in the ancient Hebrew culture).

A bad day just became worse and you can imagine her feeling standing inside that tomb – that empty tomb. Crushed. Depressed. Defeated. Hopeless. The tomb was the worst place ever.

But then it all changed. It all changed when she saw Jesus. He appeared to her and called her by name, “Mary.” She recognized Him immediately and that was it. That changed everything.

Death Has Been Defeated!

May 1, 2019

Christ is risen!!!! Yes, He is risen indeed!!!! And in case you didn’t realize it, that is the greatest news ever!

Why? Because it means that death has been defeated! Through His own death and resurrection, Jesus abolished the power of death and granted us victory over the one enemy that we thought could never be conquered...DEATH!

Therefore we will/must REJOICE! WOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Below is a slightly more eloquent way of saying what I just said – an excerpt from a sermon preached by the great St. Athanasius (patron saint of STSA):

Does Faith Really Have to Be Blind?

November 7, 2018

I have to start with a confession, something that could get me in trouble. What I’m about to confess could cause some of you to look at me different and judge me as being not very “spiritual” but I’m gonna do it anyway. Here goes…

I confess that I like to understand things. I like to know what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. I know it sounds unspiritual but I like to ask questions and dig for answers in areas we’re often told to just accept on “faith.”

Yes, I confess: MY NAME IS FR ANTHONY AND I'M A LOGICAL PERSON.

For the Bible Tells Me So - CLEAR THE AIR, Part 2

June 19, 2017

Warning: the video above may lead to some serious trauma for those who grew up in church and were taught that the Bible is the foundation of Christianity. If that's you, get ready to have your faith seriously challenged.

It's our second installment in CLEAR THE AIR - the series that looks at the different reasons people "walk away" from God and calls them into question.

On Christ’s Suffering and Death

May 6, 2016

The Lenten Season – which concluded last Sunday as we celebrated Christ’s resurrection from the dead – is usually seen as one of the most sacred times of the year for us Christians. This season is at the core of our dogma and our faith, and epitomizes the beautiful story of Christianity, establishing hope for the eternal joy and peace as opposed to the earthly pain and distress. Because of its literally life-changing nature, we are called to engage in more intense daily exercises during Lent, both physically and spiritually

Lessons Learned from a TV Miniseries

May 13, 2015

It’s now been one month since Easter. Can you believe it? One month since the most glorious and life-changing week ever... one month since we confidently believed that a new life was ahead of us and we’d never go back to our old ways or old habits or old lifestyles.

It was one month ago that we were filled with hope and everything looked bright.

But how about now? Are you still feeling that way? Do you still believe that “life will never be the same again?” Do you still feel the invincibility that you felt when you beheld the empty tomb and proclaimed boldly, “Christ is risen from the dead!”

In other words, are you still living in the power of the Resurrection? Or is back to “same old, same old” for you?

A Modern Example of Life After Death

May 6, 2015

In the midst of a devastating tragedy, the Nepalese people hold their breath and burst into cheers when a fifteen year-old boy was rescued from the rubble of a multistory residential building in Kathmandu on Thursday. This young man is alive despite being hidden in the debris caused by an earthquake which took the life of more than seven thousand people.

As I was listening to the news this morning, goosebumps gathered along my skin. What an amazing scene. In the midst of death life can be found! I started to think about that boy some more, and I wonder if he will ever live life the same way again? He saw his own death, and lived through the misery of five full days and nights of darkness and hopelessness in the pits of despair.

How much more of a modern-day reminder can God give us during these days where we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord for 50 glorious days?

Discovering the Power of Pascha Week

April 3, 2015

While most of the country prepares to celebrate Easter this weekend, we in the Orthodox Church appear a little behind once again. Our calendar has Easter falling on April 12 this year. That means that this coming weekend is the weekend of Palm Sunday and the kickoff of Holy Week, or Pascha week as it is more properly known.

Therefore, I thought it would be fun to start off with some Holy Week trivia for you.

World-Changing PRAYER

May 12, 2014

Week 2 of the World-Changers series and this week's topic is World-Changing Prayer. The key thought for this week's message is this: what you PRAY FOR reveals what you BELIEVE ABOUT God.

