Preachers Institute

The Preachers Institute is an online Orthodox Christian homiletics resource for preachers, evangelists, and apologists interested in the art of preparing and preaching sermons in the classical Orthodox oratorical tradition.

Preachers Institute Featured Articles

On The Unity Of The Faith

by St. Irenaeus of Lyons The holy and glorious, right-victorious Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130-202) was bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, which is now Lyons, France. His writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology. He was a disciple of Polycarp of Smyrna, who himself was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian. His feast day is August 23. This is an excerpt of his masterwork, Against Heresies, Book I. 1. The Church, though dispersed through our the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: [She ...

Expiation, Blood and Atonement

by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Senior Editor of Touchstone Magazine, and archpriest of All Saints Orthodox Church in Chicago, IL, Fr. Patrick is, perhaps, the most erudite writer in the Orthodox Church in North America today. This article, one of his Pastoral Ponderings, was published by Orthodoxtoday.org. Among the biblical concepts supporting St. Paul's theology of atonement, one of the most important, surely, is that of expiation. What does the Apostle mean when he writes, "God set forth [Jesus Christ] as the expiatory in His blood" (Romans 3:25)? Although this is the only time St. Paul uses the noun hilasterion, I ...

Sermon On The Last Judgment

by St. John Maximovitch Our father among the saints, John Maximovitch, was a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) who served widely from China to France to the United States. Countless miracles have been attributed to this holy bishop, both during his lifetime and since his repose. During this year, we will be offering some of his Pre-Lenten and Lenten themed sermons for your reference. Read them reverently. The day of the Last Judgement! That day no one knows — only God the Father knows — but its signs are given in the Gospel and in the Apocalypse ...

On The Dread Judgment Seat of Christ

by St. John Maximovitch Our father among the saints, John Maximovitch, was a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) who served widely from China to France to the United States. Countless miracles have been attributed to this holy bishop, both during his lifetime and since his repose. During this year, we will be offering some of his Pre-Lenten and Lenten themed sermons for your reference. Read them reverently. Today is the Sunday of the Dread Judgment, and it is natural for us to speak of the Dread Judgment and of the signs of the end of the world. ...

At Christ’s Second Coming

by St. Augustine of Hippo This is an excerpt from the discourse on Ps 95. St. Augustine comments on the Last Judgment scene found in Matthew 25 and speaks about the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and how to be properly prepared for it. Then all the trees of the forest will exult before the face of the Lord, for he has come, he has come to judge the earth. He has come the first time, and he will come again. At his first coming, his own voice declared in the Gospel:

The Mission of Bishops: To Preach The Gospel

by Bradley Nassif, Ph.D. Originally titled "The Apostolic Mission of Bishops: A Short Reflection, the purpose of this brief, and incomplete, reflection is to focus on the centrality of the gospel in the ministry of a bishop. It is not intended to promote a partisan perspective on any issue facing the contemporary Orthodox Church – Antiochian, Greek or O.C.A. It simply spotlights what the calling of a bishop is to be. This was originally published here, at the Antiochian Orthodox Website. The Bishop’s Apostolic Mission The apostolic mission of a bishop in the Eastern Orthodox Church can be summarized in five points.

The Three-fold Structure of Salvation

by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Senior Editor of Touchstone Magazine, and archpriest of All Saints Orthodox Church in Chicago, IL, Fr. Patrick is, perhaps, the most erudite writer in the Orthodox Church in North America today. This article, one of his Pastoral Ponderings, was published by Orthodoxtoday.org. The classical and ancient theology of the Christian Church regards as redemptive the entire "event" of Jesus Christ, beginning with His personal and permanent assumption of our flesh. Everything about Jesus Christ is soteriological.

Patristics

On The Unity Of The Faith

[Translate] by St. Irenaeus of Lyons The holy and glorious, right-victorious Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130-202) was bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, which is now Lyons, France. His writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology. He was a disciple of Polycarp of Smyrna, who himself was a disciple of the Apostle John the... [More...]

Sermon On The Last Judgment

[Translate] by St. John Maximovitch Our father among the saints, John Maximovitch, was a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) who served widely from China to France to the United States. Countless miracles have been attributed to this holy bishop, both during his lifetime and since his repose. During this year, we... [More...]

Homily 79 on Matthew: The Dread Judgment

[Translate] by St. John Chrysostom St. John was the Archbishop of Constantinople during the fourth century. He was fearless when denouncing sin in high places, and was a prolific writer, and bold preacher, unafraid to hit the topical issues of the day squarely between the eyes with all the subtlety of a ball peen hammer. He had many powerful enemies,... [More...]

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Sermon Preparation

Inoculating Against The Gospel

[Translate] By Fr. John A. Peck The questions a preacher must consider when preparing his sermon are many. One such question must be: “Is my sermon a vaccination against sin and indifference, or an inoculation against conversion?” Though we certainly believe that vaccinations are good science, the idea that a small, dead amount of... [More...]

A Lesson From Preaching Class

[Translate] by Fr. Dcn. Barnabas Powell Our good friend, Fr. Barnabas, newly ordained deacon and blogger at Sober Joy, co-teaches the course PAST 7201 – Preaching: Proclaiming The Kindgom, with Fr. Nick Triantifilou, the president of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Fr. Nick is the main professor, and Fr. Dcn. Barnabas is the... [More...]

Sermon Self-Evaluation: Tips and Techniques

[Translate] by Fr. John A. Peck The art and craft of sermon evaluation is a necessary part of improving one’s preaching. Sadly, there are few opportunities for serious preachers to learn about evaluation and practice it. Opportunities are even more scarce for the Orthodox preacher. That being said, we are approaching some important holy days... [More...]

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Sermon Resources

Expiation, Blood and Atonement

[Translate] by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Senior Editor of Touchstone Magazine, and archpriest of All Saints Orthodox Church in Chicago, IL, Fr. Patrick is, perhaps, the most erudite writer in the Orthodox Church in North America today. This article, one of his Pastoral Ponderings, was published by Orthodoxtoday.org. Among the biblical concepts... [More...]

The Mission of Bishops: To Preach The Gospel

[Translate] by Bradley Nassif, Ph.D. Originally titled “The Apostolic Mission of Bishops: A Short Reflection, the purpose of this brief, and incomplete, reflection is to focus on the centrality of the gospel in the ministry of a bishop. It is not intended to promote a partisan perspective on any issue facing the contemporary Orthodox Church... [More...]

The Three-fold Structure of Salvation

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