Pray for small things? Then you probably believe in a small God.

Pray for selfish things? Then you probably believe that God is here to serve you and make you happy.

Pray for nothing? Then you probably believe that God doesn't really care.

Jesus didn't come back from the dead just for a celebration; He came back on a mission and with marching orders for us to continue that mission. If we're serious about being World-Changers (like Jesus was and like His original followers were) and getting that mission done, it's going to need to start with our prayers.

Why Can't I Change?

April 30, 2014

"Dear Fr. Anthony, I was really moved by your message and began to really believe that through the power of the Resurrection I can change and can overcome my old habits. But it seems like every time I believe that and start to move in the right direction, I inevitably fall and end up even worse than when I started. How can I make a change that will last? Is it even possible for me?”

That’s one of the most common questions I get asked: can I really change? Is it really possible for me to overcome my bad habit? Will I ever be able to stop worrying? Is there really any hope that my life can be different?

It’s not that we don’t believe that it’s possible. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We believe 100% that it’s possible because we know that “with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37) and “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27) and of course, everyone’s favorite, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

We know the verses. We’ve heard the sermons. We’ve seen Jesus change the lives of so many other people around us.

SO WHY CAN’T WE CHANGE? That’s the million dollar question

World-Changing FAITH

April 28, 2014

"When Jesus came back from the dead, He didn't come for a celebration. He came with marching orders."

One week removed from the Feast of the LORD's Resurrection and the question on everyone's mind is....NOW WHAT? What next? Back to life as normal? Or was that whole Good Friday/Easter Sunday thing supposed to make a real difference in my life somehow?

I believe the answer is YES! Absolutely, positively, 100% yes! If you look back at the guys who lived through the Resurrection the first time, you'll see that this one event ushered in a whole new era of life. The weak became strong, the timid became bold, and the doubts turned to faith! The Resurrection did make a difference...A LIFE-CHANGING AND WORLD-CHANGING DIFFERENCE!

I believe the same is meant to be true today as well - for me and you. Easter may be over and the food may be finished, but the marching orders are still in full effect. Take a look at the video below and see for yourself what happens when we actually believe that that is true.

Do Not Be Afraid (sermon video)

April 22, 2014

Christ is risen!!! WOO-HOO!!!! And by His death, He has defeated death itself and given life and hope and joy to all those who believe Him and walk in His ways.

Because of that, the one expression that should fill the hearts and the mouths of His followers during these blessed days is DO NOT BE AFRAID. But unfortunately, that isn't always the case. Despite the fact that Christ defeated our greatest enemy (death), many still walk in fear today.

That's why I'm posting this sermon video today. The title is simple: DO NOT BE AFRAID. It was a sermon I gave on the first Sunday after Easter several years ago and I think it could speak powerfully to many people today.

Hope you enjoy!

I Am the Resurrection and the Life (I AM Part 1)

July 1, 2013

"Who do you say that I am?" Jesus asked a lot of questions during His time on earth, but none more important than that. The answer to that question will impact both your life on this earth and your eternity.

That's why we started a new series yesterday called I AM. The series will look at 5 of Jesus' I AM statements and we'll use Jesus' own words to help us answer the question of "who is Jesus?"

Here is the first message in the series - based on John 11:25 - where Jesus said "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

Preparing for Holy Week (sermon video)

April 22, 2013

I'm back online! Sorry for being out of touch all last week. We were getting our house ready to be put on the market for sale - so I was wrapped up with that all day, every day, last week.

But now, thanks be to God, we're done and I am back and more pumped than ever! Lots of stuff I can't wait to share with everyone out there in the blogosphere so stay tuned... But for today, I wanted to share the video of the message that I delivered yesterday: PREPARING FOR HOLY WEEK.

NOTE: if you're not Orthodox and you're wondering why we're preparing for Holy Week now, it's because we are on a different calendar than you. You celebrated Easter a few weeks ago; but we don't get to it till May. So you can look at it as we are a month behind the rest of the Christian world, or as I prefer to see it, we are about 11 months ahead. :)

Either way, check out the video and hopefully this helps get you in the right frame of mind - regardless of when you celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord.